Pearce, Jacqueline 1962-

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PEARCE, Jacqueline 1962-

PERSONAL:

Born January 27, 1962, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; daughter of John (a log scaler) and Rochelle (a nurse; maiden name, Arnot) Pearce; married Craig Naherniak (a humane educator), 1991; children: Danielle. Ethnicity: "English/French/Italian." Education: University of Victoria, B.A., 1985; York University, M.E.S., 1990. Hobbies and other interests: Art, photography.

ADDRESSES:

Home—7757 Royal Oak Ave., Burnaby, British Columbia V5J 4K2, Canada. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Canadian Children's Book Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, information officer, 1990; Vancity Credit Union, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, environmental specialist, 1990-94; freelance writer, 1994—. Georgia Strait Alliance (environmental group), board member, 2001-03.

MEMBER:

Children's Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Grant from Canada Council.

WRITINGS:

The Reunion (junior novel), Orca Book Publishers (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada), 2002.

Weeds and Other Stories (short stories), Thistledown Press (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada), 2003.

Author of poetry for adults.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Discovering Emily, a junior novel, publication by Orca Book Publishers (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) expected in 2004; River Stones, a young adult novel; Emily's Dream, a sequel to Discovering Emily, about the childhood of artist Emily Carr, publication by Orca Book Publishers (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) expected in 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jacqueline Pearce told CA: "I've always liked books, but I became particularly excited by them when I was about twelve years old and discovered the novels of C. S. Lewis, Lloyd Alexander, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and others. From that time on, I wanted to write books like theirs. Even as an adult with a degree in English literature, I still love to read a good book for children, and I still want to write the same type of book. In a way, with each book I read or story I write, I return to that time in my life of excitement and discovery when so many things seemed possible. In fact, writing for children helps me continue to see magic in the world around me.

"Although I've wanted to write novels since I was twelve, it took many years before I finished my first one. The Reunion actually started as a picture book story, which the publisher asked me to try expanding into a junior novel. My second junior novel also started out this way. Both stories take place in the past, so I had to do a lot of research for both. Interviewing people who grew up in a small multi-cultural sawmill town during World War II was especially interesting.

"In contrast, Weeds and Other Stories, my collection for young adults, takes place in the present and is influenced by my interest in people's relationships to nature and to animals. The short stories take place in a large city where the presence of wild nature may not be obvious at first, but it ends up touching the lives of many of the characters.

"I love writing but am forced to take breaks, and when I do, I like to explore intriguing areas of the city around me or work on art projects. One day I may illustrate some of my own writing."