Featured Author: Anita Horrocks

Bibliography at Orca

Silas' Seven Grandparents: A fun and loving story about having multiple sets of grandparents and step-grandparents as a result of divorce and remarriage. Silas' grandparents enjoy exposing him to a variety of interests, values and cultures. But problems arise when Silas feels he can't be everywhere at once. In the end, it's Silas' sensitive, inclusive nature which brings everyone together.

Interview

Why do you write; and why children's/young adult books? I write because I love good stories. Reading was one of my favourite things to do when I was growing up. I loved the smell of books and the feel of the pages, but mostly, I loved the stories inside. I didn’t know why I loved them so much, I just knew I needed those stories. When I grew up, I realized that stories are important because they help people learn about themselves and about the world we live in. They help us find our way through life. Writing stories is also challenging. I can’t think of anything more fun than to do something that is both important and challenging.

I write children’s and young adult books, because exciting stories are still the most important element in literature for children. It is in children’s stories that I find the best plots, most interesting characters and some of the most beautiful language. These are the things that appeal to me in both reading and writing stories.

What are the best and worst things about writing books? The best thing about writing is that it is fun! Writing is absolutely the most challenging, difficult job I’ve ever tackled.  It is also something I think is important. Stories meant so much to me as a child – they still do – and I’m really proud to be able to write stories for children now.  And what could be more fun than doing something that is both challenging and significant.

The worst thing about writing is that it is hard to do well. Writing can be tedious, lonely, and ever so depressing when it is not going well. And there are plenty of times when things don’t go well!  I believe that to be successful, writers need a bit of imagination, a bit of talent and a whole lot of stubbornness. For me, writing the first draft is the most difficult, mostly because that first draft is all about discovering the story, figuring out what is going to happen and what the story is really about. Once the first draft is finished, then the fun part starts—the part where I get to rewrite and edit and make the story more interesting, and the language tighter and more vivid.  

What's the funniest or most interesting reader response you've ever had? When participating in the Red Maple reading program, one youngster asked me if I ever had to do drugs in order to write my novel, What They Don’t Know. I love the directness of kid’s questions! The most touching response I ever received though, and one that reinforced for me the responsibility we as writers have to our readers, was a letter from a Grade 5 student who had read my first novel, Breath of a Ghost, which is about a boy who is haunted by the ghost of his little brother who died of leukemia. He wrote: “The book reminded me about my hero. He has cancer. And my Grandpa has cancer, and my cousin had lung cancer and died. And I started to cry when Jerry died. And the best part was the end. And when the dog was okay I was happy.”

What kind of research do you do before you write? Lots of all kinds of research. I read books about things I need to know—like how children grieve the loss of a love one, or what happens when someone is bit by a rabid animal. I’ve read books about rattlesnakes, reincarnation, dogs, lightning, nighthawks, stepfamilies and more. But I also look things up on the internet, interview people who are experts, and spend time in the places, like the coulees of southern Alberta, that I write about. When I was researching information for Topher, I canoed across Christopher Lake in Saskatchewan to see how long it would take. At the other end of the lake I found a hidden cove, a place I used as a hideout in the story.

Biography

Anita Horrocks has published four novels for young readers. Silas’s Seven Grandparents is her first book with Orca and her first picturebook. Anita has two granddaughters, Sydney and Wren, and is one of seven grandparents who love to spoil them. Anita lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, where she divides her time between working at the library, driving the bookmobile, hiking, cycling, walking, writing, reading, quilting, baking and doing other grandma things.