Sometimes it's nice to turn off the iPod on the way home and just read a book. I finished Hadley Dyer's Johnny Kellock Died Today this way, and it was a welcomel companion. The Norman family may be a bit rough around the edges, but the wise-cracking dialogue and thoughtful observations of main character Rosalie Norman come shining through. It was a treat to spend some time around "Mama's kitchen table" with the Normans while Rosalie figured out a few things about family secrets, friendship and how far someone will go for a fresh start. No wonder Johnny Kellock wound up an award-winner so many times over.

This was such a special visit. I lug the little student accordion that I traded my mother's old wheezy one for to almost every presentation. Just for show. And I always ask if there is someone who might be able to play it, since I can't. This time, at Confederation Park in Burnaby, we were all in for a surprise. One of the students seems to have the knack of it and played the theme song from "Star Wars" as part of her repetoire. It was a great night, I signed books in the parking lot under a cold, starry sky because it was after 9 and the school had to close. I am very glad I met so many book lovers from Confederation Park--parents, staff and kids-- many of whom have a knack for telling a good accordion story of their own!

Now this was a great moment. These two are in the Education Program at UBC. The class they are currently working with is reading Magnifico -- which made me happy to hear. We met at Authorfest 2009 on the UBC campus and they were just brimming with enthusiasm in a way I hope all new teachers are.

I'm sure the highlight for everyone was the headliner, Robert Bateman, and his powerful talk about overpopulation and consumerism. Tiffany Stone was the lighter side of the equation and got us all on our feet at one point, I'm pretty sure. Then there's me, sort of a mixed bag of sentimentalism and stories, crammed into 15 minutes. So although an animal theme brought us together, it was a very eclectic program.

Bateman had one simple piece of advice for families that bears repeating. "Every family should take a nature walk once a week." In our house, we generally do, but it is easy to retreat from nature in the winter and we haven't been out, really out, in a while. Today, Bateman's words ringing in my ears, we explored the trail network behind Sutherland Secondary. Nature gave us a reward: the sight of two pileated woodpeckers hammering away at the trees. The wood was coming off in chunks and they'd chipped so deep, it looked more like the work of two beavers. I wouldn't be surprised if a week from now, those tree tops were down. It was impressive. When we got home, my daughter when straight for her Peterson Field Guide to confirm the sighting.

I think Robert Bateman would have been proud.

There is a certain kind of mess in my 10-year-old daughter's room that I have a very high tolerance for. That is, books strewn all over the bed and carpet. Every once in a while I will go up and find books pulled from her shelf and sprawled everywhere. They're all books she's already read, and clearly she's looking for something. I respect it as a private thing, but it makes me curious.

It also makes me proud. Quite often, I'll find books in the mix authored by friends, and many times, that means a book of Tiffany Stone's whimsical, one-of-a-kind poetry. I'm never surprised by how often my daughter pulls these books out, the poetry is perfectly paired with block-cut style illustrations that suit it to a T.

I caught up with Tiffany at Authorfest at UBC this week. Her three children are keeping her busy, and she's getting ready to launch a book of MATH poetry. She's also keeping up with what is quite possibly the world's cutest website.

I can't wait to tell my teacher friends.

Christmas came for me in November this year, when Magnifico won the 2008 F.G. Bressani prize in the novel category. I was thrilled to be able to attend the awards ceremony at the Italian Cultural Centre (can you see it in my face?). A few days later, I gave an email interview to Anna Foschi, founder of the prize. Here's what she asked, and my replies:

What was your first reaction when you learned that you had won the 2008 Bressani prize for the novel category? I am tremendously glad that there is such a prize that connects heritage with literature.

For me, the Bressani award is an affirmation of time well spent. It makes me feel that the year I lived every extra moment working on the story was worthwhile. Once a book is published, it goes beyond the author and all that matters is whether it captures the reader’s heart and interest. A prize says this must have happened with the jurors, and they have discovered a book they would like others to know about.

There is something else, Magnifico is a children’s book. It’s meant for children ages 9 – 12. The acknowledgement from the Bressani jurors makes a powerful and affirming statement about the importance of children’s literature, and historical fiction for children.

For this I am enormously grateful. “Mille grazie!” (Did I spell that right?)


Can you tell us a little about Magnifico the winning novel? What was your inspiration for it? The inspiration began with my mother, Joan. Raised in the 1930s and 40s in the Victoria community of James Bay, “Joanie” was given an accordion because her parents couldn’t afford a piano “and every well-brought up child should play an instrument.” She was not happy about it, though she learned to play it very well in time. Mum had no Italian in her though, that comes from my father’s side. And by that stage in my life, I so very much wanted to explore what it was like to be Italian Canadian in the late 1930s. Living in Vancouver, the natural neighborhood to parallel James Bay was Strathcona. And from friends there, I was introduced to people who remembered growing up Italian Canadian in Strathcona at that time, the visit of the King and Queen, all the pageantry and drama of those days in our history that so captivate children. I wanted to record some of what I learned, but through the flexible lens of fiction.

I feel fortunate to have had the influences of Italian friends and family in my life, particularly growing up. Even though I’m only “1/4” it runs strong, it is very visible in my face, my hair, my eyebrows… from the time I was very young, I knew I always looked Italian. That was a root of some “otherness” to me, growing up in Victoria in the 1970s, but I didn’t think that deeply on what is below the surface until many years later. When I got married, I gave up my Italian last name. That was a loss I didn’t contemplate at the time. And I don’t speak the language, which is so central to the culture. And so the only way I had to reach out and discover more about my heritage was by pursuing a story in this way.


Yours was a family of Italian pioneers on your....side. How did this heritage influence your writing?
It was my grandfather, Marino Candido, my father’s father, who came from Italy at the turn of the last century. My brother, my sister and I – we adored him! He died when I was about seven, I think, and I still remember how brokenhearted we all were. As I’ve gotten older, I’m 42 now, I’ve wished so often that my grandparents were still near. Asking my father for his memories was one way to reach back to another era and bring Grandpa near. Writing gives you a reason, and legitimacy, to ask questions that might be sensitive. Or have conversations about small details in daily life that most of us don’t think about as being extraordinary. This is the great pleasure in doing historical fiction. Time passes and the extraordinary is revealed in the backward glance. The writing is the work. A book is a huge commitment and undertaking. I had to be sure that I had a subject that fully captivated my heart to sustain the work.

What are your future literary projects?
My children are young, and I have two now, I only had my one daughter, Emily, when I was writing Magnifico. So after my day job, I find I am very tied to house and home in the evenings and on weekends. I had to find stories that would not take me away from the family for research, stories I could think through and write at home without reaching out so much. I have this year done a re-telling of an Italian folktale, I am very proud of it, but I’m not sure where it belongs. And by Christmas, I hope to finish a young reader novel (for readers ages 9 – 11) about two sisters, one is very creative and artistic, the other, is a pre-schooler and lots of trouble. It’s just meant to be funny and to help kids find the humour in sibling dynamics.

Do you have any words of encouragement for aspiring writers or new writers?
Use your words for good.

Listen to the people who believe in you, but also listen to those who want to make your work better. Behind every good book is a good editor. At some point, you may be asked to make small sacrifices in a story, or changes you did not expect. If the integrity of the story is not compromised, it can be good to make these changes. Writing is work, it’s never done in a single draft. I always feel like I’m done with the first draft, but I am amazed, when I’m asked to develop something further, that I have more inside.

By now you know what a bad blogger I am, that it has to be a really BIG deal to get me to update my blog. Anyone who's done a Barbie cake for the first time knows what I'm talking about. You can't wait for the party to be over so you can throw a picture up on the web, even if your blog is about books, you will do anything to diverge from the subject and show your Barbie cake to the world. There are dozens of websites chronicling the trials and tribulations of doing a Barbie cake. This is just my proof that if I can do it, you can to! All it takes is about $60 of upfront supplies (you could do it for less, but if you are like me and have fear of failure, you will buy more supplies than you need) a night to bake and then the next night to decorate. Give not up if the first hour of decorating leads to a steady strain of self recriminations of the "why did I decide to do this" and mental comparisons to the much better cakes your mother made for you. Persevere! It's a wonderful way to celebrate a four-year-old's birthday. To get full value out of the mold though, husband and other daughter can expect the same cake on their birthdays for at least the next twenty years.

Remember the feeling you had in school waiting for the cast list to come out, in the hopes you were on it? Or the posting of the honour roll? Making the first string of the basketball team? (I imagine this feels the same, but definitely can't say from experience). Well, when the 2008/09 Red Cedars were announced, that's how I felt. I've wistfully studied the annual Red Cedar poster for years now, hoping that Magnifico would share in the limelight one day. And it has!! I'm thrilled! Of course, the wonderful but dreaded "Cheese Pirates" have made an appearance as well. "Hamish X" won the Manitoba Young Readers Book Award, a well-deserved triumph, which nonetheless gave me my first experience with Magnifico in the truth that it's enough to be nominated. Same feeling with the outcome of the Chocolate Lily awards and Rocky Mountain Book Awards. Still, it's been a great ride for Magnifico, peaking with this year's Red Cedars--the fourth list of children's choice awards on which its appeared. It's great to be on the list with real imaginary Cheese Pirates and the other assorted characters created by this year's finalists. As a girl lugging her accordion through the streets of James Bay in Victoria, my Mum probably never dreamed that one day her story would be the inspiration for a book. She just wanted to make it to her lesson without getting hit by a rock.

I would go on, but the kids have discovered the hiding place of this year's Halloween candy and are making no attempts to hide the sounds of wrestling with packaging.

Thanks Red Cedar people! Thank you for what you do to get your recommended books in the hands of readers.