Anita Horrocks

Readings

Anita’s goal for school and library readings is to inspire students to read by sharing her own enthusiasm for stories. Starting with how she became a writer (she was a reader!), Anita shares some of the discoveries she’s made about writing in a high energy, interactive presentation. Props – from rattlesnake skins, “ammonia cookies” and her own childhood secret box – help students understand how the spark for a story can come from anything in a writer’s life, and how noticing the world around them gives writers interesting details to make a story feel real. Readings from her novels are central to her presentation, and generate long line-ups at the school library to sign out her books! Other topics that may be covered are how a story becomes a book, rewriting and editing. Questions are always encouraged.

Special Equipment:

Flipchart or whiteboard/blackboard.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed. Grades 1 – 7 beginning in Fall 2008 with release of new picture book.

Workshops

Anita’s workshops feature a series of writing exercises to stretch the imaginations of young writers, help them get to know their characters, understand what makes a good beginning, and practice showing instead of telling. Students will also have an opportunity to share their work.

Special Equipment:

Flipchart or whiteboard/blackboard, overhead projector and screen.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed.

Biography

Anita grew up in the prairie town of Winkler, Manitoba. She enjoyed sports – especially basketball, volleyball, and swimming – but some of her happiest moments were spent at the library. “I loved the smell of books and the feel of the pages, but mostly, I loved the stories inside.”

After high school Anita moved to Alberta, where she earned diplomas in Ecological Sciences and later, Print Journalism. Early in her career she spent several summers digging for dinosaur fossils and working as a park interpreter. She was also a freelance writer before becoming public relations coordinator for the University of Lethbridge, where over time she completed a B.A. in English. Reading and learning about some of the world=s most-loved literature inspired Anita to begin writing fiction herself. “My favorite novels are still those that combine exciting plots with the memorable use of language. Writing for children and young adults is a natural choice.”

Anita choses familiar Canadian landscapes, from the coulees of Lethbridge to Christopher Lake in northern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba farm country, to set her novels for young readers. Her stories all have elements of adventure and suspense while dealing with themes of family and human relationships. Breath of a Ghost is about a boy grieving after the tragic loss of his brother. In What They Don’t Know, a teenage girl experiences another kind of loss and struggles to reconnect with family and friends. Topher is set within the context of a supernatural adventure, but the story is about the power of human forgiveness. And Almost Eden, a fictionalized retelling of some of her own experiences growing up in a Mennonite community, speaks to the human need to connect with both each other, and something larger than ourselves.

Anita and her husband, Bryan, live in Lethbridge with their dog, Jesse. She has two grown stepchildren, and two granddaughters. She works part-time at the public library, is a fairweather golfer, and a sporadically enthusiastic quilter. She also writes, reads, hikes, rides her bike, and tries to learn something new every day.

OTHER PRESENTATIONS:
Anita will tailor conference presentations and workshops for adults to the specific audience and theme. Topics may include the writing process, shaping experience into narrative, writing for children, and the role of research in writing fiction, among others.