Linda Bailey

Readings

Linda’s intermediate program is lively and interactive and focuses on the Stevie Diamond mystery books and the Good Times Travel Agency comic book-history series. She provides a whirlwind tour of: the mystery genre, the time travel adventure genre, the writing process, the publishing process, foreign editions, inspiration and research. Time permitting, Linda can also discuss the Stanley-the-dog picture books and/or The Farm Team (hockey/sports genre).

Linda’s primary presentation begins with “the story of Stanley,” a show-and-tell of manuscripts, early sketches, and pictures of the “muse” (Linda’s dog, Sophie). In a simple, kid-friendy way, she introduces kids to the pre-writing, writing and publishing processes, and reads at least one Stanley book. After a big “dog stretch,” the focus shifts to hockey and the sports story, and how Linda wrote The Farm Team. Time permitting, she might also discuss other picture books such as The Best Figure-Skater in the Whole Wide World.

Workshops

Please contact Linda for details.

Other Presentations

Linda is happy to present at conferences or professional development days. She can speak on a variety of subjects, depending on the focus. Possibilities include:

• Inside a Dog (the Story of Stanley)
• Shudder, Giggle, Gasp (Writing Mystery & Adventure)
• Finding Your Inner Dog (Point of View & Character Development in Writing)
• Adventure: One of Childhood’s Magic Words

Biography

Linda Bailey is the author of more than twenty books for children including the Stevie Diamond mystery series and the Good Times Travel Agency series of comic book histories of ancient civilizations. She has also written eight picture books, most recently the Stanley books: Stanley’s Party, Stanley’s Wild Ride and Stanley at Sea. Linda’s books have won awards across Canada and the United States, including the Christie Harris Award, the Arthur Ellis Crime Writers Award (twice), the Silver Birch Award, the Blue Spruce Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Hackmatack Award, the Oregon SMART Award and the Georgia Storybook Award.

Born in Winnipeg, Linda traveled around the world in her twenties and then moved to Vancouver, where she earned a B.A. and M. Ed. At the University of British Columbia. She has worked as a travel agent, a college instructor and a designer/editor of distance education materials. Linda lives in Vancouver and has two grown daughters named Lia and Tess. She also has a golden retriever named Sophie, whose goofy antics inspired — and continue to inspire — the fictional dog Stanley.