Peggy Dymond Leavey

Readings

Peggy usually begins by reading short selections from her latest novel, but she is happy to adapt her presentation to suit any theme (Education Week, Literacy, etc.). She talks about how she started writing and where her ideas come from. Among the visuals is the hand-written novel she wrote in Grade Four and examples of the various stages in a book’s development—from first draft to finished product. Peggy welcomes feedback from the children and likes to end with questions and answers. She provides bookmarks (autographed), posters and teachers’ handouts of classroom activities and ideas for further discussion.

Special Equipment:

Microphone, depending on size of audience and venue, a table for display purposes. Drinking water would be appreciated.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed, if arranged ahead of time.

Workshops

Peggy provides hands-on activities that include looking for story ideas, using the senses, developing characters, choosing colourful verbs, writing effective openings, using dialogue, writing fiction from truth and looking at story structure. Student hand-outs are provided.

Special Equipment:

Flipchart and markers, or blackboard and chalk. Drinking water would be appreciated.

Book Sales:

Copies of books can be brought to be sold and autographed, if arranged ahead of time.

Biography

Peggy was the second of five children in a family where the favourite gift at Christmas or birthdays was always a book. Although born in Toronto, Peggy spent her growing up years moving from place to place across Canada, due to her father’s frequent Air Force postings.

Peggy discovered a love of writing at an early age, after winning an essay competition in Grade Four. She loved to write stories to entertain her younger siblings and, during summer holidays, little plays for her front porch productions. In those days, she entered every writing competition she came across. Today, Peggy and her husband live near Trenton, Ontario where they have raised three children and can now enjoy spending time with their eight grandchildren.

For years Peggy had been submitting stories for publication without much success, but in 1976, with her youngest child starting school, she enrolled in a creative writing course. Since then, she has contributed to several books of local history, has published short stories, poems and plays for children, as well as numerous articles for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of nine novels for young readers.

In 2000, Peggy’s third book, Sky Lake Summer, was nominated for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award, the Silver Birch Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children Award, and the CNIB’s audio tape version of Sky Lake Summer was nominated for a Tiny Torgi Award. The Deep End Gang was nominated in 2004 for an Arthur Ellis Crime Writers’ Award (juvenile fiction) and the Silver Birch Award, where it was voted an Honour Book and Finalist. Peggy’s sixth book, The Path through the Trees, was nominated for the 2007 Silver Birch Award and the 2007 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award.

Peggy retired in 2006, after working part time for many years as a librarian. She now spends much of her day writing.