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Charis Cotter

Goodreads Author

Born

Toronto, Canada

Website

http:\\www.chariscotter.ca

Twitter

CharisCotter

Genre

Children's, Fiction, Nonfiction

Member Since

March 2009

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Charis Cotter is a writer, editor and storyteller living in Newfoundland. She grew up in Cabbagetown and Parkdale in downtown Toronto. After taking a degree in English at Glendon College, York University, she went on to study acting at The Drama Studio in London, England. After several years as an actor, she moved into publishing, where she has been working as a freelance editor and writer for more than 20 years.

In 2005 Charis won the Heritage Toronto Award of Excellence for her book, Toronto Between the Wars: Life in the City 1919–1939. Since then she has written several critically acclaimed children’s books, including a series of biographies about extraordinary children and an illustrated book about international ghosts. Born to Write: Th Charis Cotter is a writer, editor and storyteller living in Newfoundland. She grew up in Cabbagetown and Parkdale in downtown Toronto. After taking a degree in English at Glendon College, York University, she went on to study acting at The Drama Studio in London, England. After several years as an actor, she moved into publishing, where she has been working as a freelance editor and writer for more than 20 years.

In 2005 Charis won the Heritage Toronto Award of Excellence for her book, Toronto Between the Wars: Life in the City 1919–1939. Since then she has written several critically acclaimed children’s books, including a series of biographies about extraordinary children and an illustrated book about international ghosts. Born to Write: The Remarkable Lives of Six Famous Authors was a finalist for the 2010 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-fiction.

Charis first toured schools as an actor in a Young People’s Theatre production of W. O. Mitchell’s "Jake and the Kid." Her favourite part of the show was interacting with the students during the question period after the play. Today Charis is known for her lively school presentations, based on her books. She has toured Canada from coast to coast, entertaining children with her alter egos: Queen Elizabeth II (complete with gown, crown and royal attitude) and the Scottish Silky Ghost, who dusts everything in sight, including children. Her fascination with ghosts has led her to many far corners of Newfoundland, looking for ghost stories.

In 2013 Charis founded her own publishing company, Baccalieu Books, to publish The Ghosts of Baccalieu. She created this book with the students from Tricon Elementary School in Bay de Verde, with funding from ArtsSmarts.* Students contributed drawings and traditional ghost stories collected from the community. Charis has sold The Ghosts of Baccalieu to libraries, bookstores and the general public, with a portion of the revenue going back to Tricon Elementary.

Charis continues to do ghost storytelling workshops at schools, community centres and book festivals. She reviews children’s books for the National Reading Campaign, Quill and Quire and The Canadian Children’s Book News.

The Swallow: A Ghost Story, was published by Tundra Books (Random House) in September 2014. This spooky gothic novel, set in Cabbagetown, Toronto, in the 1960s, is partially based on Charis’s childhood experiences living behind a cemetery. The German translation rights have been purchased by cbjVerlag/Random House Germany, who will publish it as Das Unsichtbare Mädchen (The Invisible Girl). The school presentation for The Swallow features a theatrical performance of an excerpt from the book and a ghost-story writing workshop.

*ArtsSmarts is sponsored by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and the Department of Education through the Cultural Connections Strategy.

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Combine Editions
Charis Cotter’s books

Average rating: 4.02 · 3,240 ratings · 732 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Swallow: A Ghost Story 4.16 avg rating — 1,506 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dollhouse: A Ghost Story 3.75 avg rating — 668 ratings — published 2021 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ghost Road 4.06 avg rating — 411 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Painting 3.97 avg rating — 269 ratings — published 2017 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall 3.71 avg rating — 106 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Screech! Ghost Stories from Old Newfoundland by Charis Cotter (Goodreads Author), Genevieve Simms (Illustrator) 3.96 avg rating — 98 ratings — published 2020 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ferryland Visitor: A mysterious tale by Charis Cotter (Goodreads Author), Gerald L. Squires (Illustrations) 4.09 avg rating — 33 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Born to Write: The Remarkable Lives of Six Famous Authors 4.07 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 2009 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kids Who Rule 3.66 avg rating — 32 ratings — published 2007 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Footsteps in Bay de Verde: A mysterious tale by Charis Cotter (Goodreads Author), Jenny Dwyer (Illustrator) 4.36 avg rating — 22 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Charis Cotter…

Quotes by Charis Cotter (?)

“The Ghastly Ghost at My Gate”
― Charis Cotter, The Swallow: A Ghost Story

1 likes

“We moved to the house behind the cemetery at the beginning of July. By the beginning of August, I was very, very sick.”
― Charis Cotter, The Swallow: A Ghost Story

1 likes

“Favorite book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.”
― Charis Cotter, The Swallow: A Ghost Story

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See all Charis Cotter's quotes »

Polls

October Readathon 2022
Please DON’T vote for one of the options.
Recommend spooky books or graphic novels to add to the book list for our newest readathon.

See the comments for the rules on what can be recommended.

Into the Shadows by Cathy MacPhail

3 votes, 21.4%

Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

1 vote, 7.1%

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

1 vote, 7.1%

The One Safe Place by Tania Unsworth

1 vote, 7.1%

The Magnus Archives: Season 1 by Jonathan Sims

1 vote, 7.1%

Stay Out of the Basement by R.L. Stine (write-in)

1 vote, 7.1%

The Haunting of the Old Yellow House on Millard Road by D. A. L. (write-in)

1 vote, 7.1%

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (write-in)

1 vote, 7.1%

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

1 vote, 7.1%

The Dollhouse: A Ghost Story by Charis Cotter (write-in)

1 vote, 7.1%

Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall (write-in)

1 vote, 7.1%

Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

1 vote, 7.1%

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright

0 votes, 0.0%

The Tell-Tale Start by Gordon McAlpine

0 votes, 0.0%

The Dark by James Herbert

0 votes, 0.0%

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

0 votes, 0.0%

Carrie by Stephen King

0 votes, 0.0%

The Terror by Dan Simmons

0 votes, 0.0%

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill

0 votes, 0.0%

The Graveyard Book, Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman & P. Craig Russell

0 votes, 0.0%

The Hunger by Alma Katsu

0 votes, 0.0%

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

0 votes, 0.0%

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

0 votes, 0.0%

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

0 votes, 0.0%

Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Volume 1 by Naoki Urasawa

0 votes, 0.0%

The Glass Children by Kristina Ohlsson

0 votes, 0.0%

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

0 votes, 0.0%

The Ghost of Spruce Point by Nancy Tandon

0 votes, 0.0%

The Smashed Man of Dread End by J.W. Ocker

0 votes, 0.0%

This Appearing House by Ally Malinenko

0 votes, 0.0%

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

0 votes, 0.0%

The Wild Hunt of Hagworthy by Penelope Lively

0 votes, 0.0%

The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preußler

0 votes, 0.0%

The Amazing Mr Blunden by Antonia Barber

0 votes, 0.0%

The Bone Collector's Son by Paul Yee

0 votes, 0.0%

Ferals by Jacob Grey

0 votes, 0.0%

The Gravedigger's Son by Patrick Moody

0 votes, 0.0%

Gustav Gloom and the People Taker by Adam-Troy Castro

0 votes, 0.0%

Ghost and Bone by Andrew Prentice

0 votes, 0.0%

The Ghost of Graylock by Dan Poblocki

0 votes, 0.0%

The Grave Robber's Apprentice by Allan Stratton

0 votes, 0.0%

The Owl Service by Alan Garner

0 votes, 0.0%

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

0 votes, 0.0%

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

0 votes, 0.0%

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

0 votes, 0.0%

The Haunting of Ashburn House by Darcy Coates

0 votes, 0.0%

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

0 votes, 0.0%

The Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison

0 votes, 0.0%

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

0 votes, 0.0%

14 total votes

27 comments

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