I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and currently live on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. I studied biology and music at university, and ended up opting to be a fisheries biologist. That allowed me to see a lot of the world, especially South America, Asia and many remote places along the British Columbia coast. A lot of people and places from these places have ended up in my writing, which began when I realized my travel notebooks were filling up with great stuff about people, places and plots. I started by writing columns and magazine articles. My first book for a general audience was The End of the River (2008).
I'm lucky to live in a place where I can climb a mountain, fish, play the piano, go sailing and write -- all on the same day. Although it would be a long one.