I found it hard to believe that people, particularly children, could survive a two-month journey in a dark and cramped hold of a migrant ship with little food, only rice and water, and no toilet facilities. I doubted it could be that bad until I interviewed a Canadian immigration officer who had boarded one of… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Annette
Snakeheads in Circle of Cranes
I became fascinated with snakeheads the way I am fascinated, but repelled, by people who commit horrible crimes. The Chinese call people smugglers snakeheads because of their ability to slither through borders and transport people without documents into different countries. The people smuggler in Circle of Cranes is Snakehead Lao who lies to the unsuspecting… Continue Reading
Craniac
My husband, Michael, is a craniac –– a person who is fascinated, maybe even obsessive, about the tall wetland birds called cranes. Michael is not alone. There are thousands of craniacs in the world, watching in awe as these birds dance, take flight and sing. Craniacs count the number of birds they spot, photograph them… Continue Reading
Circle Of Cranes
“Write what you know” is good advice to writers, but sometimes “write what fascinates you” makes a more interesting, though longer journey. Circle of Cranes was inspired by real life events. A series of migrant ships were intercepted off the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia in the summer of… Continue Reading
Salmon Creek
I was inspired to write Salmon Creek after I witnessed the endangered wild coho return home to their spawning grounds in Codd Wetland in Pitt Meadows, BC. Codd Wetland harbours 99 species of plants and animals. It is also nesting site of a pair of Greater Sandhill cranes. When the landowner threatened to dig up… Continue Reading
Wild Bog Tea
I wrote Wild Bog Tea as a plea to preserve Blaney Bog. This rare and hidden wetland, located in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, was slated for an industrial cranberry operation. Members of the Pitt Polder Preservation Society and myself launched a grassroots campaign to preserve the bog. After three years of raising awareness, letter-writing, fundraising… Continue Reading
Miracle at Willowcreek
Miracle of Willowcreek is based on my experiences fighting another development proposal on the Pitt Polder. In the novel, the main character, Tess, and her friends take a courageous stand against developers in order to save a small flock of Sandhill cranes. When Tess and her friends encounter a wonderful bird woman named Clara, adventure… Continue Reading
The Princess Who Danced With Cranes
When Swan-set Bay Resort proposed to build a golf course in the Pitt Polder, I wrote a fairytale about the detrimental effects of golf courses on wetlands. The Pitt Polder is a lowland area in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, about 46 kilometres east of Vancouver. Located along the Pacific Flyway, the polder is home to… Continue Reading
Circle of Cranes Book
Circle of Cranes is a story of Suyin, a 13-year old orphan who has a mysterious connection to the cranes in her small Chinese village. When a human smuggler or snakehead arrives promising riches in America, the villagers elect Suyin to go as their benefactress. But instead of riches, she is forced to work in… Continue Reading
Circle of Cranes Book
Circle of Cranes is a story of Suyin, a 13-year old orphan who has a mysterious connection to the cranes in her small Chinese village. When a human smuggler or snakehead arrives promising riches in America, the villagers elect Suyin to go as their benefactress. But instead of riches, she is forced to work in… Continue Reading