Charis has always loved books and reading. Her family lived in a small house that was overflowing with children, dogs, cats, grandmothers, and parents. At one point, eleven people lived there! Charis liked making up stories in her head and daydreaming. She would crawl into a cupboard in the basement and sit among blankets and winter coats, eating crackers and reading her Bobbsey Twins books. When Charis was nine, she discovered J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, which became her favorite book for life.
Charis wrote plays and produced them at school and at camp. She also wrote stories and poems. Her mother, who taught creative writing, helped Charis learn to write well. Charis studied English at university because it allowed her to read a lot of books. Then she went to acting school in Toronto and England. She worked in theater in Toronto for a few years; her favorite role was as the killer on a murder mystery train that went across Canada.
When Charis had her daughter, Zoe, she changed careers and started doing freelance editing and writing. This gave her the opportunity to read a lot more books on fascinating subjects: astronomy, canoes, gardening, cooking, human evolution, and Toronto\'s history. She soon found herself writing about history, and she got hooked on the past.
In the winter, Charis works at home in downtown Toronto, writing books in a room with beautiful trees painted on the walls. In the summer, she lives in her cottage in Newfoundland, right beside the ocean. She lives with her daughter Zoe and her cat Wanda. Zoe has been a great inspiration for Charis. When Zoe was one, she got her first library card, and the two of them would read piles of books every day. Now Zoe helps Charis get ideas for books, and helps keep her in touch with what children like to read.
Charis thinks the most important thing for aspiring writers to do is spend a lot of time daydreaming. Reading lots of books is a good idea too, but nothing beats letting your imagination wander.
Other Books by Charis Cotter:
Wonder Kids: The Remarkable Lives of Nine Child Prodigies (2008)
Born to Write: The Remarkable Lives of Six Famous Authors (Fall 2009)
A World Full of Ghosts (2009), a book for younger children, which offers ghost stories from many different cultures.
Contact Charis Cotter at:
Email>chariscotter@gmail.com
Website:www.chariscotter.com
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