Featured Author: Kari Jones

Bibliography at Orca

[New!] Storm Tide: Simon and his sister Ellen have to solve the mystery of the hidden treasure if they want to save the island lighthouse they call home.

Interview

What are the best (and worst) things about writing children's books? The best thing about writing books is being able to explore a story. To build up the characters and their lives and to live in those lives for long periods of time is exciting. The worst part is finding the time to write. Writers are busy people; at least the ones I know are. There are always so many things to do in a day!

What kind of research do you do before writing a book? I love doing research so I do it in any way I can. For Storm Tide I got into my kayak and paddled over to Discovery Island with my family. We put up a tent and hiked all over the island, took pictures, picked apples, watches seals and explored the lighthouse. Actually, we did that several times, mostly on sunny warm days. Tough eh? But then I also sit myself down at my computer and look up stuff like how lighthouses work and when astrolabes were made. I ask experts to show me things I don't understand like how to use a compass properly. Fortunately I live with two kayaking experts. That makes my life easy.

What is your favorite children's book? This is the toughest question going because it changes all the time. The one I love most today is How I Live Now by Meg Rusoff. Sometimes I love Skellig by David Almond best. Sometimes I go right back to picture books: The Village of A Hundred Smiles or The Greedy Zebra. There's also an old copy of Heidi on my bookshelf that I treasure, because it was my mother's.

What is your favorite (or funniest) childhood memory? One of my kookiest childhood memories is of going to school one day and seeing my teacher Sister Mary arrive on her scooter with a python sticking out of her pocket. No kidding. We had a small python in an aquarium in our class, and on weekends Sister Mary would take it home with her. Sister Mary was not a small woman, and seeing her on a scooter was funny enough, but the python sticking out of her pocket was hilarious. We had that python in our schoolroom for several weeks, but eventually it escaped. We never did find it.

Biography

Kari Jones is happy to call Victoria, British Columbia, home: a city where you can go down to the beach with your kayak, find an island, a lighthouse and an adventure, and be back in time for dinner. Kari is a college instructor who teaches students to write, but when school is out, she can often be found with her family and friends exploring the natural world and dreaming up adventures to share. Storm Tide was inspired by the many adventures that Kari and her family have had in a lighthouse on nearby Discovery Island. Kari is the co-author of Hiking Adventures with Children as well as several essays and articles on being in nature with kids.