Growing up in Waterloo, the Governor General's Award wasn't something I even thought to wish for.
One of my oldest friends has a cottage on Smoke Lake in Algonquin Provincial Park, and it's one of my favorite places in the world.
There's very little that's comparable to seeing the spark in a student's face when she gets something that she's been struggling with.
I started writing 'The Lobster Kings' the day after I sold my first novel, 'Touch.'
For 'The Lobster Kings,' I listened to a lot of Johnny Cash. And it makes its way into the book.
I believe that art elevates humanity. I feel incredibly privileged to be part of that.
The worst day of writing is still better than the best day of telemarketing.
I liked the idea of being a writer more than I liked the idea of writing.
If you don't try your hardest, and you're unsuccessful, you always have that excuse.
If you realize early what your influence is, you can have a better understanding of what you are writing about.
The story of trying to live up to the myth is more interesting than the myth itself.
I'm absolutely terrified of spiders.
While Shakespeare wasn't the first voice in the room, in North America and Europe, he's one of the loudest voices.
I love teaching creative writing, and I think I'm good at it, but in a different life, I could have been teaching elementary school.
