Resume
Freelance magazine and book writer/editor
1990 – Present
I have worked as a contract and freelance writer/editor for more than 30 years. I have written hundreds of magazine features, been a magazine editor and edited and authored a number of books. I write a monthly column and regular features for Pacific Yachting and contribute to a number of other magazines around the world.
In recent years a great deal of my work has focussed on contract project managing books for Douglas McIntyre and Harbour Publishing. They include Dublin Gulch: The Eagle Gold Mine, Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No How: The Real Story of West Coast Rum Running and Wade Davis Photographs. I worked extensively with the authors of the Dreamspeaker Cruising Guides to British Columbia through though six revised editions. I have helped authors compile their memoirs, most recently Barrie Farrell’s Boats in My Blood. I selected excerpts from Harbour’s 600 titles and compiled, edited wad and oversaw the production of the company’s special 40th anniversary double issue of its iconic Raincoast Chronicles (Raincoast Chronicles 23). I served as substantive editor for Spindrift: A Canadian Book of the Sea with authors Michael and Anita Hadley.
On the writing side, in 2022, I co-authored with Robert G. Allan the 600 page hardcover book, Workboats for the World which won two international book awards. I was a contributor to Harbour Publishing’s Raincoast Chronicles 22. I wrote the book Salmon Farming: The Whole Story, which won honourable mention in the Canadian Nautical Research Society’s Keith Matthews Prize. I co-authored the book Skookum Tugs: British Columbia’s Working Tugboats, winner of the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award for best book published in BC. I conceived and compiled to the anthology Working the Tides: A Portrait of Canada’s West Coast Fishery. I authored The Working Forest of British Columbia, winner of a Forest Renewal BC Forest Excellence Award.
Interim Managing Editor, Harbour Publishing Company & Douglas & McIntyre
August 2015 – January 2016 and October 2017 – February 2018
Filled in twice for the Managing Editor while she was on maternity leave. Primary focus was producing the spring catalogues for both publishers and overseeing editing, design and production of more than 20 books during each stint as well as dealing with authors on future book projects.
Editor, Cottage and Cottage Life West magazines
August 2011 – July 2014
I oversaw all aspects of editorial content for Cottage magazine, western Canada’s leading recreational living magazine. During my tenure the magazine was sold to new owners and rebranded as Cottage Life West. My work included editorial planning, assigning work to freelance writers, photographers, editors and proofers and overseeing design and production of this bi-monthly magazine. I also wrote regular news and feature articles.
Editor, Pacific Yachting magazine
January 2003 – March 2009
For six years I oversaw all aspects of editorial content for Pacific Yachting, the largest monthly boating magazine in Canada. I wrote editorials, adventure stories, news, business features, technical articles and boat reviews. I was in charge of editorial planning, budgets, graphic designers, assistant editors and a freelance stable of about 100 writers.
Click here to see what other professionals say about my tenure at Pacific Yachting.
Editor/Production Manager, Harbour Publishing Company Ltd.
March 1995 – August 2002
Managed the production and/or editing of all Harbour Publishing books (about 200). I worked with authors in the preparation of their manuscripts, edited books, contracted freelance substantive and copy editors, fact checkers, indexers and proofers and hired printers. I assured all manuscripts were properly assembled and the files were prepared for production.
During this time I managed the most complex publishing project in BC history, The Encyclopedia of British Columbia, which won both the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award for best book published in BC and the Roderick Haig-Brown Award for best book about BC I researched and reviewed more than 100,000 photos for this project and amassed, wrote and/or edited all fisheries-related entries.
Editor/Writer, Westcoast Publishing Co. Ltd
1990 – 1995
Between 1993 and 1995 I edited Westcoast Fisherman magazine, the premier commercial fishing magazine in British Columbia. I performed all the duties of an editor: deciding content, assigning articles, writing and photographing articles, researching and collecting editorial and graphic material from freelancers. I traveled the coast of BC on a variety of fishing vessels and photographed and wrote about fish, fisheries, the fishing business and fisheries issues and politics.
Between 1990 and 1993 I edited Westcoast Logger magazine. I travelled throughout BC visiting coastal and interior logging sites and wrote about loggers, the forest industry and industry issues and politics. I performed editorial duties as per Westcoast Fisherman.