James Heneghan
Biography:My growing up was done in Liverpool, England, and in Ireland, where my parents came from – my father from Achill Island, County Mayo, and my mother from Ennis, County Clare. I was a policeman in Liverpool for a couple of years, but decided to leave England for Vancouver, British Columbia. After five years I became a Canadian citizen. For twelve years I worked as a fingerprint specialist with the Vancouver Police Crime Lab. I needed a change so I decided I would make a great teacher and got a wonderful job working with young people, teaching English in a Burnaby high school. I started writing children’s stories with friend and teaching colleague Bruce McBay. I would never have started if it weren't for Bruce. I have four grown-up children and four grandchildren. Presentation Information:We all love stories. We can never get enough stories. We crave them. Whether they are found in novels, biographies, newspapers, magazines, movies, television, or videos, stories enrich and inform our lives. James Heneghan will show and tell how to take an idea and turn it into the kind of story you won't want to put down. He will also talk about how he invents characters and has those characters move through a historic (real) incident: for example, the story in which 13 yr-old Tom is dragged down into a mass grave containing 3,651 coffins. "[I fell] into the black pit, and I didn't know if it was Brian, moaning and terrified, had stumbled against me, or if was something in the grave reaching out and grasping me and dragging me down, down into its terrible darkness." (from The Grave) Heneghan will also try to answer student questions — about his life as a writer; his life before he became a writer (on the Vancouver Police Ident Squad as a fingerprint and photography expert); he will explain who gets to choose his book covers; what it's like to write with a partner using the Internet, and much, much more, like, for example, wouldn't you like to know how the poetry rhythms of your first name reveal who you really are? And wouldn't you like to know why one of his books has two different endings—one in Canada and the U.S. and a different one in the U.K? Book List / Discography:Bank Job (Orca Book Publishers, 2009) Payback (Groundwood Books, 2007) Safe House (Orca Book Publishers, 2006) Nannycatch Chronicles. With Bruce McBay. (Tradewind Books, 2006) Hit Squad (Orca Book Publishers, 2003) Waiting for Sarah. With Bruce McBay. ( Orca Book Publishers, 2003) Flood (Groundwood Books, 2000) The Grave (Groundwood Books, 2000) Promises to Come (Orca Book Publishers, 2003) Wish Me Luck (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1997) Torn Away (Orca Book Publishers, 2003) The Case of the Blue Raccoon (Scholastic, 1994) The Mystery of the Gold Ring (Scholastic, 1995) The Trail of the Chocolate Thief (Scholastic, 1993) The Case of the Marmalade Cat (Scholastic, 1992) Blue (Scholastic, 1992) Goodbye, Carleton High. With Bruce McBay. (Scholastic, 1983) Puffin Rock. With Bruce McBay. (Book Society Canada, 1980) Awards:Waiting for Sarah Torn Away Hit Squad Safe House Praise for James Heneghan:“I have had Jim come to my classes for several years to speak to the teachers-in-training about his books, and they were fascinated when he shared how ideas came to him and the research that he did for authenticity. He always manages to include intriguing pieces of information, some of which do not even make it into his books.Jim has had a good deal of experience in visiting schools in our area with great response.” Dr. Ronald Jobe “Over the past two decades, I have hosted James on many occasions. He has never disappointed his audience. His love of literature and writing make him a sought after guest.” Jane Wright “James has a wonderful way with children, and encourages and supports their enthusiasm for writing in his presentations. He effectively adjusts his presentations to suit the age and grade of the audience, as I have seen in his interaction with my Grade 3 and Grade 7 students and also with the adult students in the literacy courses that I teach at UBC. James’ passion for writing comes through in his enthusiastic discussions with students and in the sharing of his own writing, and I look forward to continuing to have James visit us whenever he can.” Jennifer Wilson |
 Craft:author Genre:junior fiction, YA fiction, teen fiction Ideal Audience Size:30 Maximum Audience Size:90 students (or 3 classes) depending on venue Grades:6 – 12 Special Equipment:either a flip chart, whiteboard or blackboard Website:School Reading Fee:$150.00 per reading Public Reading Fee:$250.00 per reading (four readings covered by the Canada Council) Book Week Tour Contact:Carol-Ann Hoyte |