Our 2021 White Pines Authors Part 2

The Port Moody Public Library created the White Pines Local Author Collection to highlight and support local authors, poets, and illustrators from our community. We launched the collection in May 2019 with 12 inaugural authors. Over the last year, we have received many exciting, new submissions and now have more than 40 local authors who are a part of this special collection.

You can browse our White Pines Collection online to place holds on items, or in person at the Library.

Over the next few blog posts, we will introduce you to all our 2021 White Pines authors.

Author Margaret Franz

Margaret Franz

Margaret (Steinhauser) Franz, the youngest daughter of European immigrants to Canada, was born on Vancouver Island and raised in the West Kootenay area of south-central British Columbia. She graduated with a BA in Geography from Simon Fraser University, where she subsequently received her M.Ed. An educator for most of her professional life, Margaret first taught at elementary schools in Toronto. After returning to B.C. and raising a family, she began lecturing at public and private post-secondary institutions in the Lower Mainland, finishing up her career on the faculty of the English Language Studies Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey. At one point mid-career, she took a brief hiatus from teaching to work as an arts administrator, successful fund-raiser, and avid promoter of community arts in B.C. Franz is currently retired, and lives with her husband and extended family in southwestern British Columbia. Between Blade & Bullet is her first book.

Photo credit: Erica Franz

Book: Between Blade & Bullet: The Mary Steinhauser Story

Mary Steinhauser is the only peace officer in the history of penal institutions in Canada to willingly offer up her life in the service of her country. It was during a 1975 prison escape attempt and 41-hour hostage-taking by three desperate inmates of the British Columbia Penitentiary in New Westminster, B.C. that Mary volunteered to be the principal hostage. For 41 hours, she was held as a human shield, protecting not only the inmates but the fourteen other hostages sequestered in a nearby vault. Her calmness, composure, and bravery throughout the entire hostage-taking was noted by negotiators and penitentiary staff alike. She was killed there. This is her story.

Borrow Between Blade & Bullet from the Library.

What is Margaret's favourite part about writing?

Margaret’s favourite part about writing is knowing that if her carefully written thoughts are read, digested, and understood, her thoughts and her story will reach into the consciousness of another, whether it is read today, tomorrow, or at a time far into the future. In so doing, Margaret’s words may alter or transform her reader’s way of knowing, way of thinking, or way of being. Such is the power of the written word.

What inspired Margaret to write a book?

Margaret’s decision to write a book about the passionate life and tragic death of Mary Steinhauser, her very brave and fearless sister, became a powerful call to action, one she couldn’t ignore, one year after Mary was killed. The driving force was Margaret’s strong feeling that her sister had been robbed of her voice. On the Dedication page, Margaret writes:

In memory of Mary
who was robbed of her voice. It was not theirs to take.
With this book, I give it back to her,
wrapped in love.

Author Ronald Stephen Reiniger

Ronald Stephen Reiniger

When Ronald retired from a successful 35 year business career this freedom enabled his pursuit of a lifelong aspiration: to become a published novelist. His greatest accomplishment is raising three amazing children with his wife, Carol. They love travelling to new places to experience different cultures. He also loves the simple pleasures of spending time with family and friends. Ronald grew up in a small town in Saskatchewan and currently resides in Port Moody. You can find Ronald on Facebook.

Book: Clubman

Clubman tells the story of how three downtown Vancouver buddies in their early twenties, without roots or steady jobs, stumble into an opportunity that starts them on the road to unexpected riches and success. However, the opportunity is illegal, involving the drug underworld, and when one thing leads to the next, they soon become underworld kingpins.

Borrow Clubman from the Library.

Book: Devil's Breath

Devil’s Breath is a sweeping murder mystery taking place in the late 1800s. Angus Colquhoon is a brash, hard-headed Scotsman who has left his family in Montreal to find his fortune in the Caribou of British Columbia during the Gold Rush. However, Angus has some skeletons in his closet that aren’t going to stay hidden for long. Enter B.C. Provincial Police detective Tavish (Sandy) McPherson, who’s been sent from New Westminster to investigate and solve a series of grisly murders. Devil’s Breath is full of unexpected twists and turns that make a real page-turner.

Borrow Devil's Breath from the Library.

What is Ronald's favourite part about writing?

Ronald loves the creativity of writing. He starts with an idea and from there the story takes on a life of its own. Ronald seldom ends up where he thought he would, and as a result he enjoys seeing the story as it unfolds.

What inspired Ronald to become a writer?

Ronald has always wanted to write. However, family, work, and life always took precedence and writing was put off. After retiring, Ronald found he then had the time to pursue this lifelong goal. He hopes that people enjoy his stories as much as he enjoyed writing them.

Author Anesta Terry

Anesta Terry

Anesta Terry has a love for learning that has only grown since graduating post-secondary. After finishing university, he began studying conflict resolution. Working a variety of jobs allowed Anesta to constantly interact with people from various cultural backgrounds and put his conflict resolution studies to practical use. Originally from Toronto, Anesta now lives with his family in Port Moody.

Book: A Guide to Interacting with the Police in Canada

This is an easy-to-read guidebook that walks people through daily interactions they may have with police. It covers topics such as what to do when speaking to police, what to expect when phoning 911, what to expect if you’re arrested, what the role of police officers are in Canada, and much more. The book also includes a resource section connecting people with crises lines, mental health professionals, and shelters.

Borrow A Guide to Interacting with the Police in Canada from the Library.

What is Anesta’s favourite part about writing?

Anesta has a busy mind that he struggles to keep up with. Writing allows Anesta to slow his thoughts down by organizing them on paper. He has always found that writing allows him to communicate complex discussions to others in an easy-to-understand way.

What inspired Anesta to become a writer?

For years, Anesta felt a disconnect between police and the communities they serve. He wanted to bridge that connection through in-person presentations. Anesta quickly realized he didn’t have enough time to connect with a large enough audience. His solution was to write something that could reach a larger audience, and the guidebook was the result.

Author Trevor Atkins

Trevor Atkins

Trevor lives with his family on the West Coast of Canada. He has been working with words for much of his life, but has only recently pursued historical fiction. A storyteller and role player of detailed characters, Trevor finds it natural to weave together many intertwining plot theatres when writing. His bane is the perfecting effort of revision – there always seems to be more that can be tweaked and improved. But then comes the day when enough is enough and the story must be set free for others to see! You can find Trevor’s author news and updates at https://www.facebook.com/trevor.atkins.author/ and https://emmasharpesadventures.com.

Book: The Day the Pirates Went Mad

This middle-grade historical fiction is set in 1701 and follows orphanage runaway Emma Sharpe as she changes the direction of her life by stowing away aboard the New Adventure. A year later, Emma is an able seaman and an important part of the crew as the ship journeys to the West Indies to recover an abandoned pirate treasure. As tempers fray and unusual arguments become more frequent, Emma starts to believe there might really be a curse on the pirate gold. With the help of a cabin boy, Jack Randall, Emma confronts the growing threat of violence amongst the formerly close-knit crew. Will they save everyone in time? Can they save themselves?

Borrow The Day the Pirates Went Mad from the Library.

What is Trevor’s favourite part about writing?

Trevor finds historical fiction very intriguing to write as he is constantly learning through the research he does, and gets to share that knowledge. He often finds himself diving down one research rabbit hole after another, and doing his best to then fit all the interesting information he’s found into his story. At one point, when Trevor was bogged down with the seemingly never-ending politics, notable personalities, ships and their equipment, and technologies of the time, his daughter asked him, "How complicated are you going to make this story?" Trevor realized she was right and he needed to do a lot of streamlining to make the story flow smoothly. Trevor and his daughter continued to learn together about the many topics that came up and how best to work them into Emma’s journey.

What inspired Trevor to write The Day the Pirates Went Mad?

Trevor originally found inspiration for his historical fiction through the works of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and Young Ewing Allison’s poem Derelict. Using this inspiration, he wrote a short story for his daughter, peppered with nuggets of knowledge about real life during the Age of Sail and the Golden Age of Piracy. The story soon grew into the entertaining and educational tale of Emma Sharpe’s first adventure!

About the White Pines Local Author Collection

The Port Moody Public Library created the White Pines Local Author Collection to highlight and support local authors, poets, and illustrators from our community. We launched the collection in May 2019 with 12 inaugural authors. Learn more about this collection and how you can become a White Pines Local Author.

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