Karleen Bradford

Karleen was born in Toronto, Ontario and spent her childhood years in Argentina, returning to Canada to take a B.A. at the University of Toronto in 1959. After graduation she married James Bradford, a Foreign Service Officer with the Canadian Government. She and her husband travelled and lived in Colombia, South America, the United States, England, the Philippines, Brazil, Germany, Puerto Rico and Canada until moving permanently back to Canada in 1992.

During this time she taught Creative Writing and Writing for Children at Algonquin College, the Adult High School, and various community centres in Ottawa. Her stay in Germany found her teaching creative writing classes and writing workshops with children in U.S.A. Department of Defense Schools throughout the country.

Karleen started writing for children when her own kids were young. She began with stories for pre-schoolsers, and her children grew up, so did her stories. Her children kept growing but her stories and novels have stayed pre-teen and teenage level.

She has written true stories about heroic animals that have saved their owners lives--never mind the fact that she once almost drowned saving her own very non-heroic dog's life. She has written about everyday kids with everyday problems--and also about everyday kids who encounter definitely *not* everyday problems, such as being transported back in time, or meeting unhappy ghosts.

She has written several historical novels, which came as a bit of a shock, seeing as how history was not one of her favourite subjects at school. Just a bunch of dates and dead people, she thought. Now she relishes research and devours historical novels herself when she's not writing one.

Coming this September is a complete revision and updating of one of her most popular books, WRITE NOW! This is a book for kids about how to write short stories. Originally written during her typewriter days, Karleen has brought the book up to the computer age and into cyberspace.

Karleen is married, has three grown-up children, one granddaughter and a dog. (The non-heroic one.) She had three cats, misses them very much, and is considering kittens.

Published Works:

LIONSHEART'S SCRIBE

DRAGON FIRE

SHADOWS ON A SWORD, The Second Book of the Crusades.
Harper/Collins Canada Ltd., 1996.

MORE ANIMAL HEROES
Scholastic Canada, 1996

ANIMAL HEROES
Scholasic Canada, 1995.
Published in French under the title, Animaux Heros.

THIRTEENTH CHILD
Harper/Collins Canada Ltd., 1994

THERE WILL BE WOLVES, The First Book of the Crusades
Harper/Collins Canada Ltd., 1992.
(The Canadian Library Association 1993 Young Adult Canadian Book Award.)

WINDWARD ISLAND
Kids Can Press, 1989.
(The Max and Greta Ebel Award, 1990: runner-up for the City of Dartmouth Award, 1990; shortlisted for the Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award, 1992.)

WRITE NOW
Scholastic - Tab Publications Ltd., 1988.
Published in French uner the titile
Ecrire, pourquoi pas?

THE NINE DAYS QUEEN
Scholastic-TAB Publications Ltd., 1986

THE HAUNTING AT CLIFF HOUSE
Scholastic-TAB Publications Ltd., 1985

THE STONE IN THE MEADOW
Gage Educational Publishing Company, 1984.

I WISH THERE WERE UNICORNS
Gage Educational Publishing Company, 1983.

THE OTHER ELIZABETH
Gage Educational Publishing Company, 1982.(The Commcept Award, 1979)

WRONG AGAIN, ROBBIE
Scholastic-TAB Publications Ltd., 1983.
(Originally published in 1977 under the title,
A Year for Growing.)

Awards

The Canadian Library Association 1993 Young Adult Canadian Book Award. (There Will be Wolves)

Ottawa Citizen Award, First Prize, Juvenile/Teen Short Story, Canadian Authors Association, Ottawa Branch, National Capital Writing Contest, 1993.

The Bookery Award, Third Prize, Juvenile/Teen Short Story, Canadian Authors Association, Ottawa Branch, National Capital Writing Contest, 1993.

The Max and Greta Ebel Award, 1990. (Windward Island)

Ottawa Citiizen Award, First Prize, Juvenile/Teen Short Story, Canandian Authors Association, Ottawa Branch, National Capital Writing Contest, 1988.

First Prize, Juvenile Short Story, Canadian Authors Prose Competition, 1978, Ottawa Branch.

First Prize, Commcept Canadian KidLit Contest for Best Children's Novel of the Year, 1979. (The Other Elizabeth)