Suzanne North

I was born and raised in Calgary, but now live with my arachnologist husband in Saskatoon. Before I began writing fiction, I worked at many and varied jobs. I have been a writer, an interviewer and announcer for CBC Television; a bibliographic searcher at a university library;  a waitress at a vegetarian restaurant in London aptly named The Nuthouse; editor of a feminist newspaper; secretary to the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society; a high school teacher; a pianist for a ballet school; and a slightly unbalanced bookkeeper. This list is incomplete and in no particular order, but those are the jobs I remember the best. Presently, I write the occasional novel.

Every one of my jobs was educational in its own way, even if it only taught me that I should look for a better job. Thanks to my time as a waitress at The Nuthouse, there is no crank theory about food that I have not heard, including the earnest admonition to eat only honey from the Yucatan Peninsula because, as the last place on the planet where the air is not polluted, Yucatan bees still have clean feet. My brief time as a high school teacher provided me with a first-hand glimpse into the darker recesses of the human mind. This proved particularly useful when I came to write murder mysteries. My stint as a ballet pianist gave me the opportunity to fill in the time when I was not actually playing by reading ancient issues of the Dancing Times that I found collecting dust on a studio shelf. As a consequence, I know a little about British ballet from 1945 to 1958. Unfortunately, this is not a topic that arises in conversation all that frequently, but should you ever feel a pressing need to chat about Dame Alicia Markova, please, do get in touch.

Looking over my list of jobs, I think I like writing novels best because I get to do it by myself in a pleasant room. When I am not working, which is all too frequently, I like to play golf even though I never seem to get any better at it. I also enjoy going for walks, reading, and travelling.

We have a dog of indeterminate breed named Buddy, a graduate of the Prince Albert SPCA, who sleeps under my desk while I write. I prod him awake every now and then, and read my latest words to him. He thinks I am a brilliant writer. I think he is a wonder dog. We both enjoy our delusions.