Do you need a researcher?
Thanks for asking!. But I like to do my own seeking. Not many freelance writers get to have "staff."

How did you become a writer?
Just kept writing on, I suppose, until someone started to publish and read it. But it was my first job, doing historic research at Louisbourg, one of the world's great historic sites, for the historic sites service of Parks Canada, where I found so much to write about that it grew into my first book.

Why do you write Canadian history?
Northrop Frye, the great literary critic, said our Canadian literature is valuable like our geography is. Not that it's better or worse than any other geography, but it's ours. That applies to our history too. I've always found enough here in the history of Canada to keep me challenged and interested. I've always found a lot of people want to know about the same things I want to know about.

Do you write fiction?
Haven't yet. Fiction writers, it seems to me, struggle to make stories that feel true. Non-fiction is where you get to argue about what might be true or not true, and mostly I find that interests me more.

Which of your books is your favourite?
Louisbourg Portraits was my first book, and that's always special. But 1867: How the Fathers made a Deal has a few things every Canadian ought to know about this country. Don't ask me - politicians as various as Preston Manning and Paul Martin have said so. But I think it's a good thought-provoking read too. And I have always loved how warmly kids and families respond to The Story of Canada.

What's a good book about Canadian history?
Try some of Pierre Berton's epics of great events. Try Charlotte Gray's marvellous, intimate biographies. Try Will Ferguson's funny, sassy takes on history. Pick up the great Donald Creighton on John A. Macdonald. See if you can read Barry Broadfoot's stunning oral histories Ten Lost Years and Six War Years without a tear welling up somewhere. Look out for some local history of your neighbourhood or city. Browse the shelf of your favourite bookstore - and ask the staff. Every year books about Canadian history dominate our non-fiction bestseller lists. Novels about Canadian history are some of the best Canadian writing around. If you can't find a good book about Canada, check your pulse!

How much money do writers make?
Well, my family and I have a house and a mortgage and we take care of our bills and pay our taxes and get to take a holiday once in a while, like anyone else in our neighbourhood. (Actually, lots of our neighbours work in arts and culture too, though it's not particularly an "artsy" part of town.) It's a living. Writers ought to be able to make a living.

Don't the schools do a lousy job teaching Canadian history?
No, I don't think so. We often get told the schools have to make history fun - but no one seems to say that about algebra or learning the times tables. I know kids who love their history classes, but I hope there's more to history to having fun in school.
Anyway, history is more than what gets taught in school. I write and read and think about history as a grown-up adult. An appreciation for history is like an appreciation for music or sport or reading good books - it enriches our lives way beyond what we do in the classrooms. When adults make history part of our lives, we do not have to push it upon reluctant students.