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PWAC@Victoria
About This Author

Frances Backhouse  writing sample
1347 Vining Street, Victoria, B.C., Canada V8R 1P5
Phone: (250) 592-6959
Fax: (250) 592-6923
Email: frances@backhouse.ca

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I began my freelance writing career in 1985 with the cover story for a major Canadian magazine. Since then I have written for dozens of different publications: large and small; Canadian, American and British. I approach all my assignments with a sense of curiosity about the subject, and with respect for both my sources and my readers. I write articles that are engaging and error-free, and I deliver them on time.

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Selected Periodical Credits
  • "The Coyote's No Varmint After All, Turns Out," Canadian Geographic, Aug./Sept. 1985. Ranchers and biologists reconsider this much-maligned species.
  • "Grass-Roots Roofing," Harrowsmith, Jan./Feb. 1988. Sod roof revival -- a practical, attractive alternative to shingles and shakes.
  • "Malawi's Mount Mulanje," Great Expeditions, Mar./Apr. 1991. Backpacking in east Africa.
  • "Vanishing Vancouver Island," PaddleSports, Summer 1991. Kayaking B.C.'s outer coast, where magnificent old-growth forests are threatened with destruction.
  • "Winged Victory," Nature Canada, Summer 1992. The amazing reproductive life of bats.
  • "Wayward Whales," Equinox, Jan./Feb. 1993. News of a mysterious population of orcas.
  • "The Urban Farmer," Canadian Gardening, April 1994. A visit to a thriving inner-city farm.
  • "Nature's Way," Canadian Gardening, Aug./Sept. 1996. Gardening for body and soul at Hollyhock, a west coast holistic retreat.
  • "Barking Up the Wrong Tree," New Scientist, Jan. 24, 1998. Groundbreaking research about bark beetle control using methods to disguise tree scents.
  • "Time Travellers," Canadian Living, June 1999. At this unique Alberta summer camp, kids discover what life was like for Ukrainian immigrants in the early 1900s.
  • "Hands-on Research," Nature Canada, Summer 1999. A biologist demonstrates the fine art of hummingbird banding and talks about his research.
  • "On the Birding Circuit," Beautiful British Columbia Magazine, Spring 2001. A birdwatching festival road trip, featuring Lewis' woodpeckers, meadowlarks, western grebes and more.
  • "A Corner of Italy That is Forever Canada," Georgia Straight, Nov. 8-15, 2001. Reflections on a Remembrance Day visit to a little-known Canadian war cemetery in Sicily.
  • "Kayaking on the Wild Side," Pacific Coastal Inflight Magazine, Aug./Sept. 2002. A first-hand account of an exhilarating week spent learning about surf and open-ocean paddling.
  • "One Last Chance," Audubon, Mar. 2003. A report on the precarious state of the world's last remaining mountain caribou herds.
  • "Hair of the Cat," Canadian Wildlife, Summer 2003. Curiosity and a sprinkling of catnip help a biologist catch up with one of North America's most elusive felines, the Canada lynx.
  • "Bees and the City," Victoria Boulevard, May/June 2005. Urban-dwellers discover the sweet pleasures of backyard beekeeping.
Book Credits
  • Women of the Klondike, Whitecap Books, 1995 (revised edition, 2000). The story of the adventurous women who joined the Klondike gold rush at the end of the 19th century, drawn from diaries, letters, memoirs and newspaper accounts. Softcover, 227 pp., index, bibliography, 53 archival photos. ISBN 1-55285-407-8. $18.95.
  • Hiking with Ghosts: The Chilkoot Trail, Then and Now, Raincoast Books, 1999. A portrait of the famous gold rush route, now a popular backpacking trail, based on first-hand experience and extensive research into the human and natural history of the area. Softcover, 129 pp., index, bibliography, contemporary and archival photos. ISBN 1-55192-276-2. $26.95.
  • Co-author of Castles of the North: Canada's Grand Hotels, edited by Barbara Chisholm, Lynx Images, 2001. This book and the accompanying documentary film celebrate the history of Canada's most elegant and opulent hotels. I contributed three chapters: Early Dining Stations; Banff Springs Hotel; and Château Lake Louise. They tell the story of the Canadian Pacific Railway's original western resort hotels, where mountaineering and mountain tourism began in Canada. Hardcover, 296 pp., index, archival photos. ISBN 1-894073-14-2.
  • Woodpeckers of North America, Firefly Books, 2005. This thoroughly researched and engaging natural history delves into the history, habits, adaptations and future prospects of a unique and fascinating group of birds. It includes detailed profiles of the 28 woodpecker species resident in Canada, the US and northern Mexico. Hardcover, 231 pp., index, bibliography, range maps, anatomical drawings, more than 70 colour photos. ISBN 1-55407-046-5. $39.95.
Related Areas of Expertise
~ Editing ~
Qualifications
  • Registered Professional Biologist (Association of Professional Biologists of B.C.)
  • Member of the Society of Environmental Journalists
Achievements
  • Guest presenter at the Vancouver International Writers Festival (1999) and the Waterton-Glacier International Writers Workshop (2001).
  • Women of the Klondike: Runner-up for the 1996 VanCity Prize (for the best B.C. book pertaining to women's issues) and shortlisted for the 1996 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-fiction.
  • Hiking with Ghosts: Winner of a BC2000 Book Award.
Expertise by Subject
~ Environment/Nature ~ Gardening ~ History ~ Science ~
Expertise by Type of Writing
~ Feature Articles ~ Popular History ~ Science Writing ~ Travel Writing ~

Frances Backhouse
writing sample

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Last updated: July 13, 2005   *   http://www.islandnet.com/pwacvic/backho00.html