Jane Drake - Author

Jane was born at the Toronto General Hospital in 1954, the third child of four. She attended the University of Western Ontario and switched from English to History when, in primitive computer days, she was dealt a blank timetable. She worked as a research assistant for a history professor, honing her library skills while ferreting out obscure information and storing it on a database — great groundwork for a future non-fiction writer. Her first published work was a travel piece for the Whitehorse Star in 1972, written while visiting Ann in the Yukon.#Early married life took Jane to Ireland, London and Kingston, Ontario, and Paris, France, before they settled in Toronto. Jane was a founding director of her local public school child care center and organized the extended kindergarten enrichment programs. She ran school wide interest groups and coordinated the library volunteers for many years. Her three children are now grown. Nellie, a ginger cat, and Angus, a bouncy young Labrador, crowd Jane’s office while she writes.#Jane gave up a promising career in theater to write full time. Among many roles, she has played Mary in Mary Poppins, a hula dancer, Janice Joplin, the Queen of Hearts and Lady Macbeth!#Jane and Ann volunteered as the CANSCAIP monthly meeting coordinators from 2005-2007. Now Jane is Treasurer of CANSCAIP. She also volunteers with and serves on the board of the Canadian Children’s Book Bank in Toronto.#Starting in the late 1980s, Ann teamed up with her sister Jane Drake and, together, they have published nearly 30 books. Their works mostly have an environmental focus based on their shared upbringing and travels, with a preference for the remoter parts of Canada.