Staunton_Panels "The character of Cyril is based on me when I was in grade school. I was a very shy and retiring type like Cyril. But more than the things that happen to Cyril, it's Cyril's outlook or his desires that echo mine… I'm not interested in writing about nice things or role models, or being cute. I'd rather explore what happens when things go slightly wrong, I tend to prefer it when kids can't quite answer their own problems because, after all, who really can?" http://biography.jrank.org Ted Staunton If Shane Peacock isn't the local author with the most prodigious output, then Ted Staunton must be. The Port Hope resident is author of over 40 books! Mostly they are for young readers, and most deal with the everyday problems they face - but in a humorous, non-preachy way. Given that his stories are for the younger crowd, you might expect that young Ted would have been writing stories in grade school, but his first one didn't come until university, as a class assignment. It became his first published book, Puddleman, about Michael, who loves to play in the mud, but isn't so thrilled with the consequences. Though he may not be able to trace his book writing back to grade school, some of his stories do find their genesis there. There's Cyril, for example, in the Maggie and Cyril series. Staunton with the original Puddleman Many of Staunton's books have been chosen as "Our Choice" by the Canadian Children's Book Centre. His novel Who I'm Not won the CCBC John Spray Award for mystery writing. Others have been shortlisted and nominated for various awards. One unusual aspect of Ted's commitment to the writing art is the help he offers to young writers in the African country of Ethiopia. He has travelled there a number of times, assisting award winners during the editing and publishing process. Closer to home, he teaches courses at George Brown College in writing fiction for children. Ted Staunton and Shane Peacock, almost neighbours in Northumberland County, are both contributors to Seven (The Series). It's a series for young adults by seven well-known Canadian children's authors, each contributing a novel. The stories are connected by a grandfather's love of his seven grandsons. Each author takes one boy and brings a signature style to his adventure. The series has been so popular that Seven Prequels and Seven Sequels have followed.