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Teaching Librarian 15.indd 36 Ontario School Library Association Wilson handles all his own promotion before and after publication without an agent, keeping up a busy schedule which often takes him away weeks at a time from his home and family in Lantzville (Nanaimo), British Columbia. Teenagers across North America are now his biggest fans, but he readily admits that he didn't much like school himself. Rob: One of your interviews mentions that you are an historical fiction writer, and a Renais- sance man, meaning that you "probably earn enough money to have lived comfortably in sixteenth-century Florence." How else would you describe yourself in twenty-first century Canada? John: As a "hidden immigrant" from Scotland, I continually miss Europe, but know if I went back to live there, I would continually miss Canada. There should be an island in the middle of the Atlantic for those like me. Similarly, I live in the 21st century, but continually miss living in the 19th, or almost any other one for that matter, but know that if I were suddenly transported then, I would miss now. Rob: When you first start a novel, do you have a specific audience in mind? John: Yes, very specific. I write the books that I wanted to read as a kid. The reader sitting on my shoulder is me at 12. Rob: What kinds of historical figures and events attract you the most? John Wilson On May 9, 2007, approximately 300 York Region high school students, teacher-librarians, and superintendents from both the Catholic and Public school boards gathered for the Fifth Annual White Pine Celebration, the literary event of the season. The highlights of the day's activities were writers Teresa Toten, author of Me And The Blondes, and John Wilson, author of Four Steps to Death, neither of whom had any problem catching and holding the attention of the entire audience. Ms. Toten read excerpts and re-enacted parts of her novel, complete with dramatic accents, while Mr. Wilson spoke in a more impromptu manner, weaving in stories of his life and family as part of his writing process. Speaking easily and freely after Ms. Toten, Mr. Wilson admitted that he wished he'd read a book like Me And The Blondes when he was growing up to help him understand girls a bit better in high school. He was also surprised that a few of the girls confided to him afterwards that they'd never before read a book about war, but enjoyed his book thoroughly. In addition to writing his award-winning books, Mr.