DATE OF BIRTH: 05/11/53

PLACE OF BIRTH: Vancouver, BC

EMPLOYMENT OTHER THAN WRITING: teacher-librarian

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Gifts from the Heart: Simple Ways to Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful, Insomniac Press, 2006

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS: Virginia is a teacher-librarian with over 25 years of experience in the classroom. The loss of several parents at the small rural school where she teaches led her to write Gifts from the Heart as a fundraiser for cancer research. Virginia sold 23,500 copies of an earlier edition of Gifts from the Heart without a publisher or distributor, and raised $98,500 for cancer research from sales. A publisher from Toronto learned about her success and called with a contract. An extensively revised and expanded edition of Virginia's book is now available. Royalties from the new edition will continue to support the Canadian Cancer Society's Research Program.

Virginia is a member of WAVE, a writers' co-operative on Vancouver Island, and enjoys presenting marketing ideas in workshops for self-publishers. Virginia is currently working on a companion book, Gifts from the Heart Throughout the Year.