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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-11-10, Page 14Crossroads 14 Wednesday, November 10, 2004 Exeter Times -Advocate Edmonton children's author visits Lucan By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN — Grades 5 and 6 students at St. Patrick's School got the chance to meet an author at the Lucan Library Nov. 2. Cora Taylor was at the library as part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week 2004. The national event celebrates Canadian children's books and the importance of reading. Taylor, the author of 13 published books geared towards youth in Grades 4-8, told the students her stories are inspired by events in her own life. For instance, 'The Doll' is loosely based on her own childhood experience of mov- ing in with her grandmother after her parents died. She said her grandmother was a great storyteller and used to tell her about moving from Ontario to Saskatchewan in the late 1800s. "A good storyteller makes you feel like you're really there," Taylor said. While living with her grandmother, she became acquainted with Jesse, a china -head doll she was only allowed to play with when she was sick. Taylor recalled the doll had a magical quality since Jesse was only brought out when she was sick and then she always got better. And then there was the fact that Jesse was so old and had accompanied her grandmother across the country so many years ago. "She has experienced all these stories and she hasn't changed." In the story, Taylor uses the doll to transport her main character back in time to a trip across Canada by wagon trail, recalling the stories her grand- mother told her when she was a child. "Take what you know about and use your imagination," she told the group. She also explained how some of the stories in the book didn't happen to her grandmother, but are aspects of her own childhood. "There's real stuff in there," she said. "That's what makes the story seem real." Taylor writes mainly time travel sto- ries, which she says are easy to do since they come with their own plot. All you need is a character, an object to take them back in time and a situation to put them in once they get there. "You can put anyone anywhere," she said. Taylor also read some excerpts from 'The Deadly Dance,' a book in which the main character is transported back to ancient Greece to take part in the bull dance before taking questions from the audience. When asked which of her books was her favourite, she replied that it was like asking a mother who her favourite child is. "They're like a child," she said. "I have special feelings for all of them." Taylor said although she wrote her first book when she was 10 years old and wrote short stories for magazines and newspapers, she didn't actually publish her first novel until she was 49 years old. She said it usually takes her about a month to finish the first draft, which undergoes five to six rewrites before it is sent to her publisher and reviewed by an editor. Before the book is published it goes through 15 to 20 rewrites, a process which can take one to three years. Taylor said although none of her books have been made into a movie yet, there have been offers which have always fall- en through. "I'm doing my two most favourite things from when I was a kid — pre- tending and reading," she said after being asked what she would be if she wasn't an author. She added she would like to be a librarian since they are sur- rounded by wonderful books all the time. She recalled loving to read as a child and thinking, `I could do better than that' after finishing a book. The Edmonton author is working on her second Angelique book in the Our Canadian Girl series. "A good storyteller makes you feel like you're really there." CHILDREN'S AUTHOR CORA TAYLOR Children's author Cora Taylor reads an excerpt from Dance' for students from St. Patrick's School at the (photo/Mary Simmons) her book The Deadly Lucan Library Nov. 2. Huron County Library launches Unicorn system Branches close Nov 18-25 to prepare for new system HURON — The Huron County Library will soon be launching new com- puter software at all public libraries in the county. Unicorn is a powerful computer system pro- viding integrated pur- chasing, cataloguing, collection exchange and circulation func- tions for the library system. Most of this activity goes on behind the scenes and is the engine driving the capabilities of public libraries to provide access to information, books, and other mate- rials to residents across Huron County. "For library users, the iBistro catalogue will serve online information seekers from home, work, school, or at their public libraries via the Internet. The new cata- logue will provide user- friendly access through the library's Web page, including renewing books and placing holds, checking your own account, and even regis- tering your favourite authors so that the cata- logue will notify you of new books that meet your profile. New fea- tures will include sim- pler and more intuitive catalogue searches, best- seller and prizewinning lists, colour book jackets, and book reviews," said Beth Ross, County Librarian. The library's Web site at www.huroncounty.ca already provides access to electronic subscrip- tion databases of full - text articles from over 1,800 newspapers and magazines. Both these databases and the new catalogue require a library card login. Library cards are free to county residents from their local public libraries. As a member of the Ontario Library Consortium, Huron County Library shares expertise, purchasing power, and even a com- puter server with 17 other library systems across the province. Middlesex County Library just released their Unicorn in October and Bruce County will follow in December. This initia- tive meets the Library's Strategic Plan priority 1.3 "to improve resi- dents' access to Huron County Library resources through bet- ter use of technology." All libraries in the county will be closed from Nov. 18-25 inclu- sive to make the tran- sition from one com- puter system to the other and provide training to all library employees on the new system. "People can stock up on books and CDs now to tide them over the clos- ings. Books borrowed now will not be due until December," explained Ross. Also new at some pub- lic libraries are expand- ed hours on Sunday. Clinton, Exeter, Goderich, Seaforth, and Wingham libraries are now open Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. September to May except on long weekends. This service is especially popular with students and fami- lies. Six-year-old Joseph Flynn of Sebringville enter- tained the crowd at Queensway Nursing Home in Hensall Oct. 28. He has been playing with the Huron Strings since he was 18 months old, accompanied by great -grandma Clara Dale on the spoons and grandma Marie Flynn on the piano. (photolMary Simmons)