You asked for it. . . .
Meet Alison Longstaff
Alison Smith
Longstaff grew up
in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania - a small community northeast
of Philadelphia.
She graduated cum laude
in 1985 with a B.Sc. in Psychology and Religion.
In August of 1985 she married her Canadian sweetheart, Philip Longstaff,
and moved with him to Canada
to start their life together.
Alison
rediscovered
her passion for writing years later upon working her way through Julia
Cameron's book The Artist's Way. The Cliffside Chapel
series came to her in a flash one Spring day, and Alison's
life has never been the same.
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"It is as if I have an
inner world alive with friends and adventures. Writing about
Cliffside feels as if I am visiting dear,
courageous friends. I simply write down all the things they say and
do.
"Sue, Jon, and Tanny are
very real to me. Tanny practically is
me in some ways, though she is far more bubbly and confident than I was
at her age. I am looking forward to telling her story and meeting her
hero in book two, as soon as I can find the time...."
Alison and her husband of 21 years
are still recovering from the stresses and adjustments of two international moves.
They are re-settling in Canada, having decided to return after a two-year
stay in Pennsylvania. Alison loves living in Canada,
and is happy to have returned "home."
"There are many subtle differences between the Canadian and American cultures.
I have had a lot of fun celebrating those things that are uniquely Canadian,
playing with Canadian stereotypes, and adding
Canadian inside jokes to my stories. Canadians are a delightful people with a wonderful
sense of humour."
The
Longstaffs have three children. Their teen-age
son has a high-functioning form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome.
Alison took
Canadian citizenship in February, 2002.
Alison's
resume Contact
Alison
(updated Sept. 2006)