About

George grew up in Waterdown, Ontario, where he has fond early memories of weekly trips to the library with his Dad, an English teacher, and where he later worked (and read) as a student. His Mom was a watercolor painter. After many years as an English Professor George became fascinated by the more visual (and collaborative) forms of writing: drama, screenwriting and picture books.

He has won a number of awards in all of these genres. His screenplay Peace Pledge, the remarkable story of the Peace Pledge Union in 1930s Britain, won the Jury Award for Best War Screenplay in the OTB | Only The Best Film Awards, received Honorable Mention in the Euroscript Screenplay Competition and the New Renaissance Film Festival (London), and was an Official Finalist in the Cannes Screenplay Contest. His eco-comedy stage play, Boomerangst was successfully produced by Chimera Theatre in Kamloops in June, 2023. One of the show tunes, Climate Crisis, has been produced as a video: Climate Crisis – Official Music Video with Intensive Care – YouTube

As a screen and teleplay it has won several awards, including Best T.V. Pilot in the Wiki Screenplay Contest. His picture book Sophia’s Secrets (Clavis, 2023) won the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association Children’s Story competition and has been translated into Dutch, Romanian and Traditional Chinese. Another picture book, How Hope Became An Activist (Dixi Books) draws on activism he carried out with some kids on sweat-shop labour, Fair Trade clothing, and refugee aid.  It was a Finalist for the Montaigne Medal in the USA, competing with all genres.  Marisa and the Mountains (Simply Read Books 2021) was a Finalist in the San Francisco Writers Conference Writing Contest. It was selected as one of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids and Teens 2021, and is a starred selection. It is also a Finalist in the Chocolate Lily Book Awards in B.C.  Aldo Renaldo and the Renegade Alphabet (Histria Kids, 2023) was also a Finalist in the San Francisco Writers Conference Contest. It received a five-star review from Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews.

George has lived among mountains in Kamloops, British Columbia for 30 years. Canoeing, camping, and cross-country skiing count among his outdoor passions. He teaches creative writing and modern literature, as has his wife and sometime collaborator Nina, at Thompson Rivers University. He tests all of his stories on their two kids, who somehow have become teenagers.

George believes in the power of literature to create empathy. Most of his work reflects his long-time advocacy of social justice, for which he received the YMCA Peace Medal in 2019.