Emily-Jane Hills Orford has a BA in art history from the University of Western Ontario, and undertook graduate studies in art history at the University of Victoria. She subsequently obtained her Masters degree in Canadian studies (studying the history of Canadian music and Canadian art) from Carleton University. Her books The Creative Spirit, and It Happened in Canada (Books 1, 2, and 3) all have valuable teacher’s guides, and are used to teach history at the elementary and high school levels. She has taught piano (Royal Conservatory of Music) to hundreds of students over the course of thirty years.

An award-winning author, Emily-Jane was named a finalist for the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards with her book, The Whistling Bishop, and again in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards with her book, F-Stop: A Life in Pictures.

Emily-Jane is passionate about communicating vibrant Canadian history and the achievements of exceptional Canadians to both students and adults. She is a sought after speaker who often draws upon her stories about extra-ordinary Canadians. She has been a speaker at many schools, including Rockcliffe Park Public School, and at seniors’ residences and local writer’s groups such as the Professional Writers Association of Canada, the Canadian Authors Association, the Rideau Valley Writer’s Guild, the Ottawa Independent Writers, and the Ottawa branch of the Ontario Genealogy Society.

Many of Emily-Jane’s stories and novels reflect her national pride. She loves writing about Canada and the extra-ordinary Canadians who have made Canada a great nation. Emily-Jane’s stories have appeared in History Magazine, Canadian Stories Magazine, and Western People. She has written several fiction and non-fiction books: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Ukulele Yukon, Letters From Inside, The Creative Spirit, It Happened in Canada (Books 1, 2, and 3), Personal Notes, The Whistling Bishop, Songs of the Voyageurs and F-Stop: A Life in Pictures.