Brennan, Brian A. 1943-
BRENNAN, Brian A. 1943-
PERSONAL:
Born October 4, 1943, in Dublin, Ireland; citizenship: Canadian; son of Jack (an income tax official) and Maud (a schoolteacher) Brennan; married Zelda Pineau (a schoolteacher), February 27, 1968; children: Nicole. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: National University of Ireland, University College, Dublin, B.A.; London College of Music, A.L. C.M.; Langara College (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), certificate in journalism. Politics: Liberal. Religion: Roman Catholic.
ADDRESSES:
Home—Calgary, Alberta, Canada. E-mail—brianbrennan@mac.com.
CAREER:
Writer. Prince George Citizen, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, reporter, 1972-74; Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, columnist, 1974-99.
MEMBER:
Writers' Union of Canada (member of National Council, 2000—), American Federation of Musicians, Writers Guild of Alberta.
AWARDS, HONORS:
Hollobon Award, Health Care Public Relations Association of Canada, 1990, for magazine writing; two Western Magazine Awards, Western Magazine Award Foundation, 1991; Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award, Jewish Community Foundation of Calgary, 2004, for Romancing the Rockies: Mountaineers, Missionaries, Marilyn, and More.
WRITINGS:
Máire Bhuí Ní Laoire: A Poet of Her People, Collins Press (Cork, Ireland), 2000.
Building a Province: Sixty Alberta Lives, Fifth House Publishers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), 2000.
Alberta Originals: Stories of Albertans Who Made a Difference, Fifth House Publishers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), 2001.
Scoundrels and Scallywags: Characters from Alberta's Past, Fifth House Publishers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), 2002.
Boondoggles, Bonanzas, and Other Alberta Stories, Fifth House Publishers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), 2003.
Romancing the Rockies: Mountaineers, Missionaries, Marilyn, and More, Fifth House Publishers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), 2005.
How the West Was Written: The Life and Times of James H. Gray, Fifth House Publishers (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), 2006.
Contributor to periodicals, including the Globe and Mail, West, Galleries West, Alberta Venture magazine, and Alberta Oil magazine.
SIDELIGHTS:
Brian A. Brennan told CA: "I loved writing English compositions in school as a child, and delighted in making up stories for the entertainment of my younger siblings. I learned much about good writing from reading the books of such top Canadian writers of nonfiction as Pierre Berton and Peter C. Newman.
"I research my subject until I have sufficient information to write one chapter. After I have written enough chapters to fill a book, I go back to the beginning to revise and rewrite, add and subtract, cut and polish, and try to make the words sing. The most surprising thing I have learned as a writer is that you don't need to spend years in so-called 'creative' writing classes in order to get published.
"Of my books, my favorite is Scoundrels and Scallywags: Characters from Alberta's Past, because villains are more interesting to me than heroes. And I hope my books will make readers want to keep turning pages until they reach the last one."