Glenda Goertzen (born 1967) is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fantasy, including the best-selling children's novel The Prairie Dogs. Life and work Glenda Goertzen commenced her writing career at the age of four with picture books and comic books to share with her friends. Her first act upon attending school was to vandalize her Dick and Jane books by adding her own characters to the pages. An annual project involved absconding with her mother's copy of the Sears Christmas catalogue and creating her own little adventure within its pages. The plot involved a band of tiny children trying to make their way to the toy section. There was a challenge on every page—trying to avoid getting stepped on in the shoe section, for example, or treasure hunting in the jewellery department. The first draft of The Prairie Dogs was written while she was in high school. The novel was based on the imaginary adventures of her childhood toys and the real adventures of dogs she had grown up with. When she attended university, however, it was to get a degree in Film and Video from the University of Regina so she could be a cartoon animation artist. She enjoyed a brief career as a computer graphics and animation artist, then went to work for CKTV Regina in a variety of technical positions. Much of her writing took place during quiet graveyard shifts. Early drafts of manuscripts were scribbled on the back of programming sheets for The Flintstones and other favourite shows. In the course of producing a short children's program, she met local children's authors who encouraged her to pursue her own writing career. In 1998 she moved to Saskatoon to take the Library and Information Program at SIAST. While working on a homework assignment, she picked up a piece of scrap paper and noticed it was a page from a draft of The Prairie Dogs, discarded after an unsuccessful attempt to have it published years earlier. She dug up the old manuscript and started reworking it. Shortly after moving to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to launch her new library career, The Prairie Dogs was published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Goertzen's trademark style is a fast-paced balance of humour and suspense. Her love of biology and quirky ecosystems plays a strong role in her books. The Prairie Dogs Meet Pierre, the abandoned agility champion; Dare, the terrier that