Jancis M Andrews Author

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Jancis Maureen Andrews was born in Northumbria, England, in 1934. At 14 she ran away from a violent home life, and when apprehended by the police, refused to return to school because she had missed too many classes. She was ordered to Reform School; later, this was altered to one year’s probation, which included an order that she not venture outside an area of five square miles. In 1952 she joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service and trained as a radio operator on the staff of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten. In 1965 she emigrated to Canada with her husband, son and daughter, and at the age of 36 enrolled in Grade IX of the Ontario Adult Education Correspondence Courses. At the age of 53 she finally obtained a B.F.A. from the University of British Columbia.She has won several a wards for her writing. Jancis is a community volunteer with a particular interest in helping to stop violence against women and children. Her favourite hobby is embroidery. At present she lives in Sechelt.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair- Jancis M Andrews

Walking On Water ISBN 978-1-897151-17-4, 185 pages $21.00

"In a series of brilliant explorations of good and evil, Jancis Andrews paints all the shades of pain and sadness and obsession--and dark humour--with an unerring touch. The language is compelling with unexpected verbs and little telling details that suddenly lay bare her characters, their unpredictable emotions and hidden lives. This is a master of the short story at work." Betty Keller, editor, author, teacher.

"In these short stories, Jancis Andrews offers an unflinching glimpse into the human heart. She makes the reader consider not the great evil of the world, but the small, mundane sort that hides behind laughter, feigned goodwill and mistaken identities." Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun journalist and author of The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada's Polygamous Mormon Sect (Random House).

"Her book is a winner. Her characters rage against their lot, whether the character is an elderly store clerk who mounts a hopeless campaign to save a heritage building or the wonderful Lucy Gustavson of the title story, who has been denied her right to sing before the queen. Lucy makes her own peace in the typical, dramatic way that Andrews characters do -- passionately and full bore." (Jan DeGrass, page B1, Coast Reporter, June 26, 2009)

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair ISBN 0-921870-13-2, 143 pages (Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, BC, 1992) $12.95

“Jancis M. Andrews writes the erotics of our daily lives. She writes the erotics of our conversations, of the table, of our clothing, of the weight of bodies that we dread and that makes us real. She writes the glow of desire that makes our lives endurable.” Robert Kroetsch

“Readers will climb into this world up the long, long braid of Ruby Anderson, a woman larger than life – as are all the characters in this book. They attract us with a mixture of ingredients that turns the commonest fictional dishes into the most rare. Their powers and personalities draw us in as willing guests, leaving us with memories—like starfish on our plates: crusty and colourful—mixtures of magic and horror.” George McWhirter

"A dazzling literary display, all in subtle shades of grey. Jancis M. Andrews writes with astounding emotional intelligence. Her fiction turns on difficult moral dilemmas, and she never, ever, takes the easy way out." (Eve Drobot, page C4, Globe and Mail, March 14, 1992).

"Andrews presents riveting stories that will keep any mature reader hanging on until the end. The writing is excellent with strong narrative and descriptive elements and always a twist at the end." (Jerry McDonnell, CM Archive Book Review, Manitoba Library Association, September 1992).