Raised as a modern-day kitchen slave in an orphanage run by child-loathing nuns, and now stalked by disturbing strangers, thirteen year old Tanya gambles everything on a desperate journey of self-discovery that will lead her to the far corners of two strange and unfamiliar worlds: one filled with shopping malls and televisions, the other with brownies, Djin and magic. Strange Places is the first book in the Finding Tayna series — created for those who want their fantasy to be fun and fantastical, but who need more than just an empty adventure story left lingering on the palette once the action has concluded. Follow teen orphan Tayna, self-proclaimed queen of rejection and protector of the helpless, as she sets out to uncover the truth about who she is and where she comes from, no matter who gets in her way. And plenty of people do.

Jefferson Smith is a restless spirit. His various careers have included cartoonist, magician, scientist, teacher, computer programmer, visual effects consultant, animator, composer, stand-up comedian and small-engine repair lackey. His first career was in Hollywood's special effects infrastructure — back when computer animation was still a fresh and exciting way to make a living. Emboldened by that heady experience, he then veered into the fast lane, bound for high-tech fame and fortune, only to slam into a bridge abutment, leaving several startup software companies scattered about him in the ditch. Now penniless and frightened, he has retreated to Saskatoon - the city "least likely to succumb to invasion, natural disaster or the inevitable collapse of Western Civilization" - to raise his family, suffocate his education with a PhD, and pursue his boyhood dream of becoming destitute and unknown author. So far, that plan has hit no obstacles. Strange Places is his first novel.

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