Pen name Gilliosa Uaugh Nationality Canadian | Name Gil Waugh Role Author | |
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Born July 7, 1959 (age 64)
North Bay, Ontario ( 1959-07-07 ) Occupation Novelist, poet and composer Genre Science fiction and mystery Books Evening Song, Mind Surfing | ||
Gil Waugh (born July 7, 1959) is a Canadian science fiction author, poet and musician. Gil Waugh writes in a readily identifiable style that combines hard science with near-future science fiction wrapped into fast moving multi-dimensional plots centered on crime based mysteries.
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Biography
He was born in North Bay, Ontario, and now resides in Ottawa. He published his first and second novels under the pseudonym Gillìosa Uaugh which has been subsequently been reprinted internationally under Gil Waugh.
In addition to being the author of two novels, Gil Waugh is also a poet, musician, pilot, Scottish Gaelic rights supporter and computer security and infrastructure consultant. He holds the I.S.P. CNP ITILF and CISSP professional designations and has authored non-fiction works in newspaper and various technical journals. During his technology career, he has worked as a software developer, network architect/administrator and security advisor. He has for many years been a believer in the potential of what is commonly referred to as Artificial Intelligence as a tool to improve software processes and quality of life.
Waugh had his first poems, a series of Haiku published in 1975. He integrates poetry into his novels and ties them to the plot.
Gil Waugh is classically trained on trumpet and for many years headed an Ottawa pickup jazz group named TWNJC. In the 1970s, he toured, recorded and performed on electric bass with several rock bands based in Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. After TWNJC disbanded, he has focused composing and performing efforts on more traditionally rooted Celtic music and currently plays the Great Highland Bagpipe with The Sons of Scotland, Canada's oldest Civilian Pipe Band.
During the 1980s after completing Commercial Pilot training, Waugh became a licensed private investigator and successfully conducted roughly 800 missing person, criminal and Insurance Investigations. Learning and practicing the craft of private investigation provided a solid foundation for the techniques he writes about his Karen Simpson Sandalwood Investigation Agency series.
In 1997, Waugh co-founded and helped direct Mike Nemesvary's 'Round the World challenge, an international non-profit organization that focussed its efforts on raising the awareness of the abilities of those with disabilities. It culminated in Nemesvary becoming the first quadriplegic in history to circumnavigate the globe in a specially equipped vehicle and subsequently winning several high level accolades, including the Canadian Governor General Meritorious Service award. One of the motivators for this was a serious spinal cord injury that Waugh suffered in 1993 in Cancún, Mexico.
Waugh has appeared as a feature guest on Global Television's Mystery, Ink! And The Destiny Files and in 2002 was invited to Mexico City to present his written works as a keynote speaker at the University of Mexico's AMEC conference.
In 2009, Waugh co-founded Comunn Gàidhlig Ottawa, the Ottawa Gaelic Society in order to promote Scottish language, music and culture. Further to this, Waugh formed Ar n-Òran (our music) Gaelic choir which he directs and remains active in. Also in 2009, Waugh organized and held the first ever Mòd Canada event in Ottawa. Mòd Canada has gained international recognition and continues to grow in popularity as a venue of choice for domestic and international Scottish Gaelic competitors in language, vocal, instrumental and dramatic arts competitions.
Interviews and appearances
Current project
Waugh launched "Gaoth," (Scottish Gaelic for "Wind" a graphic novel at Mòd Canada 2010, and continues quarterly releases of the novel. "Gaoth" features the artwork of illustrator Jay Nation.