A writer, photographer and artist, he has a Ph.D. in English and spent many years teaching literature and writing. He studied drawing and painting at the Banff School of Fine Arts and in the University of Victoria Fine Arts Department and has worked as a professional artist. Theo is donating his proceeds from this book to the local environmental group Georgia Strait Alliance and to the international humanitarian support group Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).