Human behaviour, in its bounty and diversity, is my inspiration, and my character-driven stories star fallible women facing some of life’s impossible situations. Writing about thorny social issues keeps me informed, open-minded and humble. My focus is always Canadian.
I grew up as an army brat, the child of parents with itchy feet. I moved a lot, living in many parts of Canada with side trips to the UK and Germany. Some of my temporary hometowns are backdrops for my stories.
My life has taken several mostly delightful detours. Over the years, I earned three degrees, all of which required writing, although none was about writing. I enjoyed a fulfilling career running a medium-sized charity. I loved two men totally; cancer robbed me of them both.
My published debut novel is A Mercy of Widows, August 2023.
I have exceeded Malcolm Gladwell’s ten thousand hours expertise threshold—but only for non-fiction. I’ve written thousands of pages of academic and business pieces, some for publication. But, I had to start from scratch to tell fictional stories.
I have enjoyed “the beginner’s mind” and have been soaking up craft conferences, workshops, retreats, and classes since 2017. I am a proud member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) , and a fabulous critique group.
My guilty pleasure is art supplies: pens, crayons, paints, inks, papers—I’m not fussy. Recently, I tried a variety of new media—the messier, the better. Pour painting, with its uncontrollable results, is fun and surprisingly satisfying. Alcohol ink, even more so.
Home is now a small cottage in southwestern Ontario with my opinionated dogs, Bug and Lucy. The dogs are struggling to learn the command, “shh”, so I can work on my second novel—featuring a scientist and a tour guide who team up to save an endangered species on Haida Gwaii.
