VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
I am a Canadian writer, artist, and illustrator, born in Montreal, Canada. I have lived in the South Pacific, Florida, and in several Canadian provinces, most recently in British Columbia on a part-time basis, and now I divide my time between Alberta and Ontario. I have short fiction, poetry, and academic articles published in journals in Canada, the United States, Australia, and Ireland, and was co-editor of Outside of Ordinary: Women’s Travel Stories (Second Story Press).
I am currently working on a literary suspense novel and a YA fantasy trilogy. I have an illustrated postcard novel, a collection of short fiction, and two literary suspense novels completed.
I have artwork in private and public collections, including murals painted in three clinical rooms at Victoria Children’s Hospital, London, Ontario where each room has a regional theme: North American, South American, and Australian with forests, animals, and aquatic life, as well as “tube fairies” for the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic. I have exhibited my work in over 50 solo and group shows across Canada.
I have studied Graphic Design, and hold three university degrees, including a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Western Ontario (now called Western University).
When I write, paint, or draw, I am often influenced by my travels, especially if I lived in a place for a while.
LIVING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC
I was seven years old when I lived in Nouméa, New Caledonia in the South Pacific. So many strange and wondrous things happened to me while I was there, that I mythologized this time period, made it such an integral part of who I am, that it still continues to shape me, even now, so many years later.
A few years ago, I returned to the island, found the yellow apartment where I lived with my family, walked the road to the beach that we had walked so many times before. I knew that I risked altering my memories, as the present layered its sharp reality over the stories of my past. I was excited to return, but a little nervous, wondering if I was jeopardizing the magic I had conjured around this island, around myself. So much had changed, yet certain landmarks remained. I realized as I left the island that I would probably never return, not physically.
I still go there often. The magic remains.