stories I'm telling

 I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Dundas, Ontario, Canada I was the kind of child who borrowed the maximum number of library books every week, stacking them by my bed like treasures. Those stories were my escape and my adventure — my way of exploring worlds beyond our quiet town.

When I was twelve, my weekends and summers shifted to our family farm on Manitoulin Island, a place that had once belonged to my great-grandparents. There wasn’t much in the way of entertainment there, but there were books — a small library passed down through generations. I lost myself in Black Beauty, Beautiful Joe, and Through the Looking-Glass, discovering how stories could hold both comfort and wonder.

I went on to study English at Queen’s University, where my love of literature deepened, and later became an English teacher, helping my students find their own voices in what they read and wrote. Over time, my career led me into school leadership, where my writing changed shape; speeches, letters, reflections, and plans meant to inspire and connect. Those years taught me how words, when chosen with care, can bring people together and create meaning in even the most complex moments.

Now, I’ve returned to writing for myself and for the joy of it. Through my Substack newsletter The Novel Note and my short story Back in Shape (published in Home for the Holidays by And You Press, a division of Nicole Frail Books), I explore belonging, reinvention, and the humour and grace tucked into everyday life.

When I’m not writing, I’m reading (still too many books at once), dreaming up retreats for Novel Escapes, tending my garden, or sharing the couch with my British Blue cats, Oliver and Poppy.