What was your dream job when you were a child? Astronaut? Firefighter? Actor?

For as long as I can remember, I have longed to be an author. When I dig through the dusty bins in my storage closet, I can find some true gems: the gripping saga of Sammy the Scorpion, who just wanted to find some lunch (1989); a haunting ghost tale that my English teacher deemed worthy to share with the Director of the school board (1994); a poem published (with a typo - the horror!) in our high-school collection, Reflections (2000).

But it wasn’t until recently that I became serious about writing. So serious that I took a step back from teaching, achieved my editing certificate from SFU, and completed the prestigious Writers Studio program (also through SFU). YA fiction is my passion, and there’s nothing I love more than looking up at 3:00 and realizing I have written all day.

Currently I have two manuscripts that have been shortlisted for CANSCAIP’s Writing for Children competition in the YA division, and my short story Kids in Love is part of the Emerge anthology that will be launched later this month at the Vancouver Writers Fest. I’ll also be facilitating my first writer’s workshop at the Dryden Museum in November, helping participants to gain a deeper understanding of character in their own writing. It’s an exciting time to be an author!