Location: Ontario

Birthday: July 26

Tell us about you.

     I lose myself and find myself every single day.  I push myself to step out of boundaries (even if its only for a minute).  I follow my heart and listen to the brain in my gut whenever I can.  I am stubborn and feisty…I love a good argument.  I refuse to conform if it means letting a piece of me die. 

What is your favourite genre; why?

    I really love to read suspense/horror novels.  I like the intensity and getting goose bumps!  I also like reading opinion-based stories and editorials.  I appreciate the views of others even if I don’t share the same beliefs.

Who is your favourite author; why?

    I’ve always enjoyed Stephen King.  It amazes me how someone can create stories that are so twisted and make such a good living at it.  Whenever I read his work, I always find myself thinking, “This guy is nuts!”

Tell us how or why the world can become a better place because of your writing.

    I can’t change the world and honestly, I don’t want to.  I don’t want to change anything or anyone.  I write because I want to, not because someone else needs me to.  It is a warming thought though to believe that my words may cause a small ripple in a person’s life.  Even if it’s only for a split second, my writing can push a person to stop, take a deep breath and appreciate the moment.  Maybe that moment of calmness or intense emotion will change the path for someone.

If you have been published, tell us where, when and by whom. If you have not been published, tell us about your writing goals.

    I have been published in Wynterblue as well as numerous editorials across Ontario.  I don’t recall the particulars though.  Someone felt my stories/opinions warranted printing and so they were.  Enough said.

When/ how did your love for creative writing begin?

    I started writing when I was very young, but initially I began writing songs.  I had such a connection with all types of music.  I would hear songs hum through the trees and I’d add words to the notes of the birds singing.  I so desperately wanted to own a guitar and learn to create music.  I eventually put that dream aside and started writing poems and short stories. I loved to watch the ink leave the pen and create beautiful strokes on the paper. 

If someone chooses to adopt you, what can you give that sponsor in return?

    I automatically tried to think of something tangible to offer, or something that society views as having value…but if that were the requirement, I would fail.  What I have to offer is within me and cannot be bought or traded.  If someone chooses to sponsor me, I would give that sponsor a heart felt thank you.

What do you do other than creative writing – what do you enjoy doing?

    I like to create new things out of old junk.  I love the summer because I can walk through old farmlands and collect grain; flowers and often I find antique glass.  I enjoy being with family and friends, but I also appreciate my alone time. 

The sponsorship is a minimal fee of $25.00 per month. It is not a big number in today’s economy – and yet, perhaps it is! How will this sponsorship assist you – or – how will this sponsorship money assist your community?

    I’d like to say I’d donate the money or I’d use it to assist someone, but that would be too easy.  I’m to be completely honest and the truth of it is, I’d take that $25 and maybe do some upgrades.  I’d go from the dollar store paper to the good stuff at Staples, or maybe I’d spend $25 in chocolate bars. J 

Are you a volunteer in your community? If not, what things do you do to make your community a better place?

    I don’t help the community as a whole, but I do help individual members.  To provoke change on a large scale you must be prepared to ruin a forest to create a matchstick.  I’ve found that when you help a person, whether its teaching them how to use the ATM at the bank or finding resources/advocating for them, the result is positive and fulfilling.  Once you group people together they are no longer people but case files and numbers.  Helping one person at a time also creates a small wave of people helping people. 

If the sponsor had a special occasion coming up and wanted a signed, framed, handwritten poem from you to give as a gift, how much would you charge?

    I wouldn’t charge.  If someone were nice enough to sponsor me, it would be awfully bad karma for me to charge him/her for something as simple as a poem.  I believe in that old saying, “What goes around comes around.”  We all need a hand once in awhile and we all need favors!

If the sponsor lives in another Province, how would you show the beauty of where you live?

    This is a tough question because beauty is not seen but felt.  An author can describe a vision in the most colourful of words, but it is his perception not mine.  My idea of beauty will be different from everyone else, for we are unique and feel things differently.  In attempt to show the beauty of my Province, I would collect, dry and press wildflowers.  Or perhaps I would send a single feather from a local bird.

Give us an example of your writing.

I can almost see the sunlight,
I can almost smell the air.

But I'm stuck in here,
It’s so dark and cold,
Oh how I want to be out there.

I push and I push,
I fight, turn and kick.

I wiggle out of this casing,
I reach with all my might.

I can feel it!
I can see it!
Glorious, beautiful light.

Up out of the soil,
Free to grow tall,
I stretch out my petals,
Beautiful red.

I look around and see all my friends,
I'm a rose in a garden of roses.