Blame it on the library! I paid my first visit at the age of three and was immediately "hooked on books"! I spent so much time reading and attending library programs - including a kids' book club - that around the age of ten, the library's page supervisor told me she'd give me a job when I turned fourteen!
The rest, as they say, is history. I took that job. I always thought it was hilarious that they called us "pages". Most of my career since has been as a librarian. After getting an Honour's B.A. in English and Psychology and my Master's Degree in Library Science from the University of Toronto, I worked for the Toronto Public Library until mid-2002. I now work on a casual basis for another library system in southwestern Ontario.
As for the writing, well, it follows on the heels of loving stories. I started orally with poems and songs. My mom thought they were wonderful and wanted to get them written down, but I could never repeat them quite as well the second time around. Too bad - I'm sure some great literature has been lost to mankind! It was also somewhat to my mom's chagrin that I loved reading so much, though she is proud of how far it has taken me. I even used to read at the dinner table!
Years after grades 2 and 3, my then teacher, Mrs. Weiss, recalled a story I had written for her class. It finished with this line: "and the princess folded her royal hands in her lap." For some reason, this struck my teacher as a completely memorable conclusion and she enjoyed retelling it.
My all-time favourite high school English teacher, Mrs. Michna, also encouraged me, and I elected to attend her alma mater, Victoria College. I later learned that she had actually gone to Trinity College! Oh, well. I enjoyed Victoria very much and even had a class under Northrop Frye.
My husband, David, has been my biggest fan and supporter in recent years, especially since I went from working full-time to being an at-home-mom/writer/part-time librarian. He tells everyone he can about my writing accomplishments - a Novice Writers' award from The Word Guild in 2005 for my article Write from the Heart: Let the Bible Show You How, and the publication of my first short story for adults. I get a kick out of seeing how proud he is of me.
My two children are excited about having a mom who's an author as well. Three years ago I started homeschooling them, and it's been fun to see my son's imagination at work, and to see a literary spark in my daughter. Both of them love to read and to be read to as well, which warms this reader's heart!
I have a few children's picture books I'm currently shopping to publishers, while I continue to work on a novel for adults. My short story, Bonny Blue Ribbon, has been accepted for publication by Highland Press for their The Way to a Man's Heart anthology. Stay tuned to my web page for new developments!
