Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I wanted to be a writer since I was little, but university, travel, starting my first job as a teacher, and then being a single mother got in the way. Once I reached my 40s I figured I was too old to start. I was working as a teacher-librarian at the time and one of my colleagues invited me in to hear the author Sylvia Olsen speak. Sylvia is a well-known and prolific Canadian YA author. When she was talking to the class she said that she had published her first book at age 50. When I heard that, I thought to myself, well if she can do it, so can I. When I was 48, I entered the 3-Day Novel contest and wrote a book called Greenwich List. I didn’t win anything so I sent it off to a publisher who accepted it, published it as an ebook, and released it on my 50th birthday. It seemed very appropriate. In the meantime, my husband (also a writer) and I bought an old stone house in a tiny Sicilian village way up in the mountains. That started my blogging experience with My Sicilian Home (mysicilianhome.wordpress.com) which eventually turned into my second book, Mancia di Sanu: A Canadian Expat’s Take on Sicilian Life and Cuisine. We spent (and still spend) a lot of time driving around and exploring Sicily. As we explored all the little towns and villages, I noticed that every city, town, and village had at least one and more often multiple patron saints. Our GPS talked to us as we drove along and it got me thinking. What if one of the patron saints talked to someone through their GPS? That led me to my third book, The Bastard of Saint Genevra. This book was well received and in 2017 I was invited to do an international launch and reading in Sicily of both The Bastard of Saint Genevra and Mancia di Sanu. The reading took place at the height of summer in the courtyard of an old stone convent/museum. Even though the temperature was in the very high 30s that evening, I still had a full house. It was very exciting for me. A couple of years later, I collected a lot of my poetry into a small book, Gratitude & Betrayal | Betrayal & Gratitude and published it on Kindle. In 2022, my daughter’s guinea pig died. It was traumatic for the entire family and I wrote my first children’s book for my daughter – Moo Moo Saves the Day. While I have several other books that I’m working on (six in various stages of being written and six others outlined), I released my latest book on Halloween.
Apart from writing, I teach a year-long writing program at Cherry Hill Seminary out of South Carolina called a Certificate in Writing as a Spiritual Practice. I am an ordained Druid priest, and I write articles on various aspects of Paganism.
I love to travel. I spent three years living in Japan and I have travelled to China, South Korea, Mexico, Tunisia, Morocco, Greece, Spain, Gibraltar, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I’ve also travelled across Canada and to many parts of the US. My husband and I plan to keep travelling and visit other parts of Europe.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My newest book, the one that was released on Halloween, is called A Curse of Magick. It is a young adult fantasy romance. It is based on the Irish myth of Gráinne and Diarmuid, a tale that not only caught my fancy but my heart as well. My family came from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, and Ireland has been special in our family for many generations. It felt important to me to share a Celtic myth with teens who may never have heard of it. This is book one in a series that I’m calling Ancient Women of Celtic Magick. The next book will be about the Welsh goddess, Rhiannon followed by the story of Boudica, the woman warrior who very nearly drove the Romans out of Britain.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have a writing partner. We have written one short story together and we often do writing sprints together. I have also done the 3-Day Novel contest three times. One of the novellas is already published – Greenwich List – and the two others will be published in the next couple of years. I also finished the first draft of a horror novel while doing Nanowrimo.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
When I was quite young, I loved books by Robert Louis Stevenson. My father introduced them to me by first buying me a copy of A Child’s Garden of Verses, and then later Treasure Island. When I was a young woman, books by Margaret Atwood and Erica Jong taught me what it meant to be an independent woman and what feminism meant. Fantasy writers that I have found influential have been Ursula Le Guin, Edith Nesbit, Joan Aiken, JRR Tolkien, and (controversy aside) JK Rowling. I also love Stephen King, and Andrea Camilleri.
What are you working on now?
I have three horror novels that are ready for editing, as well as an historical romance set in the time of the Vikings. I have several other books outlined and I am researching the mythology around the goddess Rhiannon and the life of Boudica.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is where I struggle. So far I have used Facebook, Twitter, and my own website. I have also sold books at markets, in bookstores, and through family and friends. My hope is that awesomegang will help me be better at marketing.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The following quote is attributed to Hemingway: “The first draft of anything is shit”. What I love about this quote is that it releases us from feeling like what we write must be perfect. Writer’s block is not a lack of ideas, it’s a lack of confidence in oneself. The most important thing is just to write. When you are on your first draft, ignore the mistakes. They can be fixed later when it’s time to edit.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t worry about what other people think about your writing, just write your own truth.
What are you reading now?
I have two books on the go at the moment, both by Stephen King – On Writing, and Dance Macabre.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I probably should finish all the books I have as first drafts, and then write the books I have outlined before starting something new. My problem is I am constantly thinking of new ideas for books.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I have sooooo many books that I love, and which is my favourite depends on when you ask me. If you go by the books I have re-read the most, they would be The Stand by Stephen King, and Tisha by Robert Sprecht.
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