FAQ

These are some of the questions readers ask. Feel free to add your own by commenting on this post or send me a message on the contact page.

Q. How did you get your start in writing?

A. I have always loved to read and write. As a child, I would write stories like the ones I was reading. As I got older, I took as many English courses as my high school offered and became that friend who edited (or maybe even wrote?) my friend’s assignments. I enrolled in journalism in college and went on to become a reporter and editor of my local weekly newspaper. I began journaling as a young mother and continue to this day.

Q. What do you like to write?

A. I like to write stories to encourage young people to find their unique purpose. I write stories I would like to read. For younger children, I write to encourage early literacy, the use of imagination and families reading together.

Q. What are some of your favourite books?

A. As a teen, I devoured Nancy Drew books. I love a good mystery. I read a variety of genres from YA to historical fiction, cozy mysteries, biographies and epic adventure stories. Lately, I have really enjoyed Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessy, Soul Gardening by Renee Fischer, books by Susan Vreeland, and the Stolen Kingdom series by Bethany Atazadeh.

Q. What are some of the themes in the Forged in Flames series?

A. I have chosen to explore themes of family dysfunction due to absence, drug abuse and divorce. Some of my characters have Down syndrome and I have attempted to show their world through that lens. Themes of reconciliation, redemption and forgiveness are also woven through each book. I try to show real life struggles and the potential we as humans have, to not only triumph despite them, but to grow and learn.

Q. When is your next book coming out?

A. In YA, I am writing another book in the Forged in Flames series and am about a third of the way in. In picture books, my illustrator Sara Thompson has completed the set of illustrations for our next book on the topic of sharing. We hope to submit that book for publishing later this spring.