All About me - the Writer:
I began writing in 2004. I wrote everyday
for one hour while my one-year old son took a nap. My inspiration came with the
sudden passing of my grandmother. A story was born with the emotions I
felt and witnessed in those around me after she was gone. I spent one year writing the first draft of When Life Begins, and four years on and off re-writing and editing in between having my second child.
In the fall of 2007, I decided to begin writing short stories. I wrote three that year, and submitted them to competitions. My story The Mistake won a second place award. Writing short stories honed my skills to such a large degree that I am now completing a collection of short stories.
I began writing my second novel, The Quiet House, in the summer of 2008.
I hold a M.Sc. from McGill University in Biochemistry, which I obtained in 2003, doing viral research. This scientific background has found its way into many of my stories, especially my first novel.
When I look back at how I began writing, I smile at my foolish self. I laugh at the gall I had to begin my writing career with a novel. But, had I known about the publishing industry, When Life Begins would not have been created - I am grateful for my naivety!
My whole life has been a study of the craft of writing. I grew up in a home with a front room piling over with books. Shelves lined the walls, from ceiling to floor, and yet this was not enough space - stacks lined the floors - at times even opening the door was cumbersome. I was never without a book, and one of the most dramatic events of my childhood was when the library refused my request to volunteer there after I had participated summer after summer in the summer reading contest, winning each year for the most amount of books read. I have been learning to write since my parents began reading to me when I was a baby, by studying how others write. By reading.
