About
I really hate being asked for a bio. D.W. Winnicott said "Artists are people driven by the tension between the desire to communicate and the desire to hide." I get that. I want my writing to be judged on it's own merits, I want my characters to be loved or hated for themselves and not because of what you think of me. I am not interesting.
I have a B.A. in English and Classics, and a Masters in English. I live in Southwestern Ontario with my partner of 26 years (and counting) and two cats. My day job is building websites.
Pronouns: I have not been able to commit to any.
Contact Me
I will not put you on a mailing list and send you pictures of my cats, the status of my next book, or my killer chocolate chip peanut butter brownie recipe (unless you ask).
What are my favourite books/movies/series?
This isn't a competition. I have no reservations about promoting other writers' and artists' works (not that most of these need it). No particular order here, but all of these are things I have read/watched more than once, or will. You will probably learn more about me from my reading habits than anything I write on the subject.
Fayne by Ann Marie McDonald
This book is so beautifully written that you will cry. I ran into McDonald at a theatre production of her work Fall on Your Knees (also amazing, both the book and the play), when I had just finished Fayne and I was totally fangirling on the inside and trying not to on the outside, and I think I might have frightened her. If you read this Ann Marie, I'm sorry.
The Untamed from Ten Cent Media
I have watched this series four times. You can forgive a lot of plot holes and ridiculous elements when the acting is this good. And everyone is so pretty. Reading the book Mo Doa Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu will let you in on the (thinly veiled) plot elements that Chinese TV censorship prohibits.
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire
...is a fantastic urban fantasy read. You can see the evolution of McGuire's talent as you work your way through the series. Don't let the cheesy covers put you off.
The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
I swear I know these people.
Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
...is my favourite of the Wayward Children series, because this is the world I would fall into, complete with vampires, mad scientists, gender bending, and lesbian romance.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
I read this for the first time when I was 9. I had to look up the word "misanthropist" and then decided that I was one. (I am not.) I have always wished that I was a Brontë.
The Fountain
...is my favourite movie. Ever. It is visually stunning. It's confusing at first, until you realize (or you read the blurb on the DVD cover) that there are 3 parallel stories going on, of a man trying to keep his beloved from dying. Or is it about the meaning of death and life and eternity?
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
If you like Wuthering Heights or other Gothic romance, this novel is for you. Dark twists and turns, ruins, decadence—what's not to like?
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
...(or any of his other non-fiction books) will transport you to the time and place he is writing about. I particularly liked the contrast between the World's Fair planners and the serial killer. A true crime book that does not glorify the killer.
Only Lovers Left Alive
...is a quiet little movie about vampires just trying to get along in the modern world. Or is it about what makes life worth living? It features fantastic shots of the decay of Detroit.
Publish & Perish, The Lecturer's Tale, and Kings of Infinite Space by James Hynes
Horror, humour, dark academia, and a satisfying dose of karma.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
...especially appealed to me because I have a degree in Classics and spent four years studying Latin. You probably didn't know dead languages could be so intense and so dangerous.
The Mere Wife and Beowulf (translation) by Maria Dahvanna Headley
...are fantastic reads. This is what literature sounds like when women are doing the writing.
Decameron on Netflix
...is way more fun than Boccaccio's original series of stories from the 14th century. The characters are outrageous, and we can all identify with their fear of the plague.
Good Omens, book and series - Terry Pratchet & Neil Gaimen
I loved the book for its irreverence and humanism (and humour). I loved the series for it's slow-burn queer romance.
Arcane on Netflix
Finally, a show with not just one strong woman, but heaps of them, all very different from each other. The animation is amazing, the story is riveting, and the characters are unforgettable. Also, lesbian romance. Hot lesbian romance, Cupcake.
Social Media
My social media these days is limited to Pinterest. I've tried shouting into the void via Facebook and Twitter, but it was exhausting and pointless.
I do maintain two Pinterest boards for writers.
Writing Prompts is a cache of images that might inspire you to write something. I look for images that prompt you to ask questions (like, wtf is going on) rather than images that tell a story. They trend to the dark and fantastical.
Writing Info is a very random collection of information for writers, from the practical (what are various blades called) to the inspirational. I try to avoid "rules for writing" or anything that says "write every day."
A Note About AI Harvesting
Babies learn by imitation. You imitate the sounds mama is making. You imitate facial expressions. If you want a good laugh, wiggle your eyebrows at a 6-month-old who hasn't learned how do to that yet.
Writers learn by reading, and our juvenile, amateur stories are usually derivative; painters learn by observing and imitating the masters; Musicians learn by listening and by playing other people's music first. AI learns the same way we do—by consuming. The rate at which AI consumes, and it's astounding storage capacity, makes us queasy. All it's work is derivative and I do not think it will progress beyond that point (at least not in my lifetime).
Luna Station Quarterly has taken their magazine offline, to prevent their authors' works from being harvested by AI, and I respect that. Every creator needs to choose for themselves.
I have chosen not to hide my work from AI. Unless we want AI to be a cis-het white American male right-wing conservative, we all need to get our voices out there so AI will be exposed to different perspectives and different experiences.
The real danger in AI is who is giving it its marching orders.