About me
Educating people about man-made fragrances as a health challenge brought me to writing initially. I submitted my article to our national denominational magazine, Canada Lutheran. After its publication in December 2000, another article to our local daily newspaper was accepted.
The writer’s conference, God Uses Ink, in 2001 introduced me to other ways I could be published. My first critique group added another page to my writing experience.
My publication credits include articles, poetry, devotionals, anthologies, opinion editorials in regional to international publications. My books include Once Upon a Sandbox, a memoir about growing up on a family farm; Harry’s Trees, a children’s picture book about trees through the seasons, its French counterpart, Les arbres de Harry; Piece by Piece, short pieces with a devotional feel; and Travelling Light, a collection of light-hearted poetry. Together Donna Mann and I wrote and published Discover Your Story; Family History or Memoir in 2020, and later that year I published my latest picture book, Sophie and the Giant Boy.
My monthly newsletter, FineTuned, offers advice and information for beginning to intermediate writers.
Knowing that someday I may need to speak and present, I joined Toastmasters, which, in turn, assisted me with my book promotion, teaching writing, and giving conference workshops for The Word Guild and District 86 Toastmasters.
In Toastmasters I connected with a love for telling stories, attended First Fridays at the Story Barn, and became a member of the Baden Storytellers’ Guild. Folk tales, history-based stories, and ones I have written are my favourites for telling
As a trained editor, I work with authors to help them shape their stories of travel and life. I enjoy working with authors of children’s stories, on short pieces for anthologies, and also books for business and speakers.
You can find me taking photos on walks or during times with my family, now using the amazing technology on my cell phone. Many of those photos are posted on my blog, Storygal, and are a record of family, garden, and life in general.
