All about Me

I was born in the seaside village of Oban in Scotland. My family were living in a forestery village nearby. I was the youngest of 4 children. I had an older brother who died of MD when I was about 4, I barely remember him other than a brief memory of getting a ride in his wheelchair. I lived in Cumbernauld, a new-town close to Glasgow. It was a good place to be a kid, we were close to woods and a creek. I have memories of collecting raspberries in the woods. When I was 11 my parents decided to move the family to Canada. My father was born in Newfoundland and had ended up in Scotland during World War II where he met my mother. My sister, my mother, and I moved in with my grandmother in Glasgow while my father went ahead to find a job. We were with her for almost a year.

When we finally joined my father we settled in Toronto because two of my father's sisters were living there. We lived with my Aunt Bessie and Uncle Bill for about a year before moving into a house. My mother took care of the woman who owned the house and we lived in the upper level. I attended Annette Street Public School for grade 8. After the school year, my parents took a job as building superintendants in an apartment building.

I attended Northern Secondary School in Toronto. I ended up dropping out in grade 11. However, I eventually took a high school equivalency course and attended Seneca College, where I studied Library Techniques. I graduated with honours in the course.

I worked as a library technician for several years. I am currently an administrative assistant. The change in careers wasn't totally my idea but I have warmed to it. This job really doesn't challenge me so it gives me more time to concentrate on my writing.

I have written since my early teens. I started out writing poetry and song lyrics. I still have the first notebook that I started. I have to admit that some of the song lyrics are not all that bad. After that I started writing short stories. Now I mostly concentrate on non-fiction, I feel that is where my strengths lie.