I started writing down stories in about the fifth grade. I was kind of a lonely kid, somewhat of my own doing, but I started to find comfort in writing down the stories that were dwelling in my head. I really started to get into writing in Junior High. I struggled with depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems (and still do), and writing became a kind of escape, and it also gave my hands something to do.

Some of my characters end up with traits from people around me but I think

I will admit that my main characters (Rebekah, Sophie-Rose, Jinx, Nimh, Amir, Lise, Tova, Collie, Tecket, Wynnie, Kaiera) they have pieces of myself infused into them, but once they're put into their story they sort of have a mind of their own.

I definitely borrow some characteristics from friends, sometimes a physical trait. Sometimes I'll even borrow a story they have told me and just change it to fit into my book, or one of our memories. Like one of my best friends, Sarah, I'm sure if you gathered two or three of my characters across Rebekah, N.I.M.H., and The Lise Chronicles, you would find her buried with them. But I am often asked - by friends - who think they're in my book, but that really isn't the case most of the time, even if they seem to echo reality. And with everything that's been discussed in the writing community the past couple of years, yes the people in my books know they are in my books, a lot of them have actually helped me devleop those characters.

My writing style is fairly descriptive, and I try and mimic a feeling like you're watching a film. I typically stick to third-person omniscient to be able to give the feeling of a camera giving you the experience of being there, swinging between scenes and characters. And I love plot twists, and cliffhangers, and punching my readers in the gut, or as a friend once put it, "putting my hands on your heart and throat and squeezing". I'm also known...I'm not known for my humour, but I am known for having a collection of witty, usually dry lines.

1. Adventure

2. Strong girls who have slightly rough/sharp edges

3. At least one softer, almost motherly character

4. Friendships that are super important and usually come before romantic relationships

5. At least one queer and one disabled character

I have always been a chaotic writer, so as per the norm, I have two that I basically remember writing at the same time. One was about six girls who were supernatural secret agents and I actually still really enjoy the characters and the stories, so I have actually gone back and am reworking it. And then about the same time I was working on a story and it turned into just being too much, but it was fun to work on and there were thirty different supernatural characters with different abilities who wet to a camp for kids with supernatural powers. Think a more supernatural Percy Jackson.

Imagine the most chaotic system you can come up with and add a couple of post it notes, that is the kind of writer I am. A friend once described me as a squirrel with a pencil, so take that as you will. I tend to have multiple writing project on the go, with some level of time mapping laid out in my mind. I carry a notepad with me all the time and you can often find me scribbling random ideas and scenes and dialogue into it. I have been known to write myself notes in my sleep and wakeup to find ideas that I have to piece together. I switch between planning by hand and making connetions on huge poster sized sheets of paper, and mostly just winging it and hoping for the best. I have never written a book in a sit down finish one chapter and move on to the next - just adding chapters in as they come to me and piecing things together as I go.

Ha! I really wish I had an answer for this, but I sadly do not. The first draft of Ink & Crown I wrote in three months. Search Squad? Going on seven years. I think this partly comes back to the absolute chaos that is my writing process. If anyone tells you there is a timeline you should be following, don't let them. It's up to you, we all go at our own pace (unless it's a publishing company who is actually paying you, then do as they say)

I keep my mind on my projects. Because I have so many projects on the go, usually if I have writer's block I'll just move on to the next series and keep writing for something else. Usually, eventually, I'll circle back around and be able to write again. Taking a break from a book/series can be really helpful, give you and your characters time to breathe.

But one of the things I have found really helpful when blocked on a series is immersing myself into the series and characters. This is when those writing exercises and lists come in really handy. You don't need to go into a book knowing every detail about the world you are creating (whether it's fantasy or more contemporary), so if you're feeling blocked or uninspired, it can be a good time to go into this side of the book. Find those writers checklists, or character worksheets on pinterest (or the master list I created in a blog post) and let your thoughts flow, and your understanding of yourcharacters/world grow. I really enjoy just filling out those long character questionnaires because it forces me to think more like my character, and gives me a look into who they are, which can often inspire the next part of the story.

Finishing it.

And not as in having an ending, that's often one of the first things I do write, but just making it to a point that a book feels finished (which is often why I end up accidentally writing three books in a series in one go).

It's hard for me to choose one, because they exist in different world and different genres with such different characters that they're all very dear to me. Rebekah Part 1 & 2 are extra special to me because they were the first books that I got all the way through a first draft on, and the Lise Chronicles is one of the series I find myself having the most fun with. But in the end, every book I write teaches me something and has a special place in my heart.

A lot of my main characters come from some aspect of me, sometimes subtly, sometimes...less so. Rebekah is a direct reflection of who I thought I was going to be when I was about sixteen - not neccessarily her story, but her character, wants, passions. Nimh was the same way, she was kind of a way to explore a certain career and life path as I learned more about the professional world when I was about twenty. I think as a whole, though, I relate most to Sophie-Rose. Both in her manner - a bit quiet, bursts of energy and confidence, who likes staying in, reading, is pretty focused, even down to what she wants to do with her life. She's also the first Deaf character I wrote, when I finally came ot terms with that part of me. And then also in where she sees her path leading her.

This is so hard for me because I work really hard to read a lot of books in a lot of genres, by a lot of different authors. But honestly, the book that Ithink has stayed with me the most, had the biggest impact on me as a reader, was The Handmaid's Taleby Margaret Atwood. I can't even really put my finger on it, but I still think about it all the time, and recommend it all the time so definitely that.

Mine.

Kidding.

Sort of...

The Darkest Powers and Darnkess Rising trilogies from Kelley Armstrong remain my favourite. I have re-read them probably three times, and I enjoy them just as much as I did when I was thirteen. Kelley Armstrong is also Canadian, and she is a huge writing inspiration to me.

I also really enjoy the River of Time series from Lisa T. Bergeren. It's pretty well written, and the main character can be really dumb sometimes, but I love the cast of characters, and the history aspect (I am a history major after all). I originally read this series in junior high, when my library only had the first book, and I begged the librarian to get the second book. We never found the third one though...I found the whole series again in 2020 and read all 5 books in a week.

Other books I loved in my late middle-school era and still think about are:

- Y.S. Lee's The Agency series (A Spy in The House, The Body at the Tower, The Traitor in the Tunnel, Rivals in the City). Victorian England and an all-women's squadron of kickass spies. I was obsessed.

- M.J. Putney's The Dark Mirror series (Dark Mirror, Dark Passage, Dark Destiny). This series has so many things I love — witches, boarding school, the regency era, time travel, World War II era, and a touch of snark.

- Michael Scott's Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Twins, magic, and some of the coolest figures from history.