photo by Ian McCausland: ian.mb.ca
I live in Winnipeg, the coldest major city on earth, with my husband, author Duncan Thornton, and our two kids.
Over the last decade, I’ve published short stories in some of Canada’s top literary journals, including The Malahat Review, Prairie Fire, The New Quarterly, and Prism International. My work has also appeared in the anthologies Kobzar’s Children (Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2010) and Up All Night (Thistledown Press, 2007)
My first novel, Where the Rocks Say Your Name… (Thistledown Press) came out in 2004 to strong reviews and was shortlisted for the McNally-Robinson Book of the Year and the Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction. Thanks to the small success of my debut, Red River College invited me to workshop the novel for its Creative Writing program, and I’ve had the privilege to read at events alongside authors ranging from Lawrence Hill to William Gibson.
My second novel, Your Constant Star was released by Orca Books in the spring of 2014, and a collection of my short fiction, Back Lane Lullaby, is slated for publication by Turnstone Press in the fall of 2014.
Other stuff
While I’ve done a fair bit of traveling, I’ve lived in Winnipeg my whole life. It’s an unassuming, middle-of-the-continent kind of place that sometimes yearns for greatness ― which is why it suits me, I guess.
I write my books in my spare time while holding down an office job in communications with Manitoba’s largest union, and raising two kids. I am boring, but never bored.
I write about characters who, on the face of it, have absolutely nothing in common with me.
My husband, Duncan Thornton, is also a writer. We have very different styles, but share the same office space (divided by a wall of books) on the south side of our old house.
I’m an alumni of the Governor General’s Leadership Conference (2004), a quadrennial two-week gathering of future “leaders” from across the country, and the Banff Centre for the Arts “Writing with Style” workshop (2012).
My first job was with the United Way, and I currently sit on the Board of Rossbrook House, an inner city drop-in centre for at-risk youth that’s open 365 days/year and 24/7 during school holidays.
My husband and I have been meeting with the same writing group for over twenty years. Some are award-winning authors and some still come for the wine!
I love buying and selling stuff on Kijiji. It’s a great way to be all connected and neighbourly while getting a good deal. I also love pretty much all thrift stores. I know what I like, and I like to shop, so why not recycle perfectly good stuff and feel like you’re sticking it to the Man while indulging yourself all at the same time?
I don’t speak Ukrainian, but I have a large collection of translated Eastern European literature and have traveled throughout Eastern Europe twice. One of my favourite cities in the world is Krakow, Poland. Really, you should go there.
Writer in the Middle 