#PimpMyBio

I am participating in Pitch Wars, a writing contest hosted by the wonderful, Brenda Drake. It was awesome to read the mentor bios (though I'll be honest my TBR list didn't need so many new additions, but, I've come to accept my book buying addiction and admit resistance is futile). Christopher Keelty started the #PimpMyBio blog hop and I decided to hop on the bandwagon!

I'm a twenty something Canadian who married an American and thinks teaching her cat to walk on a leash and perform tricks is a good idea. She gives the best high fives (in case you were wondering). 

I believe every book changes those who read it, in some way. We can't help but internalize the hero/heroine's journey and by the time we reach The End, we are no longer quite the same. To me, people who read are the most empathic, insightful, and interesting people you can meet. 

Sneak peek at some of my beloved shelves:

The way music inspires stories, creates visuals, changes our perceptions, helps us recall memories, influences our emotions, and truly cuts into our souls amazes me. Needless to say, I'm obsessed and make way too many playlists. 

It's a really good thing my friends and family love my baking so much. If they didn't, I'd be in a world of trouble -- who could I share my creations with? It would be absolutely cruel to leave them there to mould. If other people didn't eat them I'd probably consistently make myself sick (that cursed sweet tooth though). My love started really young:

When I'm not writing, I exercise my creative energies by painting things for other people (much to the chagrin of my husband). I'm terrible at drawing without a reference though, so I catch my inspirations and idea templates from artists far more skilled then I. Some of my more recent projects:

And now for a laundry list of random facts: 

I studied abroad (in France).

I got a bartending license on a whim.

I'm a huge history and mythology nerd. 

I competed provincially in slalom racing.

I cried when my Hogwarts letter didn't come. 

I used to figure skate (one year I played the leader of the munchkins).

I spent eleven summers training in archery, rifflery, rock climbing, and rappelling. 

I used to vault (gymnastics on horseback. I also did normal gymnastics) and did some barrel racing.

To round this post off:

My, hopefully, future mentor should choose me because they loved something in my YA Fantasy, PYRE, and want to help me realize the story's full potential. I'd like any of you considering me to know that I embrace critique and strive to consistently better myself and my work. I'm a passionate leo willing to work my butt off and I've got a sarcastic, quirky sense of humour. 

If you're interested about what inspired me to write my current novel, check out this post. 

Thank you, to anyone who took the time to get to know me a little better. Mia, my baby girl, thinks you're awesome too! Take a high five before you leave. Don't worry, the first one's free. 

Pitch Wars: Why I Wrote This Book

Greetings, Pitch Wars hopefuls and mentors who decided to grace me with your presence! Generally, I leave the vulnerability to my characters but when it was suggested I write about why I wrote my Pitch Wars (future) submission, I knew I had to challenge myself. The origin story of my book is rather dark but I tried not to get bogged down in the gritty details.

The tragedies in my life are inconsequential even if they define everything I am. You see, as a child, my developing psyche was too impressionable, too scarred from the horrors.

I couldn’t cope with reality.  

So, I built a new one.

I traded my life for Wonderland, to slay the dragon and ride a unicorn. I destroyed the Ring, danced with the Fair Folk, and attended Hogwarts. Vanquishing all sorts of evils, both internal and external, I got to play hero.

Fiction, in all its world-shaping glory, became a solid foundation I desperately needed. Fairy tales painted a vividly coloured world, one full of tragedy transformed to wonder and possibility. Shrouded in fantasy, I learned to accept the inexplicable and believe in dreams.

After living a thousand lives, it’s impossible to remain unchanged.

I started seeing stories everywhere, mind whirring with the limitless potential. My kingdom of books raised me to such a vantage that, even the most mundane aspects of life (whether act, object, or place), had a sense of magic. Every little thing felt like it had something to say. A voice, just begging to be heard if only we’d ask the right questions, if only we really looked.

And so, a story teller was born.

In my darkest hour and deepest depression, a small spark appeared. Tiny and hardly noticeable until it became a raging inferno of voices and plot.

It was impossible not to listen.

Pyre, my YA Fantasy, became the funeral rite my lost soul needed to move on.

It yanked me, word by word, from the blackest abyss.

Why this manuscript?  

Because the voices in my head wouldn’t shut up.

Because writing is my way of exorcising demons. 

Because the splendiferous terror and magic I’ve always seen in nature demanded expression.

Sharing any more would become very spoiler-heavy and reading a book is about the journey, finding your own truth in someone else’s world and making it your own.

Thank you for sparing a moment of your day to read. 

I encourage you to check out Jennie's inspiration for her YA Fantasy, Protectors, here.