I did! I didn't know what I was doing. I learned by trial and error, with substantial guidance from the folks at the Indie Cover Project, who shared their expertise very generously. It took months. But I love the result. I'm well aware that it doesn't look like it was done by a professional artist. It's too weird - too far from the publishing norm. But you know what? So am I. So are you! I love the authenticity of my cover art, and I stand by it.

I DID. That's a selfie, taken in the park near my old apartment in Toronto. No professional photographer. No filter. No makeup. That is what I actually look like (or at least what I looked like in spring 2024).

Glad you asked! When I make promotional videos for The Maker of Spells, I set them to classical music dance remixes. Why? Because to me those remixes are a perfect emblem for my writing. On the one hand, I have an obscene amount of literary education (a Ph.D., focusing on poetry). If you go looking for capital-L Literary stuff in The Maker of Spells, you'll find it. And so I set my ads to Mozart and Vivaldi. On the other hand, I have no interest in being *Literary* if I can't also have fun. The Maker of Spells has laughs, tears, suspense, spice, kittens, dragons and magic potions. So Vivaldi gets a dance beat.

Believe it or not, I wrote the first draft of The Maker of Spells while on maternity leave. It started out as a silly thing to occupy my mind - dreaming up magic spells and wild romance and evil kings while bouncing my daughter to sleep at 2am, and then writing them down the next day while she napped. It kept me sane(ish). When I went back to work, I set it aside. A year later, I gave up my job, moved home to Winnipeg, and decided to revise and publish The Maker of Spells. It was the sort of "irresponsible" risk I never would have taken before I became a parent. But I don't want my daughter to grow up never taking risks. Without risk-taking, there would be no fulfillment, no progress... and no books. Period.

A journaling prompt. Specifically, a Valentine's Day journaling prompt to the effect of "if you were going to write a steamy novel, what would it be about." I said "a bisexual diplomat, so I have an excuse for tense flirtation with multiple interlocutors," and then I realized it had to be a high-fantasy diplomat, because there was just no way I would ever write a novel with no dragons. Next thing I knew, I was scribbling out an outline. And then I was writing a chapter. And eventually the epic plot, worldbuilding and characters kinda took over - especially the characters, because I fell in love with all of them. So when I was finally done and ready to publish, I found that I can't really market The Maker of Spells as a romantasy. It's not romantic enough! It was supposed to be steamy! Well, the spicy scenes are great, in my humble opinion, but there are only four of them. The love plot is compelling, but it's one layer among many. Should romantasy lovers read it? Well sure! But be aware that when Part 3 begins, none of the characters have time for swooning or kissing. They've got a world to save.

Writing is my first calling, but my third career. I have a Ph.D. in English, and I taught as a university instructor. Then I worked for eight years as a government policy advisor.

When I realized I would need to found a micro-publishing company to sell my book directly to readers, I named it Doronos, after the capital city of Demeterra, the fantasy realm where Juno lives in The Maker of Spells. But although the name is fanciful, the company is not. It's a registered business in the Province of Manitoba. It's a lot of work, but it gives me a bit of freedom from the huge international companies that dominate the publishing industry, both traditional (the "big 5" publishing houses) and indie (print-on-demand distributors like KDP and IngramSpark).

Yes! I published a short story called "Alternate Reality" in Queer Toronto Literary Magazine. It's a loving spoof of sapphic romances, a genre that kept me grounded when I was coming out as bi at age 30. And since QT Magazine is free online, you can read it! I also wrote a doctoral thesis, which is just as long as The Maker of Spells, but, I'm sorry to say, nowhere near as much fun. And if you want some really ancient history, I wrote a novella and self-published it (or rather my parents published it) when I was 15 (in 2000). It's called A Wolf At The Door, and it's not bad - a sweet but poignant story on the younger end of YA. Alas, those were the bad old days of self-publishing, and my poor novella suffered from truly awful typesetting and layout. For all I know, my parents still have a box of copies in their basement.

In summer, I garden. In winter, I paint. I also cook and bake. And at all times of year I love going on outdoor adventures in my neighbourhood (yes, even in January in Winnipeg). I'm happiest when I'm sharing those activities with my husband, our toddler, and our dog Pretzel.