1. Why are you so passionate about the written word?
I think words are magic. We live in a multi-dimensional world and writing allows us to access those other places. Personally, I have a hard time expressing myself and writing allows me to do so in a way that feels accessible. Poetry in particularly has allowed me to tap into my emotions and unravel them in a way that I haven’t been able to do before.'
2. Aside from writing, do you have any other creative interests?
Baking! I absolutely love it. A lot of people say that baking is a science and you have to be strict with recipes and measurements. For me baking is an experiment and recipes are an inspiration. It’s my chance to mix, match, and play. Sometimes I get sloppy messes but other times I discover new treats.
I am also an amateur photographer. I don’t dedicate as much time to it as I’d like, but I deeply enjoy it.
3. Can you share your poetry journey with us?
For most of my life, poetry seemed like something I couldn’t aspire to. I didn’t understand how
people could come up with them. The lockdowns due to COVID-19 stirred something in me. A year ago, when they first started, I would go for early morning walks and come back inspired to write. The novelty and eeriness of what I encountered started coming out on the page. I didn’t intend to write poetry, but as I saw words emerge on the page, they sounded poetic. I extracted the lines into verses and discovered I did have poetry! It motivated me. In a few months, I accumulated enough poems to compile into a book.
4. What are you writing now?
I continue to write poetry. I am also finishing a novel that I have been working on for three years. I feel I have a good story but it is still not where I want it to be. I have also been writing a few short stories and I am working on a few ideas for other novels.
5. What does the future hold for your authorship?
Embody is the first of a set of three poetry books. Embrace and Embolden will come out later this year.
After that, I keep my fingers crossed that I publish more poetry and get my novels out into the world!
6. Can you share with us a fun fact about you?
I love all kinds of alternative healing. I just completed a certification to become a Crystal Energy Guide. I don’t intend to practice but I enjoy learning and incorporating into my writing.
7. Did you write as a child?
I wrote my first book when I was 8 years old as part of a school project. After that I continued to write short little stories but I didn’t share them with anyone. I didn’t explore writing further until about three years ago when I started working on a novel.
8. Have you got a favourite book of all time?
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. It inspired me and opened me up to the world of magical realism, which I absolutely love. It is the only book I have read multiple times.
9. Have you got a favourite band/song?
It’s hard for me to choose because my interests include pop, dance, alternative, Latin, folk, indie and Bollywood. I like mellow tunes that hit your soul and dance numbers that get you up and moving. It just depends on how I am feeling.
10. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Keep at it. If I hadn’t persisted I wouldn’t have discovered poetry, and if I hadn’t discovered poetry, I wouldn’t have had the outlet that I have had. When I started, I had no plans of what to do with my poetry, and that didn’t stop me. I just kept on going and before I knew it, I had enough to compile into a book.
Also, don’t be shy to share your work. This one is still hard for me because I tremble each time I post something. Yet, if I hadn’t opened up to share my writing, I wouldn’t have spoken to Karen McDermott about it, and without her, I wouldn’t be here.