AUTHOR ∙ HISTORIAN ∙ STORYTELLER
Past events
Authors on Stage
On November 23th at the Orangeville Theater, a full-house crowd fell under the spell of singer, songwriter, author and proud Newfoundland and Labradorian, Alan Doyle. The evening sped by with Alan telling us about his tour around his province with hilarious tales and heartwarming memories. His latest book, The Smiling Land, will delight everyone.
October 23th at the Shelburne Library, workshop participants learned how to capture their stories using a treasured heirloom. The beautiful space offers a breadth of special programs for the community and we had fun exploring different ways to tell our history.
I brought some examples, including a story about a treasured apron. Going a little further, I shared a tale about a long lost photo album my husband and I acquired this year.
You can read it in my newsletter article Lost in the Attic. Thank you to Jade and all the Librarians who invited me to lead this workshop. What a great night!
On Saturday, September 13, crowds buzzed at The Mississauga Literary Festival.
The Hazel McCallion Library offers a wonderful space for everything books; readers, writers, and the community gathered for a day filled with author talks, panels, workshops, local exhibitors, and interactive activities. Thanks to everyone who came by.
Some couldn’t wait to read my books! So delighted to catch up with one of my university professors, Patricia W.
June 14th brought sunshine and the very first glimpses of purple at the magnificent lavender fields at Hereward Farms. I spent the afternoon with devoted followers conversing about the process of bringing my four books to fruition. Wonderful conversations all around. Thanks to those who attended and a special shout-out to Julie Thurgood Burnett who made her gorgeous Lavender Lounge available for the event.
Spent a sunny and hot day in the Foley Barn in Mulmur, Ontario listening to three local authors talking about their books and writing. It's so inspiring to hear about their journeys and I am so proud of their success. Always a great reminder how persistence is a key ingredient for any writer's toolbox. Follow my GoodReads account to learn more about what I loved about their books. Thanks to BookLore in Orangeville for helping to bring this event to our community. Thank you also to Kath Jonathan, Sue Hincenbergs and Bianca Marais for coming to Dufferin County for the afternoon.
Book signing event on May 18th, 2025 at one of Canada’s National Booksellers, Chapters, Indigo & Coles Bookstores. Thank you to everyone who stopped by. I really enjoyed engaging with so many readers. I’m grateful for all the new subscribers to this newsletter and send a special appreciation to my new readers. I cannot say enough about the staff @Square One Indigo who made the event operate so smoothly.
April 28, 2025
BRAMPTON LIBRARY Senior Social
at the Cyril Clark Library Lecture Hall
I joined other local authors to share our motivation and writing journeys.
Coffee, Conversation & Books, Mochaberry Cafe, 177 Broadway, Orangeville, December 18th, 2024 7:00 PM
Thanks to everyone who joined me for an engaging discussion about my writing journey. Your curiosity inspired me. Sincere appreciation for Lauren Tilley, Orangeville Library and her colleagues from Shelburne and Grand Valley Libraries for their warm invitation.
Also grateful for the terrific staff at Mochaberry Coffee & Co.
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Author Talks about Town
Ramsay Talks presented Tanya Talaga discussing her latest novel, The Knowing at Koerner Hall, Toronto, on September 23rd, 2024. The reading and discussion illuminating our understanding of colonization from an indigenous lens.
A beautiful summer day on August 25th, 2024, at Foley’s Barn in Mulmur, with three popular and well-read authors, inspiring a room of avid readers and inspiring writers. The Author in the Hills of Mulmur annual event thrilled to engage in conversation about their creative processes and their journeys to successful book launches. I added three new books to my collection: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner; Ruff by Rod Carley; and The Maid by Nita Prose. Three unique writing styles to explore and three more artists to follow as they market and promote their work.
SDG&A Book Fair July 21 2024 The Lost Villages Museum
Just as the title of my most recently published book, ‘After Clouds, Sunshine’ declares, blue skies and pleasant temperatures favoured The Lost Villages Museum on Sunday July 21st for the first annual Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry & Awekasane Book Fair, in Ingleside, Ontario. Sharing a tent with the Jim Brownell, President of the Museum, and his family, Jenn and Lenny, resulted in some lively conversations about the local history. Twenty-seven authors participated, displaying and discussing our written creations. The perfect summer day, enhanced by a backdrop of live entertainment and a picnic hosted by the incumbent Federal and Provincial politicians, brought an interesting and participatory crowd together.
The Museum preserves memories of seven villages and two hamlets inundated for the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958. Aultsville, one of those villages, traced its roots to the founding of Ontario and the birthplace of Grace Loucks, the protagonist in After Clouds, Sunshine; a perfect place to showcase her story. My display included numerous artifacts from the Loucks family.
Brampton Library Showcase of Local Authors 2024-25
Forecasted thundershowers held off last June 22nd’s launch of Brampton Showcase of Local Authors. The library promotes the participants for the entire year by adding the books to their collection and building social media buzz for the many local authors.
As one of those, I’m proud to be included in Brampton Library’s Local Authors Showcase 2024-25. You can borrow my book with your library card (get a Brampton Library card here) and explore this year’s showcase for more great titles by authors living in Peel Region. Read local!
OGS - Ontario Genealogical Society June 2024
Hundreds of avid family historians gathered in Toronto to explore their genealogical roots. Thanks to one member of my support community, Lynn Palermo, founder of The Family History Writing Studio, I setup a display of my published works at her booth.
I connected with longtime friends, including with Sue Sullivan of Family Ancestrees, who helped transform my manuscripts into printed books, and met many new acquaintances.
I met with many people who want to bring history to life. Seeing the results of my work and diving into some examples of translating facts about real people and social history into novels inspires would-be storytellers.
Authors on Stage in Orangeville kicked off the 2024 series on September 26th, 2024 with a discussion led by Diana Beresford-Kroeger. This insightful author shared stories of her Irish childhood, raised with an ancient Celtic tradition and her journey of curiosity as a multiple degreed scientist. Her life’s work focuses on the critical salvation offered by living trees and she advocates for every person to plant trees to save our world. She ignited a fire within me and I am devouring her books, To Speak for the Trees, and Our Green Heart. Check out more great talks coming to Orangeville, this fall.
An Evening with Dr. Tim Cook in Orangeville closed the 2024 speaker season. Military Historian and representative of the Canadian War Museum, Tim shared his twentieth publication, The Good Allies with a group of enthusiastic history buffs. Speaking with Tim at this event allowed me to acknowledge my writing path. Check out his work at https://www.drtimcook.com/books