Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?
I came to Ottawa first as a student doing my Masters in International Political Economy at Carleton U, then work brought me here more permanently a few years later. I’ve been in my community since 2002, with a stint overseas in the middle.
Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?
At first my writing was a very solitary activity, happening on the margins of a busy life, in isolation. But over the last few years, I’ve discovered the local speculative fiction community and found other writers who are not only wildly talented but very welcoming and kind.
Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?
I’ve shifted my thinking to seeing writing as a more communal activity.
Being part of this community has been a wonderful way to enjoy my love of books as well as learn about the publishing industry and improve my writing craft. It’s such a special thing to meet a writer whose writing you admire.
A number of very knowledgeable writers have been generous with their experience. I find the writing community in the National Capital Region welcoming and inclusive. I’ve been very encouraged and buoyed up in my writing.
Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?
Ottawa has a beautiful, natural setting that I find wonderful to write in. I live in a forest and my dogs walk me every day for inspiration.
There are also great conferences and festivals. I particularly love Can*Con, the annual conference of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA). It’s run by a great group of people. There’s also Comicon, Ottawa International Writers Festival and Wakefield Writers Festival.
Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?
There is a lovely ecosystem of writers and publishing here in Ottawa that makes me feel quite grounded. I find writing a less solitary activity.
Q: What are you working on now?
I’m working on a
number of things at once. There’s another book set in the universe of The
Midnight Project as well as some short stories, and a short story that is
growing into a longer piece.
