When I was a kid my grandfather owned a musty old used bookstore in downtown Ottawa -- the Bytowne Bookshop. It was housed in an old block of the city near Sparks Street mall that's long gone -- torn down to make room for modern office buildings. Within it's cold stone walls books of every genre were stacked to the ceilings. I had access to a variety of books, including some I probably shouldn't have read -- like the Marquis de Sade's Justine. (One of the books his heirs didn't burn after his death, I suppose.) And by the way, it's not something I recommend you go out and buy! But my favourites were the mysteries. When my parents turned out the lights and insisted I go to sleep, I'd pull the bed sheet over my head, snap on my flashlight, and keep reading. I wanted to be Nancy Drew when I grew up. Books were my favourite presents --and I'm still thrilled when I get one, even though I have more unread books at home than my bookshelves can hold. It's always been my dream to make a living through words.

Instead I did my degree in business administration and worked in marketing and public relations for big corporations. I've been involved in a variety of writing projects over the years and currently am the editor of The Purloined Newsletter (a publication of Capital Crime Writers Association). In 2003 I went to Ethiopia and taught English for a year. I came back to the comforts of Canada with a new appreciation for doctors and electricity and grocery stores. But I left a piece of my heart in that country, and I've been back to Ethiopia since to work with schools like Little Voice and the Ethiopian Children's Fund. This year I volunteered as a Global Educator for the Canadian Hunger Foundation -- CHF, here in Canada. They work on sustainable development projects in the rural areas of third world countries.

But still I wasn't doing much in creative fiction. So recently I completed a Creative Writing program at George Brown College in Toronto, and was all set to start a novel this year when I was asked to organize the Bloody Words mystery writer's conference in Ottawa. It is taking up a massive amount of time -- but it's plenty of fun. And it's set for June 5, 6 and 7th in 2009. You can find out more at www.bloodywords2009.com

Thanks for visiting my site!
Katherine