I'm the award-winning creator of eight novels: two books in the Manziuk and Ryan mystery series, the four-book Circle of Friends series, and the poignant stand-alone novel, In Time of Trouble.
My first "published and paid for" fiction was a short story, "One Last Ride on the VIA Rail," which was a Judges' Choice in the 1991 Toronto Star's annual short story competition.
My first published book was Best of Friends, a coming-of-age novel for teens published in 1991 by Moody Press.
My novels have several characteristics in common: characters readers quickly learn to care about; intricate, dynamic plots; the ability to have the reader laughing one minute and in tears the next; and a reflection of the multi-cultural patchwork quilt of my homeland.
I've experienced life in several diverse areas in Canada – from very small towns to middle-sized cities and the Greater Toronto area. Accordingly, my characters range all over the place: from two very different Toronto police detectives and their families to corporate lawyers, billionaires, small town teens, angry urban young people, and many more.
I grew up reading Trixie Beldon, Ginny Gordon, and Nancy Drew; switched to the works of Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardiner, Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Sayers, and P. D. James; and eventually decided to try my hand at writing a contemporary mystery in the classic style. Reviews from various sources including Publishers Weekly and Library Journal have compared my mysteries to the best of Agatha Christie. Works for me!
They say write what you know. Well, as a life-long baseball fan, cheering first for the Yankees and then the Blue Jays, I decided to set my second mystery in the world of professional baseball and the media that surrounds it. Consequently, writing Glitter of Diamonds was great fun!
I've received numerous awards for my writing, but the most memorable to date have been a plaque and "Deeds Speak" certificate presented by the York Regional Police Chief Armand P. La Barge in 2006 for my "contribution to facilitating positive change within the community" and "assisting youth in dealing with issues like anger, fear, and peer pressure" through my book, In Time of Trouble.
For more of my personal story, you can read two autobiographical articles I wrote for the book, Hot Apple Cider: Words to Warm the Soul and Stir the Heart. One is the story of the 80-year-old man God chose to let 8-year-old me know I wasn't alone. The other is the story of my first published (but not paid for) work – a letter I wrote to the editor of my local paper when I was twelve.
