ABOUT ME
I am originally from Connecticut with strong connections to New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Prince Edward Island (Canada). I have two adult children and live with my partner within walking distance of a swimming beach in ÅŒtautahi Christchurch (New Zealand).
Awards include joint-winner of the Meniscus Australian CLA Best Prose Prize 2019, shortlisted for the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing 2019, runner-up of the North & South Short, Short Story Contest 2019, winner of National Flash Fiction Day NZ 2020, runner-up for the Caselberg International Poetry Prize 2021, and selected for inclusion in the international anthology Best Small Fictions 2020, 2021, and 2023.
I am on the Canterbury Poets' Collective committee and am an occasional teacher at WRITE ON: The School for Young Writers.
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When I'm not writing or at work, you can find me out for a walk, playing games, reading, or dreaming of my next adventure.
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A few favourites:
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Video Game: The Last of Us
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Young Adult Fiction: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
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Adult Fiction: The True Story of Hansel & Gretel by Louise Murphy; The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx; The Road by Cormac McCarthy
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Poetry: The Long Road Trip Home by John Allison; Bird Collector by Alison Glenny; Another Beautiful Day Indoors by Erik Kennedy
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Flash: Where Oceans Meet and other stories by Heather McQuillan; My Mother and the Hungarians and other small fictions by Frankie McMillan
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Songs: 'Polaroids' by Shawn Colvin; 'Love Will Come to You' by the Indigo Girls; 'The Unforgettable Fire' by U2
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Movies: The Black Stallion; The Point (with Alan Thicke narrating); Bladerunner - the director's cut
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Food: homemade leak and chickpea soup, coriander/cilantro