Published Work

Making History – Ciao Italia

The Preservation Foundation, Storyhouse.org - September 2018

We called it our trip of a lifetime. Four women and one girl headed to Italy. Mother had recently turned eighty. Daughter Ana was barely twelve years old. My two sisters and I lay somewhere in between. Suitcases packed we unzipped our sense of adventure. A family expedition returned us to the homeland of our ancestors. In the interest of full disclosure I cannot claim any strong Italian heritage. No buongiorno’s at the start of day. I never tasted a decadent spoonful of tiramisu during my childhood.

I Hate My Mother - Nod Literary Magazine 24th Edition - October 2018 Print Issue

The Spirit of Apulia - Senior Travel Expert (2018 Heritage Writing competition UK) - February 2019

It wasn’t on my bucket list, yet I packed the suitcase, curiosity tucked into my handbag along with my valuables. Apulia: a diverse and lush region located in the heel of Italy’s boot.

My itinerary in Apulia began in the port city of Bari. Our comfortable accommodation, del Covo del Saracceni, is a central spot in Polignano a Mare, well suited for day trips to nearby communities. Today, Lecce and Ostuni are on the agenda. Each excursion offers a diverse landscape, most roads lined with hundred-year-old olive trees. I’m not a fan of olives, but I won’t go hungry in Italy.

I See You - Do You See Me? - Blank Spaces Magazine - May 2019 [Flash Fiction - Gold Medal Winner]

Things My Mother Failed To Tell Me About Heaven - Black Dog Review - May 2019 & Storyhouse.org [Tied for Runner-up in 2019 General Non-fiction Contest]

My mother is a religious individual. We went to church wearing our Sunday-best clothes and dress shoes. She dressed for her audience with God Almighty. Little kid me cleaned up for the chance to twirl in my crinoline skirt and smile at the altar boys. Every night, after bath time and before bedtime, she’d yell over the TV hum.

“Don’t forget to say your prayers. Praying will help people get to heaven.”

Don’t Hate Me - ORBIS International Literary Journal - Summer 2019 Print Edition

Stale Lunchbox - ORBIS International Literary Journal - Summer 2019 Print Edition

A Letter to The French Docteur Who Monitored My Pulse - Storyhouse.org - June 2019

Dear Docteur, let me tell you how my morning began.

I woke with a start. What was that dreadful sound in my hotel room? A deep wheezing, as though Darth Vader had invaded my suite. As a woman travelling solo in France, I’d triple checked the door lock before I retired. An intrusive heavy panting forced me to sit up in the dark. Hospital respirators were less noisy. Bedlinens lay crumpled, suggesting I’d tossed and turned in my sleep.

Paris Postcards - Storyhouse.org - August 2019 [Runner-up in 2019 Travel Non-fiction Contest]

Paris, the guidebook promises gothic spires extending to a canopy of twinkling stars. Cathedral bells and buskers will play in harmony. Vintage book sellers will invite you to get lost among their pages. It’s like riding the gold and pink carousel in the park, you won’t want to leave. There’s no shortage of history to uncover when you land in Paris.

Things My Mother Failed To Tell Me About Aging - Litro Magazine (UK) - August 2019

Mother never said that there would come a time when Spanx and control-top pantyhose would be my best friends. Trusted close-knit companions you can rely on. My mother failed to tell me I would embrace the push-up bra I cursed in my twenties, since it left red welts on my skin, with enthusiasm in my fifties when everything goes south. I never saw Mother naked. Never saw her blemishes and wounds of experience. I have scars.

Til Death Do Us Part - Blank Spaces Magazine - September 2019 [Flash Fiction - Gold Medal Winner]

Under a woodland canopy, ladybug awe and dragonfly magic swarm. Birds chirp. Beauty nurtured. The bride sparkles like the jewel on her hand.

Taxicab Confidential - When It Is Time: An Anthology from Michael Terence Publishing - Summer 2019 Print

I See You - Do You See Me? - Just Words Volume 3 - An Anthology from Blank Spaces Magazine, published by Alanna Rusnak Publishing

Available for sale at Amazon.ca

Sunset Lullaby - The Scrib Arts Journal - December 2019

“Can we go? Can we?” I pant, ignoring my stale breath.  
My knobby knees bounce. I’m eager to explore the nearby ant pile.  
She doesn’t stir. Her eyes linger on the horizon. Statuesque.  
“Come on, already. If you’ve seen five sunsets, you’ve seen them all.”

The Manicured Life - Our Town - A Collection of Canadian Short Stories by Polar Expressions Publishing - December 2019 Print Edition

Heirlooms - Storyhouse.org - January 2020

When I sit in the brocade chair in my mother’s house, the obstacle course of breakables that cluttered my childhood confronts me from all corners of the room. My father filled his den with French provincial furniture, reproduction paintings and delicate Royal Doulton figurines. Grandeur. He was a formidable gentleman and the room reflected his discernment. As a young child, I took tentative steps in that room, hesitant to knock over a porcelain lamp or look at a crystal vase the wrong way. My saucer eyes saw landmines.

Hitching A Ride - Blank Spaces Magazine - February 2020 [Flash Fiction - Bronze Medal Winner]

Harold McMillan was a man of his word. He arrived at his tire shop every morning at seven-thirty and flipped the open sign. The smell of concrete, rubber and gasoline was familiar comfort. Home. If he promised a wheel alignment by days end then customers drove out the overhead doors grinning. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Oh, For The Love Of Turtles - Storyhouse.org - March 2020

Send help. A James Bond rescue works for me. Whirring helicopter blades descending from the azure sky will do the trick, but if 007 is otherwise engaged, a herd of Navy Seals off the coast of Curaçao will suffice. Thank you to the depths of the sea and back.

Darkness suffocates. The air is stale, my fear fresh. Rumbling voices bubble around me. There’s good reason I didn’t check out the submarine ride at West Edmonton Mall. Submerged underwater in a compact tin-can isn’t my idea of a good time. I can barely handle the rides at Disneyland. How in the hell did I get here?

Priceless - Blank Spaces Magazine - December 2020 [Flash Fiction - Gold Medal Winner]

It was an ordinary day with an extraordinary outcome. That’s how I remember it.

The car tires grumbled as I drove across the gravel driveway. Overgrown gnarly bushes protected the cracked sidewalk. Someone had boarded up an upper floor window, giving the impression the house was winking at me. The dwelling belonged in a horror flick.

A Child’s Prayer with a Side Order of Peas - Storyhouse.org - March 2021 [Animal Nonfiction]

When I was barely five, I landed in the hospital with pneumonia. As a child, I didn’t have any concept of how concerned my parents were about my health. I was very ill. Although my parents and older siblings filled me in later about details of this event, my memories are simpler. This is what I remember from a child’s sightline.
“You didn’t eat your peas.” The voice was mean. She was a meanie. A tattletale dressed in a white uniform. I didn’t like her cold hands or her pointed nose. I didn’t like her peas.

His Favourites - Capital City Press Anthology 2022 - in partnership with the Edmonton Public Library

Chaos crept its way into Arthur Burke’s life. The commotion began slowly, much like a long distance runner who knows a sprint is around the bend. It’s exhausting. Sometimes he holds his breath and counts silently in his head. Other days he pounds his fist against his head. “You stinking office,” he snarls from behind yellowed teeth. “I hate you.”

Turbulence - Blank Spaces Magazine - December 2022 [Flash Fiction - Gold Medal Winner]

Captain Todd McClosky stared out the cabin window. At thirty-five-thousand feet, the clouds stretched like cotton candy. Suspended high above ground, the endless blue and blurred lines suggested tranquility. The airplane hum implied calm. Todd grunted. What a joke.

He gripped his armrest tightly and his knuckles turned white. Two hours ago, he’d slumped in the pilot’s chair eager to buckle up and depart Winnipeg for Vegas. Escape. A routine route and yet nothing was normal.

The Builder - Polar Expressions Publishing - First Prize Winner - Where The Winds Blow [A Collection of Canadian Short Stories]

Joshua patted his forehead dry. The earth beneath his boots cracked. Crumbling buildings cast menacing shadows. Overhead, a crow squawked. He’d lined up for five freaking hours. It reminded him of applying for a 2032 provincial passport. He’d reached the front only to have his documents stamped in red - DENIED. He’d avoid the same mistakes today.

The Unbearable Weight of Love - Blank Spaces Magazine [Second Place-Flash Fiction - Dec. 2022]

A snappy Beatles tune bounced off gritty subway walls moving the mob through the tunnels like a choreographed ballet. Jon tossed his percussion of coins into a red velvet guitar case. Everyone needed love, including the busker.

Above ground, commuters dodged puddles and wet dogs on leashes avoided people. Neon signs flashed in store fronts. Jon paused under an awning and opened his umbrella. A sulphuric odour hung in the air. He stroked the glove in his pocket. Bliss emerged. He presumed her skin was cashmere soft. Her elongated neck deemed perfect for nuzzling.

Temperature Battles - The Globe and Mail - First Person Account - Feb. 2023

Faith - Polar Expressions Publishing - The Path [A Collection of Canadian Short Stories - Dec. 2023]