A glimpse into what and why I write.

A still-life oil painting I created in the eighties.

I mean, yeah, I write about stuff I know. Only I create settings and contexts that are not part of my life experience. For example, one of these is that I have no real-life knowledge of forensics, no training as a profiler. Hell, my only tie to crime is being picked up and taken to a local Montreal police station for omitting to pay a ticket. That experience cured me of a future in criminality.

I choose topics that are important and close to my heart — yes. Take the main character (and her friends) in my debut novel. Mary is a transgender woman dealing with PTSD because of childhood trauma, and just existing as a trans woman in society. You would correctly assume that my novel involves queer culture and lives. However, more goes into my storytelling. In my eyes, it’s more than simply layering padding on the story. It’s about discovering a whole new world.

Mary (main character) is someone who, without giving too much away, had a tough childhood, and somehow managed not only to survive, but to strive. I wanted this novel to be more than just a profiler versus serial killer trope. Mind you, I eat that sort of thriller up every time. The heart of the story revolves around trauma and the individual's struggle. To succumb to it and ultimately find her path through. It’s also about people's trust in themselves and others. How we perceive ourselves gets warped through imagined failures and a lack of support.

The subject of nature and nurture is fascinating to me, and I have peered into how, given similar sets of situations, individuals react differently. There’s something I wanted to get out of writing novels. I wanted to tell a story that I would jump at the opportunity to read, and make the lives of future readers fuller.

I guess it all boils down to this: I enjoy creating and entertaining.

Joelle