Once upon a Time…

If you travel within the mountains of BC, past the big cities and towns, down a winding road that follows a winding river, you’ll come to a little ranch with COWS and HORSES and dogs.

It was in this place, perched on the edge of the wild that I grew up. And it was here that I learned to exist in the middle of a riotous full-of-adventure-farm and the ever constant pull of a good story.

I was always tugged first one way and then the other between being part of the chaos outside or discovering words like whorl and whimsy. The farm, with its secret places, hidden corners and exciting cow chases, held my heart. But if ever the words “Once upon a time ” were whispered in my ear all else fell away. I was caught by those words, and enchanted – pulled right into a world that existed just outside of sight.

Whenever “Once upon a time” was uttered, other words came in the room, some of them shyly, but most crowding up close to my imagination. They set about enticing me with their different personalities, calling me to come play inside their hidden, secret world. By the time I was 10 we were exploring together. Hunting for stray ideas. Building vast landscapes of mystery and fun. Navigating through the dangerous waters of emotion and crossing over the great fear of the unknown. This was my beginning as a writer. On a farm and in a book and through a fairytale that started with “Once upon a time…”