I'm a lifelong storyteller and have always influenced by really great writers and their books. I first read Lucy Maud Montgomery at the age of 15 and she remains a influence even now. I took a writing course many years ago given by author Joan Hall Hovey, Canada's Mistress of Suspense, and she has since become a good friend. I am influenced and inspired by her writing as well as the fact that she is a strong, independent woman - warm and authentic - but she takes a backseat to no one.