One of the first people I shared my first novel with (A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE ) – George Payerle – said something that I will remember for the rest of my life. I had given my manuscript to him to read because I didn’t know if it was any good at all. And I was told that George would know.

George was a writer – who figured in the Canadian writers landscape; he was one of the founders of The Writer’s Union of Canada; he had lots of experience, a lot of writers knew who he was. I didn’t know him personally but I hoped if he gave me the green light – If my story at least had ‘promise’, I could carry on.

The novel contained humorous musings of a twelve year old girl in an enormous Catholic family in 1963, desperate to be noticed. And I had no idea if it qualified as a ‘novel’, or if anyone would be interested in it at all, especially not a guy like George. But he read it – and when he’d finished it, “I have to meet you”. We agreed to share a coffee at The Gumboot.

“I love it!” he gushed. I was flabbergasted. What? He loves it?  And then he looked at me directly in the eyes and said: “I don’t think you realize how good this is. It’s very, very good.”

So that was a rush of dopamine!

And it was my start with A THEORY OF EXPANDED LOVE. My start, my beginning – with this story – to connect with readers through the finished work. George Payerle is not with us anymore, and neither is Deborah Hining or Gord Smedley, but these readers – these generous-hearted beings gave me early feedback that I will never forget.