Where to start? My earliest memories are of sand and sea, of swamps, and magical kingdoms. Growing up in Florida I came to cultivate a love for wild things and fantasy.

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Whether I was at home playing or sitting in the backseat on a long car ride, I was never bored. I imagined a pegasus flying beside our car and I drew and told stories of fantastic creatures and characters I'd made up when I got home. 

Years later, when we moved to Canada, I spent all of my free time in the forest, the stable, or in the pasture with my horses, dogs, and cats. 

I saw autumn for the first time and snow, and I knew I would never leave Canada.  Not once the trees of the forest had rooted into my soul. Don't get me wrong, the ocean lives within my heart and I grew up loving animals that most people fear, snakes, alligators, sharks, and wild boars, but the hours I spent alone in the deciduous forests of Canada molded the person I am and hope to always be. 

When I went to university, I left behind my dreams of being an author and illustrator, discouraged by those who had told me I'd starve, but also because I felt a calling to protect the wild spaces and animals I had come to love. 

 

And so, I graduated with a degree in environmental studies and ended up working for conservation areas and not-for-profits.  I took school groups on guided hikes and taught fire starting and snowshoeing. Later, I would work with animals to help inspire and educate the public, but working with animals in captivity is difficult. When you do not own them, you do not make the decisions involving their care. Unable to support the neglect and sometimes abuse that I witnessed in the animal field, I left.

 

In university, I volunteered as a wildlife rehabilitator and the facility I worked for, combined with my own standard of care, formed the healthy and strong ethics I have towards animals today, and they prevented me from accepting anything less. Leaving the animal field was devastating and left me in what I could only describe as a life-paralysis. 

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I stumbled in the dark for a long time, wondering where my place was in the world. 

 

I drifted through jobs and depression for several years until I realized I didn't have to give up--that I didn't want to give up. I could write and I could draw. I wanted to connect and inspire people through storytelling and visual art. 

 

Through fiction we find ourselves. The struggles of the characters are our struggles. Storytelling gives us a window into the pain and experiences of others, creating insight and empathy, even if we didn't realize it right away. A story can also give us a glimpse into the future or the past, and allow us to look at the present with a new perspective. 

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When I first came up with the idea for Detective Docherty, I was cleaning up horse manure in a stall. I wanted to start out with a light, silly read to help myself and others escape the pain of their lives, little did I know that my series would do that and so much more. 

Thanks to the success of Detective Docherty, the fire in my heart is rekindled and I am ready to tell more stories and create more art. 

Thank you for stopping by☕️.

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- WaterRaven

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