Sometime around 2010, I woke up from a deep sleep. Death Date Cards on your birthday — I said the words aloud, then fell back to sleep. Most ideas I get in the middle of the night come and go. I always think I’ll remember them but I don’t, and on the very rare occasions that I write them down, they’re gibberish come morning. However, this idea didn’t fade. It gained momentum through the years and held real estate in my imagination for a very long time.
And then one day, I wrote the story.
Defy is very different from my debut novel, White Lies. The worlds are different. The plots are different. The messages are different. But they both come from a place within me that champions characters in difficult situations who find the inner strength and social circle to pull through, despite the odds and obstacles.
My life has been much the same.
I believe that the heart of this novel is the relationship between a boy and his mom, a boy and his little sister, and a boy and his true love. I have a son who changed the trajectory of my life and made me better the day he was born. He proved that I could break a cycle if I mustered the courage and did the work. When I had his little sister, she floored all of us, proving that our capacity for love knows no limits. I continue to watch Isaac and Ava discover themselves and navigate life. I’m in constant awe. I thank them for their unconditional love – and my love for them is unparalleled.
I’ll never forget the moment Defy’s impact hit me. A great teaching colleague of mine, Paul Lorenz, had read the screenplay version to his intermediate students at Steele Street Public School. One day, I was walking along a row of lockers and came across a blue binder — Gareth’s binder, I think — and the title Defy was doodled on it in powerful, block graffiti letters. The story resonated and that was all I ever wanted. I’m thankful to Paul and those kids who, more than a decade later, are Defy’s lifelong promoters.
What’s the point of something special like this happening, if you don’t have people to share it with? I am blessed with a loyal, entertaining, loving and constructive social circle. My best friends are family to me. In addition to them, my siblings and extended family watch over me in the absence of our deceased parents as I navigate this roller-coaster dream catching. Also, many of my colleagues have taken special interest in my endeavors and are friends beyond the classroom. People cannot accomplish grand things in isolation, this I’m sure of.
DCB (the imprint of Cormorant Books) launched White Lies then subsequently laid the foundation for Defy. I am humbled by their commitment to my stories and their boutique but mighty business. Thank you to Barry, Marc, the Sarahs, Luckshika, Fei, and all the others who work passionately and tirelessly to bring great literature to enthusiasts.
A lot of editing love went into Defy’s novel journey, mostly at the fingertips of the talented, intuitive, and motivational Barry Jowett, furthered by the tenacious copyediting of Andrea Waters. Special thanks to my Ava for her early and keen eye on the manuscript (and for being my incomparable cheerleader). Also thanks to super JB grade 8 editors Nicolas and Nina who took peeks at it to learn more about a career I believe they’d excel at.
Thank you for the professional and inspirational guidance from two authors who took time out of their intense schedules to offer me words of wisdom and encouragement at pivotal points in my process: Eric Walters and Romi Moondi. As well on my screenwriting side, in what I hope will become a motion picture, I appreciate the furtherance of my writing through manager Andrea Dimity and our friend, David Boxerbaum. Financially, the Recommender Grants for Defy from Cormorant, ECW, and the Ontario Arts Council were a godsend.
Thank you so much to you — the reader — for diving into Defy and any of my other works. Without you, my stories would be … nothing.
Finally, I acknowledge that Port Colborne, the land on which I live, work & draw inspiration from, is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe peoples. It is covered by the Upper Canada treaties and is within the land protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum agreement. I am of Métis descent on both my mother and father’s side (Algonquin Huronne Wendat on my mother’s side and from the research I’ve done, the same on my father’s side and also from the Essex area). Growing up, no one in my family talked about our background and now, unfortunately all my parents and grandparents are deceased so the learning is in my hands. Ever since I became aware of Residential Schools and educated myself on the terrible treatment of Indigenous peoples, I have been committed to making a difference where and when I can. I mourn our missed opportunities to follow the lead of how the Indigenous care for our environment and prioritize society. I am proud to say that a lot of the ways in which I live, parent, teach, and express myself artistically stem from this deep-rooted culture.