My Novels

I am an Italian-Canadian who immigrated to Canada from Sicily at the age of seven.    

I am a graduate of the University of Toronto in Modern Languages and have a Certificate in Journalism from Ryerson University. I was a freelance journalist for the Toronto Star and Maclean’s, but have been concentrating on fiction full-time for the last several years. My fiction focuses on themes involving average Sicilians from humble backgrounds trying to succeed in their adopted country, and  their children, in particular, their daughters, who are forced to struggle against  a centuries-old  patriarchal culture in order to achieve independence. When I’m not writing, I enjoy cooking for my family, gardening and baking. I am currently living the country life in Meaford, Ontario. 

A Scarcity of Virgins is my is my debut  novel. 

Everything around me--every sight, every song, every experience-- every conversation with family, friends, strangers 

 come together in my mind to create the fictional world of my novels, that everyone, in one way or another, can identify as their own.

Discrimination, injustice, misogyny, abuse, can take many forms. It can happen outside, or inside the home where it might be unidentified or deliberately ignored. But once identified, overcome. I like to write about strong female characters who have experienced adversity or abuse in a patriarchal society, and have overcome it.