Carol-Ann's Life Story

Carol-Ann's favourite subject was English. Her love of reading and writing continued beyond high-school.  At university she majored in Urban Geography and Literature, including the Classics, Old English, American, Canadian and European.  After graduating with an Honors Bachelor of Arts from University of Toronto, she enrolled in a one-year journalism diploma program at Humber College, gaining experience in print, television and radio.  After finishing the program, she landed a job at Global News as a crime reporter.  During that time, she completed her debut novel, although it was rejected by numerous publishers.  At that point her career took a right angle turn to finance in a major Cdn tech firm.  She remained there for several years climbing the corporate ladder.  This never satisfied her desire to write.  She completed a master’s degree specializing in open, digital and distance education in 2011. Then after completing a third degree the following year, a Bachelor of Education, she began her new career as a Catholic high-school teacher in the Peel region.   Writing was never on hold.  It always remained in the background.

However, a couple of months later, her quest for knowledge and writing opened new avenues when she was offered a full 4-year PhD scholarship at University of Western Ontario.  As a PhD candidate she immersed herself in her academic writing and research.  She engaged in international conferences across universities in Ontario and to the United Kingdom.  As she progressed in her PhD she taught many university courses and began publishing her research in various international peer-reviewed journals.  She graduated with her Doctor of Philosophy, specializing in Curriculum studies (Literacy & Applied Linguistics) in 2018.  Her life took another 90-degree angle turn shortly after her dissertation defence when she was diagnosed with advanced stages of colorectal cancer and confined to a hospital bed for more than six months. Her enduring deep faith in Jesus as her Savior and positive nature never failed her.  Her spirit and determination were so strong, even though physically she was a mere 62 pounds, she finalized writing a chapter for an international handbook of research just hours before her second major cancer operation.  To the delight of her surgeon, who remarked that this positive energy and internal passion for her writing was extending her life.  Although she is internationally acclaimed by her non-fiction academic publications, she is keenly focused on literary fiction.   She is embracing her new life as a fiction author, poet and storyteller.