My name is Anya Hales, and I live in southern Ontario, Canada. This is my first website and blog — a natural progression, I think, of my life’s passion. I’ve been a bookstore clerk, a proofreader, an editor, and a typesetter. I’ve done freelance writing for a magazine, and I’ve been a librarian. Yes, I’m in a love affair with the written word.

More than anything, I love a good story. And so, I’ve begun this website as a way to keep my writing muscles in shape, to share a funny story or two, to offer encouragement and any writing advice that I’ve found helpful, and to talk about what I’m reading right now. In addition to my written pieces, any photos and artwork included are mine as well (with the exception of this photo and the photo in “My Place on the River,” which were gifted to me by my husband).

I’ve always been a storyteller at heart. That’s what I love to do most and what I plan to do here. Also, I’m still learning, and I hope this will be a place that motivates other growing writers to write often and to write well.