The women behind Strange Words are lovers of literature and live books 24/7, whether that be as readers, writers, editors, agents or publishers. But this blog isn't about our achievements, it's about investigating the world of literature: the good, the bad and the grammatically incorrect. Join us now as we crack the spine and delve in...

Contributor Bios

Gwenyth: Gwenyth Love was never satisfied with the normal, boring style of everyday life. A boring office worker by day, an exciting gothic horror queen by night, Gwenyth Love has been wowing audiences with messed up tales since the early age of 6. It was once suggested to her that she seek therapy, but how dull would things be now if she had agreed to do so. Her fascination with the supernatural creatures of the darker side of the world have shaped the numerous nightmares that fire her ideas for her many stories that mainly lurk inside her private thoughts. Gwenyth enjoys volunteering in the community and often partakes in many writing and critiquing workshops with other aspiring writers. She loves conspiring with other writers to create new and interesting worlds. Gwenyth Love lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

Jessa: Although she was raised by a pack of wolves in the northern climes of Ontario's Hinterland, Jessa learned the art of reading at age three and managed to maintain a firm gasp of the English language by constantly mumbling to herself and maintaining a penpal relationship with a small white birch tree in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. An optimist by nature, Jessa divides her time between finding the essence from within and exploring the caves of the unknown.

Justine: Justine moved from England to Canada in 2000 to pursue a PhD in English Literature at U of T. The pursuit turned into a battle to the death, and after emerging bloody, exhausted, and victorious, she fled academia and now spends most of her time editing, writing, and generally fiddling with words in one way or another. Her favourite punctuation mark is the semi-colon, and she feels strongly that "they" should not be used as a singular pronoun. Books help her take her mind off it.

Molly: Molly can be described in one of two ways. The first being: book lover. Molly lives to read and truth be told she's not too picky when it comes to genre or intended audience. If it's written on the page she's gonna read it, absorb it, consume it. This bring us to the second way that Molly can be described: bloody f**king outspoken. While this has caused her considerable headaches in her day-to-day life, she would have it no other way. That's why we like her, maybe you'll like her too - provided she doesn't frighten the hell out of you first.

Monica: Monica is the founder of Strange Words. By day she is the Associate Editor of Rue Morgue Magazine, by night she runs Burning Effigy Press out of the house she shares with her husband and pets (dog, snake, fish, respectively). She is also a published poet and spoken word performer, who has screamed from stages throughout Canada, the US and the UK. If you're reading this and thinking that Monica probably already has enough on the go without this website, you're probably right. Problem is, she's got a sick obsession with words and literature, and just doesn't know when to stop! In fact, she's even in the middle of writing a pair of novels - which makes her a workaholic AND a masochist. Thankfully, she loves coffee almost as much as a good story... that helps, a lot.

Rhonda: Rhonda Eudaly lives in Arlington, Texas with her husband, cat, and stepdog. She's worked in offices, banking, radio, live sound production, and education to support her writing.  She has a varied publication history in both fiction and non-fiction many of which can be found on www.RhondaEudaly.com.

Wendy: Wendy Barnard was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. Growing up, she was often referred to as "the girl with the book."  Her first love was Stephen King’s Firestarter, and even today she is fascinated by the dark and sinister worlds found in horror and fantasy novels. Ms. Barnard’s goal is to bring the spotlight back to the darker fiction genres that people secretly crave in the depths of their souls, and she established The Barnard Literary Agency in late 2006 to do just that. To make sure everyone is given an equal chance at success, she insists on reading the first five pages of every submission personally. She also responds to every query, question, and rejection personally. Although she is still considered the new kid on the block, she believes her passion and professionalism will help her shine through the grim clouds that linger over the publishing world.