Jim Bottomley has been a member of the Sooke Writers’ Collective since 2016, when he moved to Sooke. He is thankful for all the wisdom and support of our members who have helped Jim improve as a writer. Jim’s novel, Hypnotizing Lions was a finalist for the Canadian Crime Writers’ best unpublished mystery manuscript. His journey through the years with this property has been unique, and provides insight for us all.
Website: jimbottomley.com
Doni Eve has been a member of Sooke Writers Collective since 2014 when she met Nancy Davies and Angela Dorsey and realized what a great group of people this would be. After many attempts and a few feedback sessions, she submitted a short story for the second anthology. Since then, she has continued to work on the craft of writing, taking SFU’s The Writers Studio program and graduate program, and completing many, many writing workshops. She helped promote and organize the first book launch, mentored other members in marketing, promotion and event organizing, and started the SWC’s second writing circle (Prose Group) and the latest writing group on Memoir. She writes as D K Eve and is published in various journals and anthologies in Canada and abroad, and she has won awards for prose and poetry. She likes to share what she’s learned and hosts workshops to help other writers. She’s never forgotten how it feels to be that inexperienced, beginning writer and designs exercises and workshops to benefit writers of all levels.
Website: www.facebook.com/DKEveWriter/
D. Lambert has been forcing her overactive imagination into sword and sorcery-style fantasy novels and shorts for decades. Her first novel, Dragon's Voice was featured in the Greater Victoria Library's Emerging Author program in 2020/2021. She followed with the Weapons of Espar series, then, in 2021, signed with 4Horsemen Publishing for the high-fantasy series Son of No Man, which is now complete at six books and drifting into spinoffs. She enjoys bringing out the grey characters, the sarcastic-under-pressure heroes and, of course, massive dragons. She’s also a strong supporter of new writers and a believer in all things magical!
Website: dlambertauthor.com
Lynda Moore works as a parent partner in research helping families and individuals tell their lived experience in written, spoken or filmed stories. She graduated with a BFA in creative writing where her studies included multiple writing genres and film. Her passion is in prompt creation and group writing to co-learn and unpack the creative story within every individual.
Website: lynmamoore.com
Clare (C. E. M.) Winstanley was born and grew up in the UK. With a BA Honours degree in English Literature and Language from the University of Wales (including an elective in creative writing) and after diverse careers in publishing and education, she is now writing full time. An award-winning poet, often focusing on a narrative style, Clare was a prose winner in the 2021 Federation of BC Literary Contest. Later that year, she self-published a debut anthology, Bits of String & Thread – a tapestry of poems. She is currently pitching her first contemporary novel while working on a second, historical one. A follow-up volume of her poems will be published later in 2024. A core member of her local writers’ group, Sooke Writers’ Collective Clare has collaborated on all four of its poetry chapbooks and has been published in its annual anthology for the past seven years. Growing up in the English countryside before moving to the west coast of Vancouver Island, Clare continues to find inspiration for her work in the natural world. She gratefully acknowledges she lives and works in the unceded territories of the T’Sou-ke First Nation.
Website: cemwinstanley.com
Whether writing or creating art, dl clay believes almost everything is a poem. Deb creates poetry, story, mixed media, sculpture and whatever else asks to be made. She is currently reconfiguring her creative self and has several projects in development including a third self-published poetry chapbook. As a founder and guiding force of Sooke Writers’ Collective, Deb has instigated and been a part of eleven anthologies as well as four poetry group chapbooks. She is also active in web and print design and is the creative lead for Sooke Writers’ Collective’s role as a publisher. She is thankful for the help and guidance of the SWC editorial board.
Website: dlclay.com
Inanimate objects tell Veronica Knox juicy stories. In one case, a pair of shoes in a museum exhibit related the tragic end of the unknown child in the Titanic cemetery. Veronica continues to explore lucid dreams and the depths of the collective unconscious, reconciling historical facts with surreal fiction – inspirational ghost stories she dubs ‘The Fine Art of Haunting’ and the ‘Ghosts in the Gallery’ series.
Website: veronicaknox.com