Lakehead’s Published Authors
Say Hello to Some of Lakehead’s Published Authors!
Cristina Morriello - Let Us Introduce Ourselves
Cristina Morriello is currently a third-year student in the English program at Lakehead in Orillia with hopes of becoming a writer professionally. So far, she’s doing a great job! Last year, in the Autism Ontario magazine Autism Matters, chapter one of Morriello’s novella Let Us Introduce Ourselves was published. For Morriello, this is only the first step of full-book publication. At present, she is trying to get represented by a literary agent so that she can publish her full novel to accompany the already-published first chapter.
Morriello has been working on one series of novels since she was just twelve years old, but intends to write many books, series, and screenplays in the future- although in our opinion, simply having one series is impressive enough! The young author divulged that she loves to write about female characters on the Autism Spectrum and said, “if I can help break the stigma and spread awareness about Autism, I’ll be really happy.” Lastly, Morriello wanted to advise any aspiring authors that anyone can write something amazing as long as they have the ambition.
“Do not wait for someone else to write something you want to say, because chances are, it will never happen. Only you can write the story you want to tell. It will always be worth listening to.” - Cristina Morriello
Image taken from here.
Grace Micallef - My Self Epiphany
Grace Micallef finished her undergraduate at Lakehead University last year, earning her Bachelor of Arts and Science with a major in English. This year, she is in her first year of teacher’s college! In 2019, Micallef published her first poetry book entitled My Self Epiphany. She self-published on Amazon through Amazon’s publishing company KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) after being encouraged by her Lakehead professors to do so.
Since then, Micallef has continued to work on more poetry and hopes to release a second collection soon. Despite her busy life balancing both work and school, Micallef still finds time for her poetry, telling us that she is able to do her most thoughtful reflecting and writing before bed. Her new project is very theme-oriented, “I’m wanting all of the individual poems to connect with one another and tell both individual stories as an overall story and message.” Micallef’s goal is always to be as open and raw as possible when writing.
“Poetry is meant to dig deep into one’s soul, and that’s exactly what I’m aiming to accomplish”- Grace Micallef
Book Website: https://my-self-discovery.weeblysite.com/ (Buy her book here with free shipping Canada-wide!)
Instagram: @graces_epiphany
Samantha Convey - Bloom and Until I Feel Like My Own Mother
Samantha Convey is a Lakehead graduate who received her HBA in English and History. Currently, she is pursuing a library technician diploma through Confederation College. In 2017, Convey self-published a collection of poetry and prose entitled Bloom. In 2019, Convey published another sister collection entitled Until I Feel Like My Mother. “These works are diary-styled poetry, prose, and short stories that tell the story of a young girl growing up with a mother who struggles with addiction”, said Convey. Each piece of writing beautifully reflects the author’s own youth as she attempted to “navigate a confusing world based upon trauma”. Bloom had been phased out and is now unavailable for purchase, but Until I Feel Like My Mother can be bought at both the Thunder Bay Indigo bookstore and Amazon.
Like Micallef, Convey also self-published her work through KDP. Convey recommends this method to anyone hoping to self-publish, stating that it was easy to work with and everything “can be done online, on your own, in the comfort of your own home.” Convey has some final advice for any aspiring authors as well:
“Believe in yourself and the stories you have to offer. There are so many books, there are so many stories that people have already told so well, and I find that it becomes easy to downplay your own experiences and talents under all of that weight. However, I can promise you that there will always be somebody out there who will seek comfort in your words, in your wounds, in your love, and in your story. Every writer gains experience through time, inspiration, and experience.”
Samantha’s Blog: https://everymindisaworld.weebly.com/blog