Dana has always been a creative type, and began telling stories at the age of 6 when she was punished and sent to her room. Her instructions were to not play, not read, not colour – just sit on her bed and think about what she had done. To quell the boredom, Dana started making up stories, which she would tell herself – out loud – even though no one was listening.
Dana started writing down her stories at the age of nine, using school composition books, letters to pen pals and school newspapers to tell stories. She eventually moved into a career as a journalist, writing feature stories for magazines and newspapers across North America. Her first published book, THE GIRL IN THE GOLD BIKINI was well received and has accidentally started a movement among women who want to reclaim their own version of the gold bikini. Her second memoir, MURDER ON MY MIND, spurred women to start speaking their truth about their journeys through menopause. SPENT is her third memoir, and focusses on her decade as a retail manager.
Dana’s middle grade novels, SHIFT and FLOW, are wonderful read-alouds for fourth and fifth grade classrooms.
Her latest novel, KATYA NOSOV’S LAST SHOT, is a feel-good story about female friendship that has become a book club favourite.