Joanne Madden

I was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. My grandparents were Italian immigrants from Sicily. My father was a businessman and he owned and operated a convenience store at the corner of Bloor and Dufferin. When I was six years old, my family moved to the west end suburb of Etobicoke, where I have lived ever since. The people and places of my city have definitely influenced my writing, many of which are mentioned in my novel, "Children of Dieppe." However, I am not solely focused on Toronto. I have done a fair bit of travelling and my travel experiences are reflected in my writing. I sometimes write about places that I have researched, but never visited.

I began writing "Children of Dieppe" a few years ago, during my spare time. However, I had only written about 19,000 words and the characters and the plot were very sketchy. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck and I suddenly had more time on my hands. I decided to do something worthwhile and productive during lockdown, so I completed the novel and self-published it. I got my creative juices flowing, wove together a plot, and developed my characters. It really was an enjoyable experience.