5-star-multi-award-winning Canadian indie author, Rusty Blackwood, was born October 5th in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, and grew up on her paternal grandfather’s farm in the County of Elgin, located in the south-western portion of the province where she developed a growing love for literature and the written word while still in elementary school. Though unprofessionally trained in the field, Rusty has always had a talent for expressing her imagination in ways that are uniquely her own, and she has demonstrated this ability many times since becoming a self-published author in 2011.

She attributes her passion for expressive writing to her late father, James Beecroft, and to her late elementary school teacher, Gladys Carroll, who encouraged her to enter her original compositions into county fairs, school contests, and whatever venue allowed participants into the vast field of writing. She has carried that love ever since, putting it to use many times since becoming a serious writer in 2001. According to Rusty, the flair for fantasy is anything the mind wishes it to be, and she is a master at this. Within the avenues of her expressive mind is found an endless array of romance, passion, textures and colours to sweep the reader to exotic, faraway places where anything is possible.

Rusty is often asked how much of herself is found in her heroines, and she has been quoted to say “a fair amount”, adding that most writers inspiration comes from many different aspects of their life experiences, using them to their best advantage, and with nine published titles to her name thus far, ranging from poetry, children short-stories, adult comedy, and romantic fiction drama, there is no denying Miss Blackwood loves what she does.

From the time of her youth, Rusty has loved the Arts in their many interesting forms. She holds two Interior Decorating and Design diplomas, and spent countless years on numerous south-western Ontario stages performing with her family’s country music band, ‘The Midnight Ramblers’, followed by the country – rock – blues band, “MIRAGE”, as an accomplished vocalist, bassist, and rhythm guitarist. She now resides in the cultural city of St. Catharines, Ontario, and when not at her keyboard, enjoys art, music, nature, gardening, and spending quality time with family, and friends.