Joan Leslie Kenny is a Canadian author living in Whitby, Ontario.
Born in Belfast N. Ireland, she is the second of four children, all girls, and recalls life in the small beach town of Kincardine, Ontario, as idyllic, with the Lake Huron perfect for swimming and the woods for riding.
Joan could often be found curled under a tree with a book in her hands, whether it was for reading or writing.
Her interest in horses began at an early age. She fondly remembers her first pony, Patches, who bucked her off every day before they worked out their differences. His stubborn refusal to be ridden was no match for 8-year-old Joan's relentless tenacity to ride.
This tenacious attitude stayed with Joan throughout her life. A woman who valued the hands-on lessons learned by living over those studied in the classroom much to her parent’s dismay. Joan spent more time away from her studies than in them. Even though she skipped classes to spend her time reading and riding Joan graduated and was accepted into photo journalism at college.
Young adulthood meant partying for Joan, who filled her life with friends, skiing and hiking in Banff, Alberta, before moving to and settling in Europe where she supported herself by doing contract work computer work in the banking sector. In addition, she spent some time working at the Palace of Westminster. It was in Europe that she met her first husband Shaun Kenny. They spent 20 years together exploring the world before she returned to Canada.
After an amicable separation and divorce, Joan moved to southern Ontario, where she returned to horseback riding and writing.
Joan Kenny is now retired, living and travelling with her husband and riding her horse, Jack Sparrow.