My name is Gregory Simpson. I’m a minister in the United Church of Canada, a writer of emotionally intense fiction, husband to a dance teacher and studio owner, father of three almost-grown kids—and thoroughly, joyfully addicted to coffee.
I believe in people. In unconditional love. In community. In grace that doesn’t flinch.
And lately, I’ve come to believe in stories more than ever.
I didn’t grow up expecting to be a minister, let alone a novelist. But over the years, my life has unfolded into both callings—connected by a deep interest in what it means to be human: how we survive, how we love, how we tell the truth when it costs us. While my path to ministry was unexpected, it has been enriched by the profound love and support I’ve encountered along the way. This personal evolution has deeply influenced my storytelling, particularly in crafting the relationship between Julia and Sophia. Their journey mirrors the transformative love I’ve been fortunate to experience, highlighting themes of growth, resilience, and mutual support.
A Shift Toward Story
In a blur of caffeine and creative fire, I wrote my first novel over 13 days in February of 2025. It was raw, literary, and—unexpectedly—sapphic. I didn’t sit down intending to write a love story between two women. But as I learned about the characters and the things that were most important to them, their relationship took shape with honesty and depth. It wasn’t a decision. It was a discovery. And once I met Julia and Sophia, they convinced me that their story was so much more than one book and happily-ever-after.
That novel has grown into the start of a 12-book series:
The “When She…” Series – A sweeping, emotionally layered saga chronicling the lives of Julia and Sophia, two women who find each other later in life—and never stop choosing one another, even as the world shifts around them.
I want to acknowledge something here: I’m a straight man writing about queer women. I know that carries weight. I’ve done my best to approach this story with respect, care, and a listening heart—and I’m committed to continuing that work. I’m deeply grateful to the readers, especially 2SLGBTQ+ readers, who’ve offered support and feedback as this journey unfolds. This is Julia and Sophia’s story. I’m just here to help tell it.
In my writing, especially through the characters of Julia and Sophia, I explore the depths of human connection and the power of love to inspire change. Their story is a reflection of the unconditional love that has reshaped my own life, offering a narrative that resonates with authenticity and heartfelt emotion.
Alongside that series, I’m also working on a very different beast:
The “Broken Crucible” Series – A 15-book mystery-thriller set in 1990, following a forgotten rock band, a string of suspicious deaths, and a conspiracy that doesn’t want to be found. No one is getting out of this unscathed.
The genres may vary, but at their core, my books are about people—about what we hide, what we long for, and what we risk when we step into the vulnerable place of caring for each other.
Faith, Fiction, and Finding Home
I serve the vibrant congregation of St. Andrew’s United Church in Chatham, Ontario. Our ministry is rooted in radical compassion, deep inclusion, and the tension between faith and real life. I share devotional reflections online, preach regularly, and walk with people through both joy and grief.
And now, I write novels too.
This site is home to both sides of my life—the spiritual and the storytelling.
If you’ve found your way here through church, fiction, or accident: welcome.
You’re in the right place.
Ministry Background and Education
Ministry wasn’t part of my plan for the first half of my life!
I was pretty content with my career in software development, focusing on websites and online applications. Honestly, I enjoyed working with clients in insurance, health care, and small businesses. But then, as I hit my mid-30s, I felt a cosmic nudge in an entirely different direction. I guess you could say it was my “holy moly” moment.
I had a good career, enjoyed the people I worked with, and found the work fulfilling, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more, something different for me. It took a while to realize that God had a wicked sense of humor and was steering me toward ministry.
Growing up in the Presbyterian Church of Canada, my mother was the organist at Appin Presbyterian Church throughout my childhood. It seemed that ministry was in my blood, with clergy members on both sides of my family tree. However, I never considered ministry as a young person—I was more focused on a lifetime of computer science than spreading the Word.
My computer science education took me on a tech-fueled adventure in Mississauga and Brampton for five years. After moving back closer to home and settling in Rodney, I was invited to Calvary United Church by some amazing members I got to know through Ridgeplayers.
Dale Peters, a man with very persuasive powers, told me I was going to sing in the choir. I just couldn’t say no to Dale; I mean, who could? I sang bass next to him for quite a few years, and Calvary United Church was such a welcoming place that it felt like home.
In mid-2006, other church members, recognizing my experience on stage with amateur theater at Ridgeplayers and WEDS, as well as bands The Five Guys and A String and a Prayer, invited me to lead a summer church service. One service led to a few, then many more, and before I knew it, by 2011, I was juggling pulpits around Elgin and Middlesex, in both United and Presbyterian churches. I started the year-long discernment process in 2011, guided by local clergy and members of the Calvary congregation. This process recognized and identified my gifts for ministry (and my unique sense of humor), and recommended I begin my education in the Designated Lay Ministry program.
The Designated Lay Ministry (DLM) program is designed for those who receive their call to ministry after racking up some life and career experience. It includes six 10-day intensive education sessions in Saskatchewan (a great place to test your weather endurance), with reading and online correspondence content between sessions over at least three years, as well as supervised work experience in a part-time ministry position and three complementary courses.
I started the work experience portion of my DLM training at Calvary United Church in September 2012 and graduated in May 2016. I remained in my position at Calvary for another two years, leading worship, serving in pastoral ministry, and growing the congregation’s connections to the community, specifically connecting with youth in the area (who always appreciate a good laugh).
In June of 2018, I embarked on a new adventure at St. Andrew’s United Church, Chatham, where I continue to spread love, faith, and humor. In October of 2024 I was ordained.
Another Kind of Calling
And then I started writing. I probably shouldn’t be surprised.
I come from a long line of storytellers and lovers of language.
My grandfather on my father’s side was a historian and an extraordinary teller of tales—he could weave together fact and memory like no one else I’ve known. My dad inherited that same gift: a knack for pacing, a twinkle in the eye, and a story always waiting just around the corner.
On my mother’s side, it was the written word that mattered. My grandfather was a farmer first, but his second career as a high school principal gave him reason to live inside books. His dictionary was as dog-eared as his Bible. My mother carries that same passion—quietly and humorously—through her love of language and her poetry. Somewhere on that branch of the tree is the name of Peter McArthur, a relative and celebrated Canadian poet. That flame still burns.
Stories have always been with me. From acting them out on stage, to listening in boardrooms during my software development years, to sitting with scripture that has been passed down for thousands of years. I’ve held hands with families preparing for funerals, sacredly entrusted with their memories. I’ve stood at pulpits and campfires, coffee shops and hospital beds, always surrounded by the quiet gravity of human experience—and the stories that hold it all together.
So maybe it was only a matter of time before I started writing novels.
And when I did, it was like lights turned on in my heart that had been dim and shaded before.
I have fallen in love with the process: building characters, unspooling conflict, chasing emotional truth through fictional lives. Whether it’s love or grief or revenge or redemption, what I’m always really writing about is what it means to be human—and how hard, beautiful, and necessary that work can be.
If you’re here for the ministry—welcome. If you’re here for the books—come on in. If you’re not sure why you’re here at all? You’re in good company. That’s where the best stories begin.