Tell us about yourself.
I’m a Christ-follower, wife, mom, Nana, daughter, and Christian fiction writer. I enjoy just about anything outdoors, including hiking, canoeing, camping, and gardening. I also enjoy creative activities—home improvement projects, scrap-booking, painting, composing, and writing. I love watching movies and reading books, though since becoming a writer I can’t stop analyzing what I’m watching and reading. I’m a big reality TV fan, my favorites being Survivor and The Amazing Race. (Both great material for analyzing human behavior for my books!) In addition to fiction, I also write Bible studies and devotionals, and recently started a new website for the purpose of sharing Christian books--especially freebies, bargains, and new releases. You can check out the daily deals at ChristianKindleeBooks.com. (I post even more freebies and bargains on our Facebook group, Christian Books.)
Where do you write?
Our mountain cabin has an upstairs sleeping loft. It’s one large open room with the best view in the entire house. My writing desk is there, but I force myself to write in a corner facing a wall to keep myself from being distracted. (It works most of the time…)
What are you writing now?
I just finished pre-writing Crossroads, the sixth book in the Miller’s Creek Novels. The book tells the
story of a bitter single mom
and atheist who starts a real estate company in Miller’s Creek for the purpose
of providing for her young daughter. Then her child’s troubling medical
symptoms force her to the doctor where she learns her daughter’s leukemia has
relapsed. Now she must re-think her beliefs of Carter Callahan and his God.
Will she return to Christian faith in the face of life’s greatest challenge?
What inspired you to write A Bridge Unbroken, the latest Miller's Creek Novel?
All of the Miller’s Creek Novels feature a spiritual
theme that is relevant to me for different seasons in my life. In Texas
Roads it was Christ being our home rather than placing our security in a
place or building. A Path Less Traveled was about finding enough faith
to follow God even when it doesn’t seem to make sense. (Boy, has He used that
lesson in my life, and proven His faithfulness through it all!) The
Way of Grace was my spiritual journey of learning how perfectionist
tendencies can be a real hindrance to spiritual progress. The spiritual theme
of Pilgrimage of Promise followed right along with my hubby and I
stepping out in faith in a bad economy and high unemployment rates to do what
we sensed God telling us to do, and the resulting joy and peace spurred on by
the Lord’s faithfulness. A Bridge Unbroken follows my own quest to be
obedient to Christ in the matter of forgiveness.
What do you want readers to take away from this book in particular?
In my very humble opinion, forgiveness is one of the least understood tenets of
our faith, yet central to the gospel we proclaim. I hope readers come away from
the story with a fresh understanding of the gift of forgiveness. As I wrote A Bridge Unbroken, my conversations with
Facebook friends often centered around forgiveness, and it made me realize how
much we all struggle with forgiving others. I decided to use my scripture study
of the topic to create a mini Bible study booklet. It's entitled The Fragrance of Crushed Violet: Forgiving
the Inexcusable.
Tell us how you come up with characters.
Characters actually
introduce themselves to me. (I know, I know, they’re not real. I promise I’m
not certifiable…) After they make their appearance, I fill out extensive
character charts, including taking online personality tests for them! (Hmm,
maybe I am certifiable…) But no matter how much preparation I put into the
characters in the pre-writing process, they always reveal another facet of
their personality during the actual writing of the book.
Of all the characters you’ve created, which is your favorite and why?
Without a doubt the answer would have to be Mama Beth, the wise woman in all the Miller’s Creek novels and the main character in the fourth book of the series, Pilgrimage of Promise. She is everything I want to be when I grow up—wise, kind, and loving. Just so you know, I’m not alone in choosing her as the favorite character. When I asked this question to the Miller’s Creek Reader’s Group on Facebook, the majority’s answer was Mama Beth.
What do you hope to accomplish through your writing?
I want
my writing to honor and glorify God. If only one person is touched and moved
closer to God as a result of my writing, then the hours of hard labor (and numb
backside!) are worth it. One early reader of Texas Roads (the first
book in the series) told me the story brought healing to her life. I can think
of no higher compliment.
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Amazon Links to Cathy's books:
Texas Roads - http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Roads-Millers-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B00480OH1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409273475&sr=1-1&keywords=texas+roads
A Path Less Traveled - http://www.amazon.com/Path-Traveled-Millers-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B0048EK14O/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1242VC7CVBDFFR9D0K4A
The Way of Grace - http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Millers-Creek-Novels-Book-ebook/dp/B009H7TIFU/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=06CNTYFVREQ3941KT2K8
Pilgrimage of Promise - http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrimage-Promise-Millers-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B00C047D6S/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CF80JN32PJP5P1K88PK
A Bridge Unbroken - http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Unbroken-Millers-Creek-Novel-ebook/dp/B00JYQRJMS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1F5C0WESTBBA99GTWMAK
The Fragrance of Crushed Violets: Forgiving the Inexcusable - http://www.amazon.com/The-Fragrance-Crushed-Violets-Inexcusable-ebook/dp/B00KCBDRNY/ref=pd_sim_kstore_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=044ZJB6X8SY86NRYNQ53
Rachel, thanks so much for having me at your wonderful blog today! I'm looking forward to your new book!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been such a blessing to have you as a guest today, Cathy. I'm so excited to learn more about you and your books. Thank you and God bless. ~Rachel
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