Catherine is a former IT professional turned writer. As a freelancer, she has written on a variety of topics but most significant writing achievement is probably her young adult time travel series (Wishing You Were Here, Lost Without You, and Nothing Stays the Same). She’s now focusing on helping aspiring authors by turning her previous workshops into how-to books.

About the Workshop

Catherine is presenting on “How to Design and Teach an Online Workshop.” The workshop runs from December 2 to December 13. The workshop is held on groups.io. Registration is $5 for FF  & P members and $10 for non-members.

What’s your workshop about?
How to design and teach an online workshop for writers.

Who’s your workshop for?
This workshop is for any writer (published or aspiring) who wants to share information with their fellow writers in an online classroom environment

What do you hope attendees will gain from your workshop?
First, I want all the attendees to know that even if you aren’t a published author, you still have valuable information to share with other writers, and if you want to build a workshop around what you know, you should go for it! Secondly, those who participate in the workshop and complete the lessons/exercises will have a workshop proposal by the end of the class, ready to submit to RWA chapter and other writer organizations looking for online instructors.

About Catherine

Do you write full time or part-time?
I’m more of a part-time writer these days. After the Covid shut-down, I felt a need to get out in the world again (and my son was in college), so I took a job at a place close to home (no more long highway commutes, no more stress of the IT world) and although my new schedule doesn’t leave me a lot of time to write anymore, I find it suits me better, especially as I’m nearing retirement age.

What genres do you write?
I’m published in young adult romance (time travel), but my heart really lies with mystery and suspense. I have a couple of mystery manuscripts I’ve been toying with over the years, one is YA, the other adult. I’m also published in non-fiction.

Are you traditional, hybrid, or indie published? Why did you go this route?
I am indie published, and the main reason I went this route was that I had an agent for the first book in my YA series (which later finaled in the Golden Heart), and the book received a lot of nice comments from big house editors, but no one knew how to market it because although it was time travel, it was time travel to 1957. So not very contemporary and not historical enough either.

After yet another editor passed on it, citing the time period as an issue, I decided I’d publish it myself, because I believed in the story and its time period. Since the first book was independently published, it made sense to do the same with the other books in the series. Turns out, I really like the control I have with indie publishing and getting to decide when I release new works, setting my own deadlines.

What is your writing routine like?
I’m a morning person, so any writing I do is usually right after breakfast when I’m at my most energetic. I’m also an early riser. 5:30am most days. I think it’s conditioning from my childhood when I had to get up super early to catch a bus for school. I find sleeping in is difficult for me. My husband and son have no problems with sleeping late, so rising early also gives me some nice quiet time, and the sunrises are pretty.

Name three of your favorite sci-fi or fantasy authors.
Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, and Hugh Howey…oh, and can’t forget Michael Grant. I loved the GONE series.

You’re stranded on a desert island, and you can only have one book. Which book do you bring with you and why?
Probably the volume I left off with in the Outlander series (I think I’m up to Book 6) or something by Stephen King. I’d choose a big book to last a long time.

Tell us about your latest release(s) and what’s coming next for you.
My latest release is a non-fiction writer’s workshop ebook entitled Character Journaling: Developing Stronger Characters From the Inside Out. It’s based on a workshop I taught for many years at different RWA chapters.

What’s next, I’m still deciding. The YA mystery novel is the project most close to completion, but I’m finding the non-fiction titles are more popular with readers, so my next release might be in that direction.

How can readers find you online?
Website | Facebook | GoodReads | BookBub

Do you write fantasy, sci-fi, or paranormal romances? Join FF & P! FF& P is a special interest chapter of the RWA for authors and professionals who write in these genres. New member dues are $20 and renewals are $15 per year. Perspective members must be in good standing and an active member with national RWA. Visit FF & P for more information