Welcome, Catherine.
Tell us about your latest book, The Things We Knew
When their tragic past begins to resurface, can he help her remember the things she can’t? After her mother’s death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to blame their father for their mother’s death, but nobody will talk about that tragic day. And Lynette’s memory only speaks through nightmares. Then Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, bringing the past with him. Once Lynette’s adolescent crush, Nick knows more about her mother’s death than he lets on. The truth could tear apart his own family and destroy his fragile friendship with Lynette, the woman he no longer thinks of as a kid sister. As their father’s failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets surface that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question their faith, their willingness to forgive, and the very truth of all the things they thought they knew.
Why do you write what you do?: I love family drama, so I am drawn to those kinds of stories. I write stories that mirror real life, real problems, sometimes life is messy. But I believe there is always hope to be found, and my stories will always point toward grace and forgiveness.
What are you currently working on?: I’m just finishing up edits on my next release, The Memory of You. This relational family drama takes place on a vineyard in Sonoma, CA, and will be available March 2017.
Thirteen years ago, Natalie lost a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling back to the family winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it completely destroy her?
When Natalie Mitchell learns her beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return to their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do. She’s avoided her grandparents’ sprawling home and all its memories since the summer her sister died—the awful summer Natalie’s nightmares began. But the winery is failing, and Natalie’s father wants her to shut it down. As the majority shareholder, she has the power to do so. And Natalie never says no to her father. Tanner Collins, the vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and put the Mitchell family’s winery back in business. When Natalie Mitchell shows up, Tanner sees his future about to be crushed. Natalie intends to close the gates, unless he can convince her otherwise. But the Natalie he remembers from childhood is long gone, and he’s not so sure he likes the woman she’s become. Still, the haunted look she wears hints at secrets he wants to unearth. He soon discovers that on the night her sister died, the real Natalie died too. And Tanner must do whatever it takes to resurrect her. But finding freedom from the past means facing it.
How does your work differ from other work in its genre?: While I write faith-based fiction, I believe in writing stories that will appeal to everyone, not just readers of Christian fiction. You won’t find a heavy spiritual thread in my books, but the faith message is always there, it just may look a little different than other books within the Christian market. I don’t necessarily feel everything needs to be tied up neatly at the end, or everyone’s problems solved. Life doesn’t always work that way, and my fiction mirrors that.
How does your writing process work?: I usually get a story idea first, maybe a location, and then the characters. The story plays like a movie in my mind, and I’ll write as it comes. I am a total seat of the pants writer, although I am trying to get better at plotting, but even if I begin with a skeleton of where I think the story will go, it hardly ever works that way!
Catherine West
INSPY Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s novel, Bridge of Faith, won the 2015 Grace Award. Her new novel, The Things We Knew, releases July 12th, 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at
Catherine@catherinejwest.com
The Things We Knew
Social Media and Blog:
Website – http://www.catherinejwest.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CatherineJWest
Twitter – https://twitter.com/cathwest
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4715219.Catherine_West
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/cathwest/
Google + – https://plus.google.com/u/0/108781711729974539211/posts
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-West/e/B004RWZUHK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
We love helping your growing in your writing career.
No Comments