Catherine West's Blog, page 5

I’m not going to bother with the SPOILER ALERT or DISCLAIMER tags because, face it, if you don’t want to read this, why’d you click the link?

I don’t generally jump into these arguments, but yesterday I read something that made me cringe. And I’d had enough.

I’m an author. I have been writing fiction for over 20 years. I know what it’s like to agonize over a story. To worry whether your words will have the impact you meant them to. Or whether anyone will read them at all. It’s not an easy ta...

So honored to be a recipient of this year’s Grace Awards! And since I’m knee deep in edits this week, it gives me something to celebrate! And blog about.

Grace Awards

The Grace Awards, a reader driven awards and the most democratic awards in Christian fiction, now in its sixth year, is very proud to announce its 2015 WINNERS. This year we had an array of widely diverse judges (multi-published authors, traditionally published ones, indie authors, and avid readers). Our judges commented on how...

So I wrote a piece about Guarding The Writer’s Heart – and it’s true. It’s tough out there. You’re going to get criticism no matter what. It’s just a given. Kinda like running for President.

But not.

And we won’t go there.

But you know . . . this year so far . . . well, it’s been a bit nuts. Getting nuttier every day. What is it about sitting behind a screen that gives people the misguided belief they can say whatever the heck they want to whoever the heck they want and it just doesn’t matte...

Source: Guarding The Writer’s Heart

I was a scared kid. Scared of being alone, scared of being left/abandoned. I think I was scared of the dark for awhile. Timid, shy and terrified of anything that would have me step out of my comfort zone.

I had a lovely visual for this blog, an old photo, but I can’t for the life of me find it for looking.

I was six years old and it was my birthday. Back then, there was a Dolphin Show in Bermuda that was very popular with tourists and locals alike. Birthdays were a hit because you got to ride...

Thanks to all who took part in the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt over the weekend! It was lots of fun, and all the authors enjoyed it too!

Here are the three overall Prize winners –

First Prize: Crystal Balzer
Second Prize: Jackie Wisherd
Third Prize: Becky Mickels

And the winner of MY giveaway – one book of your choice, is –

JEWELL LANGILLE

Congratulations!!
Jewell, please contact me either through my Facebook Author page or catherine at catherinejwest dot com

Thanks for playing, everyone...

So you wrote a book. And it’s pretty darn good, if you do say so yourself. You spend a bit of time spit polishing it up, but overall, this baby is THE ONE. You just know it. You send it off to your agent, he or she loves it, they immediately rush it off to the publisher of your dreams, and they love it too and BAM! Your book is born!!

Well. Yeah.

(Reality Check #1 – Your life isn’t a Nicholas Sparks novel).

That’s a nice little dream, isn’t it? I don’t know what the exact stats are, but I su...

Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all 33 stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 3 grand prizes!

The hunt BEGINS with Stop #1 at Lisa Bergren’s site. The hunt is BEST VIEWED using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer) It is open to INTERNATIONAL entrants. PRIZES include 3 sets of all 32 books, $500 in Amazon gift cards and many authors are offering additio...

How many conversations start with that question? Probably more than we remember. Yet it’s an immediate pull back into the past, back to an event or shared memory that somehow binds people together, often whether they like it or not.

The biggest events in history have turned strangers into friends.

V-Day. The assassination of JFK. Martin Luther King. 911. If you lived through any of those world-changers, you can probably remember the exact moment you heard the news, where you were, what you we...

It’s Monday and I need a break. SO Lets Play A GAME!

Flash Fiction ~

The door to the office clicks shut behind me. I’m sweating already, and it’s pretty cool in here. The hum of the old air-conditioner in the window tells me I’ll be glad I wore my hoodie soon, but right now I’m in panic-attack mode. But there’s nowhere to run.

“Have a seat.” The lines around his eyes deepen when he smiles, crinkles that match the ones on his stained shirt. Coffee probably. Good luck getting that sucker out....