I’m shining
the spotlight on romantic suspense author Catherine Castle today. She’s touring
her novel, The Nun and the Narc with
Goddess Fish Promotions.
Catherine
will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter between
this tour and her Name Before the Masses tour. To be entered for a chance to
win, leave a comment below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to
visit other tour stops (of either tour) and leave comments there, too.
Bio:
Catherine
Castle has been writing all her life. Before beginning her career as a romance
writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles
and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and
secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves traveling with her husband,
singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she loves to quilt and has a lot
of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case. In the summer her favorite
place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about gardening and even won a
“Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club.
Her debut
inspiration romantic suspense, The Nun and the Narc, from Soul Mate Publishing
was an ACFW Genesis Finalist and is a 2013 EPIC finalist.
Welcome, Catherine. Please tell us
about your current release.
The
Nun and the Narc is an inspirational suspense romance about a
novice who gets caught up in a drug deal when she tries to stop it. Sister
Margaret Mary is a bit stubborn, and perhaps not the best nun material,
according to Mother Superior, but she’s determined to follow her commitment to
take her final vows. Then while on a house building mission to Mexico, she gets
captured by drug lords and imprisoned with undercover DEA agent Jed Bond.
Sparks fly between the two and destinies are changed.
What inspired you to write this book?
This book
was begun as a contest entry for the Dixie Contest. I wanted to write an
inspirational romance and thought I’d try and get some feedback by using a
contest to see how readers responded to the first few chapters. I wanted to do
something different than the inspirational romances I had read, something
outside the norm. After a false start where my heroine was a missionary, not a
nun, the book found its true form when one of my critique partners suggested I
turn the heroine into a nun. I did, and the book started writing itself. I only
had a few chapters finished when I submitted it to the contest, but was
compelled to finish it.
Excerpt
from The Nun and the Narc:
“Why don’t you tell me, Miss . . . whoever you are?”
“Margaret Mary O’Connor. Sis—“ Her introduction changed into
a scream. “Look out!”
Jed’s head whipped around just as the car plowed through a
market stand of live chickens. Poultry, wooden cages, and feathers scattered
over the car. An angry hen dropped through the car’s open sunroof, squawking
and flapping in front of Jed, beating his head with its wings.
Margaret reached over, grabbed the bird, and threw it back
out the sunroof opening. But it was too late. The car glanced off an adobe wall
into a second market stand and careened toward another building. Jed jammed on
the brakes. The car spun three hundred and sixty degrees before screeching to a
stop.
The impact threw Margaret sideways against the passenger
window. She hit her head on the glass, the blow blinding her for a second.
Jed’s body slammed into the steering wheel setting off the horn. The wail
echoed in Margaret’s head as she struggled to remain conscious. Warmth trickled
down the side of her head. Margaret managed to focus her eyes as the noise
stopped. Two Jeds leaned toward her, in slow motion. She blinked to clear her
vision.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I think so.” Something warm and sticky seeped down her
face. She reached up and wiped her temple. “I’m bleeding,” she said as she
stared at her fingers. The words sounded slurred. At the sight of the blood on
her fingers, her stomach rolled.
What exciting story are you working on
next?
One of the
problems with having several partially finished manuscripts is deciding what
you will be working on next. I have a sweet, romantic comedy in the wings and a
sweet romantic suspense that are partially finished, an inspirational
historical romance and I just came up with an idea for two more books. I like
to work on more than one project at a time. It keeps things fresh.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer?
I’ve always
written. As a teen it was poems and sappy romances, and sci-fi/fantasy short
stories. In the 90s I began writing for a local newspaper, getting bylines and
getting paid to write. That first byline convinced me I could do more than
write for my own enjoyment. I haven’t looked back since.
Do you write full-time? If so, what's
your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find
time to write?
Even when I
was a journalist my writing was part-time. When I stopped working for other
editors, I set one or two days aside to work on my fiction. Nothing interfered
with those days. Family and friends knew if they called I would not answer the
phone. Now, it’s more of a tyranny of the urgent. If I have a deadline I will
write all day, every day until it’s done. If no deadline looms, I’ll take care
of home things, work in my garden, or be with the hubby. I do have to stop by 7
p.m. though, because I’ve discovered that if I write too late at night, I end
up pulling an all-nighter. That gets harder as I get older because insomnia is
hard on one’s health.
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I usually
find my title first, and write the book blurb before I start writing the books.
As a child, what did you want to be
when you grew up?
A singer.
It was my only career choice. Now I wish I had realized I could have made a
career of writing, but like most youths, I was short-sighted.
Anything additional you want to share with
the readers?
The Nun and the Narc is a finalist in the EPIC contest in
the action/adventure romance category. I’m very excited and pleased to be
included in this prestigious contest.
Links:
E-book at Amazon
Thanks, Catherine! Readers, don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like a chance to win the gift card.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading this!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah. I hope you'll like the book. It's been labeled as a fun read. Thanks for coming by.
DeleteThanks for hosting me today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the interview, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rita. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you've learned something new about me today from this interview.
ReplyDeletebook sounds great thanks so much
ReplyDeleteExcellent interview and excerpt, Catherine. Best of luck at EPIC.
ReplyDeleteDenise,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you think the book sounds great. It's a fun read, according to reviewers. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi, Joanne. Thanks so much for your support and the best wishes for EPIC. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But if I don't win, it's still a privilege to be a finalist in such a prestigious contest.
ReplyDeleteInteresting writing quirk
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
BN, It's a little backwards, I know, writing the blurb first, but something about doing it that way sparks my interest. I figure if it interests me, maybe it will interest a potential reader, too. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
Interesting interview. Thx for sharing
ReplyDeleteNatasha, Thanks for coming by so many of my tour spots. I appreciate the following. Hope you like the book.
ReplyDeleteElise, I'm glad you found the interview interesting. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDelete