Bio: 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, released July 12th, 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at Catherine@catherinejwest.com
Dear Readers, I love having friends in foreign countries. I first became aware of Catherine when someone told me there was a woman from Bermuda at the ACFW national conference in
Dallas
. I never did find the woman to meet her. Since then, we’ve become good writer friends. I’m always eager to hear about her new releases.
Welcome back, Catherine. What are some of the spiritual themes you like to write about?
I love writing about restoration, reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing, things I think are so needed in today’s world. My stories are also always infused with hope and grace.
What other books of yours are coming out soon?
My next book is called The Memory of You and will release March 2017. It takes place on a vineyard in
Sonoma
, and I’m very excited about it!
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.
I’m eager for that story to come out, too. We must feature it on my blog. If you could spend an evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would it be and why?
I’d probably choose The Duchess of Cambridge. I think she’d be fun to talk to, and I would love to hear how she copes with being a royal and constantly being under scrutiny in the spotlight. I’d also hope for an introduction to her kids and their dog, and of course William. JI’m a monarchist at heart.
Although we don’t have a monarch in the
U.S.
, I’m interested in royals. What historical person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?
I would love to meet Jane Austen. I think she’d have some fabulous stories to tell, and we could talk about all her books, how she came up with her characters. She’d be fascinating!
How can you enourage authors who have been receiving only rejections from publishers?
My best advice is to keep going, don’t quit, even when it’s hard, even when you don’t see the way forward. If you truly believe that writing is what you are called to do, then you must accept that it’s a long and difficult journey. But God is at work behind the scenes, and I believe His timing is everything. Keep studying the craft, keep writing, make connections with other writers, attend conferences if you can, and keep believing in your dream.
Tell us about the featured book.
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 family¾and 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.
Please give us the first page of the book.
Sometimes in the dead of night, Lynette Carlisle heard her mother’s voice. Sometimes it was easy to forget her mother had been dead twelve years. Curled up in bed, covers pulled tight, she strained to hear the whisper over the wind. Some nights the voice was clear, like Mom was right there in the room, the faintest scent of light musk and lavender tickling Lynette’s imagination. Other nights, all she heard was her own sigh of disappointment as angry waves crashed against the
Nantucket
cliffs beyond the garden wall. Some nights she welcomed the voice. Some nights it made her wish for the impossible and remember life as it had been, before. Some nights, like tonight, it kept her awake and rattled the cage of her memory. Tonight the voice came to her, as it so often did, in a dream. The message was urgent, but she couldn’t remember a word of it. Dad. That was it. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Something about Dad. A few sleepy moments later, Lynette stood in the doorway of her father’s bedroom and stared at the empty bed. Red numbers glowed through the semidarkness. Four a.m. She checked the bathroom, but he wasn’t there.
I wonder where he is. How can readers find you on the Internet?
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
Thank you, Catherine, for sharing this new book with me and my readers.
Readers, here are links to the book. By using one when you order, you help support this blog.
The Things We Knew - Christianbook.com
The Things We Knew
The Things We Knew - Kindle
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