WG: Welcome Cathy. Thanks for stepping into my spotlight this
month. To start off, please tell us about yourself.
CM: Hi Winnie!
Thank you so much, my friend, for asking me to hang out on your
website this month! It seems like just yesterday we were having
lunch at Luby’s Cafeteria on a weekly basis, brainstorming about new
stories and dreaming of publication.
J
As far as my bio, I
write mostly military romantic suspense, a natural fit since I’m
married to my own Air Force fly boy. My first book hit the shelves
in June 2002. This year I will celebrate over twenty publications
with Harlequin/Silhouette Books. I have finaled in the Romantic
Times Bookclub’s Reviewer’s Choice Award and the Romance Writers of
America’s RITA Awards five times. I have also won the RITA and the
Bookseller’s Best Award. A former Theater School Director and
University Instructor, I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater with a
minor in English and a Master’s in Theater. Now, I find endless
inspiration, following my aviator hubby around the world with our
four children, beagle and two tabbies in tow! FMI on my upcoming
books, check out my website at:
http://catherinemann.com
WG: Let’s talk about your own personal road to publication:
Is there some individual, group or event that you can point to as
the catalyst/impetus that set you on the road to becoming a writer?
CM: The Northern Louisiana Storytellers and Authors of Romance
absolutely provided a wealth of information and support along my
path to publication. My critique partner Joanne Rock
(Harlequin/Silhouette Books) and I met through NOLA Stars about
eight years ago and we still critique for each other today.
WG: Tell us about
your journey.
CM: It took me
three years and five manuscripts to nab that first sale. The
contest circuit undoubtedly played a crucial role since I snagged an
editor’s attention through a win in the Valentine’s Over Vegas
Award. That editor (the awesome Melissa Jeglinski) ended up buying
my manuscript – and she’s still my editor today!
WG: What changed most about your life as a direct result of joining
the ranks of published authors?
CM: I have had to
learn to be more disciplined about writing since deadlines loom. My
family has also had to be more respectful of my writing time. But
truly, I consider myself blessed to have a job I can do at home
where I get to be with my children and I never miss those school
projects and milestones!
WG: What about your writing process: Do you maintain a set schedule? Is there such a thing as a typical day for you?
CM: I’m a mother. There is no predictable day.
J I’ve found
it’s better to set weekly goals. And if I meet my goal by Friday, I
get to treat myself to a weekend off. If I don’t meet the goal,
then I can catch up on the weekend. This also serves as a motivator
for my children. If they want me to take them to a movie on the
weekend, then they need to give me space during the week.
WG: Do you have a
‘mood setter’, something (music, ritual, environment, etc) you use
to get you going when you sit down to write?
CM: I do like to have
music playing when I write – soft rock or oldies. Sometimes I may
have the television playing in the background. (I’m totally
addicted to Law & Order reruns!)
WG: Do you do a lot
of up front plotting before you start or do you just dive in?
CM: I absolutely have
the whole book plotted before I begin. I need to totally know the
characters inside and out. I have to “hear"
the hero and heroine’s
voice before I can begin the story. For me, the surprise and fun
comes in the actual dialogue.
WG: Do you find
certain themes or character archetypes making recurring appearances
in your stories
CM: I do tend to gravitate toward alpha
males, but then Silhouette Intimate Moments and Silhouette Desires
also call for those types of heroes, so it works well for me!
J
WG: Has anything
about the way you work changed since you became a published author?
CM: I’m able to trust
my muse a bit more now than when I started. While I do still
heavily preplot, if I have a day the character seem a bit quiet, I
can sit down and let my fingers start typing and the muse will
surprise me by sparking to life.
Other questions:
WG: Do you have a
favorite sub-genre as a writer? as a reader?
CM: I’ve always been
fascinated by time travels. THE TIME TRAVELLER’S WIFE was one of my
favorite books last year. Joanne Rock has a fabulous time travel
book out from Harlequin Blaze this month, HIDDEN OBSESSION. I
highly recommend it!
http://joannerock.com
WG: Do you have any
advice to offer writers still striving toward publication?
CM: Read, read, read
the genre you are targeting! Write what you love to read. Don’t
simply target a genre because you think it’s selling well. You need
to tell the story that comes from your heart because
readers/editors/contest judges can tell the difference.
WG: What do you find
to be the most rewarding thing about being a writer? What do you
struggle the most with?
CM: Working at home
near my children and all the things going on in their world is a
gift. And, uh, working at home near my children can also be
incredibly frustrating when a deadline is screaming toward me at
mach speed and the kids are all piling in on me at once with needs!
WG: Please tell us about your current project.
CM:
BLAZE OF GLORY (HQN, July 2006) features the Special Ops air force
crew we met in CODE OF HONOR (HQN, August 2005), but is a stand
alone story as well with my signature action, adventure and most of
all – romance! Here’s a bit about BLAZE OF GLORY…
They call him “Postal"
for a reason. And daredevil Special Ops air
force pilot Bobby Ruznick wouldn’t want it any other way. Only one
thing scares him more than anything – Dr. Grace Marie Lanier.
Recruited for a rescue mission to Asia, the two together are
combustible. For police profiler Grace, too much time with Bobby
shows her the allure of a little upheaval in her well-ordered
world. But with the deadline the drawing near, they must stop a
deadly terrorist cell to save countless lives…will the price be
their own hearts?
WG: Tell us about plans for future books.
CM:
I am honored to have had the chance to work with Harlequin’s More
Than Words Volume 3 on my novella “Touched By Love"
out in October
2006, and I appreciate the serendipity to have been paired with the
Seedlings Braille Books for Children project in particular as it’s a
subject very near to my heart. My youngest sister, Beth, suffered
an accident at the age of six that left her partially blind. Due to
therapy in conjunction with one of her many surgeries, she spent a
summer completely blind. I was her “seeing-eye-sister,"
helping her
find her way around the world, reading to her for hours on end.
Writing “Touched By Love"
meant so much to me on many levels. To
learn more about Seedlings Braille Books for Children, check out
their fabulous website
http://www.seedlings.org/.
I also have more Wingmen Warrior stories in the works, with FULLY
ENGAGED slated for November 2006 from Silhouette Intimate Moments
and another Beachcombers story in March 2007 from Silhouette Desire.
WG: And before we close, tell us how your fans can get in touch
with you.
CM:
Readers can always find me hanging out on my message board on my
website at:
http://catherinemann.com or I
can be reached via snail mail at: P.O. Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566.
If you would like an autographed bookmark, simply enclose a
self-addressed stamped envelope.
Thank you again, Winnie, for inviting me to participate in your June
spotlight! You’re a gem!! ~~Hugs, Cathy
J
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Previous Spotlights
Allison Brennan
Beth Cornelison
Joanne Rock
Kerrilyn Sparks
