Well, does it?
Not according to Catherine!
Read on to find out what her thoughts are about writing, publishing, and age! Enjoy!
Age Doesn’t Matter—Just
Ask Abraham’s Wife Sarah
I got a text from my daughter the other
day. It read, “You’re kind of like Laura Ingalls Wilder. She
didn’t get published until 65.”
I took a bit of umbrage to that
statement, and pulled a bit of pride from it as well. I’d love to
be an internationally well-known writer like Laura Ingalls Wilder,
who was one of my favorite authors –as well as my daughter’s
favorite author, now and when she was young. I wasn’t so crazy
about the 65 bit, however. I was under 65 when my first book was
published, and well under 65 in how-young-you-feel-and-look years.
(And isn’t that what really counts?)
However, my daughter’s statement got
me to thinking about how our accomplishments aren’t limited to age.
I was actually in my early 40s when I began writing professionally as
a stringer for our local town newspaper. I’d always loved to write
and had filled a notebook full of poems, written dozens of short
stories that never made it past the Mom-thinks-it’s-wonderful
stage, and composed countless school essays that always made great
marks. The writing assignments that other students groaned about, I
relished. I loved everything about them, from the research, to the
actual writing, and even the editing—things that serve me well now
as a published author.
Writing and reading have always been my
passions, along with singing and acting. As a teenager, I wanted to be
a rock-and-roll singer or act on stage. At the time, writing never
even entered my realm of careers. It was only a hobby I loved. I
never made it to the limelight of center stage, in spite of the many
times I tried out for school plays or musicals. I got chorus parts,
but never the starring roles.
Ahh, but never give up. There’s a
time and a place for everything and, for some of us, that time comes
later in life. Today, I’m a published author—both as a solo
author and co-authoring with my husband. I sing on stage at church,
praising the Lord who gave me my voice. I’m also co-writing plays
for our church (with my husband), acting and co-directing in plays
for our church. Granted, it’s not Hollywood, which I have decided I
wouldn’t want to be part of now anyway. Nor am I on the New York
Times Bestseller list, to which I still aspire. But I’m doing what
I’ve always wanted to. I’ve discovered doing what you love, at
any age, is satisfying beyond belief.
Here’s the interesting thing about
how everything turned out: I believe I’m right where God wants me
to be, at the time of my life he wanted me to be there. After all, if
he could give Sarah and Abraham a child in their old age, at just the
right time to begin His plan of salvation for the world, who am I to
question why my bit of success didn’t come when I was twenty?
Mine is not to wonder why, but just to
do and be satisfied. So, if you’re bemoaning the fact that you
haven’t “made it” yet in the publishing world, or with
any other goal you’ve set for yourself, don’t. Just keep working
toward that goal and relish the success, no matter how big or small,
when it comes.
Catherine achieved her goal publication
and also won several awards with her debut book, The Nun and the
Narc. Check out the blurb and read a sample on Amazon.
ABOUT The Nun and the Narc
By Catherine Castle
Where novice Sister Margaret Mary goes,
trouble follows. When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican
drug lord captures her. To escape she must depend on undercover DEA
agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward her is exasperating, but when
she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him he becomes more
dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is making
her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the
nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take
her final vows, will never be the same.
Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or
kiss like Sister Margaret Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what
Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans with her compulsiveness
and compassion and in the process makes Jed question his own beliefs.
After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become the
best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses
and opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be
unforgivable—to lose her unbearable
The Nun and the Narc is available on
Amazon and Barnes
and Noble
About the Author:
Multi-award winning
author
Catherine Castle loves writing. 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. She also
lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of
subjects and several hundred poems.
In addition to writing, she loves
reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting, and gardening. She’s
a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden”
award from the local gardening club.
She writes sweet and
inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate
books The
Nun and the Narc and A
Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes
and Noble.
Follow her on Twitter
@AuthorCCastle, FB
or her blog.
EXCERPT from The Nun and the Narc
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. She swallowed to keep the bile down.
“Listen. It won’t
take them long to get here. Let me do the talking.”
“You won’t have
to worry about that. I feel really odd.” Margaret lowered her head
between her knees. “I think I’m going to faint.”
“It might be a
whole lot easier if you do.”
