Cate Nolan Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

A: I’m a native New Yorker. I was born in the city, but we moved to Long Island when I was in third grade so I grew up near the ocean. Even though I live in Brooklyn now, my heart will always be by the water. I’m a teacher, a wife and mother of two grown daughters. We also have a dog and cat. We adopted both of them within a month of each other eight years ago.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: I don’t really know if I can answer when I realized I wanted to be a writer. I don’t remember consciously making that decision. I do remember very clearly when I discovered that ordinary people could be writers. I must have subconsciously placed authors on such a high pedestal that it never occurred to me I could be one too – until I read a magazine article about two secretaries who wrote romance on their lunch hours. That was a huge wake up to me.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A:  I’ve been writing off and on for a very long time and along the way I’ve accumulated three RWA Golden Heart finals and numerous chapter contest wins, but it wasn’t until I decided (in 2011) to try my hand at Inspirational fiction that I knew I was answering God’s call with my writing. I had been beset by doubts about my ability to connect with readers through Christian fiction, but I won the ACFW Genesis contest for Contemporary Romance that year. That victory boosted my confidence that maybe I could actually do this. My real break came with the Killer Voices contest that Love Inspired Suspense held in 2014. Christmas in Hiding sold to Emily Rodmell at LIS through that contest.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release CHRISTMAS IN HIDING?

A: Christmas in Hiding is the story of Callie Martin, a kindergarten teacher in witness protection, and Jackson Walker, the U.S. marshal who is charged with keeping her alive. Callie is in WITSEC so she can testify about a murder she witnessed, but somehow the bad guys keep finding her. Jackson isn’t sure if Callie is really an innocent, but his job is to keep her safe and he’ll do it no matter the risk to his life – or increasingly to his heart.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for CHRISTMAS IN HIDING?

A: When the editors for Love Inspired Suspense announced the Killer Voices contest in 2014, I knew I wanted to go for it. But I had absolutely no idea what the story should be. I remember I was walking up a block near my house ruminating on it when I suddenly remembered an idea I’d once had. One summer night I was standing at my kitchen sink washing dishes. The window was open and I could hear some neighbors entertaining in their back yard. (Where I live, the houses are brownstones and they are all connected.) I started playing What if? What if a neighborhood was having a block party and everyone was invited except for one woman? And what if everyone who attended that party got sick? Who would be the likely suspect?

Christmas in Hiding ended up having absolutely nothing to do with that scenario, but remembering it triggered some ideas that I began to play with. The end result was a story about a blonde Texan and a driven U.S. marshal, both of whom became so very real to me that sometimes I have to remind myself that they exist only in my imagination and between the pages of my book.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A: In my story, Callie is going through some pretty rough times. She’s alone (except for Jackson), scared, running for her life. Yet through it all, she inspires Jackson with her fate, her trust that God has a plan for her and that he will see her through her troubles. Most of us don’t have to escape into witness protection, but we all have rough times. I hope that Callie inspires readers to hang onto their faith and trust in God’s plan for them. Writing her faith story certainly inspired me.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A: I have so many scenes I love really, but if I have to choose just one then it’s the ending – without a doubt. I cried and laughed when I wrote it so when I received my copies the first thing I did was go read it to see if I still liked it. I cried and laughed again.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A:  I have a two-pronged answer to this. First, I have a writer’s brain. I can’t see something or hear something without my brain turning it into a plot. Just the other day, I was walking down the street and saw a Halloween decoration on someone’s house and my brain immediately went into overdrive. I often walk blocks without realizing where I’ve been because I was busy turning something into a story.

The second prong of my response is why I write inspirational fiction. In 2010 I was judging a contest. In my judging pack I received books by Linda Goodnight and Laurie Kingery (among others). Those two books (one LI, one LIH) stood out to me because as I read them, they left me wanting to be a better person. I knew then that I wanted to write fiction that hopefully could leave people feeling the same way.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: I have known a lot of writers for a long time so my expectations were pretty accurate. There was really only one thing different, something I never anticipated. I never imagined how amazing it could be to know that people were buying my book, reading my story, and actually enjoying it the way I’d always enjoyed reading other people’s books. When I read the first review from someone who loved my characters as much as I did – well, it was just overwhelming… and humbling.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A: Don’t give up. I have a quote I kept for years. It was attributed to Richard Bach (but apparently he disclaims it). “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A: I’m working on a novella that is due out in December, tentatively titled Love by the Reins. It’s straight contemporary – no suspense. I’m also working on edits for what I hope will be my second LIS. No title for that yet.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A: I work full time teaching elementary school and tutoring children with learning disabilities, so writing is actually what I do with my free time. Reading has always been my favorite thing to do, so these days I try to balance reading with writing. I also take lots of long walks with my dog, but I’m usually thinking about my stories then.

Q: Where can readers find you on the internet?

Website: http://www.catenolanauthor.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Cate-Nolan/100010179603545
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AuthorCateNolan
Blogs: http://www.yankeebellecafe.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A: Thank you for having me here. I love writing for Love Inspired and I really appreciate how I’ve been hearing from readers about how much they love these books. We work with some really awesome editors and it’s so good to see their hard work appreciated.