A little something about us
We have always been drawn to the magic, beauty and complexity of words and how they can have such a powerful impact. For us, writing is a shared endeavor that is at times frustrating but most often fulfilling. The play of two minds and two viewpoints for every scene, every nuance, every word has grown us as writers. Our first draft looks nothing like the last draft! Each revision was better, cleaner and more developed.
The idea for our first novel began after Catherine shared the premise of a book she had found engaging, but Gary found flaw after flaw in the plot (which is one of his gifts – albeit a frustrating one to Catherine at times). Their discussion led them to developing the basic plot twist. What followed was a lot of research into various technologies, theories, and sciences.
One of the most stressful and exhilarating times was when we got our Beta group to read our book. We had a meeting at our house to discuss their thoughts on it, both good and bad. It was a shock when they all (not some, but all) disliked the same things in the book or in our writing style, and also liked the same things. It gave us a lot to work with and really helped us hone our craft.
Our stories all have some interesting plot turns, some unique twist to the premise. It comes from learning to blend two very different personalities, writing styles, and viewpoints into one cohesive author. We hope you will watch for our debut book which we are just sending out to agents. Visit again for updates!
Gary is a critical thinker. He sees the flaws, the problems and conflicts that will arise. This applies to movies, news, books, ideas etc. He sees where the troubles will be. That said, he is a very positive, uplifting person. Seeing the problems helps him solve them. In writing, he thinks up the twists and turns in our stories. He also adds the unique quirks and flairs to our characters.
Gary was raised in a military family. With his stepfather in the Navy, they moved around often. From Arkansas to California to Tennessee. When they finally settled at his dad’s retirement, it was in Memphis. Gary attended the University of Memphis (Memphis State at the time) for a degree in business. He continued on for his master’s in finance. Gary has worked for the past 20+ years for International Paper.
He enjoys games, basketball (Go Grizzlies!), music, and time with family and friends. He teases those he loves and finds great joy in making people laugh. He has a penchant for learning. All topics. He is self-taught in web design, graphic design, and various sciences and theologies. It’s a must learn situation for him … for example, if a song catches his attention, he will find all the versions he can to pick the one(s) he likes best and know the history of the song. And his taste in music is eclectic – we have multiple versions of Ring of Fire, I Drove All Night, Brown Eyed Girl etc on our playlist.
If you want a good story ask him about spiders.
Catherine is a conversationalist. She likes stories – reading them, telling them, writing them. Words create pictures for her. She can immerse herself in a story, whether it’s a movie, a tv show or a book. She is soft-hearted, generous to a fault, and at times gullible. In writing, she keeps the action and flow of the story going. In developing characters, where Gary does the quirks and flairs, Catherine keeps them relatable and engaging.
Catherine had an idyllic childhood, being raised in Menasha, Wisconsin, by Lake Winnebago. Summers were spent swimming, boating, water skiing and fishing, while winters were filled with downhill skiing, sledding and skating. If it wasn’t below zero, her mom said it was “nice out, go outside and play!” Catherine earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising.
Being from Wisconsin, she is an avid (AVID) Green Bay Packers fan but has also become a Grizzlies fan. She has a love music, having played clarinet and saxophone throughout her life, as well as singing (some) at her church. She also likes to dabble in painting, crafting and other artistic ventures. Like Gary, she loves playing games and spending time with family and friends. One of her joys is entertaining and planning parties. She has thrown (with Gary as a mostly willing helper) a tea party shower, a beach theme retirement party, a western theme retirement party, plus numerous holiday parties for friends. She even built a wall of paper mountain Alps for a “Sound of Music” watch party!
Our love story is a novel waiting to be written. We met online in a chat room – this was before dating sites were popular – and after a time decided to see if we could be more than friends. Well, a few years later we were married. Our wedding … that too is a story. One of our biggest accomplishments was being our own general contractor for building our house. We did good – it’s still standing!
We both love animals – especially dogs. Especially Dobermans. We have had three. Our dobie now is Tiberius. Yes, he was named after James Tiberius Kirk of Star Trek (we are Trekkies). He is a 95 lb black and tan handsome boy. He makes us laugh, hogs the blankets in the bed and loves peanut butter bones and laying in the sun. He is a hoot!
We hope you enjoyed learning a bit about us. Don’t forget to follow us on social media (links above). And come back and see where our journey leads us!
“You talkin’ to me?”