Stories that Matter
About Me
I’m a grown-up who refuses to grow up. Seriously. Because adulting . . . right?
Alas, most days I have to suck it up and put on my big girl panties and get on with life. I hit my 50’s a couple years back, and I can tell you, it’s no walk in the park. But there’s also a lot of fun going on around me to distract me from the unpleasant moments that hit at this age.
I’m happily married to a wonderful man who loves to cook, (yay me!), and I so appreciate that, because I don’t. I can, but it’s not something I enjoy and I’m always looking for excuses not to!
We’re fortunate enough to live on the beautiful island of Bermuda, where it never snows. My husband originally hails from Canada, where it does snow, and we also own a home in Northern Ontario, where we enjoy retreating to quite often. Even in the snow on the odd occasion.
Somehow between us, we managed to raise two amazing humans. Our daughter is a lifestyle photographer here in Bermuda, she does spectacular work, and she also manages the front desk of my husband’s busy pediatric office, as well as being a wife and mom. She’s basically superwoman. Her husband is just as busy and impressive, because hello, he’s a firefighter. Thanks to them, we are grandparents to two beautiful granddaughters, which is kind of scary and cool and every feeling in between. We adore (worship?) and spoil them as often as we can! We also believe they are the cutest kids on the planet. Not even kidding. I’m also their part-time care giver, which is lots of fun, and tiring, but mostly fun!
Our son and his new bride reside in Virginia, where they make musical magic together in a band called The Western Den. We are in love with them and their music. You should check them out. We are so looking forward to watching what the future holds for these two.
Family is everything to me, and I am crazy about mine.
We also have a lovable energetic border collie, Noah, who still thinks he’s a puppy even though he’s 11. I’m dog crazy. I’d have more than one if I could, but life right now doesn’t allow it.
I live for that first cup of coffee in the morning. I love to read, watch movies and sometimes I sing in the shower. I’m slightly sarcastic but I’m told this is an endearing quality.
If you’d like to learn more about the books I write, come find me on Facebook, join our Reader Community there, or shoot me an email.
How I Got to Authorland
Did you know you really can’t snap your fingers and write and publish a book overnight? It’s true. I tried. For years. Actually, what really happened is that my kids grew up a little and trotted off to school in the mornings (praise Jesus), and I needed something to do with my time. I’d always loved writing, wrote my first supremely terrible book when I was 13, and I figured this was what I was born for.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself exploring the brand new world that was the Internet. I joined some writers’ groups and began the long and arduous search for an agent and a publisher at the same time. Needless to say, I got a lot wrong. But I got some things right. Eventually, through no small act of God, my wonderful agent, Rachelle Gardner, (Books & Such Literary) decided to take a chance on me (the act of God), and a wonderful friendship was born. She refused to let me give up all the times I wanted to hurl my laptop against the nearest wall, and lo and behold, a few years ago, she was able to tell me all our hard work had finally paid off, because I’d landed a contract with my dream publisher (yes, it’s a thing), Harper Collins Christian Publishing. I have published three novels with them, and loved every minute of that. As to what comes next . . . well, I'll let you know when I know!
And if you're looking for my official bio, here it is -
Catherine West is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction. 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 reside in Bermuda, and have two adult children and two beautiful granddaughters. Catherine is the winner of the 2015 Grace Award (Bridge of Faith) and a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award (The Things We Knew, 2017 and Where Hope Begins, 2019), and a recipient of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s 2019 Carol Award for Where Hope Begins. Her latest novel, As the Light Fades, released September 2019.
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Here’s the thing –
Life is hard. I keep saying that. But it’s true. And so I write about it. I’m not much into sugar, so you won’t find a lot of it in my novels. I believe in truth telling. I believe in creating characters so real you see yourself in them. I love to write about families and all the dysfunction and craziness that comes with them. I love romance, so there’s always a nice splash of that in any of my books. And I believe in the power of forgiveness, redemption and restoration, found through God’s amazing grace and mercy. If that sounds like it might be your thing too, then maybe you’ll find yourself at home with my books. I hope so.
Thanks for joining me on this amazing journey, my friend!
Catherine is represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Management.