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- About CathyI hail from: I was raised in Olathe, KS. I am a Kansan by nature–stubborn, loyal, independent. I now consider Virginia my home and think I have adapted well to the Southern way of life (although I’ll never be a good cook!) My family: Children, two dogs, a cat, and two horses. They keep me busy, busy, busy. My favorite quote: From Debbie Macomber, “Attitude is the key . . . each one of us is as successful as we make up our minds to be.” My most embarrassing moment: I have many. I’m gullible. If you have a good practical joke, I’m the one to play it on. I would dress for a costume party as: Wanda, the Good Witch. O to be perpetually pleasant! But notice that she didn’t put up with any nonsense from the Munchkins. The most dangerous thing I have done: Marry a man I’d known less than a month. He made me laugh (and looked good in uniform). Kevin passed away almost twenty-five years to date he asked me to marry him. It was a great marriage. We both enjoyed a good laugh and I respected his compassion and generosity of spirit, two qualities…
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Three Lessons I Learned from My Dad, Doc Wollen
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#1 Community matters. Instead of the handout generation, my dad was raised as part of the “let me give a hand” generation. Back in his day, his hometown Garnett might as well have been light years from Kansas City. If things were going to get done, it was up to the community to make it happen and folks took care …
Read MoreBest Of Intentions
I just purchased new pans. Tuesday Morning was having a sale. I did some research, picked them up for a good price, and—hoo boy. Now that I have pans, I MUST cook, right? Or am I once more being caught up in my best intentions? This is a dangerous question for me. I have more visions of what I want …
Read MoreA Grand Adventure for Readers–Australia!
When a paperback novel that would go for $8 in the US is sold for twice and often three times that amount in Australia, you know Aussie romance readers are a dedicated bunch. But my respect for these readers is based on more than a desire to push books. I’d met many of them at conferences for the Romance genre …
Read MoreA Guy Reads His First Romance–A Review of LYON'S BRIDE
So my mom died Monday, December 17th. No, wait, this review gets better. Really. My wife and I own hundreds of books. We read voraciously. I have, easily, a dozen books on my nightstand that I am in various stages of reading. I enjoy biographies, sci-fi, epic fantasy, crime drama, literature, just about anything well-written. And so while in the initial …
Read MoreThe Three Most Important Elements to a Successful Story
And, no, I am not going to say “character, character, character,” although character is one of them. Compelling characters—people we feel we must understand—can send a mediocre plot into the stratosphere. A fascinating character, one with depth and true complexities, can drive me into a story and I’ll never let go until the last word. The second element? A …
Read MoreTaking Action to Your Dreams
“Faith without action is only hope.” There is a quote to hit you right between the eyes. A friend said it to me the other night and since then I’ve been turning the implications of his words around in my mind. Almost every day someone will tell me he or she wants to write. They hope to publish a book. …
Read MoreA Writer’s Imagination
What is it? Something few people have. You think everyone has it because you do—but they don’t. Millions of people love stories. Thousands long to write them. But they won’t, because they lack that one quality that separates the writer from everyone else, that pesky imagination. Writers don’t think of stories like everyone else. We instantly see the ropes and …
Read MoreCREATE
In January, I pick a word for the year. This is a practice of my friend Felicia Mason, one of the most dynamic women, and writers, I know. She says focusing on one powerful word can lead to unexpected results. She’s right. Last year, my word was Passion. I strove to put passion into every facet of my life. No, …
Read MoreClawing Out Time to Write
I am one of the most disorganized people in the world. I get alot done, but often with the smoothness of Taz, the Tasmanian Devil. My largest challenge is guarding my “writing” time. This isn’t just time I spend in my office, but time I use to put words on paper. Years ago, I started writing from four a.m. until …
Read MoreThe REAL Cathy Maxwell
My friend Tim Jungr always introduces the last speaker at WRW’s Writer’s Retreat. It’s a tradition that has become one of my favorite parts of the conference. He’s witty and wise, a fabulous writer (three Golden Heart nominations). This year I was the speaker he introduced and he made me laugh so hard tears came to my eyes. I asked …
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