Catherine West talks about The Things We Knew

Catherine West is an award-winning author who writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. Her first novel, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, released in 2011 and won the INSPY for Romance, a Silver Medal in the Reader’s Favorite Awards, and was a finalist in the Grace Awards. Catherine’s second novel, Hidden in the Heart, released in September 2012, was long listed in the 2012 INSPY’s and was a finalist in the 2013 Grace Awards. Catherine’s latest novel, Bridge of Faith, is now available on Amazon.
When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two grown children.

The Things We Knew, released July 2016, through Harper Collins Christian Publishing.

I am delighted to have Catherine, or Cathy featured in celebration of her latest release, The Things We Knew. It feels like just yesterday when I saw the cover reveal and was immediately drawn to the cover. I love the colours and the title, (which by the way is very different from the working title, but that is another story).

Q: How does it feel to have your book baby out there in the world?
Catherine: With each release, there’s always that certain amount of excitement, but this time it’s a little different, because The Things We Knew is my first release with Harper Collins Christian Publishing! They’ve been my ‘dream publisher’ for many years, so this is a great thrill for me!

Q: What aspect/part of The Things We Knew did you enjoy researching the most and why?
Catherine: I loved researching Nantucket. As I live on an island myself, it was quite easy to immerse myself in that world. And thanks to Google, I was able to view the island by ‘walking’ a lot of the streets. I’m so excited that, thanks to my wonderful husband who planned the surprise trip, I will be in Nantucket on release day! I can’t wait to explore and see all the places I wrote about!

Q: Which character in The Things We Knew is your favourite and why?
Catherine: Oh, I think I’d have to say Gray.  I have a soft spot for totally broken people, and he is that. He’s stubborn and a bit full of himself, but he’s also smart enough to know when it’s time to quit, and start battling the demons within. He learns to admit failure, and accept help when it’s given, and you really want to see it all work out for him.

This is what Catherine envisions Gray Carlisle to look like? What do you think?

Q: What was inspiration for this book?
Catherine: I love family drama, so I knew I wanted to write a story like this, I just didn’t know exactly who would be in it or where it would be located. That usually unfolds as I go, and The Things We Knew was no different to any other book I’ve written. I started out with a few ideas, family, mystery, loss, redemption, and one by one the characters began to take shape and their story simply told itself. It sounds easier than it was, but really, once the bare bones were there, the rest wasn’t that hard to fill in.

Q: I love the way you unpack your stories, little by little Cathy.  Memory is a fascinating thing and it is interesting to me how as humans gaps in memory can protect us to a certain extent. Tell me more about Lynette’s gaps in her memory.
Catherine: Sometimes, when we experience a traumatic event, we can block it out. That’s what’s happened to Lynette, although she doesn’t know it yet. She knows she can’t remember anything about the day her mother died, but she doesn’t know why. For a long time, she tried to forget about it, but now she’s having dreams that make no sense, and she knows it’s all pulling her back to the past, and she needs to find a way to unlock those memories in order to uncover the truth.

Q: What are you going to be working on next?
Catherine: At the moment I’m working on revisions for my next book, which will release March 2017. The Memory Of You takes place on a vineyard in Sonoma CA, and also deals with family, loss, broken relationships and the hope of restoration.

That sounds wonderful and I can’t wait to hear more.

The Things We Knew is a perfect summer read, poolside or wherever you choose to relax.

Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached on her website

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