Spend a day with Catherine Anne Collins

First of all, I’d like to thank Hannah for being kind enough to host me on her blog today. I was fortunate enough to meet her at the RT Booklovers Convention in Columbus, Ohio just a short time ago. It was a fun week and I certainly enjoyed the experience…the convention, as well as meeting Hannah.

To be honest, I had trouble deciding what to write about for the blog. My creative juices just weren’t flowing the way they should be and I was stumped. So, that’s what I decided to write about. Stroking the creative muse. Stoking the writing fires. Striking the old gray matter into full drive…you get the idea.

Part of what pushes me to write is my own warped sense of reality. Yup. I have a warped mind, but don’t tell my husband because he tells me I do and I keep denying it. Anyway, I love to write about places that exist only in a briefest flicker of memory tucked in a hidden part of our minds. You know, Avalon, Atlantis, Lemuria, Camelot. Creating these places as they might have been and populating them with characters who each have a story to tell is what I love. Ideas run through my mind daily and trying to shape them into some semblance of a story that my readers might enjoy is one of the motivating factors of my writing.

The other thing that motivates me…ahhh, I wish you could see and feel what I do at this moment. I’m sitting in our front yard inhaling the scent of lilacs, watching birds of all kinds dive to the feeder and fight for the peanuts on the ground. A gentle breeze blows the cedar trees that surround our house and yard, while cows low a mellow sound in the distance. Once in awhile one of our resident red squirrels scatters the birds from the ground as he runs in for a peanut and darts back to his hideaway under our flowering bush. (Don’t ask me what kind of bush. The flowers are pink, that’s all I know.) Soon, I’ll go down to the barn, where the sun will be setting beyond the forest of trees and my goats will run to greet me—crying all the way. As they all get their hugs and I put fresh straw on their bed, peace will swell within me. The peace of nature at its best and the love of animals that I’ve raised from kids. That is the other half of what motivates me.

Now you know my secret. I’m fed by the love of a mystical story and the surroundings of 50 acres of nature that I’m fortunate enough to enjoy every day. I’ve told you what motivates me to write 1000’s of words a day, (okay, 100’s of words a day) now, I’d love to hear what gets you motivated. If you’re not a writer, that’s okay as well. Share with us what motivates you to make it through your day, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, career woman, student…whatever.

Oh, gosh, I had better not forget to promote my books. My two most recent are The Crystal of Light and A Witch’s Lament and you can find information about them here: www.catherineannecollins.com/books.htm

Thanks again for having me, Hannah. I hope everyone has a great day.