(Which shall be told in Third Person so Cathy C. Hall will not sound too braggy)

Elementary School-age: Cathy makes up very long, very involved stories in the bathtub. (Also, Cathy develops “pruney fingers” syndrome.)

22 years-old: Cathy gets a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and sets out to snag a TV anchor spot. (She ends up in radio, writing copy like the commercial below. )

5 Years Later: Having come a long way, copy-writing wise, Cathy leaves radio to work in a college library. (She reads a lot while she’s shelving books, or looking for lost books, or getting books ready to go to the stacks. There were lots and lots of books but the only one she remembers well–and still has nightmares about–is  the very creepy Bell Witch. Which probably serves her right for hiding in the stacks, reading.)

Youngish Mother: Cathy pens her first picture books while new baby sleeps. (It is a book about a baby sleeping. The second and third and fourth picture books are about a mommy who has forgotten what it is like to sleep. )

Oldish Mother of Three: Cathy finally remembers that once upon a time, she was a creative writer (above radio copy not withstanding). She sat down at a keyboard and told her stories. (Her humorous essays appeared in regional magazines, ezines and The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. She mostly wrote about her family. She’s pretty sure they have never read these essays. Or possibly anything she has every written.)

A Few Years Later: Cathy joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators because she had written a book that turned out to be for children. (Her children’s stories have been published all over the world. She is a super star in China where  Red Squirrel Magazine is distributed. But you will have to take her word for it, unless you read Chinese.)

Present: Cathy still writes stories about herself and her family and her dog and snakes and cows and the occasional little lamb. You’ll find her published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books or blogging about writing, sharing tips and advice, over at WOW! Women on Writing.

Her writing for children has taken her all the way to Korea (via the Internet). She has six published books with  Darakwon Publishing (Happy House imprint), where her books help Korean children learn English. (Well, learn regular English. None of my Southern shenanigans.)   Her leveled readers serve up fun mysteries with topics like the Renaissance and psychology and American politics. P.S. She learned a lot about the Renaissance and psychology and Presidential politics.

Cathy also writes mysteries for Middle Grade and Young Adult readers and those stories are still looking for a home. They’re a little bit funny and a lot scary; honestly, she should never have read about the Bell Witch. But that’s the way it is when fishing for great ideas. You never know when or where you’ll hook a good one!

(Except the shower. Or soaking in a hot bath. Those are guaranteed great fishing spots. So yeah, Cathy still has very pruney fingers.)