Tigers, Sasquatch, and Mars–an Interview with A. Catherine Noon

                                         Today I’m honored to have as my guest a fellow  paranormal romance author, and really nice person, A. Catherine Noon. I absolutely love the cover on her new book.

Welcome, Catherine! It’s great to have you here. First I’ll post her bio:

A. Catherine Noon is an author and textile artist based in the Chicagoland Area. Together with co-author Rachel Wilder, she writes novels, short stories and essays.  She writes for several blogs, including her own and Taurus and Taurus, the Noon and Wilder blog.  She is founder of Nightlight, Bedtime Tales for Adults, and contributing author to Beyond the Veil, Samhain Publishing’s blog and Torquere Press’s blog Romance for the Rest of Us and LiveJournal.  She is a founding member of the Writer’s Retreat Blog.
Ms. Noon has taught creative writing, creative expression and textile arts, including Artist’s Way workshops and Fiction Writing Intensives. An avid public speaker, she has achieved the Advanced Toastmaster – Bronze and Certified Leader (ATM-B/CL) designations from Toastmasters, International. She is intensely interested in creativity, how right-brain/left-brain thinking styles work, and various tools to help the process of both creativity and business. In terms of writing, this has led to extensive work with the tools developed by such teachers as Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way, Christina Baldwin, Ira Progoff, and Tristine Reiner as well as various others.

A teacher and small-group facilitator for twenty years, Ms. Noon has experience in creative unblocking, women’s spirituality, political action and the environment, and various crafts. In addition to writing, she has led workshops on personal exploration and spiritual journaling, knitting, candle making, and Ukrainian egg decorating (pysanky). She founded Knoontime Knitting, dedicating to exploring the links between two-dimensional and three-dimensional expression.  She received a BA from the University of California, Irvine, in Russian in 1993; and an MBA from Argosy University in December, 2009, with a concentration in Finance.

Wow! I’m impressed. It’s great to have you here, Catherine. You were nice enough to consent to answer some questions, so here goes:

How did you pick your pen name?

My pen name is my first initial, middle name, and maiden name. I like the sound of it and it keeps it simple for when I’m on panels and such – though I still have trouble remembering to answer to Catherine.

Why is the sky blue?

It has to do with refraction of sunlight and the gas composition of our atmosphere.

Or, because god’s eyes are blue.

Where do you most like to sing?

In a room with good acoustics. My favorite is the Mision de San Jose, which is actually in Fremont, California, USA. It’s lovely. It’s a great place to sing. Parking structures are good too, though you get odd looks mid-aria.

What are your five favorite ways to research for a book?

1 – in person, by personal experience

2 – by talking with folks who know what I want to know

3 – by library, with a good research librarian (who are worth their weight in gold)

4 – in classes

5 – by the internet, using websites, blogs, and forums – which lets me as yet more folks who know what I want to know.

When you have a day off, what’s your ideal way to spend it?

Getting up after noon, and not getting out of my pajamas. Curl up on the couch and write, watch Netflix DVD’s, and talk with my husband. Take a loooong bath with Ceara salts, Dead Sea salts, epsom salts and rock salt with some bicarbonate of soda, 4 drops of bergamot essential oils, 4 drops of lavender, and 3 drops of ylang ylang. Then go to bed early. Heaven!

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Have you named your muse or picture her/him in some way?

My muse is my coauthor, Rachel Wilder, and I have lots of pictures of us. But I write stories and send them to her to read and that keeps me going.

Have you ever been caught acting out a scene from one of your books?

Very rarely. I have, though, been writing on the computer or portable keyboard and, since I’m a touch-typist, I look out the window or around the bus or train. I get lots of odd looks when I do this and people realize I’m typing.

Have you ever seen a cryptid? Would you like to?

My husband loves the idea of sasquatch, and believes they exist – in fact, he’ll quote Jane Goodall on the subject. But no, I’ve never seen one.

Is there something you have always wanted to do, but haven’t? Tell us about it.

I really want to see Antarctica and travel the world. I also want to take the Virgin orbital flight and visit the moon and Mars. I really want to go to space.

—

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

– E.E. Cummings

My links: Blog | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | LinkedIn | Pandora

Knoontime Knitting:  Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Ravelry

Noon and Wilder links: Blog | Website | Facebook

The Writer Zen Garden:  The Writers Retreat Blog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter

Team Blogs: Nightlight | Nightlight FB Page |  Beyond the Veil | BtV FB Page | LGBT Fantasy Fans and Writers | LGBTFFW FB Page

Publishers: Samhain Publishing | Torquere Press

Check out BURNING BRIGHT, available from Samhain Publishing.

Check out EMERALD FIRE, available from Torquere Books.

Check out “Taking a Chance“, available from Torquere Books.

Check out COOK LIKE A WRITER , available from Barnes and Noble.

Watch for TIGER TIGER, coming July, 2013, from Samhain Publishing.

Watch for “Seeking Hearts”, coming soon from Torquere Books.

Thanks so much, Catherine!

Cheryel