Catherine Finger

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A Dizzying Proposition

April 24, 2021 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

One of my least favorite and most disruptive life experiences is the unexpected visit and subsequent long-term relationship with Meniere’s Disease. When first given this French-sounding diagnosis I thought it sounder cuter than it actually is. Five years, permanent hearing loss, daily tinnitus, and numerous bouts of vertigo later—let me tell you it ain’t exactly awesome.

For the blissfully unaware, suffice it to say that bouts of vertigo can range from the mildly annoying—when I move too fast, I get dizzy—to the incapacitating bouts that restrict most movement and don’t even allow me to look at a screen. Which means reading is out, writing is definitely not happening, and if I even move, I toss my cookies. These days are really long, really lonely, and really not so swell.

As a woman of faith, I have come to accept my own vertigo as a thorn in the flesh experience. Sure, I’m praying about it, but I also know my God is bigger than my vertigo and if He chooses to leave it unabated, He must have reasons of His own. Fine. What if one of those reasons involves me writing about vertigo?

Having recently moved through a moderate episode and the emotional hangover that followed, I found myself wondering what an aging serial killer would do if he/she suffered from such inopportune bouts of vertigo. How much fun would it be to write about a killer in the throes of their mission-of-the-moment only to be thwarted not by the authorities, but by incapacitating nausea?

While a better woman would start some sort of compassionate blog designed to encourage others sharing this ridiculous malady, my mind goes straight to my favorite fiction genres of thrillers, suspense, and murder mysteries. The odds are strong that one of my bad guys—or girls—is going to encounter a French-seeming visitor who might just take up a lot more space than originally intended. I’m pretty sure that’s going to make for some fun writing which should translate into an entertaining read.

Here’s to putting our pencils where our struggles lie—and creating stronger stories as a result of our respective journeys.

Filed Under: & Life, Mystery, Older Female Assassins, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: Christian Thrillers, Older Female Assassins, Vertigo Experience, Writing Ideas

Coaching Affirmations from a Trail Rider

March 18, 2021 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

One of my greatest passions is competing in an equestrian event called Trail. This is a sport that requires connection, forward motion, staying present, and focusing on one footfall at a time.  The partnership between horse and rider is essential in creating the elegance and poise characteristic of a winning ride in the Trail pen.

Clara—my ten-year-old quarter horse mare—has been my trail partner since January 2017. I know her well enough to know the difference between her asking for guidance and trying to take the reins herself. She knows me well enough to know when I’m asking her to round her back and lengthen her stride or when my arthritic left leg simply stops working for the day.

Together, we navigate a series of obstacles that require us to find a precise take off point for her (that’s my job) and an athletic surge of power and elegance as we maneuver over the poles (that’s her job.) An obstacle typically contains a series of wooden poles placed on the ground at varying heights and in differing formations, often surrounded by vibrant and distracting décor. The distance between each pole and the path you choose to take as a team determines the number of strides needed in-between each pole. In order to get to the correct take-off point, I need to focus on each pole and find a six-inch spot in the dirt to fix my eyes upon—signaling to Clara where to put her feet before clearing each pole with each foot.

Working with clients also requires teamwork, goal setting, and forward motion. As a coach, I strive to create an arena of safety and wisdom with each client. People come to the coaching experience seeking a thoughtful partnership that empowers them to navigate their own set of obstacles. Together we talk it out—riding every stride and letting each pole come to us instead of rushing the process and missing importance pieces of the pattern before us.

Filed Under: & Life, Blog related to Coaching, Blog Related to Horses, Coaching for Performance, Executive Coaching, On Coaching, On Horses, Writing & Life, Personal Coaching, Professional Coaching Tagged With: Coaching, Executive Coaching, Horses, Leadership, Overcoming Obstacles, Showing AQHA Trail

Dreamy Ideas

September 8, 2020 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

Where do you get your ideas?

We writers know, love, and sometimes hate this age-old question. 

My Jo Oliver thriller series started with a desire to write compelling stories of triumph, choice, and the power of emergent faith and community. Each story was fueled by a strong character, a plot idea, or an idea of what justice might look like via a twisty series of events. And while I am playing around with my next installment, I find myself distracted by new dreams.

For the past year or so, I’ve been toying with a new story that I finally had to start writing. This idea came to me in my sleep. Literally. I dreamt of my protagonist and how she meets her man— a paunchy insurance salesman with a deep alternative history steeped in international espionage. I loved the scene that first appeared to me in that memorable dream and ignored it soundly for about a year.

Yet the dreams returned. At night. While napping on planes. And once, while driving, an idea presented itself so strongly, I had to pull off the road into a highway oasis and furiously stab it all down on fast-food restaurant napkins. That chapter involved a kitchen island sex scene, with my 60-something arthritic protagonist secretly desiring to be ravished by her man on her granite counter—while fearing the possibility of breaking a hip with equal ferocity.


I’m thoroughly enjoying creating a life of unexpected purpose and adventure for two recently retired individuals who find themselves at the same banquet table at a hotel facing the New York Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. Stuff happens—and it is stirring my writer’s heart to share their story, giving me that excited I can’t wait to get to my keyboard to see what happens next kind of feeling. 

Rest assured, as the story reveals itself, I’ll share more with you!

Enjoy today,

Catherine 

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: Dreams, Transition, Writing Ideas

Jennifer Dornbush Cover Reveal: HOLE IN THE WOODS

July 15, 2020 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

Congratulations go out to dear friend Jennifer Dornbush on today’s cover reveal for her latest novel! I’m delighted to be one of the few places sharing this cover with you today. Jennifer’s novels are packed with plenty of drama, great chase scenes, and interesting facts gleaned from her experience in the field. Congratulations, Jennifer!

Cover Reveal–Hole In the Woods

 

 

 

July 1989, in a sleepy Michigan town, high school grad, Nina Laramie, heads out with friends and is never seen alive again. Months later, her skeleton is found near a remote party spot in the forest. The ME determines Nina has been brutally raped and bludgeoned to death. Fear and anger ripple through this tight knit community when the case goes cold. Thirty years later, Riley St. James, a Detroit PD assigned to Nina’s case, is determined to get her first big cold case win despite having a similar past to the victim. Relying on her investigative prowess and gut instinct, Riley tracks down a witness, who saw Nina Laramie’s murder. But as the truth comes to light, Riley must face the killers who want their secret to stay in the Hole in the Woods. Based on the 1989 true-life murder case of Shannon Siders from Newaygo County, Michigan. After the case went dormant, a Michigan cold case team formed in 2011 and uncovered new evidence that enabled them to arrest, try, and convict the killers, who were sent to prison for Shannon’s murder in 2015.

Hole in the Woods Cover

Links to connect with Jennifer: 
jenniferdornbush.com
Instagram & Twitter – @JGDornbush
Facebook – Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

 

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: Christian Thrillers, Cover Reveal, Crime Fiction, Fiction;, Thrillers

On Horses and Storylines

May 20, 2020 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

Miss Christie’s little black ears twitch at each note as morning birds serenade us. We start most mornings (God, weather, and coffee supply willing) in our treetop screened porch, nestled under blankets, Bible and journal nearby. Very soon, Miss Christie and I will begin our days from the pleasurable confines of Cosmo, my Class B RV.  

The three of us are hitting the road on Memorial Day, heading to Oklahoma City, where we will reside in an RV lot for a ten-day horse show. The Amazing Miss Clara—my nine-year old quarter horse mare, Jess, our trainer and several other dear friends will meet us there.  Anticipation has my arthritis flaring already and I am giddy as a schoolgirl in June. 

Miss Christie & Cosmo


After way too many weeks of COVID, Netflix, and Cheezits, I am beyond ready for a road trip. And for the blood, sweat, tears, joy and laughter of enjoying every second of my equine love affair. Few things make me happier than spending time with Clara. I know all of her little secrets, where she loves to be scratched, how best to brush her in all her favorite places. I know her smell, her nicker, and the feel of her body in any number of communication modes. 
 
Just thinking about her makes me happy. As I was plotting my current novel, I wanted to throw in this kind of passionate love and demonstrate how it could morph into an addiction. For extra fun, I propelled the whole idea into the near future and asked how that addiction could be played out in VR. Having set the stage, I wondered what that addiction might look like at a fancy dinner party where my heroine finds herself a bit on the bored side. Cool things happen—but that’s a story for another day.
 
Interesting storylines come from everyday occasions. And from our best of friends—four-legged and otherwise. 

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: Road Trips, RV Travel; Horses; Writing Ideas; Inspiration;

Made with Love

May 7, 2020 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

Such light, such joy flows out from this house. It affects all who come here. Do not feel that you have to try and help them. Just love them, welcome them, shower little courtesies and love-signs on them, and they must be helped.
-God Calling, by A.J. Russell

“I can’t tell you what this means to me.” Misty eyed, my octogenarian-friend Pat pulled one hand from her walker and lifted it over me in a gesture of thanks. “The Lord wasn’t one bit surprised by this virus. Oh, no. He’s got plans for it. And us.” 

“Well His plan for us today definitely involves pea soup, some chicken soup, and a bit of rosemary bread fresh out of the oven for you, my dear.” I hoped she saw me smile through my mask as I offered her my bag of homecooked goods as we stood in the vestibule of her quarantined senior center. 

“No sir-ree, our God was not surprised by this business and He reigns over us, even now. And you have no idea what this means to me. And to Him.” As Pat started backing through the door, signifying the end to this week’s visit, I assured her there was more to come. 

I love knowing I’m making someone’s day, and I also love to cook and experiment in the kitchen—so this is a win-win for me. The last thing I need to be surrounded by during a mandatory stay at home order—that has just been extended through May 26 in Wisconsin—is the result of my baking benders! Enter Catherine’s COVID Kitchen—problem solved. 

Cooking meals for yourself and others is a great way to extend your heart and home right now. Preparing, serving, and delivering warm, tasty meals are a great way to share God’s love with others. I prepared my traditional Easter meal—slow roasted leg of lamb—even though it was “just” for my brother and me. The requisite lamb and lentil stew I threw together with the leftovers was delivered with little happy notes to the porches of friends and a few dear seniors from church who are living in quarantine. I wish I could have bottled up the warmth flowing from Pat’s eyes as I stood in her vestibule, gloved and masked, with an unexpected basket of love—taking the form of homemade soups, breads, and mini cakes.

Sometimes love doesn’t have to be complicated. Love can be the extra few minutes you offer a stranger at a chance encounter as they pour out their frustrations of living in a fallen world. Love can be the simple gift of a genuine smile shared with a hurting soul. Love can be a daily text check-in with those in your life who live alone. Love can be an online game of Words with Friends expanded to include someone you don’t know very well. Love can be sharing a book with someone, reading at the same pace, and chatting about it online. Love can be a walk in the sunshine at a distance of six feet from your neighbors and their children, listing the things you will do together once the ban of being closer together is lifted.

How’s your home love life? This unpredicted time at home ringing round the world is the perfect opportunity to up our game in our hearts and homes. I like to think of my home as a place of love—as an extension of the love of the Father. I believe we all need a sense of home, of being grounded, of knowing that there is someone there preparing a place for us around their table. We can still embrace our concept of home, and of welcoming others into our home, during—and more importantly after—this challenging time of COVID. 

To jumpstart your home love life, ask God to show you people in your life and on the edges of your life in need of a word or an expression of love today. You don’t have to cook and deliver meals—handwritten notes, daily phone calls, or texts also communicate value to others. Simply walking around your neighborhood if you are able to get out is a nice way to share a glimpse of life and life-to-come with those around you. A lot of people live most of their lives in fear—and that fear is on steroids right now. Remind them that perfect love casts out fear—simply by living your love out loud.

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life

Capsized by Death Featured by Liz Tolsma!

January 16, 2020 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

The Story behind Capsized by Death by Catherine Finger

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: Christian fiction; Author Interviews; writing ideas; Liz Tolsma feature

Put A Little Love In Your Life…

January 8, 2020 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

Looking for love in all the wrong places? I can help…put a little love in your life by entering the BookSweeps Romantic Suspense Sweepstakes for a chance to win books and more!

I’ve teamed up with 30+ fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Romantic Suspense novels to 2 lucky winners! Drum roll please…and the Grand Prize winner will receive a BRAND NEW eReader!

👉You can also win a copy of CAPSIZED BY DEATH, plus books from other awesome authors like Grahame Claire and Jacki Delecki.

And to celebrate a little romance with a little suspense, the Kindle version of Capsized by Death is offered at $2.99 today through Saturday, and Kindle versions of Anchored by Death and Shattered by Death are on sale for just 99 cents! Enter the BookSweeps Romantic Suspense Sweepstakes–featuring Capsized by Death–and put a little love in your life today!

Enter the Sweepstakes here: http://bit.ly/RomSuspense-Jan2020

Good luck and enjoy the reads!

Catherine

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: Giveaways, Jo Oliver Thrillers, New Releases; Christian Fiction; Romantic Suspense; Jo Oliver Thrillers

Cruising into 2020–with the Three C’s

December 30, 2019 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

I realized recently that some of my favorite beings have names beginning with the letter C. I swear I didn’t plan this, and I think it could make for a great blog series, when I get around to it. Especially the travel piece. Maybe next year? But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

My own name, as you may have noticed, is Catherine. I don’t count myself as one of the Three C’s—but I suppose I could. Four C’s doesn’t sound as cool though.

My dog’s name is Christie—short for “Christie, The Christmas Pup.”  (She comes with a story of her own.) Well into her eleventh year, we’ve been a tight team since she first crawled up my leg like a little kitten when she was a tiny six weeks old.  She came into my life in the earliest moments of a long period of pain in my life and having her little heartbeat and loving personality was a blessing time without number. 

My horse’s name is Clara—she came with this name. Meeting Clara truly was a love at first sight experience and we’re about to celebrate our third year of partnership bliss in January. If you’ve never been in love with a horse before, I highly recommend it. Horses invite you into a slower, surer world with gentle, knowing eyes and whisper soft muzzles. You can’t be in tune with your horse if you are divided in your mind, heart, or soul. They have this miraculous way of bringing balance and peace in the midst of a noisy, fractured world.

Last but not least, comes Cosmo. Cosmo may seem an unlikely addition to the Three C’s—but he provides a sense of safety with the promise of adventure without even breaking a sweat. He’s an easy to maneuver home on wheels making it easy for the aforementioned C’s and I to travel around the country seeking adventure, horse shows, conferences, and the occasional independent bookstore. Sure, he has a lot of parts, and he can be rather cranky and complicated (usually late at night during inclement weather.) Other than that, he’s the perfect gentleman.

As I contemplate the vast expanse of a brand-new year tucked inside a brand-new decade, I’m looking forward to whatever lies around that next bend in the road. The Three C’s and I hope to see you down the road in 2020. We’d love to hear about your travel and adventure plans for the new year—online or in person!

Filed Under: Christian Fiction, Mystery, News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: Fiction writers; New Year; Horses; Dogs; Campers; Christian Fiction;

Capsized by Death–Fun Facts from CAN!

December 20, 2019 by catherinefinger Leave a Comment

A Chat with Author Catherine Finger

Filed Under: News & Updates, On Horses, Writing & Life Tagged With: New Releases; Christian Fiction; Romantic Suspense; Jo Oliver Thrillers

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