Happy 3rd Saturday in January Everyone!

Now that we’ve all had time to get used to the idea of living in 2015, let’s circle back to our hopes and dreams for the New Year.

I have declared 2015 as The Year of Gladness. The Year of Happiness. Because I have decided that happiness matters. Gladness matters. Gladness is an important part of who we are and who we can become in His likeness.

Thou has put gladness in my heart,

More than when grain and new wine abound.

Psalm 4:7

Being happy as though drunk-boisterous as though with wine-is an oft-repeated notion in the Bible. And why is that? I believe it is an intentional reminder that God has MORE for us. God wants us to be happy-to enjoy a deep and true gladness of heart.

I invite you to join me in my journey to dwell on this concept of gladness, and of happiness, throughout this year. Let’s commit to consciously embracing circumstances and opportunities designed to create gladness of heart and happiness in the lives of others and in our own lives. As I consider how I will approach the gift of each new day, I want to start my day with this question: what can I do to bring happiness to the people around me? What can I do to invite gladness of heart into my own life?

Here’s to creating more happiness together in 2015!

Gladly,

Catherine

Thank you for joining me for a joyous day celebrating the release of Alabaster Vases!

Thank you for joining me for the journey!

We are four hours away from the official release of Alabaster Vases!

I am deeply grateful to YOU for supporting me every step of the way.

Please join me to celebrate the journey tomorrow at Dalton’s Cakes in Grayslake from 1-4:00 PM.

I look forward to giving away free, signed copies to all of my dear friends coming out to enjoy the launch with me tomorrow.

Happy New Year &

Write on!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Merry Day After Christmas!

I hope you are resting up in-between holiday fun and fare with the fam…keep resting up… we’re just under six days away from my first ever BOOK LAUNCH PARTY FOR ALABASTER VASES!!!!

You’re invited to stop in and enjoy the ride at Dalton’s Cakes, 933 Harris Road, Grayslake, from 1-4:00 p.m.

I’ll have plenty of books on hand to sign for you and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the stories behind the story with you!

Enjoy today and

Write on!

Catherine

Happy 12-13-14!

Let’s do cool things with this uber cool day!

I LOVE the sound of this new day and date, the feel of it, as it rolls off my tongue: 12-13-14…Today, a day like no other, is a rare gift. A new opportunity for us to do amazing things for each other, for the beauty and the blessing of others.

What will you do with this amazing gift of today in your life?

So far today, I’ve gotten up uber early, awakened in my spirit in the wee hours of the morning, called to the table to open my Bible and be lifted with powerful words of encouragement, strength, and hope. Reminded that in every area of my life, God has more for me. God spoke to the Israelites through the son of Zechariah on the eve of a mighty battle, in 2 Chronicles 20:15, saying very simply: ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not mine, but God’s’.

‘The battle is not mine, but God’s.’ Powerful words, and a potent reminder that when God calls us into this new day, into whatever it is He has uniquely gifted you and me to do, ‘the battle is not ours, but God’s.’

Are you up against impossible odds in an area of your life today? Are there challenges in your personal or professional life you’d love to run away from? As I walk into this new path of releasing Alabaster Vases into the universe, I am torn between rejoicing and wanting to run and hide! It’s cool, but it’s scary cool! And I am so glad for today’s early morning reminder that I do not walk alone. That there is One who has uniquely crafted me for this work, for this walk, for this challenge. It belongs to Him, and so do I. His words of truth to me today—‘Do not fear…for the battle is not mine, but God’s—leads me to relax, rejoice, and take joy in this new journey!

And that’s my wish for you—that you can drop your fear and pick up on the power of His encouragement and presence—relaxing into today and rejoicing in your journey.

Celebrate 12-13-14 with me today by doing cool things for other people on this uber cool day and date!

You are invited to celebrate with me at a New Year’s Day Book Release Party at Dalton’s Cakes, 970 Harris Road, Grayslake from 1:00-4:00 p.m.! Come for the delicious pastries and refreshments, stay for a tasty little mystery to ring in the New Year!

Join the Party! Alabaster Vases-my debut novel and the first in my Murder with a Message series-will be available from Deep River Books on January 1st, 2015 and is already up for pre-ordering. Read an excerpt or go over to Amazon and pre-order it now. Thank you for enjoying the journey with me!

Ta Da!

Today marks the unveiling of Alabaster Vases online! Thank you for dropping by and helping me celebrate and shape this new artistic adventure. Publishing my debut novel represents years of writing, editing, risking, sharing, and daring as I made my way to you-my readers. I invite you to share this creative experience with me by offering your thoughts, feelings and ideas. In the weeks to come, I will be sharing ideas and reflections on this site weekly. I will be sharing the same ideas via my online newsletter that I am happy to share with you at your request.

You may have noticed a drop box offering you the opportunity to sign up for my newsletter when you came onto this site. By signing up for my newsletter between now and January 1, 2015, you will receive an unofficial e-copy of Alabaster Vases-free from me! Why? Because I am grateful for YOU, my friends and faithful supporters who have been kind enough to enter into this new world with me and I wanted to offer you a small gift in return. Please note that by signing up for my newsletter you are NOT going to be spammed-and you can quit it at anytime! You will be given the option to say yes or no to receiving an email from me containing a pdf of the unofficial e-copy of my book. This unofficial copy is NOT the final publisher’s edition that will ultimately be available online via the normal outlets. Rather, this is the final draft I had the joy of approving and then sending to the publisher just a few months ago!

Alabaster Vases officially releases on New Years Day 2015! To celebrate this grand adventure I am throwing a Release Party from 1-4:00 p.m. with my friends at Daltons Cakes in Grayslake, IL. Come on out and enjoy the fun as we toast the New Year with hors d’oeuvres, fine pastries, and a tasty little thriller called Alabaster Vases! I will have hard cover copies on hand for purchase and signing. I can’t wait to see what it looks like myself!

Thank you for joining me in the journey.

I look forward to more of you in the weeks to come.

Enjoy today
and
Write on!

Catherine

Traffic was smooth sailing on I-94 northbound, freeing my thoughts to wander through the murky caverns of my husband’s mind. His hands gripped the wheel like a corpsman gripping a jump seat handle a second before the free fall begins. We surged ahead over snowy Wisconsin roads, his large hands quivering.

“Del, please slow down. It’s snowing pretty hard out there.”

My breath quickened involuntarily. I hated that I reacted like this every time I risked voicing my needs. My stomach clenched and my temples tightened.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Oh, so now you’re telling me how to drive too? I don’t think so.”

He never looked at me, and his hands didn’t move as he punched the accelerator, rocketing the car to well over eighty on the slippery highway. I prayed to some mythical god that we’d make it intact to the exit up ahead, clenching my teeth and sinking into silent compliance once again. We’d just made it to the turnoff when my cell phone buzzed. I closed my eyes. The misery between us pressed in on me.

“Oliver.” I fidgeted with the seat warmer as I answered, my voice flat.

“Josie?”

“Yeah. Hey, Nick.” The sound of his voice lifted my spirits, transporting me back to the day we met. I’d been assigned to be Field Commander when we were rangy beat cops together in Chicago. We were young, foolish, and thought we knew it all. Other than me staying close to home and him going on to take one undercover assignment after another until he morphed into a Fed, not much had changed. I smiled looking back, but in the next moment I stiffened as my body slammed into the door panel. Del was taking this corner dangerously fast. I shut my eyes again and concentrated on Nick as the car jetted forward. “What’s up?”

“We got another vic. And they’re getting closer to home. This is not cool.” His silky voice hardened as he spoke.

“What do you mean? I thought you said the last murder happened in Spokane. That’s not exactly next door. Was this one as bad?”

“Worse. And I’m talking about the next tragedy, not the last one. This one happened last night, early this morning technically, in Mad Town. Popped up on VICAP right away. You on the road right now?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You with the man?”

“Does it matter?”

“It matters to me, Josie. You matter to me. He’s not driving, is he?”

“Yup.”

“He knows you’re talking to me.” It wasn’t really a question, but I answered it anyway.

“Yup.”

Nick, at it again. My marriage should be off-limits. I loved the man beside me—wounds and all. Even if no one else did. Even if doing so made me almost as sick as he was. Am I sick enough to stay? God, I hope not. “Give me some info. How did the killer get from Spokane to Wisconsin?”

“Who knows? We haven’t exactly cracked his travel schedule, but everything else is right in line. He grabbed a woman—a church mentor. She’d been working with a six-year-old girl for the past year. Successful woman. High-profile attorney. Not an enemy in the world. Everything to live for. And everything about the kill says it’s our guy.”

“Please tell me they found traces of drugs. Any kind of tranq in her system?”

“Not a one. She was most likely awake through the worst of it. He’s escalating, getting more twisted. And now he’s traveling between each kill. We’re on high alert, and we want you in our inner circle. We need your hunting skills. Let me sketch it out for you.”

Del glared at me and then looked back at the road, his hands clenched. Anger glimmered in his eyes. Why had I given up that once-in-a-lifetime career offer with the Feds tracking notorious criminals? Now Nick had all the glory—and all I had to show for it was Del. I listened to Nick, pinpricks of light sparking through my mind as he revealed the brutality of another innocent woman’s death at the hands of this twisted man.

I waited until he finished with the grim details, and then I exhaled hard and fast. I sucked in fresh air as he described the horror of the woman’s last minutes alive. I knew Del could sense my discomfort. Was he going to start hammering me again over why I’d married him and stayed in the bush leagues by marrying a local beat cop instead of marrying Nick all those years
ago? I couldn’t tell what he was thinking any more. When had I stopped trying?

He smiled darkly and waited until I ended the call to act out. “That your big-shot boyfriend again?” Del’s menacing tone sent a cold wave of nausea through me.

“He’s not my boyfriend. There’s been another murder. It ain’t pretty.” I closed my eyes, gently shaking my head.

Nick and Del had never been close.