AUTHOR INTERVIEW with CATHY BRYANT
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011 • Barbara Parentini
Dear Gentle Readers~
Thank you for joining me today at Gifts by Grace. Please help me welcome a new friend and fellow author, Cathy Bryant.
Cathy, tell us a little about
yourself and your journey as a writer.
I'm first and foremost a servant of God, and
from that relationship all the other hats I wear fall into place. I'm a wife,
mother, Nana (of the world's cutest grandson!), teacher, pianist and writer. I
learned to read at an early age and have fond memories of childhood trips to
the library where I devoured books. The transition from reader to writer was a
natural progression for me. The Lord made me with an active imagination, so
stories flow easily. During my childhood and youth, I participated in several
interscholastic contests involving storytelling and writing. My high school
after-school job was at the town newspaper working for a lovable curmudgeon who
encouraged me to write articles in addition to setting type and other newspaper
chores.
Though my love of stories and writing never
diminished, during college I pursued a music education degree. (I also received
my MRS. degree and MAMA degree during those years!) During the early years of
our family, my husband and I were public school teachers. During the summer
break I would write. I have at least seven manuscripts I started and never
finished, because I ran out of summer before I ran out of words. Around
2007-2008, I experienced several things in my life which made me realize how
fleeting life can be. It was a wake-up call. I knew if I were ever going to
pursue my dream of writing a novel that I'd better get started. I joined ACFW
and started reading every how-to book I could find on the craft of writing.
Texas Roads, book one in the Miller's Creek, Texas series
was my first completed novel. I thought it was at least a decent story, so to
receive professional feedback I entered it in the ACFW Genesis contest. You can
imagine my utter shock when I received a call saying the story had made it to
the finals. It's still one of those "pinch me" moments in my memory.
Looking back, I believe the whole process was a God nudge. As much as I don't
like to admit it, I needed that recognition in order to keep going. As a
recovering perfectionist, I think I would have eventually given up on the whole
idea of writing a book had it not been for ACFW and the Genesis contest.
You're from Texas, and
your novels are set in Texas. Currently writing your third book, The Way of
Grace, in the Miller's Creek series, can you tell us a little about the
theme, or possibly how it ties into the second book?
As I type these words, my husband and I are
getting ready to move to Arkansas (to be near our adorable grandson!) No doubt
the hardest part of the whole process for me is leaving my Texas family behind
and moving from a place that is such a HUGE part of who I am. I've lived my
entire life in small-town Texas, so it seemed like an appropriate setting for
my novels.
The Way of Grace
(as with all my stories) is based on my own
spiritual journey (hence Texas ROADS, A PATH Less Traveled, and The WAY of
Grace). The theme of the book is a look at the difference between a life of
living by law instead of living by grace. I mentioned earlier that I'm a
recovering perfectionist and so is the main character. The heroine, whose name
is Grace, tries to live her life observing all the rules and regulations of
society and trying to live up to her own unrealistic standards as well as those
of others. She's a legalistic perfectionist and has her future planned to a T.
For those of us who have lived on this planet
long enough, you can well imagine what a recipe for disaster this is. During
the course of the story, she not only falls, but falls hard and in a very
public way. But through the process--praise be to God!--learns the true glory
of God's grace. (Because of this new chapter beginning in my life, I'm still
very uncertain as to how much writing time I will have each day, but I hope to
release the book in late 2011 or early 2012.)
You share excellent messages on your website. Have you
ever been a Bible teacher?
Thanks for your kind words, Barb. I have taught
children's and adult Sunday School classes as well as served as a facilitator
for Experiencing God classes. Like writing, piano-playing and
decorating, I believe teaching is something God made me to do. ("For we
are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand, that we should walk in them." ~Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)) I've
taught in the public schools for eighteen years and taught private music
lessons for twenty-eight years.
When I was still a girl, I received a Bible from
one of my grandmothers with the inscription "Read it everyday." I
can't begin to tell you how that simple message has impacted my life. God's
Word is a revelation of who He is, and I want to know Him. In addition, I
believe so strongly in the truth of His Word as Good News of peace and hope
that I want to share it with others in whatever means possible. One of the ways
I share is to write devotional articles. When I feel God's Spirit speaking to
me from His Word, I write an article and post it online. I hope those posts
help others in their journey through this life.
Do you have some specific goals for your writing?
As for writing, my life is in such upheaval
right now that my only writing goal is to find regular time to write. (Right
now writing seems to be squeezed in between the cracks of my other
obligations.)
Cathy, I'm sure you have a word in your heart to minister to others as they read this post.
My heart is very much
tuned into the message of the story I'm currently writing, so if I have any
word to others, it would be to perform a heart-check. It's so easy to get caught
up in legalism, a tool of the enemy that is directly opposed to living by God's
gift of grace. Our work for God has to flow from our gratitude for His
wonderful gift of grace and salvation, and not be an effort to be "good
enough" for heaven. One of my favorite Mark Twain quotes illustrates this
perfectly: "Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out
and your dog would go in." Cracks me up every time I read it, and is just
another way of saying what Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you
have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift
of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (ESV)
Thanks for visiting with us today, Cathy. I've loved learning more about you and your writing journey. Blessings on your new home and books!
Thank you, Barb! I've
enjoyed visiting with you via Twitter and now your blog!
To learn more about Cathy, read her Bio ~
Though Cathy has been a
Texas gal all her life, she's recently been transplanted to northwest Arkansas
to be near to the world's most adorable grandson. She and her husband of thirty
years are eager to start this new chapter in their lives, to see what doors of
service God opens for them. Her first book,
Texas Roads, was a 2009 ACFW
Genesis finalist. Book 2 in the Miller's Creek, Texas series,
A Path Less
Traveled, released in 2010. Cathy hopes to have the third book in the
series,
The Way of Grace, available in late 2011/early 2012. You can
check out her books at
www.CatBryant.com.
Feel free to share your thoughts in a comment. Stay tuned for more author interviews this season. Until next time, I look forward to you visiting again at Gifts by Grace!