The
Nun and the Narc blurb/summary:
Where novice Sister Margaret Mary
goes, trouble follows.
When she barges into a drug deal the local Mexican drug lord captures her. To
escape she must depend on undercover DEA agent Jed Bond. Jed’s attitude toward
her is exasperating, but when she finds herself inexplicable attracted to him
he becomes more dangerous than the men who have captured them, because he is
making her doubt her decision to take her final vows. Escape back to the
nunnery is imperative, but life at the convent, if she can still take her final
vows, will never be the same.
Nuns shouldn’t look, talk, act, or kiss like Sister Margaret
Mary O’Connor—at least that’s what Jed Bond thinks. She hampers his escape plans
with her compulsiveness and compassion and in the process makes Jed question
his own beliefs. After years of walling up his emotions in an attempt to become
the best agent possible, Sister Margaret is crumbling Jed’s defenses and
opening his heart. To lure her away from the church would be unforgivable—to
lose her unbearable.
Bio for Catherine Castle:
Catherine Castle has been writing all her life. Before
beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance
writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real
name, in the Christian and secular market. Besides writing, Catherine loves
traveling with her husband, singing, and attending theatre. In the winter she
loves to quilt and has a lot of UFOs (unfinished objects) in her sewing case.
In the summer her favorite place to be is in her garden. She’s passionate about
gardening and even won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening
club. The Nun and the Narc is her debut
inspirational suspense romance book.
INTERVIEW WITH CATHERINE CASTLE
1. Tell us about your writing career.
I have been writing
all my life. As a teenager I wrote poetry (and still do) and my first romance
novel. I also did some short stories that have long since been lost. In the
1990s I began writing as a freelancer for the local newspaper and for the
Christian Publishing house Standard Publishing writing for children. During the
90s I began writing fiction again.
2. What is the most important thing you
believe a writer should do when writing an inspirational book?
I think one of the
most important things an inspirational writer can do is write a book that
non-Christians will want to read. To me, that means don’t preach to the reader.
Nothing will make a non-Christian stop reading a book faster than preaching at
them. One of my favorite Amazon reviews comes from a non-Christian reader who
didn’t expect to like the book because it was an inspirational romance. She
expected preaching. Because I didn’t preach at her, she read the book and loved
it.
3. What kind of research did you have to do
before writing this book?
I had to do a lot
of research on Mexico, because that’s where the book is set. I also looked up
information on drug dealers, points of entry along the Mexican border, and
nuns, since I’m not one.
4. How do you entwine the fun or humor into
your novel when your leading characters are the middle of dangerous drug
dealers?
My husband says I
tend to make jokes and get mouthy when I get nervous or things get too serious.
I think I infused Sister Margaret Mary with some of my quirks to lighten the
mood in the tense moments.
5. Years ago when I first studied fiction writing
I learned trouble and hardship show a person’s true character; and fiction can’t
be stranger than real life. Give me an example of how one of your characters
was shaped by his or her experiences.
Although Jed has a
family history of law enforcement, his drive to get the bad guys, especially
drug dealers, stems from the loss of his father, who was killed by a drug user.
It’s the reason he joined the DEA and partly why he doesn’t want to make
connections with people. Losing them hurts too much.
6. Who is one of your characters you can’t
forget? Why does he or she stick in your memory?
I have to admit
that I have a fondness for Sister Margaret Mary. She is full of spunk and has a
caring heart that puts her and Jed in danger more than once. Her empathy also
makes her a memorable character.
7. Tell me about how you work to inspire
readers in their faith journey. How do you introduce scripture? What is your
favorite scripture?
That’s a difficult
question because faith is such a personal thing, no matter where you are in
your journey. Sister Margaret is not a
perfect nun: she has faults, flaws and foilables, and limitations to what she
will and won’t do, all characteristics I hope the readers could recognize in
their own lives. If our characters aren’t
real, how will readers identify with them?
I believe that
scripture should be used naturally in a book and not forced into the context by
constant quoting through characters. I don’t know about you, but I don’t go
around everyday quoting scripture. I might paraphrase sometimes, if the occasion calls for it. In The Nun and the Narc Mother Superior suggests that Sister Margaret
read a certain set of passages before writing her vows of commitment to
Christ. Introducing the scriptures is a
natural fit there and I do quote them. But when Mother Superior talks with her
about the parable of the camel and the Eye of the Needle, she doesn’t quote the
passage or reference the scripture location, referring to it instead in story
form. Nor does Sister Margaret quote the Bible to Jed. She shows him her faith through her actions.
As for my favorite
scripture, it’s “But those who
wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles. They will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31. The image of
God supporting us like the air currents support the soaring eagle is a very
comforting one.
8. How often do you write and how do you
conclude each writing session?
Not as often as I should.☺ I tend to write in blocks of
time, not daily, and I don’t like to be disturbed when I’m in the writing zone.
If it wasn’t for my husband asking if I was hungry, I could miss lunch and
dinner and my favorite television shows when I’m on a roll. I end each writing
session by backing up and printing out what I’ve written that day. I like to have that hard copy just in case. I
learned that lesson after I lost 50 pages of work. My computer crashed while
backing up a week’s work and I had to recreate all the new pages from memory.
Not fun.
9. What is your ultimate goal?
So often the world looks at Christians as people they
don’t want to get to know. We can be viewed as judgmental, standoffish,
preachy, and downright strange. I think that’s why most non-Christians will
never pick up an inspirational romance or other Christian fiction. As an
inspirational writer, I would like to write books that the secular audience wants
to read, as well as the Christian audience. For me, this means books that let
the faith journey of the characters shine through naturally without preaching
or copious quoting of scripture. I want to show
the readers the faith of the characters through their actions and make these
characters real enough that a reader can say, “I know someone like that.” Or
“Wow, I never knew Christians could be so real.”
Where do we purchase
your books and find out more information?
Currently, The Nun and the Narc is available at Amazon as an ebook. It will
come out near the end of this year as a print book, too.
You can learn more about the book
at http://www.amazon.com/The-Nun-Narc-ebook/dp/B00CHU9DH2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1368652543&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Nun+and+the+Narc
Catherine’s website: http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com
Catherine’s blog: http://catherinecastle1.wordpress.com/blog/
Catherine’s Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/author/catherinecastle
Catherine’s Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7085414.Catherine_Castle
Twitter: @AuthorCCastle
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