CATHERINE A WILSON
'My grandmother was a wonderful storyteller and I count myself fortunate to have been able to spend time with her and my great uncles and aunts, who loved nothing more than a good pot of tea with added lashings of gossip. It is their legacy that fuelled my genealogical addiction as I strove to identify fact from fiction and then record the information for posterity. From this sprouted my love of history, the urge to research and write and, eventually, to develop my own stories. 'At the suggestion of Anna Jacobs, another highly successful and talented Australian novelist, I joined Romance Writers Australia. One keystroke error placed me on a chat loop where I met my namesake, Cathy T. After making a crass remark concerning my rather plain name, our friendship was born. We began to regularly email one another, offering words of encouragement (the publishing world is a tough place for the uninitiated – believe me), when Cathy T came upon the idea to create a novel along the lines of our real-time friendship. Hence, Lions and Lilies was born.' Catherine was born in London, England, and immigrated to Australia in the 1970's to reside in and around the leafy suburbs of Eastwood, Epping and Dundas. Without a particular path in mind she simply took the first job she was offered, which happened to be the position of Layout Artist for a well-known map publisher, but changed course and selected a career in nursing. She later enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force, before resigning to a quiet life at home. She lives in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, with her husband and two beautiful children, several Jack Russells, a large flock of flighty chickens, goldfish and budgies. When not writing (which is not often) she likes to garden, read books, shop, read books, drink copious cups of strong coffee with friends and read plenty of books.
CATHERINE T WILSON
Catherine
was born in Burnley, England, but moved to Australia when she was
eleven months old. She grew up in Elizabeth, South Australia, relocating
to Queensland when she was fourteen. She worked in communications,
before finally deciding to fulfil her dream as a writer. The raw draft
of her first novel, a Viking romance, won an encouragement award of
$1,000 from six hundred entries, in a popular women’s magazine
competition. She visited Europe in 2006 to witness the annual
re-enactment of ʻThe Battle of Agincourt,ʼ and then travelled
extensively throughout Britain and France, researching material for Lions and Lilies.
In 2016, she returned to Europe for further research in Morocco, Spain,
Portugal and France. Her visit to Chartres cathedral to ‘walk the
labyrinth’ and then stroll through the medieval old town during its
summer light show was an experience she’ll never forget. And the second
visit to Bellegarde remains among her most treasured memories.
Catherine T lives on a small
bushland property, on a mountain range west of Brisbane and yes, you
need only walk into her house to see her first love. Pictures of maidens
on horseback grace the walls, and every corner and mantel are filled
with knights and battle axes, the bookshelves overflowing with tales of
chivalry.