Welcome to this year’s fun spotlight introduction of Blog Battlers!
Every month we’re shining the light on a participant. Be sure to ask your own questions below!
Welcome, Cathleen!
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Blog/Website: | https://cathleentownsend.com |
| How long have you been a writer? | Eight years. |
| 3 random facts about you! | 1. I have college degrees, but I work in construction. 2. I’m an animal lover. 3. I once survived a plane crash. |
| What genre(s) do you write? | Fantasy, mostly fairy tale based. |
| What is your favorite BB story/entry you’ve written? What is the URL? | https://cathleentownsend.com/2016/04/17/anemone/ |
| Have you published any books? Self/Indie published? Traditional? Hybrid? | Yes, and three of them have Blog Battle entries: Dragon Hoard, Twelve Tales of Christmas, and To the Victor. I’ve had my short stories pubbed in anthologies and ezines, but I mostly self-publish. |
| If you have published books, where can people go to buy your books? | Well, I have eight of them, so in the interests of brevity, I’ll send you to my site: https://cathleentownsend.com/my-books/. |
| Do you plan to publish? If so, self/indie, traditional or both/hybrid? | Right now I’m only interested in self-pubbing, at least for anything longer than a short story. |
| Who or what inspired you to start a blog and share your writing? | I started a blog to try to build an audience, but it was Blog Battle that got me to consistently write short fiction. |
| Any advice you could share with your fellow BBers? | Figure out what you want to write and then clearly brand your work so that interested readers can find you. |
| If you could write from anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why? | I actually love where I live, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. It’s covered in oaks, pine, and granite, and it always seems like hobs and dwarves could be lurking just out of sight. |
| In your own reading, who has been your favorite protagonist? Why? What makes them stand out? | I don’t think anyone could ever replace Frodo Baggins in my heart. He learned and grew and suffered, but he endured nonetheless. |
| Where are you strongest as a writer and feel like you could offer help and advice to fellow BBers? | I’m good at story critique and brainstorming outlines. |
| Where are you weakest as a writer and would like to get more feedback and help with? | Line edits and crutch words are always a work in progress. |
| Share any social media links you have where you’d like to connect with fellow BBers and readers. | https://www.facebook.com/CathleenTownsendAuthor/ |
| How did you discover BB? (If you’d care to share!) | On Twitter. |
Thanks so much for sharing, Cathleen!
Enjoy August’s stories by tapping here.
And keep your eyes peeled for the next Prompt Word coming Friday, September 3rd!
Q&A Time
Please take a moment to ask Cathleen some questions in the comments section.
BlogBattle 
Like Joshua, I also want to know more about the plane crash. And considering your consistent Tolkien references, do you consider him to be the most influential author you’ve read?
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Regarding Tolkien, YES! Although part of that is personal–the person I was when I first read him, and how badly I needed to believe that there was good in the world. But I still study him technically–he has excellent descriptions, and that’s an area where I’m trying to improve.
The plane crash could have been far worse, but it was still intense. I wrote a flash memoir on it here: https://cathleentownsend.com/2016/07/04/the-taste-of-fear/.
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Cathleen has always appeared mysterious to me.
It was good to get to know you a bit more.
I like the suggestion regarding branding your writing. It’s easier said than done, but definitely a good tip. It’s one Cathleen seems to have mastered with her tales.
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Thanks for that, Sam. What do people think of my stories? I hope the whole “Faerie tales and fantasy worlds” thing on my blog is decent branding. I’m trying to give the impression that here’s a place where you can find classic, noblebright fantasy–hopefully something that will appeal to fans of Tolkien, Lewis, McKillip, and McKinley. : )
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Wow, you survived a plane crash? If it’s not too much to talk about, may I ask what happened? I loved reading this, always nice to know the person behind the keyboard. 🙂
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Sorry about this–it’s been a bit since I checked this page. Anyway, the plane crash happened in a small plane, a Cessna 185. We made it back to the runway, but hardly any of it was left, so we blew through the fence and out to the street on the other side. I wrote about it here: https://cathleentownsend.com/2016/07/04/the-taste-of-fear/. It’s under 1500 words, but it’s still a little long for a comment.
Thanks for asking, though. No one got hurt, and that was the main thing. : )
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Wow, what a story! So glad that nobody got hurt — that makes the story even better!
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Ah another blog battler I recognise… goo to see Cathleen
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Thanks so much, Simon–good to see you here as well. : )
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Thank you I hope you’ve been keeping good 🙂
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Well, I’m still plugging away. Glad to see you are, too. : )
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