Cathy Lamb | Deadlines

I have 15 days to go.

Fifteen days until my deadline for my next book, Henry’s Sisters.

This means that – except for a short jaunt to drop a kid off at school on the east coast – I will spend most of my other days muttering to myself, half-crazed, almost sleepless, and teetering on desperate. I will talk to my characters out loud. They will talk back. They will throw things in my mind and screech and use poor language and make me laugh. I will laugh out loud at inappropriate times at my characters. I will try to avoid this inappropriate laughter during church.

It is most likely I will be in pajamas until 4:00. I won’t wash my hair much and I’ll probably smell stale. I will eat too much and gain weight, that is a given. I will be edgy and mentally hyperventilating.

This is typical for deadline time and I am almost used to this rollicking insanity. When the book is turned in I will go and drink. No, not bottles of rum, you silly. We’re talkin’ decaffeinated mochas with piled up whip cream.

I love to write and I love to read. If my arms suddenly fell off, I am convinced I would write with my nose (Large enough, by the way, to hunt and peck keys, do not be fooled by the photo.)

I am often asked where I get my ideas for my writing…I get zinged by ideas almost every time I venture out of my house. Before I wrote Henry’s Sisters I had two images in my head: Mermaids and a cane. Mermaids and two canes are in this book. I like mermaids and I’d heard about a cool, colorful cane, and things took off from there. There are also three sisters and a brother in Henry’s Sisters. In my family there are three sisters and a brother. See. Creepy.

Where else do I get my ideas? Well, this will sound odd, but if I stare too long at a person, and I’m in character – building mode, I can feel a story formulating in my head all about them. That’s odd, I know. And, if I ever meet you and I stare at you too long, you now know what I’m doing. It would be quite fair of you to yell, “Stop that, this instant, Cathy, you odd freak,” And, I will. (Probably).

I live in suburbia. Now, sometimes suburbia feels like a tight box so I go to Portland. Going to Portland can set my mind on fire for days. The cool people, the pace, wacky high heels, a crumbling brick building, the smell of beer, someone pushing a shopping cart, even the light or a peek at the river can do it for me. Heading to the beach or the mountains offers huge inspiration. In fact, all my stories have been at least partially inspired by both. Julia’s Chocolates is set outside of Sisters, Oregon. Suzanna’s Stockings is set in Depoe Bay, Oregon. The Last Time I Was Me is set in Welches, Oregon, and Henry’s Sisters is set in Hood River.

Hope you like my books…feel free to write to me via my website at any time. I answer all letters unless they’re mean, and that’s the truth.

Cheers and happy reading.
Cathy Lamb
www.cathylamb.net

The Last Time I Was Me, May, 2008
Julia’s Chocolates, May, 2007
Comfort and Joy with Fern Michaels. Suzanna’s Stockings, November, 2007
Henry’s Sisters, May, 2009