a guest post by Catherine C Hall
Twenty years ago, I was lounging about the pool when a friend mentioned she was thinking about going back to school for her Masters. “But I’ll be fifty years old when I finish it,” she lamented.
“And how old,” I asked her, “will you be if you don’t go back to school?”
She went back to school, got her Masters. Sometimes, all we need is a reminder that it’s not age that’s the obstacle, it’s our thinking. And even knowing better, I battle ageism, too. Not so much from other people, but from myself. When I think, “I’m too old to learn new stuff!” or “It’s too late for me to start all over again!” that’s my brain trying to sabotage my dreams.
We are often our own worst enemy, despite the fact that we’re also often incredible cheerleaders for everyone else! I’m the original “You can do it!” girl for my children, friends, family, even the cashier at the grocery store. And yet, I struggle with self-doubts, self-criticism, and fear of failure.
It’s exactly why I built an anti-ageism theme into Secrets Laid to Rest. All of the Ladies of SPI deal with fears and anxieties as women of a certain age; they’re all looking for something more even if they’re not aware of the seeking.
And it’s no accident that the Golden Girls informed my Ladies of SPI. Those four women supported and loved each other, even when they disagreed, even with their many differences. So, too, goes the dynamic of my Sutter sleuths.
So what’s one to do, faced with those self-doubts that often plague us after menopause? Find support! Maybe it’s a group, like a professional organization or a Facebook community. Maybe it’s a bunch of friends who cheer each other on through thick and thin. Or maybe it’s just that one person who’s a trusted confidante. Maybe it’s all three!
When I started toying with the idea of writing an adult novel, my SCBWI friends were the first to say, “Do it!” even though I’d be leaving children’s writing. When I started talking about publishing the book myself, many friends rallied behind me, saying, “You can do it!” When I actually started doing the work, and feeling sorry for myself because I had to do it ALL BY MYSELF, I whined to a few select people (Honestly, I can’t stand a whiner, especially when it’s me) who listened patiently then gently but firmly gave me the kick I needed.
But still, I had my moments. Like the moment when I thought, “For crying out loud, I’ll figure out Medicare before I ever figure out all this technology!” But then I thought of the money I’d be saving on my health insurance. “I’ll spend it on ME!”
That’s the kind of self-talk that gets dreams done. The Ladies of SPI did it and so did I. And you know what? You can do it, too.
It’s the Golden Girls meet the Ghostbusters when four women find themselves in an unlikely career: Southeastern Paranormal Investigations. Ree Lane, a stylish widow, is more cynic than true believer, while her childhood chum Elle Harper has a knack for getting sensitive info with the help of her homemade pies. The preacher’s wife, Betsy Jones, can’t be seen with SPI unless she’s in her disguise as Nora, a psychic-in-training with a gift for Tarot. And the recently-returned-home Gillian Buchanan is a whiz at technology, especially of the supernatural sort.
Their first case lands on the doorstep when neighbor Doris Tucker is sure her prized vintage dolls are haunted. But there’s hardly time for ghost-hunting when the bank director’s wife mistakes SPI for a private eye venture. Now they’re also hot on the trail of a misbehaving husband. It’s a wild ride as the sixty-something sleuths start digging into the past. But have the Ladies of SPI gone too far? And how far will Sutter go to keep its secrets dead and buried?
Purchase a copy of Secrets Laid to Rest on Amazon.
You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
There’s a great song, “I’ve Been Everywhere,” made popular by Johnny Cash (and a couple commercials). If you put the song in Georgia, it would be about Catherine C. Hall, starting when she moved to the Peach State at eight-years-old.
She grew up in Savannah, Georgia, where you can’t throw a stick without hitting a ghost. Even when she was a little girl, Savannah was known for its haunted history and she was hooked!
Broadcast Journalism hooked her as well, so she studied at Valdosta State University way down in South Georgia where it is the heat and the humidity. She worked in a few radio stations but it was WNEX Radio in Macon that turned out to be life-changing. She met a cute deejay from Sandersville, Georgia, and married him a year later.
They moved above the Gnat Line (Oh, it’s real) to the Atlanta area, where they grew their family to two boys and a girl, and she took a turn in the teaching world. And then whoosh! She met the half-century mark wondering what to do? Maybe it was the merlot talking but after years of reading mysteries, Catherine thought it was high time she write one. And she did; it was awful. (And way too short. Who knew readers expected 70, 000 words?)
So she learned her craft, starting with flash fiction, then moving on to short fiction, where she won a few awards. She wrote essays that ended up in books like Chicken Soup for the Soul. She penned assorted humor columns and continued to freelance. And then one day, she wrote another story that wasn’t exactly novel-length but it wasn’t a short story, either. It was a children’s book.
She joined SCBWI, the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and had a wonderful career in children’s writing, including publishing six books. But in the midst of her last two book contracts, life changed unexpectedly when Catherine’s favorite deejay up and died.
When at last she wanted to write again, she heard four women of a certain age, each seeking purpose and joy in where they found themselves. Which for them was a small town in Georgia called Sutter. For Catherine, it was at home, still in the Atlanta suburbs, revisiting the ghost stories of her youth, and finally getting that mystery written. All 70,000 words of it!
You can find Catherine online at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551890907288
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathychall/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cathyhall55/
Website (Psst! Sign up for Cathy’s Spirited Newsletter and get in on secret giveaways!): https://catherine-c-hall.com/
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