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Interests: Reading, drawing and painting, traveling, photography, renovating her 70-year-old bungalow. Samples: * Excerpt from: Journeys
Far, an upcoming YA fantasy novel A Brief Bio: Cathy is a recovering "Sweet Valley High" author who writes fiction and nonfiction books for children and teens. Under several pseudonyms, she has completed 20 young-adult series novels, all published by Bantam and Simon & Schuster. They include a dark fantasy, mysteries, thrillers, romances, horror, and a historical saga. Most were for the "Sweet Valley High" series for young adults. Through her fiction, she's sicced a werewolf on London, caused an avalanche in Colorado, and created several psychopathic murderers. In her greatest show of omnipotence, she devastated much of Southern California in an earthquake. Since the birth of her son in 2002, Cathy has been focusing more on nonfiction, which she finds easier to write in nap-sized chunks of time. She has written a YA book on Italian American immigration, a children's book about the Cherokee Indians, and one about Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers (which surpassed Chicago's Sears Tower to become the tallest buildings in the world). She recently finished a book on Islam, to be published early in 2005 for third- to fifth-graders, and is currently working on one about Stonehenge. In her spare time, Cathy is developing a YA time-travel fantasy series of her own and writing a comic novel for adults. She is also an occasional book reviewer for Children's Literature newsletter. With the publication of A Date With a Werewolf, for "Sweet Valley High," Cathy joined the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as an active member. She is a former national vice president of the National Federation of Press Women and also belongs to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She has won the University of Virginia's Washington Society Fiction Medal and numerous NFPW awards for writing and editing. Cathy was managing editor of a national business magazine until she quit her day job in November 1995 to devote more time to writing. Lately, she's devoting more time to her toddler than anything else, but hopes to increase her writing hours as he grows more independent. She has a Master's degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University's Writing Seminars and a Bachelor's in English from the University of Virginia. She also anchors a live radio show in the Washington, D.C., area. Cathy lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her librarian husband Bob and the world's cutest and smartest toddler, Jon Morgan, as well as a family of unwelcome squirrels who insist on boarding in her attic. Favorite Books/Authors Cathy doesn't believe in pigeonholing books into genres unless absolutely necessary, so in this list she's mixing fantasy, science fiction, and horror. As Ursula LeGuin once said when asked what kind of books she writes: "I prefer to call them all novels." Books (and Plays):
Movies:
Television:
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Style:
Mostly children's and YA books, including novels and nonfiction on a wide variety of topics and themes.
