Author Behind the Story Blog Series - Catherine Goonen (aka C. G. Clark)

I logged in to upload this post and was pleasantly surprised. Last month, this blog logged over 3,500 hits. The most ever. We're not even halfway through the month of September, and we're sitting at almost 2,500 already. On one day alone, we had almost two hundred. 

I am so happy, because that's why I started this blog so many years ago. It's to be a database of authors and other writing of mine from way-back-when as a monthly contributor to Seriously Write, a once-in-a-while contributor to More to Life Magazine, and other online locations.

However, it's always been about the other authors, of which I am just one, and the field of writing in general.

So, thank you, to all of you who have found us and are making history here at ABTS. We hope you are finding some new authors to read as a result of a blog like this. Otherwise, you would never have known they existed.

Now, to keep up our ABTS tradition of introducing new authors, please welcome to the Florida Front Porch another fellow Word Weaver, Catherine Goonen! 

Cathy, have a seat in one of our Adirondack chairs, grab an "Arnold Palmer," and in ABTS style, give us a quick bio. In fifty words or less, who is Catherine Goonen? Or should we call you C. G. Clark? 

Hi. I’m Catherine Goonen, a grandmother of nine, and married to a retired military pilot. Writing as C.G. Clark, I’m an award-winning author, and my characters find redemption, restoration, and salvation as they witness the spiritual battle over mankind’s future when their realities collide with the unseen heavenly realm.

Before you ever got a notion of becoming a writer/author, how old were you, and what were you doing in that time of your life?

My father was a computer technician in the Air Force. When I was ten years old, we were living in Great Falls, Montana, and he took me with him to check the computer in one of the missile silos. I didn’t understand the purpose of such an enormous machine, but the flashing lights and strange sounds fascinated me. It filled a room the size of my living room, and it seemed as if the metal, wires, and bulbs had a mind of their own. It was a tangible perspective of a world where rockets launched into space and people walked on the moon, and my imagination began to take off with them.

Sounds like a scene out of War Games? Remember that movie? Good movie. Lots of blinking lights in the WOPR too.

If you had your life to live over again, besides being an author (which we guess would be your obvious answer), what profession would you choose?

If mathematics had not been such a nemesis, I might have become an architect. I always wanted to design something that would make a difference and stand the test of time, like Frank Lloyd Wright did. I also had a serious interest in photography, but never had the time or resources to fully pursue it.

Funny you should mention that. I, too, has dreams of being an architect at one point in my life. Interesting...

Of all the stories/books you have written, which one is your favorite? And what compelled you to write this story?

Of the five books I’ve written so far, I think Restoration is my favorite. It’s the story in which I took the most risks, especially for Christian fiction. My main character, Rebeka, is someone I aspire to be when I grow up. She’s stubborn, determined, and has a fierce faith that can’t be shaken, no matter how hard the enemy tries. (I’m getting there.)

As a writer, if you had one thing you would do over again, what would it be?

To be honest, I would not have listened to all the nay-sayers that kept me from pursuing my writing when I was younger. Even with my first three books, I made mistakes … everywhere … but I took my granddaughter’s advice and self-published them anyway. After all, I could always revise and republish them, which I’ve recently done. I’m not writing to make money. I’m doing it because the Lord wants me to write, and I trust His plan. As long as I do that, I can’t go wrong.

So true.

Knowing what you know now about writing, publishing, etc., what piece of advice would you give to the person thinking about writing that novel they have always wanted to pursue since they were young, or the person who believes they have a non-fiction book in them that would be helpful to others?

In a word, write. Don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t let other opinions sway you. Pray about it, get your marching orders from the only One that matters, then get to work. That’s the “pep talk” part. As for the practical part: read, research, write, read, re-write, and write some more.

And edit. And edit...

How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Good question. I’ve used name catalogs. I’ve researched names in other languages based on what they
mean. Sometimes, it’s a name I hear in passing. They all end up in a database where I can find them when I need them.

Now, let's switch gears and talk about you personally. What’s the craziest thing you have ever done?

I’m not a fan of heights, nor am I a thrill-seeker of any kind. My husband is the one who will happily experience the Sky-Coaster, the Reverse Bungee, or skydiving. I prefer to watch from a secure spot on the ground. But … I took a literal leap of faith on my 60th birthday. I stepped off the top of the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas to drop 855 feet while connected to a cable controlling my fall until I slowed to a standing stop at the bottom. It took approximately seventeen seconds from the time I stepped off the platform until I touched down, unhooked, and walked away.

It's never made sense for me to jump from a perfectly good airplane or rooftop. I guess I'm just practical like that...  

For all the pet lovers out there, answer this question: Do you have any?

I have an opinionated, stubborn, far too smart, very vocal, and extremely loyal black cockapoo named Zander.

You know Zander is short for Alexander, right? And Alexander the Great was very much like your dog, so maybe it's all in the name...

Why do you live where you live?

I’ve lived all over the country, from Maine to California, and Texas to Montana. I was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and met my husband in Orlando. When we finally chose where we wanted to build our final home, we chose Clermont, Florida. Despite how it’s grown, it still retains its old-Florida-charm, and has just enough rolling countryside to satisfy the needs of a flatlander wanting a change. We’re almost equal distance from the east and west coast beaches and we never have to shovel snow. Granted, we may have the occasional hurricane, but we know it’s coming can board up the house, head up to Missouri to visit family, and clean up when we get back.

We know “Readers are leaders, and leaders are readers.” Is there a book you’ve read in the past five years or so that has helped you become a better you? If so, which one was it, and how did it affect your life?

Charles Stanley’s The Will of God: Understanding and Pursuing His Ultimate Plan for Your Life. It helped me to decide whether to publish my first book during a time when I struggled with understanding God’s purpose for my life. Even though I know He has a plan for me, sometimes I need to be reminded. This book helped me get back on track.

What Bible scripture has impacted your life the most, and why?

I draw inspiration and courage from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This scripture that has given me the boldness to forge ahead and do what the Father has called me to do … write.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers about you, or anything we didn’t cover?

Writing is the perfect occupation. You can write almost anywhere, with or without the internet. You can even write “old school,” using pen and paper. No matter how or where you do it, you have the ability to bring characters and worlds to life for the enjoyment or enlightenment of others. In a way, God has gifted writers with the ability to create. Perhaps not literally—only He has that power—but it gives us ways to glorify Him that are unique to each author. It’s also a sacred duty, because words have power. They can build up, but they can also tear down. So, handle your gift with care. Foremost, make prayer your constant companion and keep open those lines of communication with He who equips you to do what He has asked of you.

Good advice.

Dear Readers, If you wish to get to know Catherine better, here are some place on the web you can find her and her books: 

~ Website link: https://www.cgclarkbooks.com/

~ Facebook page link:  https://www.facebook.com/CGClarkBooks

~ Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/cathygoonen7

~ FictionFinder link:  https://www.fictionfinder.com/author/detail/2352

~Amazon Author Page link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.G.-Clark/author/B0849V5K84

Thank you again for stopping by and make ABTS part of your busy day!

Me wearing my granddaughter's 
sunglasses several years ago.

Kevin

Forbearing the Wicked Cants & Cabals - (A Seriously Write Blog Post)

Read: Psalm 100

It was a Tuesday. November 4, 2014. Approximately 8:30 PM.

I was watching television, and a commercial for a department store came on, depicting a woman wearing what was intended to be a Santa-like suit. It was red and white. Her surroundings were also red and white. The music playing had a “Carol of the Bells” feel to it.

Other similar ads followed. As they ended, I sat there, staring at the television. All I could think of was, “What happened to Thanksgiving?”

The next day, my wife and I stopped by a home improvement store. We strolled in the front door and were greeted by a display of huge (I mean, six feet in diameter and eight feet high kind of huge) inflatable “rubber duckies” donning Santa hats, a 20-foot high toy soldier, and various scenes from Disney and Charles Schultz surrounded by more innocuous and less definable renditions of Christmas lore.

The next morning, the last straw got tossed onto the proverbial camel’s back. The TV news anchor reported a large department store announcing its intentions to open earlier than ever on Thanksgiving Day.

Noon. They’re going to open at Noon.

As more and more advertisements arrive on the TV screen with single snowflakes, silly snowmen, and shaken snow globes, it actually makes me a little sad. As fall decorations dwindle to make room for more and more candy and costumes at Halloween and more gadgets and gizmos for Christmas, it causes me to pause.

Why? Because I see this push to expand consumerism as a microcosm of a greater, spiritual dilemma.

Thanksgiving overrun by self-absorption. A season of reflection overshadowed by months of days tainted by greed and avarice.

I realize the concept of a “Thanksgiving Day” is an American thing. The First Thanksgiving in 1621, when Edward Winslow spoke of “a bay full of lobsters,” his sentiments, written to Englanders back home, seemed to give us the heart of the pilgrims, despite the newer renditions offered in many elementary classrooms today, “These things I thought good to let you understand, being the truth of things as near as I could experimentally take knowledge of, and that you might on our behalf give God thanks who hath dealt so favorably with us (Bold added).”1

From George Washington’s urging in 1789 for an official day of thanksgiving and prayer (although an official day was never chosen or enacted) to the formal declaration by President Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863, expressing gratitude for the victory at Gettysburg and announcing an official federal holiday be celebrated every 4th Thursday of November, it has been in our American bones to give God thanks.

I also realize that greed and avarice attempting to envelope the Christmas season is nothing new. Charles Dickens made that loud and clear in December, 1843, with some of the most powerful words in fiction (in my humble opinion):

“God bless us every one!'' said Tiny Tim, the last of all.

He sat very close to his father's side upon his little stool. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him.

“Spirit,” said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before, “tell me if Tiny Tim will live.”

“I see a vacant seat,” replied the Ghost, “in the poor chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.”

“No, no,” said Scrooge. “Oh, no, kind Spirit! say he will be spared.”

“If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,” returned the Ghost, “will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”

Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.

“Man,” said the Ghost, “if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!”2

As a writer, do I approach my writing like today’s department stores? Pushing, shoving, forcing my way in front of more and more eyeballs for the simple and sole purpose of selling my wares? And how am I perceived by the buying public, both Christian and non? Should my approach to the (in the words of Ebenezer Scrooge) “much buying and selling” look different, smell different, actually be different?

Or am I thankful? Thankful to be called a writer? Thankful to be published? Thankful to be called God’s child? And if being called God’s child was all I had—with my published books stripped and tossed into the fire (1 Cor. 3:10-15), would I be content and consider it a blessing? If God said, “Don’t write another word,” would I be happy? Would I be obedient?

King David, in Psalm 100, talks about a relationship with God as His people. God’s people entering the temple, ready for worship. God’s people walking into the outer courts full of thanksgiving. And if we remember well, when the “much buying and selling” encroached upon the Holy of Holies, it was the Lord Himself who overturned the tables and declared the guilty parties robbers in a den, possibly turning people away if they couldn’t purchase even a dove (Matt. 21:12-14; cf. Jer. 7:11).

Now that the “House of God” is in the hearts of men (1 Cor. 3:16), how much more poignant are the scenes in Psalm 100 and Matthew 21 for us? Especially as writers? As we lead readers to the throne of God, into the Holy of Holies, do we bring our sacrifices of praise and hearts of thanksgiving? Or do we sit at the gate, behind a table, with our coffers open wide, hands outstretched?

Now that you have passed the town of Thanksgiving, trekking the highway leading upward toward the temple we call Christmas, how much of the former have you packed in your spiritual suitcase for the trip to the latter?

Be truly thankful this holiday season.

And, as a Christian writer, the season never ends (Philippians 4:4-7).

_________________________________________

1Winslow, Edward. “A Letter Sent from New England,” A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Ed: Dwight B. Heath. New York: Corinth Books, 1963. p. 82.

        

2Dickens, Charles. “A Christmas Carol.”

To see this article on the Seriously Write website, click on the link below:

Forbearing the Wicked Cants & Cabals

"How Many Four-Letter Words Do You Need? (A Seriously Write Blog Post)

This blog entry is my first as a Regular Contributor for the Seriously Write blog for writers. I am humbled and consider it a privilege to be a part!

 How Many Four-Letter Words Do You Need?

Facebook. Marketing. Twitter. Platform. Blog. Followers. Brand. Instagram. Website. Goodreads. Constant Contact. Ebooks. Analytics. Hits. Page Views. Likes.

Okay, so they’re not all literally four-letter words. But admit it. You feel like they are sometimes:

“If I hear one more person talk about ‘platform,’ I’m 

 going to jump from one!”

“Twitter is for those who can’t spell and have to do so

 in 140 characters or less.”

You’ve probably read scores of articles and books on those four-letter words. Spend 30 minutes here, 15 minutes there, an hour a week everywhere. Right?

I did the math: 126.4 hours a day would get all their suggestions slated into my daily routine. That includes eight hours for actually writing my novels, and six hours for sleep.

Oh, wait, I forgot to add family time.

So much for sleep.

Of course, my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek. Yet, the truth of my words rings true. For many authors, the push to be successful motivates them to do it all. They believe what they read and act on what they believe.

But I have a question for you: What are your goals as a writer? What defines success for you?

I’ve wrestled with these questions. When I first started writing, all I wanted to do was “get published.” Ever been there? The problem, I soon found out, was that I had not written down “getting published” as a goal, per se. It was a desire. There’s a difference.

A big difference.

When you set goals, there is a sense of accomplishment when you reach them. You have to reassess at that point. Set new goals based on your present state of affairs. When you chase desires, on the other hand, there’s always “something more” to attain. Old desires give way to new ones. When I got published, we celebrated as a family. But then, another desire arose.

Sales.

Another four-letter word. I wanted to write full-time. I needed sales. Ever been there? In America, sales denote success, or the lack thereof. Capitalism at its finest. But when you couple this desire with naiveté, you get a pushy writer who goes off the Christian rails. The kind of writer publishers and agents talk about at conferences…and not in a good way.

Are those your goals? Getting published and great sales? Is that why you got into writing? If so, good luck. You’re gonna need it.

Can I suggest a better way? Bloom where God has you planted you. As you write, continue to improve on the craft. Remain faithful. God will use you. And don’t be afraid to let Him define what that looks like. Let Him help you set the goals. The last thing we need is more of the same. The Body of Christ would look funny if we were all ears and noses (cf. 1 Cor. 12). Christian publishing is no different. There are many readers out there who may never pick up the Bible or an Amish romance, but may pick up your book. Make sure it’s worthy by allowing God to take those four-letter words, wash them in the Blood of Christ, and produce a beautiful garden with your life’s work.

To see this article at Seriously Write, click on the ling below:
https://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com/2014/10/how-many-four-letter-words-do-you-need.html