Catherine A. Hamilton
Author Interview - Catherine A. Hamilton
Author I draw inspiration from: The amazing thing about WWII stories is that people never seem to tire of them! Every year, during the ten-plus years while I was researching and writing Victoria’s War, a WWII novel came out! Novels like City of Thieves, Sarah’s Key, The Zookeeper’s Wife, and more recently Lilac Girls, All the Light We Cannot See, and Learning to See. What I’ve drawn from the authors of these books is a passion to tell the untold story. How to narrow it down? I have to say that the runners-up are Tatiana De Rosnay and David Benioff. But Benioff is the winner; in his hard-hitting story City of Thieves, the terror of war, historic insight, and pathos land squarely on every page. And I loved his use of a humorous and sometimes sarcastic sidekick for the main character. Hence my sidekick Mrs. Kosa for Victoria.
Author Interview - Catherine A. Hamilton
Favorite place to read a book: I love to read on the sofa next to the fireplace. But I adore reading by the swimming pool in Hawaii. We have a favorite hotel with a pool that has a view of the ocean and a white sand beach! When I want to escape from the hectic pace of life in the city, that’s my beach. And always, always, there’s a book in my hand.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: I fall in love easy, and I fall in love hard! So, this isn’t a fair question. If the male protagonist is lovable, handsome, and strong, never mind the elevator; I would follow him to the ends of the earth! Okay, if you insist—I’ll try and narrow it down. If I were 15 years old, it would be Harry Potter. If I were twenty-six, without a doubt it’s Vince Flynn’s character Mitch Rapp.
Author Interview - Catherine A. Hamilton
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I wrote poems as a child—actually, I still write poems—and I thought of myself as a poet for years. I think when I published my first freelance article in a psychotherapy journal, the poet in me stepped aside. From there it was gradual. I loved writing and publishing papers and articles. I loved research! The historical fiction writer was born when I came across the big story. One that was bigger than a newspaper article. One that demanded a book.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: I love to support other authors, and I spend a fortune on books of all kinds. Hardback, paperback, eBook, audiobook—I buy them all! We have a fabulous library collection in our home, so I like to get first-edition hard copies, but for travel and cuddle-up reading, paperbacks are my go-to books. I am guilty of double, triple, quad buying books: audio so that I can listen in the car, eBook and paperback to read while traveling, and hardback for the home library.
The last book I read: I read a lot, and for most of the books I read, I’ll write and post reviews. You can see my recent reviews on my website or my author page on Goodreads. I just finished reading My Sister’s Mother: A Memoir of War, Exile, and Stalin’s Siberia by Donna Solecka Urbikas and Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly. (TBR: Fast Girls by Elise Hooper, coming out in July. Hooper wrote Learning to See, also a favorite of mine.)
Author Interview - Catherine A. Hamilton
Pen & paper or computer: When I’m drafting a story, I keep notes on paper, 3x5 cards, or even sticky notes! I never know when an idea is going to pop into my head, so I always have a pen and tablet in my purse, on my nightstand, and in the car. But the real writing takes place on my PC or laptop.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Hmm. Two come to mind. First, Beata, nicknamed Baba Yaga, in A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka, and second would be Vivian Daly in Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.
Author Interview - Catherine A. Hamilton
If I wasn’t an author, I’d be a: Restauranteur or landscape architect. I love cooking, planning menus, and having big dinner parties, and I love working in the garden, especially designing. I like to post my cooking and recipe articles on my website and Instagram, and I share spring and summer garden tours on my Instagram stories.
Favorite decade in fashion history: I’ve given this one a lot of thought. Current fashions have always enticed me! That said, I would have been thrilled to wear a long dress with a bustle each and every day, along with the other ladies in the nineteenth century! But as far as fashion in the history of my own lifetime, I think my favorite was Twiggy’s 1966–1970s look. The big eyes, short hair, and miniskirts! I loved them! I remember watching my older sister dress in those brightly colored shift dresses. I was in awe! Sadly, I was too young to wear makeup or short skirts!
Place I’d most like to travel: Traveling right now isn’t a subject that most folks are talking about, but I love Poland and Italy. I’ll feel blessed if I can travel this month (June 2020) to do one of my book launch tours in Austin, Texas!
My signature drink: First thing in the morning, coffee, black. On the weekends, I love to have a bourbon Manhattan up, with a twist of orange (and no cherry). My favorite bourbon is Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, and the best red vermouth is Carpano Antica Formula. There are all sorts of exotic bitters these days, but I stick with the classic Angostura.
Favorite artist: I think the most talented female vocalists out there right now are Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. They were amazing on the special fundraiser for COVID-19 relief, “One World: Together at Home.” All the artists on the program were heroes!
Number one on my bucket list: I don’t have a bucket list. Living each day doing what I love and believe in is my bucket!
Find more from the author:
Website: http://www.catherineahamilton.com/
Facebook Page: https://m.facebook.com/catherineahamiltonwriter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherineahamil
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/catherineannham/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14531832.Catherine_A_Hamilton
Author Bio: A native Oregonian of Polish descent, Catherine A. Hamilton spent several years as a freelance writer. Her articles and poems have appeared in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the Oregonian, the Catholic Sentinel, and the Polish American Journal. She is the author of a chapter about Katherine Graczyk in Forgotten Survivors: Polish Christians Remember the Nazi Occupation, edited by Richard C. Lukas (University Press of Kansas, 2004). Her debut novel, Victoria’s War, will be published on June 2, 2020, by Plain View Press. Hamilton lives in the Northwest with her husband.
Author Interview - Catherine A. Hamilton
