Featured Interview With Julie Catania-Shady
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Hi! I'm Julie! I'm a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit junkie; children's books literacy advocate, Author, spouse to a retired air force airman, and mama, who is simply making it through the day by the grace of caffeine and Jesus. I live in leggings and LOVE wearing dresses with sneakers! I have a degree in broadcast journalism and criminal justice from the University of Maryland in College Park. After college, I went on to work in television, specializing in crime TV and then advanced to investigations for the federal government. My most favorite job has been being a mommy and Conversations With Colton are my favorite! I live in Oklahoma with my husband, son, and dog.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I have always had a knack for story telling. Even as a young child I enjoyed telling stories. I even have old journals filled with writings about random topics. In journalism school I mostly wrote news stories but Conversations With Colton is my first "official" book!
I’ve been writing conversations with Colton for the last 7 years! Not in the conventional sense, but when my son was a baby, I started posting about him on social media using the #conversationswithcolton. The older he got, the more in-depth our conversations grew. The older he grew, the more interesting our conversations got! The more interesting our conversations got, the more I started to pray for patience. I digress…but let’s just say Conversations With Colton has been a work in progress for years!
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite series growing up was Nancy Drew. I wish I had fond childhood memories of enjoying books before middle school, but I don’t. I don’t have any memories where I enjoyed reading before the Nancy Drew series. I know my parents read bedtime stories to me.
I read when it was required in school, but I didn’t love books,
until I “met” Nancy and the gang.
For those you don’t know, Nancy Drew is a fictional teenage amateur detective in an extended series of mystery books by Carolyn Keene. Nancy Drew’s intelligence, courage, and independence made her a popular role model for many generations of young readers. I may have been her #1 fan. I was obsessed with her investigative skills and loved the idea of solving mysteries. In hindsight, I believe she inspired me more than I realized at the time, but I owe Carolyn Keene the world because she is was sparked my LOVE of books.
I currently enjoy reading EVERYTHING-all genres from Romantic Comedies to Mysteries to Business books.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
Conversations with Colton is an exploration of faith. When I was pregnant with my son Colton doctors said he would NOT be born alive. But GOD stepped in, and a miracle happened. So, I wrote a book about him, our miracle, and our conversations which are hilarious by the way! But what I planned to write was a fun coffee table comedic account of our conversations and what I ended up writing are two different things. I realized that we had a greater message to share. Conversations with Colton explores how to keep faith when caught in a “storm?” Colton survived despite what doctors said and conversations with him have made all the fear, faith, and doubt that got us to this moment 100 percent worth it.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
Julie Catania-Shady Facebook Page
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