The Henderson News

Local author wins Best of Texas Books FROM HENDERSON NEWS STAFF REPORTS Catherine Green was a recent winner in the Best of Texas Books awarded during its sixth annual contest July 28-29 in Dallas for her first book “The Popcorn Tree.”  “When I received the congratulations letter this past spring, I couldn’t believe it,” said Green. “I asked ‘if there are any other entires?’ I was shocked to say the least.”  Readers of the exceptional titles selected for Texas Association of Authors (TxAuthors) Best Book Awards, would agree that they are winning reads and top-tier selections in their categories. By any measure, the distinguished books from this year’s 48 winners are of stellar quality.  Readers will love to fall into the pages and climb out with the greatest of satisfaction.  Green said her book inspiration was simply a story she told her daughter.   This is the sixth year for TxAuthors to select winning titles by Texas Authors. A sample chapter from each winning book can be found, along with the previous year’s winners.

Press Release - April 18, 2018

Press Release - April 28, 2019

Interesting Authors, Part 2

Originally posted on www.PattyWiseman.com
NEW BOOKS, INTERESTING AUTHORS 

It's always a pleasure to showcase new books and interesting authors. Here, again, is another diamond. I met Catherine Green in July of 2017. At an ArtWalk. She was interested in getting a story that danced around in her head turned into a children's book. We talked.

Now here it is, January of 2018 and guess what? Her beautiful book, The Popcorn Tree, is out in print! I'm so proud of Cathy.

From humble beginnings, Catherine Green found value in family. She was raised by her mother, mentor and guide through life, along with her two siblings. She learned hard work and devotion will always achieve much. A student by heart, she enjoyed learning and taking the road less traveled. She became the first in her family to graduate college. With many years of dedicated effort, she accomplished three degrees as a wife and mother while working full-time. She completed her bachelor’s in business administration from LeTourneau University.

Catherine has an astute mind for business. Her mother says, “She always caught on quick.” Her lifetime of work is evident with an array of fields ranging from agriculture, property investments, healthcare professional, oil and gas partner, skilled nursing consultant, owner/operator of El Rancho Verde, to children’s book author. She has proved to be a successful ambitious entrepreneur.

An adventurous spirit, interest in people, and curiosity of culture keep her traveling. She enjoys nature and the great outdoors. Today, you will find her in the piney woods of East Texas raising exotic sheep. She believes that failure can happen only if one does not try. Fear is waiting to be conquered.

Let's listen to Cathy in her own words:

The Popcorn Tree was a story I have never considered myself a writer, in fact, in school, I didn’t like writing papers. Later in life, when I was working on my bachelor’s degree, I remember the first day of class we were told to write a two-page paper. I sweat three days over that paper and it took me 12 hours to write. When I returned to class, I asked my peers about their papers and how long it took them to write. When the response was roughly two hours, I knew I was in trouble. As I turned in my paper, I felt so much relief that it was over. I hoped that was my first and last paper to write. Ha! It was the first of many over the next two years!

The Popcorn Tree was a story I told my daughter one day, just for fun. When she was little she would often ask, “why this” and “why that” which is typical for a young child to be curious about life. I am thankful that I recognized this curiosity, maybe from my own kid-dom, so I enjoyed her questions. I listened and embraced her questions with elaborate answers. What I noticed, she was listening intently to my answers about why the sky was blue, and sometimes these short answers developed into stories. It brought a smile to my face to see this little person looking to me and with words alone, I could entertain her in that moment.

Later, the story came up again while I was riding in the car with my (now late) husband and his daughters. The car was full of chatter from three teenage girls when I begin to tell this story. When all of a sudden, the car got quiet as everyone was listening. Afterwards, my husband looked at me, then with a double take and he said, “Wow, you have quite an imagination.” I responded, “I should write a book.” Who knew then, I would take on this challenge.

Of children’s books, I like the traditional Pooh and Dr. Seuss. But, I absolutely adored the writings of Helen Beatrix Potter. A 19th-century author born and raised in the UK, she had a way of bringing the reader into the story. Her passion came from her love of animals. She had pet rabbits which later would be included in her tales. Similar to Ms. Potter, I find animals comical and they have a story all their own.

When my daughter was younger, I read Beatrix Potter books to her. I think I enjoyed them more than perhaps she did. So, when she had an assignment for school we had the great idea to use The Tales of Jeremy Fisher as the subject. It was a 3-D model in which Mr. Fisher, the frog, comes to life. For her birthday one year, her grandmother made her a quilt of Beatrix Potter’s characters including Peter Rabbit. The idea came from my helpful hint. I suppose my story-telling comes from the delight I gained in the Potter tales.

Thank you Cathy for visiting with us today! We love your book and wish you continued success!

Look for Catherine Green here!

Cathy Green Website

Catherine Green Facebook Page

Patty Wiseman

My goal is to be not just an author of books, but a true writer. I love to spin a story the reader cannot put down, a page turner. It always thrills me to see the wonderful reviews of my work, or to hear people say they could not put the book down. That is what satisfies me as a writer.