I Read What You Write is proud to share Catherine Pike Plough’s answers to Lian Asks 5 Questions. You can see Giveaway and Promo Information for Catherine’s new book The Blu Phenomenon and read our 5 Star Review of the book
Author Bio:
A writing veteran, Catherine Pike Plough began her career as a news journalist, later freelancing for local and national publications. Along the way, she made her foray into fiction, taking first place in Charisma’s short fiction competition. The Blu Phenomenon is her first novel, birthed through the real-life experience of adopting a son from Hong Kong. Catherine and her husband live in their almost-empty nest near Charlotte, NC, where she is an avid student of China affairs and adoption-related topics.
What does it mean to you to be called an author?
I have always been a writer, even as a child. Writing is my primary means of self-expression, which, I believe, is integral to good health—mind, body, and spirit. That being said, I hope that when “author” follows my name, it means that I still have something to say, that I’m still learning, that I have deep convictions, and that I refuse to keep them close.
What is the first book you remember reading?
A book that was cherished in our home growing up was the children’s book, Barney Beagle by Jean Bethell. The story is about an adorable beagle in a pet shop that is waiting and watching for his boy, the one who will love him and take him home. It is a story about belonging, and I’m still writing about this deep human need. I think the search for “home” is central to everyone’s story. A good story, like a good life, features a person who courageously seeks his or her “home” and who dares to be “home” to someone else.
If you could be friends with a character in one of your stories, who would it be and why?
If I could, I would choose to be friends with Jewell Chan from The Blu Phenomenon. In the story Jewell comes to America from China and is waking up to a world that is far larger and more complex than the one she left behind. Experiencing such “waking” moments were the very best part of growing up for me, and witnessing them was the best part of parenting. I love the thought of coming alongside Jewell, introducing her to a new life—a free life, and supporting her as she navigates ways to connect her gifts with her passions.
What is your all time favorite book or author?
Choosing a favorite author would not be possible for me. In my mind, every writer offers a unique perspective that has its own place in the world. Among my very favorite books, however, I would name The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. The book has all the elements that I adore in reading: it throws back the curtains on a real life; it probes the differences in individuals—their roles, their responses, their choices; and it strikes a familiar chord. Like, Walls, I am the daughter of a practical mother and a dreamer father and I can relate to her search for balance between realism and idealism.
Which of your current works in progress are you most passionate about?
While The Blu Phenomenon was just recently released, it touches on a number of passions for me. In that sense, I hope it continues to be a work in progress. Specifically, I hope the book inspires dialogue between families built through international adoption, as well as between individual members of these families. In addition, I hope that international adoptees (together with their families) will dare to ask what part they might have in working for freedom in their countries of origin.
About the book:
Title/Author: The Blu Phenomenon/Catherine Pike Plough
ISBN: 978-1-943070-14-5
Publisher: White Stone Publications
Date of publish: December, 2015
Pages: 443
S.R.P.: $14.95
Book Links:
TheBluPhenomenon.com / Amazon / Barnes&Noble / Kobo / Goodreads / Riffle
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