Catholic Mom Book Spotlight

CatholicMom.com is pleased to present the following Book Spotlight interview with Christian author and mother Katha Winther, highlighting her wonderful book As I Was Saying. Katha shares insights on the accomplishment of writing and publishing a book, and on the importance of cherishing our families.

CM: Katha, thanks for your time in participating in this interview. Could you please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your family?

I’m originally from Sherman, Texas, and have lived in San Diego, CA since 1968. I received a B.A. in English from San Diego State University, and continued graduate studies in English at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

I was an editor at a publishing company in La Jolla, CA for several years. My career path has lead me into different directions through the years. My most memorable job was on television, as a shopping channel host. I was on air "live" for five hours a day, five days a week selling merchandise in a fast-paced environment.

My hobbies are: singing, crocheting, yoga, reading, and writing. Music has been a big part of my life for many years. I’ve been blessed with wonderful singing opportunities, and venues. Among those are: singing tours in Europe with the International Christian Singers, performing our national anthem for professional sports teams in San Diego, and singing at the White House (in a quartet) for the Millennium tour.

My husband and I have two grown children, one granddaughter, and a very spoiled cat. Our daughter is a screen-writer, and our son (attorney) lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.

"As I Was Saying..." is a depiction of a "twenty-something" mother documenting life with her children, while it was actually happening. I would describe the book as both "heart-warming" and nostalgic, because it was what I wrote to my own children over thirty years ago.

During my teenage years, I wrote "girl things" in my diary -- it was a fad back then. Many years later, I traveled to Amsterdam, and visited Anne Frank’s house. I was fascinated to see her famous diary displayed under glass. As I stood there, I thought about what she must have been going through emotionally, and mentally as she wrote those words. Diary-writing, or journaling is a very personal way of expressing one’s thoughts and emotions.

I would like to encourage mothers to keep baby books for their children. No matter how tired (or busy) you may be, please write down your thoughts about them. Otherwise, precious moments might be forgotten. Many mothers have told me how they wished they had written something down, and are now sorry that they didn’t. Please capture some memories for your children, and for yourself. One day, you’ll be glad that you did.

I always knew that I would eventually write a book. As a young mother, I read many articles and books to gain some good parenting advice. My subscription to a Christian magazine arrived in the mail one day. As I thumbed through the pages, I found a very poignant poem titled "Babies Don’t Keep." I read it over and over – it made me cry. As the poem suggested, babies indeed grow up so very fast – that moments with them are precious. I pasted the poem inside the front cover of my son’s baby book – a place where I could readily find it. One day, during household cleaning/organizing, I opened a bedroom drawer and discovered my children’s baby books. As I read the journals that I had written years ago, I realized that it would make a good book. Several months later, I attended a New Year’s eve party. The host went around the room and asked us about our New Year’s resolutions. I said that I was going to write a book, and I did!

The faith that I have today stems from my upbringing in a Christian home. Being a person of faith has affected my daily life within the family, and elsewhere. Having faith causes family life (in general) to be more wholesome: activities, speech, media choices, and daily interaction with one another. If I had no faith, I wouldn’t do the things that I regularly do. Some of those activities are: attending worship services, reading the Bible, being kind to others, and seeking to glorify God in my life. I hope that the demonstration of my faith has had (and will continue to have) a positive impact on my family.

Since 1994, I have written for a devotional guide magazine (Power for Today). Thus far, thirty-nine of my articles have been published. Each day, thousands of people read articles from that publication by contributing writers. I feel a great responsibility concerning how a person’s mind (and heart) can be effected by my words – I share my faith in that way.

Some of my favorite authors are: Mary Higgins Clark, John Grisham and Charles Swindoll.

"As I Was Saying..." is my first book. There’s a possibility that one day, I’ll be inspired to write another one! I am a contributing writer on another book – "The Published Author’s Guide to Promotion: Marketing Tips for Published Authors." It was released in 2003 by Publish America.

CM: Are there any additional thoughts or comments you’d like to share with our readers?

Thank you for Spotlighting my book! My advice? Please remember to create special memories for your children – they’ll last a lifetime. Please consider this book for your home (or church) library; also as a gift for a new mom (baby shower), or for mother’s day.
For additional information, please visit my web-sites:
Katha's Web Page and PublishedAuthors.net