It turns out I’m not the only one in the neighborhood who likes to write. Tucked away on a quiet Deer Park street on Snoqualmie Ridge lives author Cat Patrick. She’s got two books in print right now, with a third due out next year. The first of her three books, Forgotten, has even been optioned by Paramount to be made into a movie, with an Oscar nominee slated to star in it.
Cat moved to Washington in 2008 and to Snoqualmie in 2010. She’s originally from Wyoming and says the Snoqualmie winds remind her of home, which is why she probably loves living here so much.
She and her family landed in Washington when her husband relocated for a job at Microsoft. And it wasn’t just any kind of move. She was 30 weeks pregnant with twins. Talk about adding new stress to the moving process!
Cat says she’s always loved writing and creative writing has always been her hobby. She earned a college degree in journalism and then went into a public relations career.
She says the inspiration for her first book, Forgotten, happened shortly after her twins were born. But it usually takes more than simple inspiration to fuel an idea into a full-fledged young adult novel, especially with twin 5-month-olds occupying your every minute.
Cat’s says her twin daughters actually fueled her passion to write the book instead of deterring her. When she was contemplating taking the plunge into novel-writing, she thought, “If I can make it through newborn twins, I can do anything.” The writing began.
The writer’s leap to novelist is one of those writer “dream-come-true” (and somewhat atypical) stories. Inspired by her twins, Cat started writing and finished the book’s first draft in just three months. Then she researched agents online and was lucky enough to get a response back from her top choice – the very same day she pitched him the book.
Cat worked with her agent to fine-tune Forgotten and it then went to a six publishing house auction in 2009. Publisher Little Brown, “won” the rights to her book and in just a few short months, Cat was to be a published author. Told you it was a dream come true story.
Cat recalls the story of learning someone was willing to pay for her book. She said it was during the Snoqualmie 2009 heat wave. “I had my sweaty, drooling, then 1-year-olds trying to eat my computer cord while my agent was sending me email after email updating me on offers. I couldn’t believe that publishers actually wanted to pay money for something I’d written.”
And it wasn’t just for Forgotten. Little Brown also wanted her to write a follow-up novel, which she did. Cat relived that memory: “I looked at the computer – my dream job was becoming a reality and the babies I’d waited so long for, and just felt like life couldn’t get any better than it was in that moment.”
About The Books:
Forgotten (available now) is the story of London Lane, a girl who remembers the future instead of the past. Every night London’s brain resets and so she needs to write herself reminder notes. She “remembers” her Mom and best friend from the future and anyone else she’ll still know tomorrow. Then a boy enters her life whom she wants to date but can’t remember. The book is a romance with a healthy dose of mystery. London must figure out what happened in her past that contributed to her ability to remember the future. Forgotten has been sold in more than 25 countries and has been optioned by Paramount, with Oscar-nominee, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) attached to star as the main character.
Revived (available now) is the story of Daisy West, a girl who is part of a secret government program which tests a drug that brings people back from the dead. She was inducted into the program when she died as a young child – the first of five times dying. Because Daisy was an orphan, she couldn’t be relocated with her family after revival so government agents took her in and raised her. Because of this, she has an askew perspective on life and living until she moves to Omaha and meets two friends who change her outlook for the better.
The Originals (out May 2013) is about three identical clones living as one person to avoid their past. Cat will be sharing more details on this one in the coming months.
Cat says she’d love to hear from fellow residents online at www.catpatrick.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. She also loves speaking at schools about writing and the job of being an author. Anyone interested can contact Cat via the contact form on her website.
