Catherine aims for a new chapter

She loves unlocking the fertile imagination of youngsters and sorting out the technicalities of A-level work.

Now the Wickersley Comprehensive teacher has co-written romantic comedy ‘Heading South’, which has just been published by Legend Press.

Catherine signed copies for fans at Waterstones bookshop in Orchard Square, Sheffield.

The book, published two months ago, has already attracted some rave reviews from readers and Catherine is hoping it might launch a career as a successful author.

Now she is already working on a second unnamed novel, which will probably be of a similar theme.

The Rotherham teacher said: “I like nothing more than to relax on a summer’s day with a nice cuddly romantic comedy, so that’s what I write on the whole.

“I’m an English teacher in the real world and I’m sure it has helped my writing develop. There’s nothing like having to teach someone else how to write to make you aware of your own shortcomings.

“I especially enjoy working with my A-level students on their original writing portfolios, but the younger kids can turn out some pretty interesting stuff too.

“I got into writing through my other favourite pastime, the theatre.

“When I was younger I really wanted to be an actor and I spent a lot of my spare time as a teenager doing youth theatre stuff. I found that I enjoyed writing material just as much as I enjoyed performing.

“But I didn’t really get into story writing until a few years ago when I found some short stories I’d scribbled down when I was meant to be writing essays at University.

“I started to take some of the characters from them and put them in different situations.

“Eventually they took on lives of their own.”

Catherine met co-author Luke Bitmead on the BBC ‘Get Writing’ forum and challenged each other to write in the perspective of the opposite sex.

The result was Heading South, where the male character moves down from Sheffield to meet quirky, fun-loving Cassie in the sleepy Cotswolds. Catherine and Luke never actually met in person as Luke died last October, aged just 34.

She heard of Luke’s death through the Legend Press website and asked for her condolences to be passed on to Luke’s family.

They got back saying Luke had already given them a copy of ‘Heading South’ and were talking about publishing the book.

Catherine said: “I think I must be one of a very small minority of authors that has got a publishing deal without making a single submission. I count myself as very lucky indeed.”