September 9, 2019

Meet Catherine Spader of Quillstone Press in Littleton

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Spader.

Catherine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Storytelling is the way I bond with humanity. As a headstrong, introverted kid, reading and writing stories provided companionship and connection with others on my own terms. I especially loved stories that combined ancient and medieval history with folklore and mythology. I began writing stories of enchantment as soon as I first picked up a pencil but was never happy with what I had created. My comfortable childhood in the Chicago suburbs was offering little adventure compared to my favorite epic tales, such as Lord of the Rings.

During my teen years in the 1970s, rebellion became my adventure. I dropped out of high school, ran away, moved in with a guy had known for three days, and saw a lot of Grateful Dead concerts. I got married and had a beautiful baby boy, but I was living hand-to-mouth, working a string of low-paying, mind-numbing jobs. I had always learned things the hard way as a child, and this experience was no different. Working on a graveyard-shift assembly line and cleaning rat cages at a pet store did not provide the kind of fodder for stories I craved, let alone a stable future. As usual, I learned a rough lesson in hard knocks and was ready for something better. To the delight of my parents, I returned to school and earned my nursing degree. The real-life drama and blood and guts of the emergency room were calling to me!

Still, I craved something different with more danger and thrills. At the age of 28, I started playing ice hockey. It was life-changing! Hockey improved my fitness and offered challenges and heart-pumping excitement far beyond anything else I had done. At the time in the 1980s, I was likely the only woman in Illinois playing the game, so my only option was to skate with men’s teams. I struggled to earn the respect of male players but was slowly accepted as my skill developed. I also had to prove I could take a hit within whining about it! I’ll never forget my elation the first time I was no longer the worst player on the ice. Other milestones included being invited to join a high-level skate and having the opportunity to tryout for the first Women’s US Olympic Hockey team. I was already too old to be seriously considered for the team, but the experience was amazing.

In the 90s, I met another like-minded woman. Together we co-founded the first women’s ice hockey team in Illinois the Chicago Ice. We brought many women into the life-changing sport, and many of them have continued to play for decades. I am 58 now and am still passionate about the game and have become a familiar face at local Denver-area men’s hockey. Men have gotten more used to women playing hockey.

Throughout that time, I continued to hone my writing skills through classes and spearheading the writer’s critique groups. I wrote in any way I could, from journaling to short stories, to educational in-services and hospital policy and procedure. All this practice paid off when I landed a job as an editor and writer for a nursing journal. The editor hired me without a journalism degree or professional experience based only on a short story I submitted. Cutting my teeth in the publishing world as an inexperienced newbie with no real education wasn’t easy! It was the pre-internet old-school journalism days, and the senior editors did not hesitate to call me out on weak writing. Their critique could be harsh, but I swallowed it and learned and developed vital skills and invaluable contacts I use to this day.

After a couple of years, I missed the fast-paced environment of the ER. l returned to nursing while starting a part-time business as a freelance writer and editor. I eventually went full-time as a freelancer and added writing coaching to my gig. Retiring from a stable career like nursing to become a freelancer was a nerve-wrecking big step into the unknown. Would I get enough jobs to pay the bills? Would clients pay me promptly? Fortunately, my husband, Craig, was more confident in my success than I was and did not let me give up.

During that time, I had moved from Chicago to Colorado seeking adventure in the mountains including mountain biking, hiking, and camping. My business grew and I began making more money. I now can afford to travel with Craig to explore the magical historical places and collect myths, legends, history, ghost stories, and fairy tales to inspire my fantasy fiction.

In 2016, I finally finished my first novel and founded Quillstone Press to publish it and the rest of my historical fantasy series, including Feast of the Raven and Return of the Wulfhedinn. Book three of the series Mask of the Soul Eater will be published in early 2020, and I have many more novels planned.

All of my life experiences from a rebellious teenager to ER nurse, journalist, hockey player, and world traveler have contributed to my stories and helped develop my business. I have published thousands of articles and am an Amazon bestseller and have won multiple writing and editing awards from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. I am so proud of my author clients’ writing successes, some of whom have become award-winners themselves. Best of all, my unpredictable road has led to endless opportunities to bond with writers like me who long to connect with the world through story.

Contact Info:

Website: https://catherinespader.com/
Phone: 303-358-9505
Email: cathyspader@yahoo.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinespader/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.spader
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wulfhedinn
Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinespader-rn/

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