Cathy Chapaty has been a member of WLT for four years and attended the 2014 Summer Writing Retreat in Alpine earlier this month. She lives in Austin, TX.
Scribe:In what genre do you write?
Cathy Chapaty: I’m a memoir writer.
Scribe:What authors would you like to have coffee or a beer with and which beverage?
CC: I’d love to have tea with the Dalai Lama and coffee with Eckhart Tolle.
Scribe:If you were stranded on a deserted island, what book would you want to have with you to keep you sane?
CC: I would want The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Huff by my side at all times.
Scribe:What have you learned from your association with the Writers’ League of Texas?
CC: I can learn something from everyone, whether they write War and Peace length novels or poems on Post-It notes. I have great respect for those who choose to write, whether they’ve been working on their craft for fifty years or they just started a project yesterday. Either way, it’s not easy to put your soul on paper.
Scribe:Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
CC: I envision using my book to open doors in the martial arts industry, allowing me the opportunity to travel and mentor fellow instructors. I’d like my future projects to inspire others to look more closely at their martial arts practice to find deeper meaning—to see that the arts are more than simple kicking and punching.
Scribe:Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
CC: I’ve dreamed of becoming a writer since the third grade. This year, my first full-length book will finally be published. Dreams do come true, y’all, so never quit!
