Introducing… Cathy Johnson
Our first author for the ‘Introducing…’ series is Cathy Johnson.
New authors will be introduced every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so check back to get to know more about us!
Cathy grew up a bookish third culture kid in a town in Borneo, experiencing terrorist threats and army curfews, and dodging bullets and jungle ambushes. She became a doctor, working for the RAF and Royal Navy, then a GP, before autoimmune illness sent her back to books. She’s since gained a Northern Writers Award and an MA in Writing For Young People. She lives with her Sri Lankan husband, a clingy cockapoo, and numerous red squirrels, in the Lake District village where she was once the single-handed GP.
What is your writing routine?
It takes me ages to get to start writing in the morning as my lupus slows me down and requires lots of medication and self-care tasks. And then there's the dog; because sunlight flares my illness, despite sun cream, I have to walk her as early as possible. I usually flake out afterwards, over a tea or coffee. Finally, I settle down to a couple of hours of writing before lunch, and maybe another couple afterwards. I use e-ink devices, like reMarkable tablets, and an e-ink monitor to write on/with - both first draft handwriting, and typing thereafter - as the UV exposure of normal devices can quickly affect my lupus. Some days my cognitive function just isn't there, some days muscle fatigue affects my eyes, then I have to rest and be patient until I can get back to it.
Who is your favourite author and how have they inspired you?
Hilary Mantel's writing is extraordinary; it makes the past immediate and vibrant, and she has such a brilliant "voice", yet all through her career she struggled with debilitating chronic illness. I can relate to the latter and I would love my writing to deliver the former!
What was the inspiration for your manuscript?
I’m a “third culture kid”, growing up in a period of terrorism in a small town in Borneo. My husband grew up in Sri Lanka during the civil war. I wanted to write a story of a friendship between two boys of contrasting cultural and racial backgrounds that explored the themes of civil war, belonging, and cultural identity confusion. I promise it’s not all serious; they have a lot of fun together.
Who is your favourite character in your book?
Marcus is the fourteen-year-old son of the Roman commander of a fort near Hadrian's Wall. He's the best friend of my point-of-view character, Taran, and is a cheeky loveable boy, getting Taran to do his homework for him and cover up for his dyslexia.
What inspires you first: character or plot?
Setting, then plot, then the characters. Many years ago, I did a week-long residential course with Julia Green and Lucy Christopher (former MAWFYP course director and deputy) and Lucy did a brilliant exercise about starting with a setting, making it dangerous and then creating/imagining the character who would be most affected by it.
Describe your perfect day.
I LOVE research days. I'll drop my cockapoo at a doggy daycare centre and drive to a stretch of Hadrian's Wall or a fort or museum along its length. I have maps for the whole length of the Wall and I might walk some of it, checking out the physical features and geography of the land and picturing Marcus and Taran's journey, or wander around the grounds of a fort thinking about what life was like for the soldiers, or civilians nearby. In the museums I'll often come across an artefact or a piece of information that ends up in the story, and I'll spend some time in the museum cafe scribbling it all down.