The Mystery Behind Cat Clayton

I was born during the latter years of the Vietnam War in a tiny town of northern Illinois with 96% luck-of-the-Irish running through my veins. After my father (Clayton) was drafted, my mother (Cat) packed me into her convertible GTO, and we hit the road with a Houston or Bust poster taped to the passenger side window. Cat Clayton is a pen name and a tribute to my parents.

Life has taught me to be resilient. Flawed, yet wise. Sweet, yet snarky. Creative to the core. Tenacious as a bulldog. I am forever curious. Quirky. I am known for the "Candi (wine) Pour" and dancing to Abba. I sing awful, opera-like songs to my dog. I think I'm charming & funny. I'm a thrift-store junky. And I'm unable to tell a lie, except in my fiction, of course.

In 2012, I drafted How to Leash a Thief during NaNoWriMo. I spent five years rewriting and rewriting, beta testing and rewriting until 2017, when I decided to take the plunge into the indie publishing world. Since then, I’ve written and published two additional books in the series, and currently writing book four. My flaws, clever quirk, humor, and sweet-yet-snarky-nature lend me the ability to write my main character. (Being married to a Marine and police officer also helps.) Steely Lamarr is spirited, spunky, flawed, quirky, tenacious, and curious. However, being only 26, her wisdom is still developing. Steely’s sassy, classy, but a bit smart-assy personality resembles that of my oldest daughter. But she also reminds me of a much younger version of myself, back when I married very young and still had a lot to learn about life, love, and loss. All in all, I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Not because my writing has brought me fame or fortune (LOL), but because I am doing what I love. Not many people get the opportunity to follow their heart and pursue a dream (thank you, my dear fam). But if by chance, fame or fortune ever knocks on my writerly window, I’ll consider it a bonus to living the dream. Since 1990, my best friend and I can proudly say, “I still do.” I’m “mama” to two amazing daughters. I spoil our dogs & cats rotten, and according to my kids, my adopted Chihuahua is the “favorite child.” I’m a self-proclaimed Chardonnay snob, but also known to sneak a wee bit of the husband’s Irish whiskey and create fruity concoctions. When I’m not writing, I’m thrifting for funky hats, and when I’m not doing either, my “Gigi” heart belongs to three amazing grandkids.

~Candi / Cat