Partially blind author releases a debut novel

By releasing her first novel after 13 years of writing, visually impaired Catherine Ford from Boksburg proved that she can overcome any obstacle.

Q: Who is Catherine?

A: I am 32 years old. I’m married and live with my husband and our four cats. I’ve been horse riding since I was 11 and it is my dream to own my own horse. I love coffee, I can’t survive without it. I also enjoy chocolate and jelly teddy bears. I’m an avid reader and also enjoy writing reviews.

Q: What inspired you to become a writer?

A: I’m not quite sure; I’ve always wanted to write. Even when I was a child I would write stories about ponies having a picnic or a girl finding a stray kitten. I feel that I have stories inside me and I want to share them with everyone.

Q: Is writing a full-time job or a hobby for you?

A: It is a full-time job for me.

Q: What happened to your sight and how does it affect your writing?

A: I was born with no sight. I have a condition called cone dystrophy, which affects the cones in the eye. I can see a little bit, like light and dark and some shadows. My disorder makes my eyes very sensitive to light. Well, I struggle sometimes to describe things I’ve never seen before. I also struggle with facial expressions and body language. But luckily, I have my husband and parents to help me out with any descriptions.

Q: You are now releasing your first novel, The Transfer. Can you tell us more about the book?

A: Ashlyn Cooper is in her final year of high school. She is not too bad at sports or academics. She has a good group of friends and is generally happy. Her perfect little world gets turned upside down, though, when the transfer swaggers into her life. Then comes Jamie Russle, who is tall and dark and his hazel eyes sparkle with mischief. He slowly infiltrates Ashlyn’s world, dragging his golden-haired and sapphire-eyed best friend, Craig Morgan, into the thick of things. So follow Ashlyn as she discovers what true love is and what friendship really means.

Q: Where and when will The Transfer be available?

A: It will be available on Amazon, Kindle, Lulu, my own website and hopefully in bookstores in the near future. I’m just waiting for the printing to be done. People can follow my Facebook page, Kathryn Ford – Author, to see all my updates on the book and signings.

Q: What was the most challenging thing for you about writing a novel?

A: Not to stop in the middle, but to push on and finish the novel. Even if the first draft isn’t as great as you’d like it to be. Just keep persisting and you will finally get there.

Q: What is your favourite book genre?

A: Epic fantasy, that’s why it is so strange that I’ve written a young adult romance.

Q: Who is your favourite author and why?

A: This is a toss-up between JK Rowling and JRR Tolkien. They are both master storytellers. And I am able to reread those books over and over again without ever getting bored.

Q: If you could live your life inside of any book, which would it be, and why?

A: I think I’d love to be in a Harry Potter novel. Just being able to cast spells seems very good to me. I’d probably be an auror and fight off death eaters and other dark wizards. I just love JK Rowling’s world and would love to be a part of it.

Q: What would you like to accomplish in the future?

A: To release more books. I want to make writing my career and share all my stories with everyone.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add that you feel is important?

A: I suffer from bipolar disorder, which is actually almost harder than being visually impaired because there are days you just can’t get out of bed or there are many days where all you want to do is harm yourself in any way possible. It disrupts writing and gets in the way. But the medication I’m on now has been the best for me so far. It has managed to settle me down enough so I could actually complete a book and not just get a part of the way in and then give up.