Catherine’s ability to please an audience, starting from the young age of seven, proves that she is an extremely talented entertainer. From her primary school days, Catherine (often called Catie) has had an ongoing passion for literature, stating that ‘[she] loved English, especially learning and analysing all the stories from famous writers’. In person, Catie has a friendly, approachable character but described her teenage self as a ‘quiet and shy person’. Her favourite quote, said by Fry from Futurama, is – ‘I don’t regret this, but I both rue and lament it’ – which clearly depicts the comedian in her.

As a writer, Catie is inspired by the likes of Douglas Adams, Margaret Atwood and Kurt Vonnegut. She also remains loyal to her childhood authors such as Roald Dhal and finds J.K.Rowling to be a true inspiration to buddying authors, saying ‘I love the Harry Potter books and she seems awesome on twitter.’ When asked if she could have been the original author of any book, she responded ‘I don’t know. There are loads of books full of brilliant ideas that I wish I’d thought of…I remember thinking the first Hitchhiker’s Guide book was pretty close to perfect in terms of wit and ingenuity when I first read it years and years ago. So maybe that.’ Her love of Dracula by Bram Stoker is described as ‘fantastic story’ that creates ‘a window into the flaws of the characters and the society of the day, which [she] can’t help but find amusing.’

During her time as an author, Catie has written: My Best Friend And Other Enemies, My Brilliant Life And Other Disasters, My School Musical And Other Punishments and My Great Success and Other Failures. Her books are published by Nosy Crow and their eye catching and fabulous covers are designed by Sarah Horne. These excellent novels are aimed at 8-12 year olds, alongside this, she has written a script for an episode of the CBBC sitcom ‘Hotel Trubble’. Her achievements do not stop there. Catie has also written a feature film script for Matador Films, and other sitcoms and comedy-drama scripts in various stages of development, stand-up comedy, two hour long shows at the Edinburgh Festival and lots of other bits and pieces, including jokes for BBC Radio 4 on the News Quiz and articles including for New Humanist, Standard Issue Magazine and The Independent Blog. She truly is a remarkable person.

Catie is currently in the process of writing another book and has allowed me to give you an insight on what is up next – ‘The new book is about a ten year old girl who lives with her Dad and wants to become a vet but isn’t allowed any pets’. When asked about her published work, she said ‘My main character Jessica is special because in some ways she not that special. She is an ordinary funny, cheeky eleven year old, who is sometimes insecure, but loves messing about and drawing cartoons. She uses humour to stop bullies from picking on her. She is clever at some things but not at everything. Basically she would have been in Hufflepuff.’ I also asked Catie if should had a special time to write, and she replied ‘I used to write whenever, but most days, and was generally more creative in the afternoons and evenings. But now I have a baby I’m normally flagging by the afternoons. So when I have a day to write I start in the morning and cram as much in as I possibly can’. ‘At the moment I am writing a new book with different characters for the same age group … I am directing my first documentary about comedy. But mainly I’m looking after my baby.’ Catie is married to famous comedian Richard Herring and they have a beautiful daughter named Phoebe.

Catie truly is a talented author. If you are an aspiring author, Catie has provided you with some words of wisdom. ‘Think about what you like and dislike in other books, and why, then try to re-create what you do like. I think it’s important to find your own voice and express yourself (not what you imagine other people want you to write). With comedy writing, quite often it can be spotting what’s funny rather than completely creating it. Funny stuff happens around us all the time, but not everyone notices…Enjoy it. Keep going!’

You can purchase Catie’s books on Amazon, Waterstones and Foyles. If you would like to discover more about Catie, you can visit her website: http://catiewilkins.com