Author: Cat

Another fantastic author visit with Authors Abroad, this time to Bulgaria. The Anglo-American School of Sofia is beautiful, situated outside the city centre with a backdrop of mountains which were blanketed in snow for my visit. It was a short but action-packed visit, with workshops for every primary class. It’s always great to get a whole school fired up about stories.

I managed to get into the city centre to see the sights, including the Nevski cathedral and a fascinating rotunda church, built in the 4th century by the Romans. There are Roman remains everywhere in Sofia; in Roman times, the lower part of Bulgaria was in Thrace.

I was told a lovely story by a taxi driver while I was there. I hadn’t mentioned the fact that I was a storyteller. He simply offered it as a gift:

‘In the beginning, God gave land to all the peoples of the world. But when he had finished, he discovered he had left the Bulgarians out, and he had no more land left to give. So he gave them a piece of Heaven.’

This was a full-on trip! Eight international and Kuwaiti schools, countless sessions and THOUSANDS of children in attendance. One of the schools had the biggest screen I had ever seen!! I was dwarfed by my own book covers.

It was tiring and stressy at times, but it was also exhilarating and different. I always get out of the hotel and go wandering to see the sights and explore the culture. I loved sitting in the old souk, eating freshly baked flatbreads and hummus, sipping peppermint tea and watching the world go by. Loved the fragrance shops! People take fragrance very seriously in that part of the world – the men even more than the women, it seems. The old souk had a dozen or more fragrance shops, all busy with customers. I bought two fabulous versions of sandalwood (one of my favourite scents) and every time I use them, I am instantly transported back to the warm nights and equally warm welcome I received from everyone. When I tried to pay for my hummus in the souk, the cafe owner waved his hands: ‘No, no. You are guest!’ I love travel moments like that .

Thank you to the team at Authors Abroad for making this happen!

BestTellers Copenhagen…. What a fabulous place to perform. It has long been one of my favourite spaces. It’s such an intimate space, and the audience listens so intently. I was there for one night only recently, telling BLUEBEARD and a selection of shorter stories from my repertoire. Amazingly, I had never told signature stories like The Old Woman in the White House on the BT stage – I am usually booked to perform the ‘big’ shows there. It was wonderful to share them. And I got a standing ovation at the end!! I was chuffed to bits.

Here are the venues and dates for our mini tour of Kathy’s Song:

17/10/25 8pm Cubley Village Hall

25/10/25 3pm The Enterprise Hall, Sutton on Sea

29/11/2025 7.30pm Heightington Village Hall

30/11/25 7.00pm Ruddington Village Hall

05/12/25 7.30 Tennyson d’Eyncourt Memorial Hall, Tealby

24/01/26 Swayfield Village Hall

All these shows are organised via Live & Local. Find ticket links here: https://www.liveandlocal.org.uk/whats-on/

I began my professional career as a singer, working with guitarist Ian Cooke. And now – decades later – we have a new show together. How wonderful is that?!

The show is a celebration of Simon and Garfunkel. It’s not a tribute act… Ian is too tall to be Paul and I am clearly nothing like Art! It’s actually a storytelling + music show. We perform twenty S & G songs, but in-between each song I tell the story of Kathy Chitty. She was Paul’s girlfriend when he lived in London in the 60s and was touring the UK, suitcase and guitar in hand, doing the folk clubs.

Kathy inspired some of his best-loved songs, notably Kathy’s Song and Homeward Bound. She famously gets a namecheck in America too (“‘Kathy, I’m lost,’ I said, though I knew she was sleeping'”) though they never did a road trip together in real life. She also appears on the cover of the album The Paul Simon Songbook, sitting on a cobbled street with Paul, the pair of them dressed in brown sweaters and jeans.

Ian and I are still at the rehearsal stage right now. We start touring in October. I can’t wait! It is fabulous to be singing again, and it’s all live. We’re not using backing tapes, just two voices + guitar. Just like Paul & Art.

If you had told me, ten years ago, that I would be the author of two books about motorcycling, I would NOT have believed you! Back then I was riding pillion round India on the back of a classic Royal Enfield Bullet 500 with my buddy Frank. It seemed like a beast of machine. I never dreamed I would ride one myself one day.

Yet here I am: all-year round rider and the owner of a glorious Triumph. And I am passionate about helping other women overcome their anxiety and find their wild freedom as I did.

My first book, Motorcycle Confidence For Women, became a #1 best seller on Amazon, and this week a second in the series was launched: Extra Motorcycle Confidence For Short Women. Yes – funny though it sounds, being short really can be a problem when it comes to riding a motorbike, especially at the beginning of the learning journey. So I have written this book to help with the extra challenges short riders face. It’s had a very warm reception so far, I am delighted (and relieved!) to say.

Available on Amazon, book or download : https://amzn.eu/d/gDMsJ5N

The new edition of ‘Zac and the Zombies’ has landed. The old yellow cover has gone. Now the book has illustrations – and a creepy new cover. I asked 200 junior-aged children what they wanted to see on the cover – Zac or a Zombie? The answer was unanimous: ‘A ZOMBIE!!’