And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is:

Catherine Anne Collins is yet another author who lives in our neighboring country of Canada. Ontario to be specific. And if you would like to get a good look at the town she lives in, rent the movie 'Welcome to Mooseport' since that's where the movie was filmed and inspired a story for Catherine.

In addition to being a writer, Catherine isn't somebody you want to meet in a dark alley, well, not if you are a thug anyway. Otherwise you would feel completely safe going anywhere with her. She happens to be highly skilled in Martial Arts. Catherine is also an expert in the use of Chinese and Japanese weaponry, even if it is highly unlikely that she walks about town wearing a Samurai sword.

She co-owns and runs a martial arts and wellness center with her husband, Fred, the Hiryu Bushido Kai Martial Arts and Wellness Center - HBK Martial Arts.

I, personally, think that the discipline and open-mindedness required in this field can only have helped Catherine in her quest as a writer. Not to mention the battle scenes that are sure to show up in her debut novel, SWORD ACROSS TIME. SWORD ACROSS TIME has received rave reviews, a Treble Heart Books Award for best paranormal romance for 2003, and the comparison to the incomparable Mary Stewart, reknown for her Merlin series. I haven't had the pleasure of reading this book yet, but will certainly be picking up a copy - as should any fan of fantasy, paranormal, Merlinesque books.

If you doubt this, just pop over to her website and read an exerpt. You will want to know what happens next.

If you would like to take a peek at the excerpt I mentioned, visit her website: http://www.catherineannecollins.com/

If you would like to know more about her martial arts and wellness center visit: www.hbkmartialarts.com

But, first, of course, you should read Catherine's interview below.

Thank you, Catherine!

1. I read the excerpt for your upcoming release, SWORD ACROSS TIME, and immediately wanted more. At the same time, I thought taking on the story of Merlin, Avalon, Excalibur, etc. and making it your own in a debut novel was rather daring and had to be just a little nerve-wracking. From the reviews I've read, you've succeeded. What was the hardest part writing the book? Where did you get your ideas?

Thanks, Sue. I’d like to hope everyone who reads the excerpt wants to read more. LOL As for taking on the story of these legends, to be honest with you, I didn’t give it a thought until I was about halfway through the book, then I started to panic. But the story was in my head and I needed to get it on paper, so I kept writing.

I wasn’t trying to compete with anything written by such great writers as Marion Zimmer Bradley or Mary Stewart, and I wasn’t trying to write a factual account of the times either. In fact, as I researched Merlin, Arthur, Excalibur etc., I came to realize that there are as many differing stories as there are people writing about that era. There’s debate as to whether any of these people even existed.

That gave me a lot of leeway to write what I wanted.

The hardest part about writing this book was the past/present timeline. It was very difficult to keep both stories and all the characters straight as I wrote. As for where my ideas come from—your guess is as good as mine. I sit down with an opening scene of a book and start to write. Everything grows from there. I usually have very little idea of what’s coming next until it happens.

2. "As well her published novel, Catherine has completed another mythical romance titled, GUARDIANS OF ATLANTIS, as well as a romance titled, SWEET DREAMS IN A SMALL TOWN. Her greatest challenge is her current manuscript, which is a fantasy titled, BEYOND THE FAERIE REALM. The characters won't let her go, so the story keeps getting longer and longer." Tell us more about these books. Any idea when we might expect to be able to get copies??

GUARDIANS OF ATLANTIS is very similar to SWORD ACROSS TIME with the legends and past/present timeline, but it deals with Greek mythology and the Isle of Atlantis. Since it was the first book I wrote, GUARDIANS was a learning tool and will need some serious editing before it is publishable. But it’s a great story and one day I’d like to have the time to spend some time fixing it up.

SWEET DREAMS IN A SMALL TOWN is a romance inspired by the filming of a movie in my hometown. The movie title is Welcome to Mooseport and stars Gene Hackman and Ray Romano. I tell you, if you could only see how people act so strangely when there are famous people around, you wouldn’t believe your eyes. Some things I witnessed over the few weeks they filmed in town, prompted me to write SWEET DREAMS, and I’m very pleased with how the story came together.

BEYOND THE FAERIE REALM is a fantasy and was inspired by the Lord of the Rings. Oh, how I love those movies. I was also reading a series of books by Anne Bishop at that time and found myself drawn to her writing. This book became two very quickly. I’ve finished the first and will soon be starting the second of the series.

I’m querying agents and editors for both SWEET DREAMS IN A SMALL TOWN and BEYOND THE FAERIE REALM. I really can’t say when either one of them will be in print, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that someone will take one or both of them up soon. SWEET DREAMS has garnered some interest from New York agents, but everything about this business seems so slow, so I sit in breathless anticipation.

3. I visited the site for the martial arts and wellness center you own and operate with your husband, Fred. It all looks very interesting, but the one area that caught my interest is Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) {if I have the pronunciation wrong here, please let me know *G*}, which works with Energy Healing. You have both reached the highest level of Reiki Master. In what way does Reiki heal a person? Are there misconceptions about this art? Can it be used to heal disease or illness?

Wow, this is a vast subject, but I’ll try to keep my answer relatively short.

Reiki is a form of hands on energy healing. Every person, in fact, everything is made up of energy. Science is now able to detect the movement of energy within a person’s body and can actually photograph energy around a person’s body called a aura.

By laying hands on and acting as a natural channel for the surrounding energy, a person performing Reiki can give another person the energy their body needs to heal itself. The human body is amazing. For example, when you eat food, you don’t have to know where it goes, or how it works to break down the nutrients in the food. Your body performs all that naturally. With Reiki, you channel the energy and the person’s body takes it and uses it as necessary.

Sickness is caused by too much energy, or not enough energy in a certain area of the body. What causes this can be many things, but stress is a major contributing factor. Anyway, a Reiki practitioner can break up a congestion of energy, releasing it, or supply energy where it is needed, thereby stopping further illness.

Everyone has the ability to do Reiki. There is nothing special about it. You do a form of Reiki when you give someone a hug, or put the palm of your hand on a sick child’s forehead.

I could go on and on, and I hope I made some sense, but I’ll move on to the next question.

4. Your bio states: She is a second-degree black belt in karate and is proficient in various weapons, both Japanese and Chinese. What weapons do you use? In what way are they used?

Oh, yes, I’m a lethal weapon. LOL.

I train in Iaido, which is Japanese sword, so you know I loved the movie the Last Samurai. I’ve also studied Tai Chi for a number of years, and, no, it is not an exercise for old people. This is one of the biggest misconceptions of Tai Chi, and unfortunately, it is reinforced by too many people who don’t understand what it really is. But that’s an entire story all on it’s own.

Don’t get me wrong, Tai Chi is great for older people who need an exercise to keep flexible, strong, and moving, but in it’s purest form and not watered down, it is an extremely effective martial art.

There are five weapons in Tai Chi and I train in four of them—long sword, broadsword, staff, and fan. The only one I haven’t had time to learn yet, is the spear.

5. I have to admit when I read this, the first thing that came to mind was Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, battling with her sword and using her martial arts in a very bloody and lethal way. I confess that I enjoyed both Kill Bill movies - there is something satisfying about a woman kicking butt in a role that is usually allotted to men. But, for you, as a martial artist, how do you feel about movies like this? Do you think they are fair in their depictions or ridiculous?


I enjoyed Kill Bill, the second more than the first, but I have to admit it was kinda gory. I love seeing a woman kick butt as well, because it is possible and it gives women a feeling of control over themselves. It’s great to walk somewhere at night, or pass by a group of rowdy guys who’ve been out drinking, and know you can take care of yourself. It’s an amazing feeling of empowerment that I never want to be without.

We train in a very traditional manner, which means you never use your martial arts unless your life is in danger. The greatest samurai warrior is the one who has never had to draw his sword. You learn to use your intellect or avoid a dangerous situation instead.

Hollywood movies… what can I say, they give a very false impression of the martial arts. Heck, I could do amazing leaps and move at lightning speed if I had wires, mirrors, stand-ins, 100 takes to do it in…well, you get the idea. We get students who come to join after seeing something like Kill Bill, and we have to settle them down a lot. Nothing happens fast or without hard work, and most people want to be like their hero in the movie they saw last night, and they want it in about a week.

6. It seems to me, until recently, a woman who was skilled in martial arts, at least here in the west, was something of an oddity. Do you think it's been harder to gain respect in this field as a woman? What challenges have you faced?

It’s not as uncommon as it used to be. We probably have just as many women training in our dojo as we do men. I have to make it clear here to anyone who may be looking for a place to train…check out the place in person.

Don’t phone shop. You have to ask questions, meet the instructor (s) and get a feel for the place. If it’s a group of 20 years old guys beating the you know what out of each other, it’s probably not a place you want to be. Our adult classes consist of ages 14-65, men and women. The ego is left at the door and although everyone is there to train hard, they also help each other. A lot of our students have professional careers where they can’t be going in with broken noses and bruises all over. Besides, that is just a sign of a lack of control, and control is a large part of what the martial arts is all about. You control your mind, your body, your emotions etc. Discipline and respect are also basics in the martial arts.

Challenges, hmmm. No more than anyone else, except for one small thing. I do have a steel rod in my back, which limits me and forces me to compensate in other ways. But everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses, the trick is to find what works for you and work with that. It’s important to always try your hardest, no matter what.

7. How has your training in martial arts influenced your writing? I'm wondering about this in two ways - personally and, also, the writing itself.

I guess it goes back to the discipline thing. Focus and concentration are benefits of studying and training in the martial arts. This enables me to write and tune out whatever else is going on.