Catherine Matthews is an award-winning Pacific Northwest author. Through her novels, she tells the stories of strong women finding the courage to face the storm and live their dreams—usually in the company of a faithful hound. Catherine’s debut novel, Releasing the Reins, earned first place in the 2024 BookFest Awards for Women’s Fiction Mystery and Suspense and was the 2024 Fall Pencraft Award Best Book for Women’s Fiction. It is a finalist for the 2024 BookLife Prize for Mystery and Suspense and was a 2022 Pacific Northwest Writers Association (PNWA) Literary Contest Finalist. Her essay, Deeper Than Social Connections, is featured in the anthology Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 (Jennifer Haupt, Ed.), winner of the 2021 Washington State Book Award for general nonfiction. Her blog, Life Through My Lens, examines life through the stories of her youth, and her adventures in parenting, teaching, and leading schools. Catherine serves as a board member and the Vice President of Technology for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She is also a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. She is up before dawn to start her day writing—always in the company of her two favorite hounds, Delta and Buttercup. You can connect with her on Facebook, Threads or Instagram or visit her webpage www.catherinematthewsauthor.com.