Passions
I write because I can’t imagine not writing. I read obsessively and I’m an avid movie fan. Most importantly, I am passionate about friends and family. Spending time with girlfriends is much more of a priority to me than when I was younger. I didn’t seem to need the camaraderie of other women in my youth, perhaps because I was too busy raising our four children, but in this phase of my life I find them to be one of my greatest sources of inspiration and joy.
I taught my children to nurture and cherish their bond, that if they did that, family would always be there when it mattered, when no one else bothered to stick around, when nobody at all would seem to care… family would. And I believe that. If you build your family to be a fortress against any storm, then when the rains hit, they’ll open an umbrella over your head, and feed you cookies. So important… those cookies!
Cooking is a passion for me. I am known for my comfort food, and when feeling especially creative I love to bake. To me, a peach pie made from scratch is a work of art as much as anything I ever painted, etched, or carved with my art degree. I am passionate about God and nature, the two of which are never far apart. He is everywhere on my morning walk through the high desert. God is the brook babbling beside me. He is the birds squawking in the trees, the frogs sitting beside the pond, the lizards that scurry by. I inhale the scent of juniper and fir, and know God is there among the trees. I see His glory right outside my window multiple times a day – in the sunrise reflected off the mountains, in the magnificent sunsets at dusk, in the full moon staring me straight in the eye outside my bedroom at 3am. On a clear night I look up at the sky and am in awe of every constellation God sprinkled over my head.
Our first winter here I saw the hand of God in the snow that fell, first in big fluffy flakes and then in hard pounding sleet, and in every condition between. It did this up to 30 inches in one fell swoop, and I was thrilled! No complaints from this mountain girl! Nothing screams God more than viewing his mobile artistry. It occurs to me when watching the heavens rain snow upon the desert floor that no two snowflakes are alike… and no two people are alike. Snowflakes and people are both here but a nanosecond in time, clumsily darting about as we traverse a path from conception to completion.
As for me and my nanosecond of a journey, until I melt away like a weightless snowflake… I will treasure every minute of my dance upon the wind.
BIO
Kat Mattingly has always had a passion for writing. Her work has received recognition for excellence numerous times in both long and short form. Her literary suspense novels include Benjamin, Journey, Olivia’s Ghost, The Tutor, and Katya. Fractured Hearts is the title of her short story collection. Her work also appears in numerous small press anthologies and print magazines. Kat’s writing is inspired by real-life events and places she has lived or traveled.
As a senior editor at Possibility Media Group, Kat had over 30 interviews, book reviews, and articles published promoting artists, authors, and entrepreneurs in the Sacramento, CA area until leaving to establish her own editorial service for fiction manuscripts and memoirs.
In addition to earning a bachelor of arts from University of Oregon and a master of arts from Pacific U, Kat has studied writing under multiple New York Times best selling authors, receiving certificates of completion for several advanced courses in fiction. Her mentors have included Terry Brooks, Dorothy Allison, Elizabeth George, John Saul, and Gail Tsukiyama.
During her tenure at two private colleges, Kat taught numerous writing courses and was a Program Chair. She coordinated and ran the annual fiction contest for the Northern Colorado Writer’s Top of the Mountain conference, and was an ongoing judge for the Harvest Festival literary contest in Bend, OR, through the local Writers Guild. Kat was a reader/judge for the annual Pacific Northwest Writer’s conference contest for over a decade.
Currently, she creates and teaches courses for the Continuing Ed Program at Central Oregon Community College, including Novel Writing: Fiction & Memoir, and The Art of The Short Story. Kat lives on the High Desert in Central Oregon with her husband Dennis and their Maine Coon cat, Atticus. When not teaching writing or penning her next novel, she is nurturing friends and family, and enjoying nature.
BOOKS…
BENJAMIN
Benjamin is a story of love and faith, wrought with all the complications and complexities thereof….
AMAZON REVIEW
“The quality of the writing and the story is in J.K. Rowling’s league and I’m certain if the author were already famous, this would be on the bestseller lists.”
Back Cover Quotes…
“With Benjamin Kathryn Mattingly has created a story and characters brimming with emotion, intelligence, and spirituality. The book takes a number of twists and turns but never forgets to keep us grounded as we join her narrators journey from being mystified to sanctified, and ultimately finding fulfillment. Ed Goldman, columnist for the Sacramento Business Journal
FRACTURED HEARTS
Fractured Hearts is not for the faint of heart…
AMAZON REVIEW
“If you are looking for short stories that go beyond the ordinary, delve into mysterious pasts and leave you questioning the power of the human psyche, this collection is for you. If you are a hopeless romantic – welcome to the darker side of love.”
Back Cover Quotes…
From the Editor of Writer’s Digest in reference to award winning short story Cheating Paradise: “This year’s contest attracted close to 18,000 entries. Your success in the face of such formidable competition speaks highly of your writing talent, and should be a source of great pride as you continue in your writing career.”
From Liz Engstrom Cratty -Publisher of TripleTree Publishing: “Kathryn Mattingly’s fiction has always shown great depth of character and emotion, with simple, yet clever plots. Her characters live and breathe in my mind for a long time after reading about them. I hope she keeps writing short stories and novels forever.”
From James A. Beach -Editor of Dark Discoveries Magazine: “Kathryn’s Half Moon Cay is wonderful and very moving. Her stories make me feel as if I am there. Skyward (read at Powell’s bookstore) and Light of the Moon from Ghost Writers are also great stories.
From the fall issue of Dark Discoveries – review of Ghosts at the Coast by Jonathan Reitan: “Kathryn Mattingly’s Morney in the anthology Ghosts at the Coast stands out as being superb and highly original.”
From Tracy Saville -Editor in Chief of Leading Possibilities Magazine: “Kathryn Mattingly’s writing has an elevated literary aesthetic, a kind of obvious writerly quality that critics point to as gold standard.”
JOURNEY
“Another great Kat Mattingly novel. Vibrant emotional storytelling that really connects the reader to the characters.” Jim Koukis, Trade Publisher Editor-in-Chief
AMAZON REVIEWS
“Journey is about truth and lies…”
“This book makes you think. This book is what literature is all about…”
Back Cover Quote
Mattingly deftly pulls the reader into a tale of motherhood forestalled, motherhood denied, obsession, and unlimited love that quickly builds to a complex of conflicting motives playing out against the brilliant backdrop of the Hawaiian landscape. James Benton, Award-winning author of Sailor
OLIVIA’S GHOST
“Like the ocean she paints perfectly, Mattingly crushes you with tragedy and keeps you turning the page with a glimmer of hope.” Eva Huett, author of Elided and Dominion
AMAZON REVIEWS
Intense, beautiful….
Heartbreakingly relatable…
Amazing book, incredible author….
Back Cover Quotes
“From the first pages, Olivia’s Ghost plunges the reader into a maelstrom of powerful emotions and a heart-rending mystery.” Rene Villard Reed, Author of Finding the Magic
“An intricate story of determination, Mattingly has woven a tale with complex, relatable characters that you can both love and agonize with.” Amy Rivers, Author of Best Laid Plans and Other Disasters, and All The Broken People
THE TUTOR
A beautiful story of a woman’s journey to empowerment…
AMAZON REVIEWS
“A lyrical and suspenseful tale of escape and renewal. ”
“Love, betrayal & paradise – what more could you want?”
Back Cover Quotes
In her trademark descriptive style, Mattingly paints a vibrant world of crystalline beaches, colorful people, and a vivacious culture. She is an artist at character development and giving the reader an adventure-filled story… Sarah Reichart, author of the Destiny paranormal romance series
KATYA
“Katya is a haunting story told in beautiful prose.”
AMAZON REVIEWS
“From the opening lines I was captivated. Katya is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming.”
“Katya is a haunting story told in beautiful prose.”
“Filled with relatable characters, interesting twists and turns!”
Back Cover Quotes
“Katya is an artfully written mash-up of romance, mystery, intrigue, and fantasy….” ~Ned Randle, author of Baxter’s Friends, Down Cemetery Road, & St. Michael Poker & Drinking Club
“If you crave a good love story with an unusual twist, Kat Mattingly’s Katya captivates from the opening scene to the final page. The story is filled with lush descriptions and poignant characters…” ~MJ Kuhar, author of In Vitro (2023)
In Katya, Kat Mattingly does a superb job of developing a story around a chance encounter so captivating it supersedes every relationship that follows… ~Ginger Dehlinger, author of Brute Heart and Never Done
AUTHOR PAGES
- Visit Amazon’s Kathryn Mattingly Page
- Visit Kathryn Mattingly at goodreads
Kathryn Mattingly 