Thank you for visiting my page. This is the part I’m supposed to tell you about myself. So here it goes. When not transcribing the life and times of my fictional friends, I spend my time creating pretty things, working in the financial sector, riding motorcycles, reading amazing books, enjoying life with my family, and dreaming of the New York Times Bestsellers list.
My Story
Growing up in small-town America, I only ever wanted to be a writer and an artist. I hammered out horror stories at the age of nine on an old electric typewriter, I terrified my English teachers with poetry they thought was “too mature” for a child by the time I was eleven, my art often came and went in great projects that would engulf me for days on end by the time I was sixteen, and I poured my soul out onto blank pages (and sometimes the walls) well into my twenties.
However, it wasn’t until 29 that I sat down and wrote my first novel. At thirty-five, I discovered my love of painting. And shortly after, I would give it all up. Overwhelmed and under great stress, I walked away for years—only dabbling in the things I loved. But then, by the grace of powers beyond me, I found my way through the darkness. And on a summer day in 2023, I found myself drawn back to the creative world. Since then, I’ve been chasing those dreams with the tenacity of a four-year-old watching their favorite cartoon instead of taking a nap. No matter what ups and downs life has brought me, and there have been some crazy ones in the last forty-six years, I still crave to create.
It was around this time, I also decided to branch off from my usual style and write from my heart. My world had changed and so had I. So, CL McClellon was born. And soon after that, Red Oaks Library blossomed from a small idea to an eleven book series that would be a little softer, a little sweeter, and little lighter than anything I’d ever created before.
Now, I live in a cozy little house not too far from the river with the love of my life, my youngest daughter, my amazingly adorable grandson, a chubby white pit bull who is secretly my spirit animal, his little sister and tiny terror chihuahua, a tortoise named Toad, a lizard, and a dozen fish tanks. I spend my days working in the underbelly of the financial sector, and my nights writing, painting, cooking, and trying to remember to swap out the laundry.
I’m no more special than any other writer or artist you may meet. We are a passionate, eclectic bunch. And it is truly our readers who make it all worthwhile. Without you, our words and doodles would be nothing more than ink and paint on a page. But here I am, baring my soul for the world to see. And I hope you enjoy what you find.
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Catherine Stovall
CL McClellon
