Anne Cattaruzza Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I emigrate from France to Montreal, Canada, on a cold day of dec 31st 1994 and became an actress. During that time, I gave my life to Christ and quit the acting. I eventually start writing Christian fiction and I have been blessed by 2 awards, one for each novel!

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. Even though I was writing during my acting days, mainly to give me consistent roles, I did not consider being a writer. When I finished grieving the acting and after 10 years of not being an artist, God put in my heart to write Searching for Sheida.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. The fact I did not have to struggle to publish my first book in 2014 was really encouraging. And I was overjoyed when I received my first award in 2016 for that novel. I had been nominated for a radio fiction in the past in the secular world so that award came like a confirmation.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Searching for Sheida?
A: It’s not the current one as the sequel has been released but it’s the only one in English! 🙂

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Searching for Sheida?
A: It comes from a real event of an Iranian woman condemned to be stoned to death for a futile thing and I decided to talk about a Muslim woman converted to Christianity, condemn to death by stoning. Even though the subject is heavy, I wrote it like a thriller and through the eyes of faith.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: It depends who the reader is. If he is Christian, I want him to remember the persecuted church and bring awareness on what is happening in some countries. If he is a non-believer, I want him to know about Jesus and the huge hope and forgiveness he gives us if we let him.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. I want others people to be inspired by these stories and if they are far away from their creator, take a decision to change their life. I want the world to know there is hope amidst all this chaos. I have the lost very much at heart. I used to be lost and I know the feeling of feeling hopeless or not knowing why I was on earth.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I had a third novel with a specific subject regarding a law that passed in the States not a long time ago, but just recently, I have been thinking about writing another sequel. More specifically, it would be about a character left in jail in Iran in Searching for Sheida. I feel compelled to write again about Muslim characters and the many converting to Christ as we speak.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. Besides taking care of my family (I have young kids) which is a full time job, I enjoy very much being in nature, listening to birds or observing wild life if I am lucky. I love camping (with some comfort), and on a more everyday life, hosting friends with a home-made supper. I enjoy a good movie or a restaurant with my husband (very rare unfortunately).