My full name is Catherine Wheelwright Ockey. I use different variations of that, depending on the circumstances. My five siblings call me Cathy, but mostly I go by Catherine. I’m fifty-six years old and female.

I was born and spent my childhood in Salt Lake City, met my husband Randl in the cello section of the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, and we were married six days after I graduated with a BA degree (English major, history minor, and lots of music performance credits). We have subsequently lived in Mississippi, Oregon and Washington (the state). Six years ago, when our youngest of four children graduated from high school, we escaped the darkness of western Washington and moved to Helena, Montana, where we have a freelance editing and indexing business. I also have a small (very small) publishing business (publishing outdoor guides to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks).

I have played many different roles in my 56 years, but my current favorite is that of grandmother to five direct descendants and nine others who all call me “Grandma O.”

My connection to Mormon literature? I am a Mormon—by faith, baptism and upbringing. My love for literature, and the printed word in particular, is as ingrained in me as is my faith. My dad was a printer/lithographer and my mother was a book addict and keeper of journals. Like her, if I don’t have some time for reading every day, I feel cheated. In Washington I worked as a stringer for a couple of newspapers and had various other freelance writing jobs. Since we moved to Montana, my writing focus has been on family stories. I love to read good literary fiction, with a spattering of mystery and science fiction/fantasy. Film and drama are of interest to me also. AML has become a lifeline for me, connecting me to literate Mormon minds with which I feel multiple common bonds. As a shy introvert and natural-born observer (rather than participator), I mostly prefer to read the comments of others, rather than make my own. Nevertheless, I enjoy carrying on my own private conversations with the rest of you as I read what you have to say.