What Cathy Read Next…

I’m delighted to welcome author Jordan Gray to What Cathy Read Next. Jordan’s latest novel, In the Joining of Souls – Echoes of Yesterday is published today. Described as ‘A gripping novel of love, dedication, and redemption, perfect for fans of emotional suspense and small-town mysteries’, it’s available to purchase as an ebook from Amazon. Read on as I chat with Jordan about the book and his writing journey.

---

About the Book

Shattered trust. Buried secrets. A friendship on the brink.

In a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business, Jordie and Hannah share an unbreakable bond – until tragedy rips their world apart. As grief consumes him, Jordie embarks on a desperate search for answers, uncovering a web of lies that shatter his understanding of the past and force him to question the people he trusts and the memories he once clung to.

With guilt, betrayal, and long-buried secrets rising to the surface, Jordie must confront a devastating Can he ever truly move forward, or has the past already shaped his future beyond repair?

Find In the Joining of Souls on Goodreads

---

Q & A with Jordan Gray, author of In the Joining of Souls

Your debut novel, Secret of the Whispering Woods, was a middle-grade fantasy adventure. What attracted you to writing a book in a different genre?

I have always wanted to write, but never had – or made – the time to do it. Once I finally had the time and the courage to start, I decided that I don’t want to be stuck in a single genre. I started with middle-grade fiction, because they are generally a more forgiving audience and rookie mistakes would not be telling. I learned a lot and true to my objective, tried my hand at something completely different with In the Joining of Souls.

How would you describe the ideal reader of In the Joining of Souls – Echoes of Yesterday?

I wrote it for readers with a solid interest in human nature and how life’s events shape the human character, and who also prefers eloquent narrative, descriptive writing and real thematic depth to fast-paced, all-out action.

Your book has two main characters. How did you go about creating them and did they change much during the time you were writing the book?

Yes, and I love them both! Especially in Jordie there is a profound change – one of the most difficult humanly possible: learning how to deal with the worst life can throw at you, bearing it and moving ahead. Oh, and of course, learning to forgive and accept. Hannah is my hands-down favourite though. But I’ll let the readers discover her for themselves.

How important to the story is the book’s setting?

It is quite strongly grounded in its era and in the culture of its setting, but the themes are universal – part of the human condition, so to speak. So I would say that for reader immersion and enjoyment, the strong atmospheric style is important, but in terms of the central precepts, they are things we all grapple with daily so I think they’d be easy for everyone to connect with, regardless of the setting.

Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging to write? If so, why?

Yes, several! The book is deeply emotional and in some scenes my biggest challenge was to see the words I was writing through my tears!

What is your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?

I love everything about writing, from first draft to re-write, second re-write, third, fourth etc. etc. etc. Even editing arguments! No favourite parts, honestly.

What are you working on next?

I have started on a new novel. It’s a lot less sweet than In the Joining of Souls and intersects with the paranormal, but not enough to put it in that genre. More character-driven psychological fiction/ suspense, if that makes sense.

---

About the Author

Jordan says: I am a lifelong reader, devouring everything from Ayn Rand to Stephen King. This love of storytelling fueled a lifelong desire to write. With newfound free time after bidding the corporate world farewell, I took the leap into authorship. My debut novel, Secret of the Whispering Woods is a middle-grade fantasy adventure that ignites imaginations. In a way, I guess it was an experiment, or a test – to see if I could do it. What it did do was to give me a taste for writing. From the very beginning, I have wanted to explore different genres. It seems to me that my stories tell themselves, and I can’t wait to see what the next one brings.

Connect with Jordan
X | Goodreads | Facebook

I’m delighted to welcome author Ken Steele to What Cathy Read Next. Ken’s debut novel, The Promise of Unbroken Straw was published in March 2024 by Yorkshire Publishing. It’s described as ‘an epic and unforgettable tale of three generations of a family saturated with secrets, grief, and unrealized, stubborn love’. The Promise of Unbroken Straw is available to purchase in hardback or ebook from Amazon and other retailers.

The book has received some fantastic reviews from readers, with an overall rating of 4.5 on Goodreads. One praised it as ‘well-written with deep characters, realistic dialogue and character dynamics… It definitely gave me William Kent Krueger vibes’. Another commented, ‘This was one of those feel good stories that sucks you in and makes it difficult to put the book down. You root for the characters and cry with their hardships’.

Read on as I chat with Ken about the book and his writing journey.

---

About the Book

Paul’s teachers say he’s distracted, and they’re not wrong. With the demands of a struggling farm, Allied boots in Europe, and secrets surrounding his mother’s death, who can blame him? And the expectations of his unapproachable father are seemingly out of reach.

When a financial windfall sparks a rags-to-riches transformation, it also sets in motion events that will test young Paul to his core. This coming-of-age story connects Paul’s tumultuous adolescence to his unfulfilled adulthood. Across those decades, he searches for redemption and reconciliation with the ghosts of his past.

Find The Promise of Unbroken Straw on Goodreads

---

Q & A with Ken Steele, author of The Promise of Unbroken Straw

The Promise of Unbroken Straw is your debut novel. How did your writing journey begin and what was the inspiration for the book?

Writing had been on my mind for some time. It was even integral to my professional career, though, admittedly, that was much more technology-focused. This novel, in part, commemorates the land where my ancestors had settled. My father, and his father before him, lived on a wheat farm just prior to when this story takes place. Though they are long-gone, this endeavor let me retrace those roots.

The book’s main character, Paul, is thirteen years old. Why did you choose to make him that age?

As a coming-of-age story, I wanted to explore the things required for a young boy to transition into adulthood. That age is such a vulnerable time and offers a unique window into the many doubts and dreams of someone stepping into those waters for the first time. In this narrative, we also get to follow Paul much later in life and witness how certain outcomes were indelibly connected to his youth.

How important to the story is the book’s setting – Oklahoma in 1944?

I was born and raised in that state, albeit in the city, not on a farm. Without spoilers, there are a couple of love stories in this tale, one being between author and setting. And the time period was crucial. Following the depths of the Depression, Paul was raised during the Dust Bowl. When WWII arrives, those events shaped him in the same way that they altered the course of an entire generation.

How did you approach your research for the book? Did you discover anything that particularly surprised you?

I lived in every corner of the internet, and I can’t imagine writing something like historical fiction – particularly involving settings that were unfamiliar – without those resources. Surprises, hmm. Coming back to the war, I learned how far-reaching that conflict was even thousands of miles from the battlefields. From seismic shifts within industries and personal lifestyles, the overt effects of rationing, even changes in highway speed limits to conserve fuel and rubber.

Were there any scenes that were particularly challenging to write? If so, why?

Much of this narrative required a very nuanced interaction between Paul and his father. Their relationship was highly complex, and there were numerous times when I needed to walk right up to certain boundaries without obliterating them entirely. So staying entirely within character across an assortment of challenges that they were both asked to confront took time and patience, particularly in this debut effort.

What has been your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?

Favourite parts: I spent my career exercising the left side of my brain. Writing fed the other half. I loved imagining a new world, one that I’d created out of whole cloth. And in this case, one that allowed me to reconnect with my adolescent self.

Less favourite parts: The patience required. For me, writing is a bit like sculpting. I needed to shave off the pieces one at a time before the underlying ideas fully emerged. And that took more time than I could have imagined.

What advice would you give to other debut authors?

Churchill got it right. “Never give in, never, never, never, never . . .” Over the course of my professional career, I’ve tackled some complex problems on the edge of a new technology. Writing was, by far, the hardest thing I’ve ever attempted. This project spanned well over ten years, and over that time period, there were numerous highs and lows, painfully close calls, soul-crushing rejections. But I kept at it. Hopefully, my personal journey can inspire others who have similar aspirations.

What are you working on next?

I have drafted a second novel, but much work is required before it can escape from my laptop. It’s a very different genre, a political thriller with a sweeping scope, but it also touches on subject matter that was central to my professional career. Time will tell how it progresses as it’s in direct competition with an assortment of activities that we dearly enjoy in the mountains of Colorado.

---

About the Author

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ken Steele holds degrees in Civil Engineering from Oklahoma State University and MIT. The Promise of Unbroken Straw is Ken’s debut novel, a work of historical fiction. He resides in Colorado with his wife of 41 years where his days are filled with skiing, pickleball, golf, hiking, and all that the mountains can offer.

Connect with Ken
Website | Instagram | Facebook