Cathy McIlvoy was born in Southern California and lived in Redondo Beach for the first 28 years of her life. From there, she, her husband, and four sons established their lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. For six years, they lived overseas—in Germany and later the Dominican Republic—but California was always her home. Until now. She and her husband, Rob, and two high-maintenance felines moved to Louisville, Kentucky, in 2022.

The idea for her debut historical novel, LaDelle and Jubilant, came many years ago, while homeschooling her two youngest sons. They were elementary age at the time. Ian and Noah are bi-racial and adopted, and she wanted them to learn about men and women of color who had accomplished great things. One historical figure they studied was George Washington Carver. While the boys enjoyed learning about George’s life as a boy and his later work as a scientist and professor at Tuskegee University, Cathy became completely enthralled with this amazing man and the period in which he lived!

All that led her to years of research and a flight from San Francisco, California, to Tuskegee, Alabama, to spend time on the Tuskegee University campus and in the George Washington Carver Museum. Her novel started as a book for middle-grade students. She wanted to give it to her sons as a gift as they would be the right age to read it by the time she finished. But over the years and with input from publishers and agents, she was encouraged to rewrite her story to make it a historical novel for adults. Finally, after many (many!) years, LaDelle and Jubilant became a reality when, in 2023, her book found a publisher. Ian and Noah are full-fledged adults now, and she dedicated the book to them.

Cathy is currently busy crafting another historical fiction novel--this one based on her grandfather’s birth mother. She gave birth to him on a ship sailing from Belgium to New York. Stay tuned!

  • Ever since elementary school, I’ve loved to write. I also loved to read, and, to this day, the library is still one of my favorite places. (All those books–for free!) When I got older, and my dad told me, “You’re a good writer,” I believed him, and my confidence grew. Years later, as a young mom, I felt compelled to submit some of my writing to magazines and Chicken Soup Books, and things took off from there, leading me to where I am now.

  • My answer at this moment is probably Wendell Berry for fiction. If you've never read his work, I’d start with Hannah Coulter. William Zinsser is my favorite author when it comes to books on writing. Each one is informative and provides practical help. He was a humble man but wrote with an entertaining measure of snarkiness. If he were still alive, I'd ask him to be my penpal.

  • Moses? George Washington Carver? Corrie ten Boom? Yes, please! I’d like to meet so many people, but at the top of the list right now is my grandfather’s birthmother, born in Germany in 1868. I’m writing a historical fiction novel about her, and I’ve got questions!