Welcome to March! Raise your hand if you’re looking forward to spring. Here in Colorado snow took it’s sweet time coming but then has stayed with us ever since. I’m ready for green grass and flowers. We Kastners also in the middle of a massive decluttering project and packing up the rest of nearly everything in our house so we can put down new wood laminate flooring to replace this awful carpet, and we’ll be having a paint crew in to repaint walls that haven’t had a new coat of paint in over 20 years. I’m feeling totally overwhelmed but keep telling myself it’ll be worth it in the end.
With all the stress flying in the air, I wanted to think of something fun for the blog this month and decided on a Five Things about Me post. I hope this will be interesting and you’ll learn something new.
Five Things about Deb Kastner
- When did you discover you wanted to be an author?
I was in elementary school when I first discovered my penchant for writing. My second-grade teacher asked the class to write a one-page story. I wrote twenty pages. And my teacher read it aloud, much to my introvert embarrassment.
- If you weren’t an author, what would be your dream job?
I always thought casting for movies would be fun. I also think it would be fascinating to host whale watching excursions, because I’ve loved whales and dolphins since I was a kid. I romanticize the idea of over-the-road trucking and seeing America, though it probably wouldn’t be as fun as I think it would be—not that it matters, because I could never drive a semi.
- What hobbies do you do, or would you like to do?
At the moment I’m crocheting a baby blanket for Emily, Grandbaby #3 due June 4th. I never crochet except when I’m making a baby blanket, first for my children and then my grandchildren.
I would love to garden, except for three things—I hate dirt, I hate bugs, and I kill plants. All plants, including house plants. I have the blackest thumb ever.
- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I’ve been to Ireland with a friend, but I’d really love to go back, this time with my husband, as my roots are Irish. Scotland and England, as well. I would love to see Italy and the Holy Land.
- Are you a dog person or a cat person?
Yes. There’s not really an either/or on this question. We have two dogs and two cats and a grand-dog that lives with us. I do lean a little more toward dogs, miniature schnauzers in particular, but my antisocial cats are pretty awesome, as well.
I’m also a horse person and have been since I was a little girl. I own one Arab gelding named Moscato, and I’m really looking forward to summertime when I’ll be helping with the Knights of Valorian, a kids program that teaches knighthood skills and the accompanying character traits (kindness, compassion, courage, honor, loyalty, integrity, truthfulness and respect).
So, there’s a bit about me. I hope you enjoyed this little glance into my life. Feel free to share interesting facts about you!
My next release is a reprint of one of my Serendipity novels paired with the wonderful Jolene Navarro called The Texas Soldier’s Match, available June 28th.
~~Love Courageously~~ Publisher's Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of 30 novels, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational western stories set in small communities. She feels especially blessed to be able to include faith as a natural and genuine part of her characters' lives. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and a pack of miscreant mutts. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her fav), singing in the church choir, and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
Thank you for sharing.
I love to knit. At the moment I’m knitting a jumper for a toddler.
I can crochet, but would like to be more skilled.
I hate gardening. I have 5 pots outside and that’s enough dirt I think.
I hope to travel more. London tops my list.
I am proficient in sign language.
Hi Deb! So feel your pain of decluttering to remove carpet and paint. Something needed in my house, but at 7 decades not sure I have the stamina. Love your 5 things list. Here is mine: 1. Have a brown thumb – one house plant (palm) and 15 pots outdoors on back deck and front patio area. More than enough dirt. 2. Teaching is my passion since I was 6 and taught for 30 years. 3. Personally prefer cats – at 70+ no fur babies because they may outlive us. Share a Sheltie with our son. Dog sitting this week. 4. Hobbies – photography and genealogy research. Can crochet. 5. Love to travel. Been to 26 states and 9 countries. Not fond of flying any more, so hoping maybe to visit Canada again. Michigan borders Canada. Best wishes and Happy Writing.
Autumn has arrived here with gorgeous amber leaves and the requisite crispness in the air, yeah, my favourite season. Might be a while before you can appreciate the end result of moving, but I found it worth it. Someone told me in the midst of it all do one nice thing for myself each day. So simple yet effective. Great post!
I love your yarn for the afghan. I also love to crochet. I’m getting ready to start my plants for my garden. Have a blessed day.
Welcome today. I did the same with crocheting. A blanket for each of my two kiddos and then my sisters two kiddos. All four of them still have those blankets. My sisters daughter has now passed hers onto her daughter. So cool to see this. I used to not like to garden for the same reasons. Until I got married and had two little ones. They loved the outdoors nd digging in the dirt. So I started gardening and WOW we actually grew things. And yes I had gloves. Now I dont bother with gloves. They just get in the way. I have always wanted to go to Ireland I am 20% Irish. Mom had the skin and coloring of the Irish. We learned to love all of our different heritages. I grew up on a farm in CA and also love all animals. Now we only have two cats. But then many farm animals are frowned on in the suburbs. LOL
I am ready for spring I do a snowcones and cotton candy business so I am ready to start that up I really enjoy that.
I love dogs too! Though I also like watching the antics of my neighbors’ cats. :)
I’ll leave the gardening to my mom. She loves it and is clearly the only one with a green thumb in the family.
I enjoy playing the recorder and singing. Maybe one day I’ll pick up the violin.
Love the cover of your book! And yay for spring finally coming! :)
Hi Deb, I love to spend time with my family , especially my grandchildren, they love to do crafts and they like to plant with me. I have been giving them their Catechism lessons for 9 years here at my house. We have an 8 yr old half Schnauzer. I love to watch good movies and I love to read . Have a great week and stay safe.
Thank you, Deb. It was nice to learn about you. My husband and I have been married for 33 years. We are a cat family of three. We also feed the strays outside. We love dogs, but we are both disabled. It would be challenging to take care and train a dog. God bless you.
would be fun jobs
That’s so many interesting facts about you
Thank you for sharing.
I took ASL in college because I had a deaf friend. It’s fascinating! Did you see the Apple TV movie CODA? Really heartwarming.
I’m jealous of all the traveling you’ve done! Honestly, travel is at the top of my bucket list all the way around. I gave my 13-year-old granddaughter a DSLR camera for Christmas and she’s now learning photography.
It does feel overwhelming at the moment after twenty years of practically hoarding stuff. I’m wondering if we ever throw anything away!
A gardener, huh? My best friend is an avid gardener and always gets excited this time of year. Me? Not a chance!
We’re rural suburb but living in suburbia neighborhood. I always thought they should allow us to have goats. I mean, how much better than a lawn mower, right??
Oh, how fun! That would be a super cool business to have, making people happy!
I just bought a guitar. I’ve wanted to learn all my life but we’ll see how well I do when push comes to shove. I love singing and used to sing in the choir at church until it became too much for my husband to be in church without me.
Grandchildren and schnauzers. We have a lot in common!!
Did you have the 80’s/early 90’s poofy hair at your wedding?
I’m not sure how good I’d be at any of them, so I guess it’s just as well God gifted me to write. I think I’m too much of an introvert to be a good announcer for whale watching but it would be fun.
Hope you enjoyed them. What do you like to do?
It was fun to share. What hobbies do you have?
Sure you did. Memories are seductive though and when you have the space and there is no issue it is convenient to keep the memories and items. I did a downsize after 20 yrs from a large 2br to a small 1br in less than a month, so it’s possible, tough though so please be kind to yourself.
We have a miniature schnauzer and I grew up on a horse farm. :)
I am really late but I have 2 anti social cats except with me. Libby runs when she see a car stop or if someone is in the yard although yesterday she kept eyeing the neighbour over the fence while we chatted ready to run if needed but closer than she would normally be. Henry well if you don’t go near him he isn’t fussed but you try to go near him to pat him he’s gone. but he does give me be biggest cuddles.
Do you still have that story you wrote in 2nd grade? Oh on gardening I plant the bulbs or flowers and Libby lies on them she seems to think its her job to stop them growing.
Great cover! Love it 😍