In early 2011, CatholicAuthor started as a personal brand, a blog, and destination for people to discover my books and thoughts.

In the decade since, I tried to turn it into several things, like a service for ‘Developmental Editing’ – brainstorming and feedback for authors.

It lay fallow, until 2021, when an 11pm flash of insight showed me the future of this project.

It needs to focus on ‘us’, not me. It needs to be a place online for Catholic authors to gather, chat, share feedback, and stay inspired.

It needs to help self-published authors launch their novels. It needs to help these authors start their saga. It needs to support indie Catholic fiction publishers promote and launch novels.

But here’s the key.

It has to support the modern Catholic author.

It’s not a retreat from the world, to celebrate ideas and raise bastions against all the problems of the world.

It’s a regrouping. It’s a renewal. It’s a re-engagement.

We need to raze the bastions. Let the life out. And through gripping, powerful, exciting, and deeply human novels, contribute in our own way to the building of the Kingdom.

Not every novel is for everyone. Not every author writes for their friends.

Authors are more than banner-bearers for comfortable truths.

We are seekers for grit amid grace, the dark amid the light, the epic and angelic and demonic and mystic.

We are the co-creators of the imagination.

To that end, CatholicAuthor has rebranded and relaunched as an online community for Catholic authors everywhere. We will continue to grow, and add more.

The key areas we’re starting with is the free ‘How to be a Catholic Author’ course, and our series of YouTube conversations with self/published authors.

But we hope you’ll join us in the community.

This is a SmartCatholics project, supporting the mission to help Catholics understand our faith in the modern world, so that we can live our lives with joy and share our faith with greater confidence.

SmartCatholics is the fastest growing community online to support Pope Francis, help Catholics regroup, and create resources to renew our hope.

Comment your thoughts and suggestions! We’re glad to be back in action with you!