2025 Open category judge: Catch Tilly

We’re delighted to announce that Catch Tilly will be our 2025 judge in the Open category.

Catch started imagining as soon as she could walk and describes herself as the dual citizen of Australia and imaginary worlds. In what passes for most people’s real life she has five children, two degrees (including a MA in Creative writing at Tabor) and a husband of 30 years. She has worked as a teacher, actor, scriptwriter and features editor and is still occasionally recognised as ‘that lady who was the panda/spy/zombie at our school’.

On the writing front, Catch’s novel Otherwise known as Pig was published by Wakefield in 2019.  The book is a confrontational look at bullying with a surprising Christian twist. It was a Glam Adelaide’s pick of the year and also mentioned in Parliament as an example of the bullying problem in our schools.

On the imagination front, Catch is working on book three of the Shadowalker series. Set in a unique world – half heaven/half earth – it’s an apocalyptic story of dragons, laser swords and a girl who walks through death.

And on the Stories of Life front, Catch is both delighted and honoured to be asked to judge. She believes that stories are the way we connect to the world and how we step past prejudices (ours and other’s) into truth and empathy.  To be part of bringing stories of faith to the world is a glory and a privilege. So, before she reads a single story, she would like to say thank you for your courage and faith in submitting them and letting her into your story.

Stories of Life: What are you reading right now?

Catch: I read two or three books a week usually historical romance, cozy mystery and Middle Grade fantasy (ie genre fiction for the win). I love genre fiction and honestly believe that good genre fiction requires more skill than literary fiction as well as being so much more fun to read. I also don’t read anything unless it has a happy ending and will check before I start the book.

I’m currently rereading Diana Wynne Jones who is an amazing fantasy author who writes mostly Middle Grade fiction. I think her novel Homeward Bounders may be one of the most imaginative fantasies I have every read.

Stories of Life: What are you writing right now?

Catch: Currently working on book three of the Shadowalker series (Revelations meets Star Wars with friendly – if psychotic – dragons) and a supernatural murder mystery. In complete contradiction to what I read, I tend to write intense and confrontational fiction (though still with a happy ending).

Stories of Life: A writing quote that inspires you

Catch: “You don’t make enough money writing not to write what you want.” Poppy Nwosu (local South Australian author). I think this is doubly true of a Christan author. Write from the heart and you can’t go wrong. (Given my answer to question two I do sometimes worry about where my heart is.)

Stories of Life: If you could have a superpower it would be …

Catch: Make dreams come true. Terrifying, but what writer doesn’t want to meet their creations?

Stories of Life: A fun fact about yourself …

Catch: The name Catch comes from Catch 22.

Feature picture supplied by Catch of her playing arlecchino on the street.