Q & A with Kathrine E. Bellamy

1. When do you like to write (time of day, day of week)? Where do you do your writing (location)?

Whenever I get time! I prefer mornings and early afternoon—but, any time. Where? The only place where I had the space to do so—my bedroom. Now, since moving to another convent, I have an office—a real luxury!

2. What other jobs have you had besides being a writer?

All kinds of jobs—principally teaching. For many years I was music director and organist at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. During that time I worked also in outreach programs for the poor—visiting their homes and bringing food and clothing, as well as working in a food bank.

3. What was your first piece in print (book, review, or article, etc)?

I suppose the very first piece I wrote was published in our school magazine, The St. Bride’s College Annual. However, many years ago I used to write articles on music for the NTA Journal.

4. What was your favourite book(s) when you were a child?

I read everything I could get my hands on—and I come from a family of readers. There were books all over the house. My grandfather, who lived in England, used to send me Tiger Tim’s Weekly and Tiger Tim’s Annual. The latter was a big, thick book with lots and lots of stories of animals from around the world. My father had a full set of Dickens’ novels. At first he used to read aloud to me, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, etc. Later, when I was old enough to read fluently, I read them all myself. Then I had the Bobbsey Twins series. And my mother had a copy of Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare that I read over and over—from cover to cover—even though she said I was too young to be reading them—but my father overruled her!

5. What are you reading now?

Right now I’m reading Catherine McAuley and the Tradition of Mercy by Mary C. Sullivan, RSM. It is an edited, annotated collection of original documents that were written by the very first Sisters of Mercy, with an account of their memories of the foundress, Catherine McAuley, and the early days of the Congregation. Also, I’ve just started to read an unpublished doctoral thesis written by Father John Cole: “The Concept of Unity in the Documents of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches 1927–1983.” This is a challenging document that I’ll take a long time to get through, but he writes well, and the subject—ecumenism—is one especially important to me.

6. What do you like to do in your free time?

What free time? I’m usually busy with something or other, but when I’m tired of working I like to listen to music and read.

7. What kind of music do you listen to?

I like to listen to music for strings—particularly the violin sonatas of Beethoven and the string quartets of Schubert and Brahms. But I enjoy all sorts of what is popularly—but incorrectly—called “Classical” music. I like music that has enough substance that it will last.

8. What is your favourite food?

I don’t have a favourite food—lots of things I don’t like. I’d say my favourite food is ice cream—which I can’t take because of a condition called lactose intolerance!

9. What city/country would you most like to visit and why?

I’d like to rent a car and drive through the villages and towns of England—the land of my forebears! Why? Nostalgia, I suppose. I heard so many stories from my father of his holidays on his grandfather’s farm. Dad was a wonderful storyteller and drew vivid pictures of life in those far-off days.

10. Make a question of your own and then answer it.

Who on earth would be interested in all of this?

Nobody I know!