Early Life and Education

Katerina Katsarka was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. Two events shaped her psyche—the sadness of occupation and the long illness and early death of her mother as a consequence of war. The strength of faith that runs through her life originated within a loving and highly verbal extended family. She attended a remarkable high school on the hills of Thessaloniki, a formerly American missionary endeavor and now a highly respected high school-cum-college, called Anatolia. This is where she learned English and was taught by young Americans whose style and ethos predisposed her kindly to studying in the United States.

When a scholarship offer arrived from a small college in North Carolina, she decided to take the chance. She was only sixteen years of age, so those years of study were crucial to her development. The scholarship was offered for music but soon she fell in love with English poetry and knew that literature would be her field. She started writing early but it took years to perfect her writing style in English and to feel the rhythm of the language.

Writing

Katerina’s desire has always been to use her writing for good. She says, “I cannot write about violence as easily as other writers do. I am not interested in the darkest recesses of the human psyche. I long for what is good and whole, even though I am quite aware of the darkness. Jesus expects us to be the light of the world, and I try to remember this—always. Writing for me is a response to the Light.”

Vocational Life

Katerina loves teaching and spent quite a few years teaching people of all ages, but she prefers the college-age students she taught at Appalachian State University. The other career she enjoyed immensely was that of church journalist. She worked in communication at the diocesan and national/international level for two decades traveling to twenty-six countries in that capacity. She served as editor of two church newspapers, freelanced for years, and for the past two decades has concentrated on writing her books.

Today

Widowed after fifty-six years of marriage, Katerina Katsarka Whitley is the mother of two daughters and four grandchildren. She resides in Louisville, Kentucky.