9 ratings | 7 reviews | avg rating:4.78

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Cathy Koning

Goodreads Author

Born

Australia

Website

https://cathykoningwriter.com

Genre

Nonfiction, Memoir, Self Help

Influences

Dean Jobb Evan Handler Kirsty Everett Mria Konnikova Raymond Chandler R ...more

Member Since

August 2021

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I like to re-invent myself and have had a varied work life. I briefly worked as a secondary school teacher after graduating with an arts degree from Latrobe University in Melbourne Australia. As a theatre production photographer I toured Europe with Nigel Triffitt's Momma's Little Horror Show and captured many performances at Melbourne’s Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant. After a stint as a cinema publicist I founded a successful gardening business and then ran a Sustainable Communities Program for two rural shires.
Everything changed in 2012 with a leukaemia diagnosis. During the long recovery I turned my hand to writing, and Dainty Diva, the biography of my husband’s great aunt, Sydney soprano and vaudeville artist Dorothy Rudder, was the out I like to re-invent myself and have had a varied work life. I briefly worked as a secondary school teacher after graduating with an arts degree from Latrobe University in Melbourne Australia. As a theatre production photographer I toured Europe with Nigel Triffitt's Momma's Little Horror Show and captured many performances at Melbourne’s Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant. After a stint as a cinema publicist I founded a successful gardening business and then ran a Sustainable Communities Program for two rural shires.
Everything changed in 2012 with a leukaemia diagnosis. During the long recovery I turned my hand to writing, and Dainty Diva, the biography of my husband’s great aunt, Sydney soprano and vaudeville artist Dorothy Rudder, was the outcome. This book is lavishly illustrated with images from her archive and can be read for free on my website https://cathykoningwriter.com
I recently self-published my second book LIFE BLOOD: Lessons from one woman who survived serious illness against the odds, the story of my ten-year leukaemia journey. I take the reader along with me from a patient’s point of view, reflecting on a daunting medical situation with humour, a bit of drama, education and philosophical meandering, and maybe a few tears too.

LIFE BLOOD is for family and friends supporting a loved one, medical practitioners, patients themselves, and anyone interested in reading about real-life survival stories.
Almost everyone knows someone facing a serious illness such as cancer, or possibly has gone through it themselves. I chronicle my experience for readers seeking a better understanding of what it’s like to be a patient trying to survive, and even flourish, against the odds. I want to stimulate discussion about how we cope when confronted by illness and emphasise that everyone has to deal with it in their own way.
I also acknowledge the marvellous work of the staff at our Australian public hospitals, in particular my mothership, Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, and how fortunate our community is in Medicare. And to recognise the invaluable support of my family and friends who came on the expedition with me. They had their challenges too. It takes a village, or in my case, a metropolis.
I am currently researching my next book about a notorious American con artist whom Dorothy Rudder briefly crossed paths with in Borneo just after WW1.
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Average rating: 4.75 · 4 ratings · 2 reviews · 1 distinct work

Life Blood: Lessons from one woman who survived serious illness against the odds

4.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — 4 editions

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Cathy Koning rated a book it was amazing A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Here is a book club suggestion for fellow readers of true crime. If you enjoyed watching a smooth, retired cat burglar (Cary Grant) and love interest Grace Kelly doing their thing in “To Catch a Thief”, this may be for you. “A Gentleman and a Thief” i ...more
Apr 13, 2026 12:06AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Gentleman and a Thief by Dean Jobb. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Gentleman and a Thief by Dean Jobb <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cathy Koning rated a book it was amazing The Self-Publishing Workbook: The Life-Changing Guide to Writing, Publishing, and Marketing Your Book, Becoming a Bestselling Author, and Making an Impact by Julie Postance (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I highly recommend The Self-Publishing Workbook to both the aspiring author and anyone needing to update their self-publishing skills. Created by Julie Postance, an experienced independent publishing consultant, this book is a clear, insightful and g ...more
Jan 10, 2025 09:32PM · like · see review
Cathy Koning wants to read A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue by Dean Jobb (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 13, 2024 12:01AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Gentleman and a Thief by Dean Jobb. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Gentleman and a Thief by Dean Jobb <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Cathy Koning rated a book it was amazing The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
David Grann’s “The Wager: A tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” is up there as my best non-fiction book of the year so far. I read this true “Lord of the Flies” survival story over Christmas 2023 and it has stayed with me ever since. Grann skilfull ...more
Jun 12, 2024 01:07AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Wager by David Grann. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Wager by David Grann <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Cathy Koning (?)

“I decided to call my cancer the little c rather than the Big C. I wasn't giving it that much power over my life!”
― Cathy Koning, Life Blood: Lessons from one woman who survived serious illness against the odds

tags: leukaemia, leukemia, medicare, memoir-writing, russ-harris

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tags: leukaemia, leukemia, medicare, memoir-writing, russ-harris

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