Goodreads asked Catherine Tinley:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Catherine Tinley I was a writer long before I got a contract to publish. I've been a writer for years - i.e. I've written things. Creative things, stories. Some I liked more than others. Until 'Waltzing with the Earl', I never sent any of them to a publisher or agent. Something about this one just worked.
For me, there's a difference between being a writer, and being a Writer. The writer is the crafter, the dedicated (or frustrated) worker. The Writer is the published author, the persona that somehow symbolises success.
I feel like the former, and can't quite take in the fact that I now have an author listing on Goodreads, that my book has appeared on Amazon, that there is a cover with my name on it!
I'm a writer. What's the best thing about that? My answer is twofold; I love the feeling I get when the work is flowing well, when scenes and characters, words and sentences tumble over each other to get out.
I also love the positive feedback I've had from those who've read my book (or part of it). A copy editor apparently said 'She's done a lovely job, hasn't she?' A Georgette Heyer fan said 'I love it - it's like finding a Heyer that I haven't read before!'
If I can write something that brings a reader into a different world for a few hours, to feel with the characters the joy, pain and tension of falling in love, then that is an achievement.

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