The Citizen Article

Following your dreams isn’t always as easy as it sounds, and sometimes it can take up to several years for something to actually come of your hard work. Catherine Dougherty experienced this first hand when she set out to write in Polyester Pajamas about six to seven years ago.

Dougherty, who is an administrative assistant at Meredith Village Savings Bank, has lived in the lakes region all her life and has always dreamed of one day becoming an author. It wasn’t until her mother’s death and a little push from her son that she was prompted to fulfill this dream after years of putting it down. “Once I started I would get lost in it,” she says of writing the novel.

Before becoming an author, Dougherty enjoyed writing poetry and short stories and at one point wrote for a local paper. It was her former career in real estate that inspired her to write in Polyester Pajamas though. The story follows two middle-aged women, Jean and Rosie, who are opposites in every way but are forced together by their jobs in real estate. “I’m fascinated by women, how they think, what they feel. [Middle age] is a fascinating time in a woman’s life,” Dougherty says of her inspiration for writing about the two unlikely friends.

One of Dougherty’s favorite things about writing is bringing out emotions in people and making them remember to enjoy life. “I love expressing things that people think, but are afraid to say. I enjoy making people laugh, cry, and be entertained by [writing],” she says. The many great reviews Dougherty has received thus far have shown that she is quite the master of this somewhat difficult skill.

“It was a lot of work. I’m glad that people are enjoying it,” Dougherty says of the reviews, given by people of varying ages. She noted that in Polyester Pajamas is a book to be enjoyed by women of all ages, not just those that are middle age.

A strong theme of friendship is present throughout the novel, which may be why it resonates with so many people. “I hope that people see how wonderful it is to have a best friend at any age. We’re all very much the same in many ways,” Dougherty says of what she hopes readers will take away from the story.

The novel, first published as an eBook in June 2012, is now available in paperback throughout the lakes region, as well as on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. Many local bookstores, such as Annie’s Book Stop in Laconia and Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith proudly display the local author’s first novel. Dougherty will also be holding her first book signing at the Innisfree Bookshop on August 31.

With so much going in Dougherty’s life, from continuing to work at the bank, to marketing her book and spending time with her family, it’s hard to imagine how she has any time left to continue writing. She manages it all though and will soon be submitting her second novel, Woolen Bikinis, to her publisher, Briona Glen Publishing, based out of Peterborough, NH.

The new novel, which is expected in stores next spring, is a sequel to in Polyester Pajamas and Dougherty hopes to make it into a series of four to five books. She is also currently working on a Christmas novel, although she is staying quiet about the title. The author, although newly published, seems to understand exactly what it takes to make a good book. “I think what makes a great book is not only that it’s written well, but it’s what comes out between the lines.”