Meet the Author: C.A. Schulden

We’re kicking the new year off with the upcoming announcement of TME's Holiday Romance Challenge winners! While our judges and editors are hard at work reading through the entries, we’d love to introduce our special judge, who is also our featured author of the month.

Christine’s passion for her craft is truly inspiring, and her enthusiasm shines through every time she speaks about her work. We witnessed this firsthand when we had the privilege of meeting and interviewing her at Collingswood. Beyond her remarkable talent, what stood out most was her humility and genuine love for the creative community.

We are truly honored to have her as our celebrity judge and to feature her as our Author of the Month for January. Read below to discover more about her and her writing journey.

Writing has always been my passion. Before I could write stories articulately, I drew pictures; I recall completing my first when I was about four to five years old. Eventually, I moved from pencil and paper to using my mom’s typewriter to tap out pages upon pages of my thoughts. Eventually, I saw an advertisement in a newspaper for the Institute of Children’s Literature where a published author would provide monthly lessons and would return feedback based on my writing. I’d figured since I was a child, this would be the right place for me to start, so I applied. I was eleven and fibbed about my age, telling them I was twenty, and based on my application essay, I was granted acceptance to their program.

After that, life happened. High school, college, marriage, children… I never stopped writing, but I did stop taking it seriously until I was in my mid-thirties. At that time, I self-published my first novel called A Bitter Frost. I didn’t know what to do with it, how to market it, or how to sell it, so I began regularly attending writer’s conferences, my favorites being International Thriller Writers and Penn Writers to learn plotting and crafting techniques, as well as nuances about the publishing industry and marketing tips. There, I was mentored by authors such as Gayle Lynds, Steven James, and Meg Gardiner and received personal advice by Lee Child, Johnathan Maberry, and Walter Mosely, whose words I use as mantras to spurn me forward even today.

            Through those connections, I received the opportunity to write for Mission Nation Publishing, a Lutheran publishing company whose mission was to tell the biographical tales of missionaries from other countries who chose the United States as their missionary field. I was honored to interview and tell the stories of those from countries like Eritrea, North Korea, and India. I wrote and/or edited six of their stories, one of which was nominated for an award.

            As I continued through my writing journey, I was asked by an agent who had reviewed my work what I liked to read. I told her young adult novels and horror novels. Her reply was, “Well, my dear, then that’s what you should write.” Heeding her wise words, I delved in to my most recent novel, A Tourist Trap, published it through Archway Publishing and haven’t looked back. I am currently finishing my second novel, After Life, which I am planning to publish in 2026.

            The kindness and generosity of the writing community at large is both overwhelming and humbling. Everyone I’ve met throughout this process, whether they’ve sold 10 books or a million books, is eager to help another author achieve their goals and dreams. I strive to be that encouragement and support for other authors who are navigating the whirling and ever-changing landscape that is the publishing industry. I am eager to give back everything that’s been given to me throughout this journey. I don’t need to sell a million books—although I won’t lie, that would be extraordinary—the real joy that comes from writing for me is telling a darn good story and creating characters that people like spending their time reading about.

Just like our featured author, The Manuscript Editor is here to support authors on their writing journey. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winners of our Holiday Romance Writing Challenge! In the meantime, click here to purchase C.A. Schulden's A Tourist Trap from Amazon.