Catching on: Love With an Avid Fly Fisher

In nineteen entertaining stories, some humorous, some spiritual, some probing, "Catching On" chronicles a southern woman's journey to understand her northwest husband's obsession with fly fishing, and how she fits into it.

Anyone who's tried to love and be loved will relate to this couple as they fish, fight, and love their way through: the southern "fishwife" image Carol can't stand but can't shake either; the truth about those "Nice fish!" videos; the reunion of a brown trout and a rainbow; two brands of bigamy; a battle over a bloody duck; enough fly-fishing loot to embarrass (almost) anybody; a force way more powerful than power bait; sin and redemption, British booby-fly style; the first (and last) teeny-tiny fishing rodeo; Carol's tuning into the "fly-fish song"; and much more. . .

Carol J. Morrison grew up in Mississippi and transplanted to the Seattle area sixteen years ago where she's proudly kept her Southern accent. Always a voracious reader, and fascinated with what makes people tick, Carol sowed her wild oats way too long and hard before earning a Master's Degree in Psychology. She worked full time as a psychotherapist for ten years, when, eight years ago, her muse beckoned her to reduce her caseload in order to plunge into creative writing. She plunged like she does everything else--full-tilt boogie-- writing fiction and non-fiction, strongly drawn toward dialogue and stories about relationship. When the title piece from "Catching On" was published in Gray's Sporting Journal, Carol was inspired to write more about what her husband's fly-fishing passion, and about what it taught her.

Carol's been unhappy and happy, poor and comfortable, lonely and loved, lost and (mostly) found. She greatly prefers the latter of all four states, but appreciates the lessons that the former have offered. In the spirit of "It's All Material", one of the writing classes she teaches, Carol finds joy and solace in creatively exploring the tough and tender parts of life.

Carol and her husband Ed live on the south fork of the Snoqualmie River with their two cats, Emmylou Harris and Seattle Sunshine.