About

I’m Caitlin Hale, and I was born in 1996 in Springfield, Missouri.

My family and I moved around from Springfield to neighboring communities but never strayed far from the Queen City of the Show Me State. The culture of the Ozarks—from bluegrass music to fishing at popular lakes and sharing tales of folklore and the rich history of pioneers and life during the Civil War in Missouri—has influenced my family’s culture, and I began writing stories from a young age. Though I occupied ideas of becoming a journalist and a lawyer during my teenage years, I always knew I would become a writer. When I entered college at 19, my goal was to earn a degree in creative writing and hone my ability to craft a compelling story that would move and inspire its readers. In May 2020, I graduated summa cum laude with my bachelor’s degree in English-Creative Writing and a minor in history from Missouri State University.

My lifelong fascination with history and my life history have influenced my passion for writing works that reflect my interest in connecting with and understanding people, places, and events from the past as well as my value of family and faith. I’ve been part of the Apostolic Pentecostal church my entire life, and my relationship with God has inspired me to share with others and explore messages of the complexities of human nature and themes of His grace and mercy. A primary purpose in my works is to understand the past and the self in order to realize a better and more effective future.

I write historical fiction, literary short stories, and creative nonfiction and memoir. In June 2020, the literary magazine Short Fiction Break published my short story “Outer Darkness” on their website as part of a summer writing contest. I currently have two longer works in progress—one historical fiction novel and one collection of memoir essays.

Between writing and submitting for publication, I read historical fiction (of course) by authors like E.L. Doctorow, memoirs like Elena Gorokhova’s A Mountain of Crumbs, and political and historical essays. Two of my favorite classic authors are C.S. Lewis and Agatha Christie. I also divide my time between church and spending time with my sister and my two cats, Tigger and Oreo.