When given the choice to become either an engineer or an author, the decision was easy for Catherine Downen. She did both.

Downen, a 2015 Waterloo High School graduate, recently released “The Markings,” the first novel in a young-adult fantasy trilogy, shortly after earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University.

The 22-year-old Downen admitted it is “rare” for someone to have a proclivity for both arts and sciences, based on her conversations with an online community of aspiring authors, but she said she is “50-50” with her interest in both, calling it “the best of both worlds.”

Downen currently works as a sustaining engineer in St. Louis. She credits her father, who is a contractor, for piquing her interest in engineering. Her love of writing seems to be an innate quality.

“I’ve always loved writing,” Downen said, noting that she has been writing creatively since fifth grade.

Downen said she was grateful for many of her teachers in the Waterloo school district, but she specifically named John Rickert and Katye Rushing for their instruction at Waterloo High School.

She said Rushing was her greatest influence.

“I had her as a teacher twice,” Downen said, adding that Rushing “helped me become more detailed in my writing.”

The premise of “The Markings” came to Downen in a dream in 2011 while she was a freshman at WHS. She began writing short chapters that would eventually make up an early part of the story, but the book would not go to print for another nine years.   

She revisited her work in 2015 and finished the first draft of a manuscript in early 2016. She then sent copies to potential publishing agents, but no one took her as a client.

“I was incredibly disappointed and wondered what I had done wrong,” Downen said, not considering self-publication an option. 

She continued to edit and revise her book while completing her engineering degree. After she graduated from college in 2019, she decided to make her dream a reality.

She began work on the second book in the trilogy while continuing to find an agent. In late 2019, Downen created an author page on Twitter where she “learned how many more opportunities (she) had as an author” and began the necessary steps to ensure her book would be published. 

“I took on the role of what a publishing house usually does,” Downen said, including marketing and research for the project. 

In November 2019, Downen sent copies to online “beta readers” who gave her feedback. She then spent the next three months making revisions to the book ahead of its release.

Downen then created a website as an online presence for promotion. She also designed the cover of the book and created all interior design elements.

The book was released to early readers on Goodreads.com for review. It is currently rated 4.6/5 and was ranked fifth for “Young Adult releases” for April 2020.

“The Markings” follows the story of Adeline, a girl who survived an asteroid shower that has destroyed all land on Earth except the Hawaiian Islands. One result of the asteroids is “infection” of certain people that gives them enhanced senses. Adeline is one of the “gifted,” but the newly empowered are also subject to enslavement. Despite the fantasy elements,  Downen described the heart of the book as a story about “family and friendships.”

“The Markings” was released April 24 and is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Kobo, with availability on Apple Books anticipated in the near future.

“I’m really excited about where it will take me,” Downen said of the release. “I foresee success for ‘The Markings’ series and for future books.”

For more information, search for Catherine Downen or The Markings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads or by visiting cdownen.wixsite.com/website.