Catherine D'Agostino
IRON PELICAN PUBLICATIONS
Mystery Writer, Playwright, Poet, Presenter
Mystery Writers of America, member
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, member
Friends of Chautauqua Writers' Center, board member
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for public libraries & private book clubs
MYSTERY NOVELS
WRITING WORKSHOPS
Tangled Vines
Click to order.
No witnesses. No evidence. No body. Zoey Scargrove simply disappeared.
As the FBI searches for answers, each lead deepens the mystery of what really happened the day Zoey disappeared.
Reach for the Scars: Building Characters with Hidden Depth
Participants will learn how to transform ordinary characters into compelling figures. Learn how to give characters emotional and physical scars that spark tension, deepen plotlines, and create rich opportunities for backstories and flashbacks. This is a hands-on writing workshop, so arrive ready to write. Request writing workshops and rates by emailing ironpelicanpublications@gmail.com
Reach for the Scars: Building Characters with Hidden Depth
Participants will learn how to transform ordinary characters into compelling figures. Learn how to give characters emotional and physical scars that spark tension, deepen plotlines, and create rich opportunities for backstories and flashbacks. This is a hands-on writing workshop, so arrive ready to write. Request writing workshops and rates by emailing ironpelicanpublications@gmail.com
Braided Lies
Click to order.
No bodies. No witnesses. No evidence. Presumed drowned.
Where are two high school seniors who disappeared the night before
their graduation 25 years ago?
Someone knows.
Change Dialogue Doom to Boom
Participants will practice using dialogue as a tool for developing characterization and tension in fiction writing. This is a hands-on writing workshop, so arrive ready to write. Request writing workshops by emailing ironpelicanpublications@gmail.com
Change Dialogue Doom to Boom
Participants will practice using dialogue as a tool for developing characterization and tension in fiction writing. This is a hands-on writing workshop, so arrive ready to write. Request writing workshops by emailing ironpelicanpublications@gmail.com
Follow @catherinedagostinoauthor
LIBRARY & BOOK CLUB OFFER
Your library or book club can book Catherine D'Agostino for a free 30-minute Q&A via Zoom OR schedule an hour in-person visit.
Email us to book a date and time.
Additional Books
NEW IN 2025
LINGER: Flash Fiction, Poetry & Drama
LINGER: Flash Fiction, Poetry & Drama
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! Click to order.
Flash fiction at its best.
POETRY
"All Books Twenty-Five Cents"
"All Books Twenty-Five Cents"
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON! Click to order.
Contributor to Teacher Influencers, an annual thematic anthology produced by the Writers' Group at Lake Shore Center for the Arts.
A collection of short stories and poetry that capture personal experiences and memories of influential teachers.
ONE-ACT PLAYS
Internal Suspension and THE TAGS
Internal Suspension and THE TAGS
2024 and 2025 FINALIST for Lake Shore Center for the Arts
Juicebox Organic One-Act Play Competition
Email us for permission to perform.
INTERNAL SUSPENSION: A high school principal’s day goes from bad to worse when his disciplinary decisions backfire leaving permanent consequences in their wake.
THE TAGS: A widow is blindsided with a heart-wrenching irony at her husband’s funeral.
Photography
"The Buoys"
"The Buoys"
Selected photo for
2024 Jamestown Artscape
The banners appeared on downtown city light posts as part of a joint program between the Jamestown Renaissance Program and the Chautauqua County Art Gallery. Visit the criteria for 2025 here.
"Mountaintop Arch"
"Mountaintop Arch"
Selected photo for
THE SUNLIGHT PRESS LITERARY JOURNAL
MARCH 2025
Taken at the top of Mount Battie in Maine,
"Mountaintop Arch" will appear in The Sunlight Press Literary Journal in March 2025.
Click to visit The Sunlight Press.
Designed Book Covers
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Catherine D’Agostino is a member of the Mystery Writers of America’s New York branch and the Friends of Chautauqua Writers’ Center at Chautauqua Institution. In addition to Tangled Vines, she published two additional books: Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery and Linger: Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. She worked as a journalist for small-town newspapers before beginning a 32-year career teaching English and literature to high school and college students in western New York and in the Finger Lakes Region. Her early success in screenwriting preceded the release of her first novel in May 2023. D’Agostino visits libraries, bookstores, and book clubs around the country. Contact ironpelicanpublications@gmail.com to schedule a visit. She lives in Fredonia, NY.
Catherine D’Agostino is a member of the Mystery Writers of America’s New York branch and the Friends of Chautauqua Writers’ Center at Chautauqua Institution. In addition to Tangled Vines, she published two additional books: Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery and Linger: Flash Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. She worked as a journalist for small-town newspapers before beginning a 32-year career teaching English and literature to high school and college students in western New York and in the Finger Lakes Region. Her early success in screenwriting preceded the release of her first novel in May 2023. D’Agostino visits libraries, bookstores, and book clubs around the country. Contact ironpelicanpublications@gmail.com to schedule a visit. She lives in Fredonia, NY.
ACCOLADES
November 2026: Indie Author Day presenter at the Buffalo, NY Erie County Library: Reach for the Scars: Building Characters with Hidden Depth. Description: Mystery writer, Catherine D’Agostino, will help writers transform ordinary characters into compelling figures. Giving characters emotional and physical scars sparks tension, deepens plotlines, and creates rich opportunities for backstories and flashbacks. This is a generative workshop, so arrive ready to write.
August 2026: Tapped as second-place winner of Chautauqua Institution's poetry contest with "The Poetry Criminals".
June 24, 2026: 6 pm -- Book Launch of Tangled Vines at Lake Shore Center for the Arts, 49 Portage Street, Westfield, NY 14787.
April 2026: Novel Release of Tangled Vines.
August 2025: The Lake Shore Center for the Arts selected D'Agostino's one-act play -- The Tags -- as a finalist in its Third Annual Juicebox Organic One-Act Play Competition. It was performed on the last Saturday in August 2025 at The Lake Shore Center for the Arts, 49 S. Portage Street, Westfield, NY 14787.
March 2025: "Mountaintop Arch" will be published in The Sunlight Press Literary Journal.
February 2025: Designed book cover for Sue Crawford's 30th Anniversary Edition of Crawfords' Bakery & More, available on Amazon.
September 2024: Designed book cover for Teacher Influencers, an anthology of stories and poetry regarding the effect and impact on teachers.
March 2024: The Lake Shore Center for the Arts selected D'Agostino's one-act play -- Internal Suspension -- as a finalist in its Second Annual Juicebox Organic One-Act Play Competition. It will be performed on Saturday, July 27, 2024 at The Lake Shore Center for the Arts, 49 S. Portage Street, Westfield, NY 14787.
March 2024: The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation selected D'Agostino's photograph -- "The Buoys" -- to be part of its 2024 Artscape event in Jamestown, NY. chautauquaartgallery.com
February 2024: Internal Suspension, a one-act play.
May 2023: Novel Release of Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery.
January 26, 2022: A Benign Comedy, episodic television series.
April 23, 2021: Quarter-Finalist -- HollyShorts Screenwriting Competition for Rising Descent.
April 7, 2021: Finalist -- Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition for Rising Descent.
April 5, 2021: Quarter-Finalist -- Scriptapalooza Screenplay Competition for Say Something Funny.
October 23, 2020: Semi-Finalist -- Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition for Say Something Funny.
MEDIA LINKS for Braided Lies: A Thousand Islands Castle Mystery
Fredonia resident pens castle ‘Mystery’ | News, Sports, Jobs - Observer Today
West Seneca Bee - A West Seneca native earned national recognition... | Facebook
MEDIA LINKS for Say Something Funny
The Post-Journal - Posts | Facebook, West Seneca Bee - A West Seneca native earned national recognition... | Facebook
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