Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 47, No. 7 & 8, July/August 2002

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This is Cathleen’s space. In every issue of Hitchcock for two decades, she used this column to share something with you. She’d tell you about the issue’s stories; she’d list the latest awards; in the January issue, she’d even send you a wry Season’s Greetings card. But what she loved was to present new writers to you. “We are glad to introduce a new writer,” she’d say, or, “Now we are delighted to bring you,” or, “Welcome to,” and in this limited space she’d give a face to the name.

I wish she were here to introduce her latest find, but, sadly, she’s not. So I’d like to return a favor and tell you about Cathleen Jordan from the viewpoint of one of those new writers.

As an editor, Cathleen respected her readers, her writers, and the writing craft. After she accepted my first story, I taped the letter above my desk and dared think of myself as a “writer” — sometimes. Cathleen helped me think that way more often. When I came gawking to New York for the first time eighteen years ago, I knew the magazine would be busy with Edgar week and famous writers dropping by, but I hoped at least to meet Cathleen and thank her. She not only took time to meet me but to introduce me to the editors of the other magazines at Davis Publications and to sit me down for a long and relaxed conversation. Each year that I went back, I saw new writers getting that same respect and attention.

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