Please welcome author Catherine Dilts to the blog today. She and her daughter, Melinda Bass, co-authored Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation. Published by Top Hat Cat Publishing LLC, the read released last December, with the second book in the series, Grandma's Valentine Abduction, releasing last February.
Finding My Funny Bone by Catherine Dilts
In the animated movie Finding Nemo, the father and son main characters are clownfish. When Marlin meets the other fathers in Nemo’s school, the guys have high expectations for humor.
PHIL: Hey! You're a
clownfish. You're funny, right? Hey, tell us a joke.
MARLIN: Well, actually
that's a common misconception. Clownfish are no funnier than any other fish.
PHIL: Aw, c'mon, clowny.
TED: Yeah, do somethin'
funny.
Marlin butchers a joke, totally deflating
expectations.
I empathize with Marlin. Finding the humorous angle in
a life situation is way different than popping off a wisecrack spontaneously.
But I found that I continuously injected humor into my short stories and
novels.
The downside to discovering my skill at writing
humorous tales was my fear that readers would expect me to be that witty in
real life. I’m actually pretty drab and socially awkward.
How am I supposed to sell my laugh-out-loud books when
my presentation is so boring?
My family has endured the usual tragedies over the
generations, and then some. One thread that ran through the decades is that my
ancestors had a sense of humor. As far back as I’m aware, they had the ability
to laugh at their dire situations.
My philosophy has been, if you can laugh or cry, why
not laugh? It’s not always possible or appropriate, but when I’m able, I choose
laughter.
This is a trait I’m proud to have passed on to my
daughter, Merida Bass. When we decided to co-author a young adult science
fiction novel, we had the most fun creating Ellis. The absurd, lovelorn scammer
had the funniest moments. We were both discovering a knack for comedy.
Then one fateful night, while standing in a Texas
hotel parking lot in the dark, my sister warned us about the dangers of human
traffickers. She made sure we were listening as she informed us that ruthless
people would snatch anyone off the streets. Anyone! The sharp look she gave us
both indicated that even we, despite our obvious status as mature women, a mom
and grandma, were still potential victims.
Of course we thought the scenario was ridiculous. But
we didn’t tell her that! The humor gene didn’t pass down to everyone in my
family equally.
Stressed from our trip – a memorial service for my father – my daughter and I did the only thing we could. On the flight home, we erupted in giggles as we crafted a humorous angle out of my sister’s dire warning. What if followed what if, and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries was born.
But would our attempts to sell the book in person
result in a scene like Marlin, trying to be funny on demand and failing?
I’ve had the privilege of speaking at events recently.
To my surprise, when I chat about real-life inspirations for my fiction, people
find them humorous. Mishaps during my factory worker life? Taking out my
frustrations by killing an office co-worker in a murder mystery? Even the fear
of being kidnapped as a senior citizen could elicit laughs.
Like Marlin, my deliberate attempts to make people
laugh often fall flat. Letting scenarios build, creating recurring jokes and
callbacks, and placing characters in absurd situations, seems to work best.
Sometimes, hitting your funny bone can be
excruciatingly painful. In Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation, my co-author
and I found our funny bones. The result has been laugh-out-loud fun.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4hFszBm
SERIES Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4quSH4r
Catherine Dilts ©2026
After being tormented by a co-worker, Catherine Dilts took out her
homicidal frustration in fiction, resulting in her first short story sale to
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. She has since had a dozen stories
published in AHMM. After a career in environmental compliance for a global
corporation, Catherine now writes fiction full-time. Author of the Rose Creek
Mystery series, she also co-authors The Tapestry Tales YA science fiction
series and the Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries with her daughter, Merida
Bass. Grandpa’s New Year’s Relocation won the 2026 Colorado Authors League
award in the humor/satire category.
You can find Catherine’s website at https://www.catherinedilts.com/
Her free newsletter is on Substack at https://catherinedilts.substack.com/
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