Katie Arnoldi

Katie Arnoldi made her literary debut with CHEMICAL PINK: A Novel of Obsession set in the competitive world of female bodybuilding. This gripping tale examines how far we'll go to achieve the perfect body, through the character of Aurora Johnson a poor, single-mother who gives up her family, her body, and ultimately her self-respect to a wealthy, but eccentric weight training enthusiast in order to chase her dream of perfection and become a champion. Like her character, Katie Arnoldi has also put her time in at the gym. She developed an interest in bodybuilding during the 1980s, a time when most women were more interested in aerobics than bulking up. Katie trained hard and in 1992 took third place at the Orange County Muscle Classic. She followed this success with another-first place at the Southern California Bodybuilding Championship. Not willing to subject her body to the muscle-enhancing steroids that are needed to reach the next level, Katie decided to retire from competition but has continued to train in the sport. Athletic and in love with the great outdoors, Katie has been surfing since the age of eight and in 1993 began to do so competitively. She has reached the semi-finals at the Santa Cruz Long Board competition, won the Ventura Surf Classic and continues to place in the top five over the years. Katie has also embarked on several river-rafting and camping adventures with her family in tow and participated in survival courses that have put her endurance and love of nature to the ultimate test. And of course when not lifting, surfing, or hiking she finds time to write both novels and stories. Katie lives in Venice, California with her husband, the painter Charles Arnoldi, and their two children.