Preparing for Camp NaNoWriMo #amwriting

I decided to try again with Camp NaNoWriMo. My attempt for April 2013 never quite worked out, although at the time I put it down to being heavily pregnant with a toddler and a work-addicted husband to deal with. April 2014 was dominated by family dramas. Now I am going to attempt the July 2014 Camp NaNoWriMo, and I am trying a completely new project for the challenge. Hooray!

My project for the coming month is a Young Adult teenage zombie romance. Has this been done before? Probably. Can you recommend similar books for me to read as research? Please do... For now I take my inspiration from recent renovation works in my local town, where there is an old churchyard that I believe was dissected to build a new main road back in the sixties (or thereabouts). During some routine pipe maintenance last year there were rumours that bones had been dug up, and that's when the idea hit me.

My idea resurfaced weeks ago when an empty building opposite the church was renovated and opened as new medical centre, and there is also a newly refurbished funeral home next door. How cool is that? In terms of literary gold for paranormal lovers, I am very excited. Now I need to develop my plot, and work out just how a normal teenage girl can meet and fall in love with a teenage zombie recently risen from his grave... So many questions, and such a juicy challenge! See you at Camp NaNoWriMo!

Christmas with the Vampires #amreading

With his blond hair, ice blue eyes and sculpted physique, Marcus Scott immediately turns the heads of everyone he encounters upon his arrival in London at Christmas time. Unbeknownst to all the women and men who fall under his spell with just one glance, Marcus is a vampire with a desperate need to feed from the young and the beautiful. When he unexpectedly encounters the Lady Amelia Richmond, the vampire instrumental in his own transition, the two begin to plan a holiday feast to satisfy their deep hunger.

Available to download from Amazon

Vampire Hunter Inspiration at Home #writetip

Today I am inspired to show where some of my writer inspiration comes from. I live a very self-contained life at the moment while I nurture two young children and support my husband through his career development. Therefore, I haven't travelled very far recently, except in my imagination. Ah yes, the imagination... my old friend never deserts me!

Anyway, back to the subject. Last year I began writing a novel about a vampire hunter who lives on a canal boat and travels the UK waterways, working as a university lecturer by day, and hunting vampires by night (or during her spare time... my vampires are awake all day and can move around in sunlight). Strange idea, right? Well, that's my story, it caught my imagination, and I will write it!

The novel has stalled a little admittedly, and now I am feeling the need to include themes of angels and demons, and maybe a few reincarnation/past life experiences as well... it could get complicated! Ultimately, this whole story was inspired by one early  morning walk along my local canal, on my way home from the shops. I walked past a moored boat and could smell bacon cooking. I am vegetarian, but the smell still appealed to me. Suddenly, my vampire hunter appeared, and she has a story to tell...

What random, and seemingly small events, have inspired your stories recently? Please share!

The Writing Blog Hop - #amwriting #whywrite #process

It took me a little while to respond to this blog hop, but thank you to J Lenni Dorner for inviting me to join…

1. What am I working on now?

Technically I am not working on anything specific. My time is currently taken up with two young children, a dog and a few domestic distractions. I do have 2 works-in-progress however, and I will be continuing them during the course of the next year or so. One is book 4 in the Redcliffe series, following the adventures of Jessica Stone and her supernatural friends in Cornwall, and the other is about a female vampire hunter with past life secrets to unearth…

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

My work is set in the UK, which to my knowledge is rare for popular vampire/werewolf/witch stories. I mean, yes there is the ultimate classic novel by Bram Stoker, and yes I know Darren Shan writes about vampires, but I haven’t found any British writers in the shops that offer adult paranormal stories in everyday situations. My characters could be your local shop owners, the landlord of your local pub, even your local police detective or hospital nurse…

3. Why do I write what I do?

I have to! The stories came to me as a child, although they have evolved and matured over time along with me. I always have something whizzing round my head that is desperate to be expressed. My stories must be told!

4. How does my writing process work?

I am what is called a ‘pantser’ in the writing world. That means I write by the seat of my pants! I did try structuring my first novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), but after that I just allowed the words to flow, and then I worried about editing and tidying afterwards. It is so exciting to read something back and realise that it is bloody good!

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OK, I will be a little slack here and not tag any more writers to share. However, if you are a reading this and you are a writer who would like to join the hop, please comment with a link to your blog and hop along! Thanks for reading.

The Darkness of Love by Catherine Green

Lord Gregory Stockton is a powerful and respected businessman embracing the modern era of the Victorian industrial revolution. He owns a grand and beautiful manor complete with a repertoire of servants and a charming attractive young wife. The only thing he lacks and desires is an heir to the family estate. Lord Gregory knows he can never produce a child, for he is a vampire, and his wife and servants know nothing of his secrets. However, there may be other ways to provide an heir for his estate. Lord Gregory notices the subtle growing romantic attraction between his wife and the handsome young stable hand Marcus Scott resulting in the humans becoming unwitting pawns in a vampire’s game of lust, love and control.

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The Darkness of Love is available in all formats from Chances Press and via my UK Amazon page and my US Amazon page

Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green

Life has changed forever in Redcliffe, Cornwall. Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch. It all happened when she met Detective Jack Mason and his identical twin brother Danny. Jessica almost died twice, fell into a love triangle, and she became a murderer. Now she faces the ultimate challenge as she continues the fight to save the man she loves, while simultaneously struggling with her lust for his werewolf brother and their vampire friend. Can she survive, or will love finally end her life completely?

The Redcliffe Novels are widely available in UK bookshops and online, more information on the page links above.

Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green

Love Kills is book 2 in the developing Redcliffe series. In the quiet Cornish seaside town of Redcliffe, Jessica Stone recovers from an horrific werewolf attack and comes to terms with revelations that her lover, Jack Mason, is a vampire, his brother, Danny, the werewolf pack leader, and her best friend, Simon, is a werewolf.  Add to that her discovery that she is a witch, and life is suddenly a whole lot harder than it used to be. Jessica has to fight for her own life and Jack’s when faced with his jealous vampire master who wants her old lover back. But things are never easy, and a vampire master is not so easy to defeat…

The Redcliffe Novels are widely available in UK bookshops and online, more information on the page links above.

Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) by Catherine Green

The Cornish town of Redcliffe is a beautiful seaside resort.  It has wild sea, rambling forests, mysterious cliffs, and a local powerful werewolf pack.  Jessica Stone is blissfully happy running a bookshop with her best friend and business partner, Elizabeth Gormond.

When Detective Jack Mason sweeps Jessica off her feet, she cannot understand the hostility towards him from her gay best friend Simon Bunce.  Eventually Jessica realises that there is more to Jack Mason than meets the eye, and then she meets his identical twin brother, Danny.  She is drawn into their dangerous lives by their enemy, a powerful werewolf determined to overthrow the pack leader.

Jessica’s world is turned upside down as she discovers that all is not as it seems in this picturesque resort, and there are many painful lessons to be learnt about falling in love…

The Redcliffe Novels are widely available in UK bookshops and online, more information on the page links above.