#AtoZChallenge - Lunar Cycles

There is a very definite werewolf theme developing in my #AtoZChallenge this year. As I have said previously, I never used to be so fascinated with shapeshifters. I was always a vampire lover. I still am, but now the wolves are stealing my heart… they are so vibrant, so passionate, and so unpredictable. Today I will talk a little about the power of Lunar cycles, and how the pull of the moon has such a hold over my Redcliffe wolves and their behaviour.

Traditional folklore dictates that a werewolf will only transform once a month, when the moon is full. I am still a little hazy about where this fact originated, but I am aware that people have always been fascinated by the moon and her mysterious ways. Before we developed the ability to study planets and stars, and properly explore our universe, people could only believe what they saw from the ground. They were aware of this huge, light-giving orb that showed in the night sky, and that seemed to ebb and flow on a constant cycle of death and rebirth. Many were aware of the feelings that came when they watched the moon, and how certain things seemed to occur naturally during the phases of full, dark, waxing and waning moon. It was all connected, although nobody could explain why and how.

My Redcliffe werewolves are not all controlled by the power of the moon. They are affected by it, however. The younger, weaker wolves will only transform once a month, when the moon is full. The older, stronger wolves, including alpha Danny Mason and his lieutenant Simon Bunce, are able to transform at will, although the process leaves them exhausted afterwards. Think about it: you are forcing you human body to change shape and form completely, and that can only be done with the use of magic. At other times of the month, the werewolves will exhibit different behaviour. They are more lethargic, and more human, when the moon is dark, or in the New Moon phase. Their strength and power grows with the moon, and on the nights surrounding the Full Moon, the Redcliffe wolves will be out hunting in the forest, embracing their animal instincts, and celebrating their true nature. How does the moon affect this? We will never know.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

*Werewolf and Moon image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Kimberley

We are less than two weeks into the #AtoZChallenge and I am getting creative with my paranormal Redcliffe theme. Today I will continue from the previous post, The Wrath of a Jealous Werewolf. Today I will talk about Kimberley.

Kimberley is the antagonist in my latest Redcliffe novel, Eye of the Tiger. Every writer knows that a good story must have ’good guys’ and ’bad guys’ who battle their way through the plot, culminating in a fight to the death where the good guy wins. Well, in my fourth Redcliffe novel, I am applying this simple formula. My characters are not so clean cut, however. I do not have good guys and bad guys. My good guys can be very bad. And vice versa.

Which leads me to Kimberley. She is a werewolf. She is a jealous werewolf, who wants to be alpha female to Danny Mason, and to rule the Redcliffe wolf pack as their queen. Kimberley is conceited, proud, brave, and she has declared Jessica Stone her enemy.  This escalates some very brutal fighting between werewolves. But, Kimberley is not all bad. She is a doctor in her human capacity. She works at the local hospital, treating patients very efficiently and thoroughly. She is respected and revered in her profession. Ah, now there is the conundrum. How can she be a bad guy? It is all a question of perception…

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

*Fire and Ice wolves image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - The Wrath of a Jealous Werewolf

It might seem an odd choice for me to use the word Jealous for today’s #AtoZChallenge blog post. After all, jealousy is not a paranormal subject. It is, however, a very powerful, and often very destructive, emotion. It is even more dangerous when experienced by a supernatural creature, such as a vampire or a werewolf.

The Redcliffe werewolves are proud, powerful, and dangerous. The alpha wolves are the most volatile, which is how they came to be leaders of the pack. I am talking about the alpha wolf, Danny Mason, and his lieutenants, Simon Bunce and Sally Frost. Danny demonstrates the extent of his jealous power when he turns it on Jessica and Jack. The brothers descend into a vicious fight, and it is left to Jessica and her animal familiar to break it up. This is only one of many fights that occur, and not just between vampires and werewolves.

 The wrath of a jealous werewolf becomes most apparent as we progress through Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) and into my current work in progress, Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel). It turns out that the female of the species really is the deadliest. Jessica becomes further involved with Danny and his wolf pack, to the detriment of his subordinates. They do not welcome a witch among them. They believe that she is dangerous, unpredictable, and that she is leading their alpha astray with her magical wiles. Among the meek wolves, there emerge one or two that are prepared to fight for power. One is a female who fancies herself as the alpha’s mate, a position that has so far remained unfilled. And she is a force to be reckoned with…

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

*Wolves image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Use Your Imagination

One of the big lessons I learned when I embarked on my spiritual journey many years ago, was that to access the paranormal, or supernatural world, you must be able to use your Imagination. When I was a child I was always told by adults that I had a very vivid imagination. I saw lots of things that maybe other people did not see, but to me it was normal. As I grew older I tried to ignore my imagination, believing it to be childish and wrong. But then, when I seriously started practising in the spiritual world, I realised just how important my imagination was, and is, as a tool for divination and understanding.

This is a lesson that Jessica Stone must accept if she is to learn how to be an effective witch. Her magical power and strength has burst forth in a chaotic stormcloud of energy. She is confused, angry and irritable, because she does not know what to do with all of these intense feelings and emotions. It takes a while for her to accept her new position in the world, although she has to make some snap decisions in the face of scheming vampires and warring werewolves. She is unfortunate enough to be caught in a powerful love triangle, but the love is perhaps better explained as lust. All of this adds to the magic and confusion, and Jessica must learn to work with it, or the whole thing will consume her and leave her broken.

Jessica learns that she must allow her imagination to be free if she is to explore the full potential of her witchcraft. This is explained to her by her witch mentor, Crystal, who supervises some meditation sessions in which Jessica can access the world in which her animal familiar resides. Suri, the snow tiger, is an ethereal creature, and she is trapped within a magical world accessed only by Jessica. Using her imagination, Jessica can meditate on the world that she sees in her mind, and she can speak freely with Suri, to learn more about her power animal and how they can work together to manage the vampires and werewolves.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

*Imagination image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Hidden Worlds

To study the paranormal is to reveal the secrets, delights and enchantment of Hidden worlds. I am more interested in the supernatural world, that of witches, vampires and shape shifters, but I did have a fleeting interest in aliens and anomalies during the X-Files years when I was a teenager.  Hidden worlds are fascinating to me, because they conceal our deepest fears, our most dangerous fantasies, and the magic and mystery that would once have been commonplace here on Earth.

The hidden world within Redcliffe town on the south coast of Cornwall is full of adventure and danger, especially to Jessica Stone. There are two very powerful, and very proud, vampires living in the town. Both have spent time living away from Redcliffe, which perhaps explains why Jessica did not meet them when she first moved from Manchester in the north of England. And then we have the hidden world of the Redcliffe werewolf pack. The wolves’ lair is concealed beneath The Ship Inn, a public house that was reputedly a smugglers’ haunt back in the olden days.

Photo Credit Pinterest

The lair of the Redcliffe wolf pack is hidden inside a series of caves and caverns that are carved into the cliffs of Redcliffe Bay. Above these caves, you must walk up a steep incline to access Redcliffe Forest, a vast expanse of plant life and close-knit trees that are home to myriad animals, birds and insects. These animals provide fodder for the werewolf pack when they go out to hunt at night. The forest is dense enough to hide supernatural creatures from human eyes.  All this and more are hidden within our human world, just waiting to be discovered.

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Well, do you? I most certainly do believe in Ghosts, and I have seen them on many occasions, both at home and on holiday. I was also a ghost hunter a few years’ ago, a hobby that I hope to resume when my children are older. I love the thrill of sitting in a dark, dusty room in an old, abandoned manor house or business premises, asking for Spirit to show themselves, and then the exhilaration when we get a response… But enough about me. Where do ghosts fit into the Redcliffe novels? I will tell you.

Right at the very beginning of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), our protagonist, Jessica Stone, is experiencing very strange dreams that have a feeling of being premonitions. As she meets Detective Jack Mason and begins a very passionate, and dangerous, love affair, her life spirals into chaos as the world unravels around her. Part of this includes the emergence of her mother, who died in a car accident when Jessica was five years old. Her mother first visits Jessica in her dreams, and then gathers her strength and shows herself as a ghost.

Photo Credit Flickr

Now, Jessica did not believe in ghosts before all of this happened. She was always a fairly practical woman, living in the real world. Of course, the ‘real world’ is never quite what we think. It differs for everyone depending on their life experiences and situations. Jessica’s mother was a witch, and she would have raised her daughter in the Craft if she had lived. She finds a way to communicate when Jessica’s natural magical ability is roused by her connection to the vampire and werewolf. Lillian tries to help her daughter during their brief conversations, but the ghost is weak and often fades out halfway through. Perhaps she will grow stronger as Jessica becomes more comfortable in her new life. Time will tell.

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - Every Witch has a Familiar

As we progress through the Redcliffe novels and learn about Jessica Stone’s hidden heritage as a witch, we begin to learn more about her new position in the world, and what it means as she fights to maintain a relationship with her vampire lover. It is a very passionate embrace with Jack one night that brings forward Jessica’s animal Familiar, Suri, an ancient and magical snow tiger.

Traditionally, animal familiars are believed to be in the spirit of the domestic black cat, but I believe this may be a very old literary invention, although I cannot be sure. Anyway, I had always believed that a witch’s familiar was a physical, living animal. I now know that is far from the truth. A familiar can also be a spirit animal, a ghost-like creature that is intelligent and powerful, and that lives in an ethereal other world accessed directly by the witch. Perhaps they take the physical form of their animal kin on occasion, and perhaps this will happen with Suri at some point, but I am still getting to know Jessica’s animal familiar, and she is an unpredictable and proud creature.

 Jessica finds it hard to believe that a being as powerful as Suri could have remained hidden and undiscovered for nearly thirty years, but perhaps she will find the answers as we continue reading about her adventures. Certainly, book 4 in the series, my current work in progress, Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel), is all about the snow tiger and her power games with Jessica’s boyfriend and his brother. Suri is excited to be free after such a long imprisonment. She is full of energy, and she wants to cause mischief in the Redcliffe wolf pack.

 If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April! 

*Witch and her familiar image found on Pinterest

#AtoZChallenge - Energy and Emotion

There is a lot of talk about Energy in the weeks after Jessica Stone discovers her hidden witch heritage in Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). In Jessica’s world, energy is a way to describe the power that she feels when her witchcraft is woken. She also finds it very closely linked to her emotions, especially the extremes of love and hatred that she feels for her vampire and her alpha werewolf.

We all feel energy, although humans are more likely to dismiss it as a natural phenomena. Most of us probably don’t think about it all. The simple force that is Nature, the cycle of growth, death and life, has become all too familiar and regular in our world. In fact, in the developed world, humans have begun to try and manipulate nature and natural energy to make it more useful, more convenient, or even to hide it away like an embarrassing secret. We appreciate that we are a part of nature, and subsequently we are the energy of the world around us, but we don’t spend a lot of time dwelling on it.

Photo Credit Pinteret 

Emotions, on the other hand, are totally relevant and prevalent in the human world. Every day we feel different emotion, whether it is happiness, sadness, hunger, fear, excitement or a million variations on those themes. Jessica Stone learns that her vampires and werewolves feel emotion to the absolute extreme, and she must find a way to live with this knowledge and manage it appropriately, if she is to continue her love affair with the vampire Jack Mason, and her entanglement with his alpha werewolf brother Danny, and the Redcliffe wolf pack.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - The Balance of Darkness and Light

“Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch.” This is on the back cover of my third novel Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). During the first two novels in the series, we saw Jessica meet a man and fall in love, which ended in drama and tragedy when she discovered his supernatural secrets, and those of his identical twin brother, the local werewolf alpha. Today on the #AtoZChallenge, I will talk about the balance of Darkness and light in the Redcliffe novels.

A vampire lives in the shadows. They thrive on blood from living creatures, often killing to satisfy their insatiable thirst, and always they live with the consequences of their actions. Some vampires embrace their unique existence. Some hide away from it. Some are hunted, believed by humans to be monsters that must be destroyed at all costs. Werewolves live in thrall to the Moon and her mysterious cycles. Theirs is a world of instinct, of fierce protectiveness to their kin, and the fight to suppress their animal instincts when they live among humans.

Photo Credit Goddess Lifestyle Plan

Traditionally, humans belong to the world of light, often more active during the daytime. This happened in the very old days, when humans were just discovering the power of fire, and electricity was a long way off. We cannot see in the dark. We fear the shadows, because we do not know what monsters lurk out there, waiting to attack. Nowadays, humans can thrive at all times of day or night, and often do. There is some confusion about whether vampires can move about in daylight or not. My vampires can exist in the day, but their movements are slower and more human. They much prefer night, when their senses are sharp.  Jessica moves between the worlds, living both as a daytime human, and a night-time witch consorting with the wolves and the vampires. Her world is full of shadows; confusing, frightening, and exhilarating.

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - Coven and Ceremony

Today on the #AtoZChallenge I will talk about the development of belonging to a Coven as seen in my Redcliffe novels series. Originally, my novels were only going to tell the stories of vampires and humans. I was very narrow minded, and never even entertained the notion that other supernatural creatures might appear in the narrative. My Muse, however, was far wiser. She knew that wherever you have a vampire, you invariably find werewolves, witches, and other vagrant and mysterious creatures that live hidden within the human world.

We only find out about the coven in my third novel, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), when Jessica begins her study of witchcraft in earnest. She is introduced to a local coven by her witch mentor, Crystal. Jessica feels a little awkward in the beginning, because her vague knowledge of covens is that they are very secretive, hidden, cult-like entities. This is probably because the human world, or perhaps more specifically, Western civilization, has grown up with the fear of witches after centuries of propaganda and negative conditioning.

Photo Credit Witchcraft and Witches

In truth a coven is simply a family unit. Traditionally they consist of 13 members, because this is  believed to be a magic number with special significance. Coven members with meet up on sacred dates to celebrate the festivals of the pagan calendar. These include Beltane in May, to signify the beginning of Summer, and Samhain in October, to signify the end of the year and a move into darkness as the weather changes and the days are shorter. The coven will celebrate appropriately using music, chanting, singing and symbolic food. It is basically an excuse for a party, where you can be free and safe among friends. Jessica is getting to know her new coven mates as she celebrates the harvest festival Mabon in my fourth novel Eye of the Tiger (currently a work in progress).

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - The Blood is the Life!

Many of you will recognise this famous quote from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Actually, when I read it or hear it, I very often think of the hilarious spoof movie, Dracula: Dead and Loving It. I can’t help it, I like the lighter side of the supernatural world. But that is a topic for another day. Today I want to talk about Blood. The blood is what drives a vampire to do what they do. They are motivated by the need to drink blood. They do not want or desire anything else. Blood is, for a vampire, the centre of their world.

When I think about bleeding, or I see something gory in a picture or on television, I am very often repulsed by it. And yet, for some unknown reason, I have always been fascinated by vampires. I know that vampires are supposed to be bad. I certainly do not subscribe to the recent Hollywood craze for sparkling vampires (you know the movies I refer to!). My Redcliffe vampires most certainly do not sparkle. They feed, a lot. They do not always kill, but the thought is always there. Jack Mason could very easily take the life of the woman he loves. Jessica has allowed him to feed on her several times, and the last one, in my upcoming novel Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel), almost went very horrifically wrong.

Photo credit Pinterest

Blood is a drug for a vampire. They thrive on it. They see the world more clearly when they feed. Blood and sex are very closely intertwined. It is that knife-edge between pleasure and pain, the fact that a person could so easily let it all go and indulge their deep, dark fantasies. Vampires act on this fantasy, this desire, when they feed on a human. And sometimes, if they get carried away, the human dies. That is a fact of life, and death. Blood is the link between the living and the dead. We humans seem to have a mixed response when we talk about blood. We know that we need it if we are to survive. Yet we shy away from it. We do not want to look at it, or talk about it, or deal with it. We take it forgranted. Vampires do not. They appreciate that the blood is the life…

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

#AtoZChallenge - Attracted to the Alpha Wolf

It has been over 5 years since I began to write my very first novel, Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel). Back then I was fixated on a love story between a human woman and a vampire man. But when I opened up my mind to Jack Mason, I discovered there was a whole lot more in his life. I met his identical twin brother, Danny Mason. Danny is a surfer. He is a police detective, partnering with his brother. They maintain law and order in the supernatural community. Danny is a werewolf. More specifically, he is Alpha wolf to the Redcliffe pack.

The Redcliffe werewolf pack are a mixed bunch. Most of the wolves are quite happily subservient to their master, living quiet lives in coastal Cornwall, pretending to be human, hunting with their pack in the dense forest high up on the cliffs of Redcliffe Bay. There are, however, a select few werewolves that are more forceful, more powerful, and potentially more dangerous to their kin, and to any humans or other creatures that get in their way. Danny Mason became alpha when he killed the previous pack leader. She was unstable, she lost control of her senses, and Danny did what he had to in order to protect his beloved pack.

Danny Mason is alpha werewolf. He is strong, he is not afraid to fight, and he expects to be obeyed at all times. This doesn’t sit well with Jessica Stone when she first meets him. She finds him arrogant, controlling, and even a little bit irritating. Their relationship takes a few sharp twists and turns during my second novel Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) and my third novel Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). Jessica is in love with the vampire, Jack Mason. But then, she discovers her hidden abilities as a witch, and her ethereal animal familiar, the snow tiger, Suri.

Suri is a very proud animal. She is ancient, having lived in a sort of parallel world for who knows how many years. She surfaced when Jessica’s entanglement with vampires and werewolves called to her, telepathically. And now she is ready for action. Suri is strong, forceful, and she has fixed her desires on Danny Mason. She deems him worthy of her attention, but Suri is trapped within Jessica’s psyche, reliant on her witch for her voice, and her actions.  Suri likes to play games. Danny finds her exciting and attractive. His werewolf lieutenant, fellow alpha wolf Simon Bunce, does not.

Simon and Danny have a very special relationship. Simon is devoted to his master. He would die for Danny. He fights for him, and for the Redcliffe wolves, whenever the need arises. Simon definitely does not find Jessica attractive. She is his friend. But when she begins to play around with her newfound abilities and magic, it causes a rift, and their friendship is forever changed. Suri amuses herself by playing with Simon whenever she has the chance. And Simon blames Jessica for not controlling her errant tiger. It all comes together in a cacophony of conflict, as told in my upcoming novel, Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel).

If you are interested in seeing other participants for the #AtoZChallenge, check them out on the official website. We have everything from book stuff, to cooking, to photography, to travel, and a whole lot more. Happy April!


*Werewolf image found on Pinterest; White tiger image found on Pixdaus

Countdown to the #AtoZChallenge 2015

It is that time of year again: the April A to Z Blog Challenge. Wow, that came around fast! And am totally unprepared for the event, not least because for some bizarre reason, I am working on the presumption that we are at least one week behind where we actually are. Does that make sense? So, for example, instead of me writing this  post on 27th March (or thereabouts), I believe I am writing it on the 20th (ish).

Whatever the reason, I completely missed the huge reveal party that many of my fellow A-Z bloggers joined in with on Monday. Have you heard about the April A-Z Blogging Challenge? I have been doing it for three years now (I think), and I find it great for networking and motivation. I love writing my blogs. I love interacting with my readers, and exploring other blogs about anything from writing, to photography, to lifestyle, cooking, business… the list is endless. My point is that blogging is a great way to widen your perspective, do some research, and just generally have a bit of educational fun.

And so to my theme for 2015: Last year I focused on lifestyle, specifically the theme of parenthood and what it means to have a young family. This year I want to celebrate more about me, Catherine, and my personal interests. But that automatically leads into my writing, because it is a part of me. I was recently looking through old photographs, and remembering my nights as a ghost hunter, and slowly I began to devise a theme. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the paranormal world. I would seek out ghost stories in the local library, watch X-Files on television, and write my university dissertation about vampires in popular culture.

I will use the #AtoZChallenge to write about all things paranormal, and how they manifest in my work. You will read about magic and mysticism, animal familiars, witches, vampires, werewolves, energy, and maybe a few more obscure entities that I can procure for your entertainment and interest. See you on the blog hop!

The #AtoZChallenge is Underway

The #AtoZChallenge is underway and so far I am sharing my experiences as a breastfeeding mother, the unique nature of our children, and today I have more photographs of my adorable Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross dog...

If you would like to see more about my personal life, take a look at the #AtoZChallenge over on my sister blog, SpookyMrsGreen. Have a lovely weekend!

I’m Doing the #AtoZChallenge 2014!

I have decided to go for it once again, and participate in the April #AtoZChallenge for 2014. If you are not familiar with this blog hop, it is a very simple, and very enjoyable, way to bring more traffic to your websites. It is also a great writing exercise, and gives you a real challenge with wordplay and subject matter. I participated in the blog hop in 2013 and found it great fun, and also very useful. This year I didn’t think I would be able to participate after several chaotic incidences on the domestic front, but today I feel energized with the promise of Spring, and I am going for it!

My topic of choice for 2014 will be Lifestyle. For me this will encompass all things family oriented, since this is my current focus of activity for many reasons. I may throw in a few posts about my work-life balance, my personal spiritual journey, and my experiences as a mother of two young children and one daft dog… The point is, I plan to use the #AtoZChallenge as a way to liven up my Wordpress blog and give it a boost of energy. The blog challenge will keep my brain ticking over, give me a focus for work when I need it, and of course, remind people about my fantastic adult paranormal romance novels!

 If you are in the #AtoZChallenge this year, give me a shout and I will check out your blog during April. Maybe we can compare notes… If you are new to the challenge and want to join in, there is still time… here is the link. See you later friends!

Camp NaNoWriMo Was Not as Planned #amwriting

Well, I did not succeed with my endeavours in Camp NaNoWriMo this year. Oops! I am not upset about it. This was my first attempt in the camp, and I chose to do it at a time when I was busy with other commitments. They included the April A-Z blogging challenge (which I completed successfully), and the fact that I am currently 6 months pregnant with my second child and I have a toddler at home.

The manuscript that is causing me so much stress and has sent my Muse into exile is still only progressing very slowly, but it is at least progressing. Yes, I only managed to write about 6000 words on it last month, but I still wrote around 1000 words per day keeping up with my blogs and other projects. I am happy enough with that.

I also have some excellent news to share! My editor at Mirador just confirmed she will publish my spin-off Redcliffe novel The Darkness of Love. This is a Victorian vampire story telling the tale of Marcus Scott who appears in my Redcliffe Novels series. I am very fond of Marcus, and he was insistent on me telling his story.  Now I just have to do some more edits on the manuscript and get it proofed for publication. Watch this space for a release date...

The April A-Z Blog Hop #AtoZChallenge

One of my new year’s resolutions for 2013 was to be more active on my blog sites, and post decent quality, interesting articles on a regular basis. So far I think it is working out fairly well, but I needed a little help with inspiration for subject matter. We writers have a lot to say but it often gets jumbled up in our minds, and we sometimes need a little help to coax it out into a coherent format!

Anyway, I decided to join some blog hops. These are organised events where people sign up to write about a particular topic, for example, books and writing. A date is set, and we prepare our material. The idea is that our blogs operate as a networking tool to get our message across to a wider audience. People visit their favourite blogs, see the links for the blog hops their writers have joined, and voila, they hop along to your site and hopefully stick around for a while! 

I got very ambitious and signed up on my personal blog for the April A-Z BlogHop challenge. During the month of April I have to write a post every day (except Sundays), and each day you write about something relating to a letter of the alphabet, in ascending order. I joined the category of books, because I thought that would give me greater scope for the imagination.You can view the posts over at my Wordpress site, but I thought I would share the news here as well.

I have decided to write specifically about my Redcliffe novels. Every day I will talk about a different aspect of the novels, be it characters, location, settings, plot, or even the themes that crop up in the stories. I hope it will be exciting and interesting, and that if you haven’t yet read Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), Love Kills (A RedcliffeNovel) or Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), it will inspire you to try them out… Enjoy!