Victorian Vampire Horror Story ‘The Darkness of Love’

Today I share with you an excerpt from my Victorian vampire horror story The Darkness of Love, where we meet Marcus Scott from #TheRedcliffeNovels and hear his origin story.

 

Excerpt

 Marcus stirred slowly. He blinked and opened his eyes, wondering what had happened and where he was. His mind was strangely empty. He did not feel drunk, and he did not feel ill. But he wasn’t sure what these strange sensations were. He was lying on a sofa. He sat bolt upright when he realised it was in Lord Stockton’s study.  He sensed another presence in the room, and his eyes alighted on the still figure of Amelia Richmond, watching him from her seat on the adjacent sofa. She was smiling, and Marcus’ heart skipped a beat and started pounding.

“My Lady,” he gasped, leaping off the sofa, “Why am I here? What happened?”

Amelia continued to stare at him. There was something unnatural about the way she sat, something inhuman. Slowly, Marcus remembered what had happened.

“I drank his blood,” he whispered, touching his lips, “He is a monster.”

 

Buy the book now if you dare to enter the vampire’s lair!

 

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Dangerous Liaisons in Vampire Suspense Novel Love Hurts #TheRedcliffeNovels

Today I share an excerpt from my debut novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), at the beginning of Jessica and Jack’s fated relationship…

 

Excerpt

 

“Perhaps you would be wise to take a breather in your relationship.” Simon said, “I knew that Jack was licensed for firearms; it’s part of his job, and Danny’s.  But I would’ve expected him to tell you if he was carrying to prevent something like this happening.” He continued, “To be honest I’m almost as angry as you. Please Jessica, believe me when I say that the Mason brothers are trouble. They don’t mean to be, but they will cause you more grief if you continue this relationship with Jack. It will be worse now that Danny is back in town. And I’m not just saying that to get you away from them. As your friend I am concerned for you, I don’t like seeing you upset.”

 

 

Get the book now and discover the hidden supernatural world in Britain.

 

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

 

Do You Like a Sexy Vampire Story?

 A pretty Cornish seaside resort hides supernatural secrets beneath its ancient cliffs…🌅🖤

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

Author Interview with Catherine Green

 Check out my author interview over on the NF Reads website: 

NF Reads Interview with Catherine Green

Support Small Business this #BlackFriday!

 How do you feel about #BlackFriday? It seems more important this year because of the pandemic, with lots of non-essential shops closed during the second lockdown here in England. These shops now have to step up their efforts to sell more products online, competing with big brands and established internet stores. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I believe in not over-commercializing holidays such as Christmas. However, I sell books for a living. If I don’t sell the books I write, I won’t make any money, and that could negatively affect my children and husband.

 

 

I propose a compromise: think about the small business owners, including indie authors, craft businesses, local produce etc. They rely on income from the sales of the stock that they lovingly create by hand. We should support those businesses. When I hear about #BlackFriday, my thoughts turn to Amazon. Well, they are made up of small business owners, like me, who rely on royalties paid via Amazon for the sales of our books. Amazon is not necessarily the big bad giant that some people believe. Most of the books published on Amazon will pay decent royalties to their authors, myself included. Check the names of the sellers when you shop, and you will find some small, independent retailers.

 

Why not search for alternative Christmas gifts for your friends and family? Find them a book written and produced independently by a new author. Try a CD by a young musician. Or even search for some handcrafted bespoke trinkets, jewellery, furniture or bric-a-brac. The small business owners will be far more grateful for your custom and will make more effort to give you the personal customer service that makes you feel good about parting with your hard-earned cash. Thank you.

 

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Sign up now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Join the Party for #BLISS18 – Book Lovers in Southport - #goindie

There are just 8 weeks until the Book Lovers in Southport Signing Event, and this weekend we invite you to visit our event page on Facebook and find out more about who will be attending #BLISS18. Our authors come from all over the UK and beyond, we bring you cover models and photographers to meet and chat with, and we also offer a selection of stalls where you can purchase book-related merchandise, trinkets and the like. Have you seen those wicked Gothic dolls? I can’t wait to see them for real!

Held at the Prince of Wales hotel, you can meet a variety of authors writing everything from sweet romance to pure fantasy, dark paranormal to steamy erotica. There will be limited edition colouring books for sale, cover models to meet, and lots of delightful entertainment in a quintessentially British seaside location. Book your tickets now and join us at the pre-event Facebook party this Saturday, 19^th May. See you there!

My novels are adult paranormal with equal amounts of dark romance and contemporary English Gothic. Sign up now for special offers and book release news.

Do I Need Book Swag?

I have attended a few book signing events during recent years, and have noticed a growing trend for something called “book swag.” For those of you not in the know, book swag is basically free stuff that you get from authors keen to spread the word about their books. It could include posters, promotional flyers, keyrings, pens and even more specific items like lip balms, all emblazoned with an author logo or book cover.

Now, I do not yet have any official book swag. Indeed, the signing events I previously attended did not specifically call for such a thing. My eyes were opened when I attended the Sandbach Author Signing Event back in November 2016. At this event I was surrounded by professional indie authors, most of whom proudly displayed (and distributed) a variety of colourful, promotional free gifts to their visitors. All I had to offer was a few business cards and a couple of flyers. Boring!

In February I will attend the West Midlands Valentines Book Signing and Ball. I don’t yet have any official book swag, but I plan to procure something of interest, if only to keep up with my fellow authors and their established marketing practice. It is all a huge learning curve for me as I step into another new world in the hopes of finding my readers. Perhaps I can tempt them out with a fruity Redcliffe lip balm, or a Blackpool souvenir with a vampire twist… Any suggestions?

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!) 

So Many Novels, So Little Time!

It dawned on me earlier this week that I have the complete opposite of the famed “blank page” syndrome. You know the old scenario: writer wants to create a wonderful novel, writer sits before computer and stares blankly at the screen, unable to form the words that will convey the amazing story they hold in their mind. Eventually, writer succumbs to the belief in writers’ block, slumps back in their chair, and wallows in self-pity for a while.

I have about five novels currently in various stages of progression. The main one is book 5 in my Redcliffe novels series, Heart of the Vampire. This continues the adventures experienced when Cornish bookshop owner Jessica Stone explores her witch heritage and becomes embroiled with the local werewolf pack, receiving mixed responses from her vampire boyfriend. The series will end after book 6, as yet untitled, because I feel that it has run its course. My muse may decide otherwise, however!

Moving away from the Redcliffe novels, I have first drafts of a couple of novels set in and around Cheshire and Manchester that feature female vampire hunters and their adventures in a tough job. One is a retired vampire hunter who lives a new life with a husband and young children. She concealed her past from him, but it all unravels when her former target, a vampire that managed to seduce her and almost kill her, returns to the area and must be exterminated. It is a quirky novel, I think, and I really want to have it published soon.

Another novel features a female vampire hunter that lives on a narrowboat, and her story takes place in and around my home town in Cheshire. This story was requested (or should I say, demanded) by my local fans, and they have been waiting for around three years now. I really should dig out the manuscript, tidy it up and get it published. That story caused a bit of turmoil for me when it took a strange turn and introduced past lives, angels and demons. Yes, my Muse is a confusing creature, indeed. I will tackle my YA zombie romance at a later date!

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!) 

Does Your Gender Affect Your Writing Success?

Here is a loaded question, and I would be very interested to receive some responses in the comments below. I am currently reading On Writing by Stephen King, and I have reached the section of the book where he tells us that if we are serious about writing, we actually have to do it. We cannot keep putting it off and blaming our life circumstances, our lack of free time, and all the other millions of excuses we come up with.

Now, I totally agree with that. But one sentence in King’s book struck a chord. He wrote that he was fortunate to have a “self-sufficient wife” and she allowed him to hide away and write whenever he needed to. They have children, and he wrote his novels and short stories since before they were born and throughout their lives. Did his wife shoulder the parental responsibility, and do all the boring, everyday essential tasks of caring for the children before he found fame and fortune?

I would say that I have a self-sufficient husband. In fact, he is so self-sufficient that I am often left at home with the children, and I do 99% of the household chores, nurturing, caring, doctors’ appointments, etc. My husband simply works, in a demanding job that takes him away from the family home for anything up to sixteen hours every day, five days a week. He then spends the weekends ‘catching up’ on his personal affairs, and sleeping because he so exhausted from working all week. But he provides the income, and I must accept that.

In order to follow Stephen King’s advice, I need to change that model of behaviour. My husband refuses to make his work hours more flexible, or even to book time off that he is legally allowed (that is a whole other saga!). He did recently have a pay rise, however. Our cashflow is not brilliant, but if I am to look at the bigger picture, I need some help with childcare. To that end, I plan to investigate the costs of childcare, and see what I can fit around preschool and school. Then perhaps I can find time to finish the manuscripts I have languishing on my hard drive, and finally get my career established professionally.

How do you fit writing in around family and work?

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!) 

The Time has Come for #NaNoWriMo 2016!

Wow, is it that time of year again? Cor blimey, it has been another busy one. Well, this time I am incredibly excited to return to #NaNoWriMo for this, my 6^th challenge. I am using the time this year to complete a first draft of my manuscript for Redcliffe book 5 in my Redcliffe Novels series.

 I have no idea what is going to happen or where the story is heading, although I feel this one might have more of a vampire flavour, because I think the werewolves have taken over a little bit too much lately… then again, it could all change. The Mason brothers are a force to be reckoned with, and Jessica Stone is fast losing control of her animal familiar. Anything could happen!

So, look me up in NaNoland, find me on Twitter and Facebook, and let’s support each other through another gruelling, exciting, amazing #NaNoWriMo challenge.

 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!) 

#PoweredByIndie – My Story, by Catherine Green (SpookyMrsGreen)

This month we are celebrating great writing self-published with Amazon via Kindle Direct Publishing, Createspace, and Audiobook Creation Exchange. I ventured into the world of self-publishing earlier this year, when I tentatively released a solo short story, It’s Complicated (A RedcliffeShort Story), to be included as a freebie for my newsletter followers. The process was very simple, although time-consuming, but I did come away feeling very satisfied and enthused to try it again.

#PoweredByIndie on Amazon

A month or so later, I released a short story anthology on Kindle, My Vampire Boyfriend (A Redcliffe Short Story Anthology). This compliments my Redcliffe novels series that has been published by Mirador, and will tie-in nicely with the next 3 books in the series that I am currently working on. I haven’t yet decided whether they should be self-published or not. I am still trying to design cover art for them.

Eventually, I took the plunge and published a whole novel, The Vampire of Blackpool. This one had been doing the rounds with agents and small publishers and every time I received a polite “thanks but the book doesn’t fit our requirements” response. So I decided to self-publish it. I wanted a paperback and an eBook, so I used Createspace and Kindle Publishing. I realise that there are still improvements to be made with the formatting of my paperback, but I am satisfied for now that I have a good, solid, readable book to share with my fans.

Have you read my books? Are you published with Amazon? Come and share your experiences… 

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!) 

Meet Paranormal Author Catherine Green over on @WordMothers

I am very pleased to share with you this insightful author interview featuring today on the Word Mothers blog...

http://wordmothers.com/2015/02/26/interview-with-author-catherine-green/

#amwriting New Book Coming Soon! #ReadMe

I finally have an official release date for my next novel, how exciting! My Victorian vampire story The Darkness of Love is scheduled for release on 15th October, the perfect time for a Halloween themed book tour. It was originally planned for release in September, but since I gave birth on 1st August we can be forgiven for the very slight delay. I am now eagerly awaiting the 'birth' of my literary child...

In terms of writer news, my focus will now be on promoting and marketing the new book, as well as continuing to promote my Redcliffe novels series. I will be contacting people to arrange blog tours, competitions, reviews etc in the coming weeks and months as we work on catching the Halloween and Christmas shoppers. It will be interesting to see what promotional activity I receive from my new publisher, since I am currently doing everything by myself after my experiment in partnership publishing. Watch this space and I will report back on the service.

We also have the fabulous and fraught adventure that is NaNoWriMo 2013 coming up, and the time is ticking away a little too quickly for my liking. I cannot believe that summer is almost over already! I plan to complete NaNoWriMo again this year, since it is something of a personal goal and a great way to motivate me to write a new book. I am still working on the manuscript for my vampire hunter novel, but that will continue to tick along slowly until I get my mojo back for it. I have decided that for NaNoWriMo I will begin writing the fourth Redcliffe novel, which will be both exciting and surprising, since I don't really know what will happen next.

Busy times as always my friends! Happy writing, happy reading, and welcome to Autumn (or Fall if you prefer).

The Writer on Maternity Leave

You may wonder why my blog has gone a little quiet recently. It is because I am expecting a baby any day now, and so I am a little distracted as you can imagine! I have a toddler who is very lively, a husband who recently had an accident at work (not too serious thankfully), and a boisterous dog to contend with, so my writing schedule has gone a little sporadic.

My current task is to finish editing the manuscript for my Victorian vampire novel The Darkness of Love, which is due for release in September and will be published by Chances Press. I am just over halfway through the manuscript now, so hopefully I will find time and energy to complete it before my new baby arrives. I really do not want to miss the deadline. I suppose in a way I am expecting two babies...

Catherine Green Guest Author at The Writing Box

I am at it again! This time you can see me on the Writing Box blog, talking about my approach to writing, the best and worst advice I have been given, and general experiences in the Indie publishing world.

The Writing Box author interview

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Hooray! Ciaran Dwynvil has nominated me for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Thank you! 

Ciaran writes gay and erotic paranormal romance, and I thoroughly enjoy reading his weekly snippets and excerpts every Wednesday on the Hump Day Hook blog hop. 

 The Rules:

1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. State 7 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 15 bloggers for this award and link to them.
5. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements.

7 Things About Me:

1.      My third novel, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) will be released very soon

2.      I am a natural redhead, and proud of it!

3.      I am married with one toddler, one Staffydoodle dog, and 2 turtles

4.      My hobbies include card making and crafting bead jewellery

5.      I sometimes hunt ghosts

6.      Occasionally I aspire to be like a Stepford wife (though very rarely!)

7.      One day I will own a small holiday cottage on the Cornish coast, from which to pen my masterpieces

15 Other Inspiring Blogs

So, let’s see where I like to stop and read… Check these bloggers too; you may well find something you enjoy...

 

Alex Laybourne 

Oscar Sparrow 

Jan Edwards 

Jane Wakely 

Grace Elliot 

Suzie Tullet 

Needy Helper 

Alison Wells 

Debz Hobbs-Wyatt 

Neale Daniel 

Stephen Ormsby 

S C Mitchell 

Catrina Barton 

Shirley McLain 

Natalie Jolley 

7 Lines from the 7th Page

I was recently tagged on Facebook by author Ciaran Dwynvil to play the 7 lines game.

Go to either page 7 or 77 of your manuscript. Count down 7 lines, then copy the next 7 lines to your status. After that, name 7 more authors to come out and play. I tag Alex Laybourne; Rebecka Vigus; Gracie C. McKeever; T Michael McCormack; Francesca Elizabeth Miller;  Kelly DeWitt; and Clayton Bye

Here are my 7 lines, taken from my third and upcoming novel Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel):

    I blinked and shook my head, trying to rid myself of the horror of that dream.
    “You attacked Liz,” I whispered, “You and Danny.  I couldn’t stop it.”
    Jack sat back, unsure how to react.
    “I would never attack Elizabeth,” he said quietly, “She poses no threat to me or my brother.”
    I swallowed, realizing that my throat was dry from the screaming.  My body was shivering, still in panic mode from the memory of my imagination.  I coughed to clear my throat.
    “I know,” I said uncertainly, “Sorry.”

Love those Vampires and Werewolves!

"Love those Vampires and Werewolves!" - Join me on Wednesday March 7th for the Coffee Time Romance Chatters e-Loop, 15:00 - 17:00 EST (20:00 - 22:00 BST)

I will be hosting an e-loop chat with Coffee Time Romance to promote my paranormal romance series 'The Redcliffe Novels.' I will run a competition to win a signed paperback copy of my debut novel 'Love Hurts.'  Join me if you love vampires and werewolves in all their manifestations, where we can talk about our love for these often-misunderstood creatures of the night...

Using a Book to sell more Books

That title sounds a bit random don't you think? Don't worry, I am simply playing with words, as is my way. What I mean to say is that I recently borrowed a book from my local library, and used it to learn more about Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO. This in turn has given me a lesson in how to use my websites to sell more of my books, and to market myself, Catherine Green, as a business brand.

It is all about what we say. It always is. SEO is simply the use of popular keywords and phrases to describe your business, service, or items for sale. When you choose a domain name, a title, and an introduction for your website, think very carefully about your descriptions. Use the free web tools available to search out the most popular keywords and phrases to describe your business.

The book I borrowed is called Get Into Bed With Google: Top ranking search optimisation techniques http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905940491. I cannot recommend it enough for people just starting out in  business, or sole traders like myself. It made me realise that I am a business. My name is my brand. And now, if I want to sell more books, I have to tell people about them.

Using a technique suggested in the book, I wrote down a list of keyword phrases that I would use to describe myself as an author. One of these was 'British paranormal romance writer.' I typed it into the Google search engine, and at the very top of the results list I found a link to a discussion forum on Amazon. Somebody in the UK was searching for new British paranormal romance writers. Perfect! I joined the discussion, leaving links for my book, and then I did the same for about three or four other relevant forums.

Imagine my surprise and delight when just one hour later, I received an email from one of these Amazon forums. The originator had seen my response, liked what they saw, and ordered a copy of Love Hurts on Kindle. I was elated! My time on here had truly been well spent (or rather, well-earned!). Try it for yourself. Visit the internet forums whose topics relate to the subject matter of your books. And see how your sales figures increase.