MULTI INDIE AUTHOR SALE EVENT #sharingiscaring #indie #goindie

April 19th & 20th.

Over 100 Indie authors have placed one or more of their eBooks on sale for $.99 or FREE for this two-day event as a way to help readers find new authors. To celebrate, there are several things taking place.

1 - FACEBOOK EVENT  - https://www.facebook.com/events/1347821225278586

Join us for two days of author takeovers, contests, and all around fun!  

2 - RAFFLECOPTER - Want to earn chances to win the grand prize of an Amazon Gift Card valued at $100, then check out our Rafflecopter link. There are hundreds of ways for you to earn a chance to win and find new authors at the same time! http://gvwy.io/q8lpu6l

3 - LIST OF BOOKS ON SALE - Click on this link http://smarturl.it/IndieSale to get the the list of all the books on sale and the links you can find them at. But hurry, because the prices go back up after the event is over! Don’t miss out!

               

🌟🌟🌟Cover Reveal🌟🌟🌟 Destiny by Holly J Gill

The anticipated cover reveal from Holly J Gill is finally here.

Check out the exciting blurb!

Are you ready for Mr. Wright?

She is his addiction—his misfit.

She has got under his skin, opened his heart and forced herself in.

Luke Wright sits under his father running a multinational company ‘Wrights Enterprisers’. Much to his frustration, he is called to sort out a department, forcing him to miss a trip to New York. However, when he walks in, he sees a young woman and becomes powerless, losing his morals, and begins breaking his own rules.

Can she be his Destiny?

Why can’t she stop fantasizing about him?

Destiny Love is young and wants for nothing and is determined to make it in London. Things aren’t quite going to plan, though, and to top it off there’s a new bossman, meaning new rules. Will Mr. Wright give her a chance to prove herself?

Holly loves to hear from her fans new and old feel free to stalk Holly here

Holly Bio:

A wife and a mum to three grown up children and recently became a nana to twins and lives in the UK. Holly J. Gill is an author of contemporary romance, exploring many new channels, paranormal, action, sweet, erotic, wherever her imagination takes her. Holly has been writing since being a young girl, having characters talking to her constantly, and longing to get their stories written. Finally, her dream came true over two years ago, when getting her first contract with Secret Cravings Publishing for her erotic Desires series unfortunately they closed their doors, leaving Holly to go Indie. In Holly’s spare time she loves spending quality time with her family, camping with hubby, seeing friends, listening to music, watching movies and travelling around England visiting the beautiful countryside.

Writing is where Holly’s heart is…

           Where to find Holly:

Facebook

Adult Romance Blog

Twitter

Google+

 Goodreads

Pinterest

I Dream of a Writing Retreat

We are halfway through the school Easter holiday, and I have not been near my manuscripts for weeks. I just can’t find the time lately. What with my domestic challenges, the need to develop my pagan housewife bog into a viable income generator, building my readership of the Redcliffe novels, and all the other minutiae of modern life, where do I fit it in?

I know that patience is a virtue, and I know that it won’t always be like this. My younger daughter starts primary school in September, and I will have five days per week in which to work during school time. Surely, I can do it then? But I want to do it all now! My stories are niggling, my characters are shouting, and they all need to be dealt with. I can barely think straight. A writing retreat sounds fabulous, but again, I cannot fit it in with everything else that is active in my life. One day… one day…

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!) 

Embrace the Darkness for Vampire Month

We have almost reached the end of Vampire Month, although my vampires continue to haunt and delight me every day. At the moment, I am struggling to finish a first draft of book 5 in the Redcliffe novels series. The manuscript is called Heart of the Vampire (A Redcliffe Novel), and yet those pesky werewolves keep interfering!

Photo Credit #AtoZchallenge 

But enough of that. Today’s blog post on the Vampire Month website is a reflection on popular culture and the vampire image. I really like the Gothic photography that is featured, and I agree, vampires are sexy. There is no escaping the fact that we know they are disturbed and grotesque creatures in truth, but we prefer to see them as attractive. Could we say the same about our fellow humans? Maybe…

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!) 

Bridge House Publishing Author Event

My very first published story was The Teen Game, a short vampire story set in Manchester. It was featured in the anthology Devils, Demons and Werewolves by Bridge House Publishing, and is listed under my maiden name, Catherine Hargreaves.  I still remember the excitement I felt when I read the acceptance email as I was travelling out for a pre-wedding celebration with my mum and mother-in-law!

Later this week I will be attending an online author event with Gill James from Bridge House publishing. She is bringing together a group of authors and their books, and we will share our advice, our writing experience, and offer up a few new books and stories in competitions.

I believe Devils, Demons and Werewolves may be on special offer for the event, so sign up on the Facebook page, and I will see you there… You might even win a free book!

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!) 

Sharing the Love LGBT-Style

Many people are unaware that my Redcliffe novels, and my contemporary English Gothic stories, include characters who are lesbian, gay and bisexual. I don’t shout about it because it shouldn’t be a selling point. We are who we are, and we are free to love and play with other people as we see fit. But enough of my preaching. In the spirit of sharing diverse works of art, today I introduce you to a novel called Juliana, by Vanda.

Juliana by Vanda 

“She went looking for fame, and found her true self, instead.”

So begins the story of Juliana, a talented Broadway performer, and the young, naïve farm girl Alice that she seduces. The novel is set between 1941 and 1944, and tells a story about the modern world of the gay and lesbian social scene, and the old-fashioned values of small-town, rural families who just want their children to get married and continue the family line.

I look forward to reading and reviewing this novel myself, and if you want to know more about the author, see her website for social media links and news about her next book.

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!) 

Children of the Night… Celebrate Vampire Month!

Ha ha, I do love my favourite old movie references. This month we celebrate Vampire Month, as decreed by the mysterious and alluring D.A. Lascelles… I met the author during our Sandbach Authors Signing Event late last year, and now he has recruited me into his vampire fan club.

Keep watching his website for author interviews (including mine), book features (me again), and all things relating to vampires and vampire pop culture (yes, more of my writing!) 
The writing is lively, even though the subject matter is not!  

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!) 

Book Review: She Wolf by Elizabeth Morgan

I finally got around to reading She Wolf by Elizabeth Morgan. This is a contemporary werewolf love story set in Scotland, and I loved it! The scenery was beautiful, as you would expect. We hear the story of a werewolf pack with ancient lineage, and how its youngsters continue the family business. And then there is the love story between our feisty she-wolf and her mate. The tension is brilliantly worked, and the characters could be my mates from the local pub, I feel so familiar with them. I highly recommend this book!

Rugged, Scottish Werewolves – how could I resist?

This book is seriously sexy, and deeply passionate. I like the way it is told from both protagonists' points of view. I feel like part of the pack after reading this book, and now I need to read the series!

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!) 

This Author’s Health Journey

We all have a story. Every single one of us, whether we write about it or not. My fictional stories are inspired by real-life events, experiences and perceptions, albeit with a little paranormal twist… hey, I like to liven things up a little bit! A big part of my personal story is my health. I am generally a very healthy and happy thirty-five-year-old woman. I have had two successful pregnancies with very minor complications during labour. But I have been in and out of hospital for all my life.

Photo Credit 

I have a rare genetic disorder called Lymphedema Distichiasis. Yep, you can’t even pronounce it, can you? I had to practice a little when the diagnosis officially came several years ago. Basically, it means that I have a recessive gene, called the FOXC2 gene. It means that my body produces anomalies. For me those anomalies include a double row of eyelashes in both eyes. My eyelashes grow on the inside of the eyelid, and they turn in so that they scratch my corneas. I have severe scarring in both eyes, and I have routine minor surgery procedures to have the extra eyelashes removed using lasers. In between hospital visits, I pluck the offending eyelashes out with tweezers. Not pleasant. It is very painful and can be very debilitating, but I am not the sort of person to let that get in my way.

Photo Credit 

You see, that is my story. One author, one rare genetic eye disorder. It could have caused me to give up my job, my ability to drive, even my independence, because it got so bad at one point. But I refused to submit to the pain and the discomfort. Instead I sought alternative methods of healing, which brought me to my current training in Reiki. That is a higher vibrational energy healing system that we can all tap into, and I find it incredibly helpful for my health condition. It will also find its way into my stories, and has even inspired me to plan some non-fiction books based on my experiences.

What are your life experiences, health or otherwise? How do they inspire and inform your career choices, your hobbies, your way of life?

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!) 

Did You Get Your Free Werewolf Story?

I am doing a little spring cleaning alongside writing book 5 in the Redcliffe novels series, and I decided to revamp the covers for a couple of my digital books. What do you think of this one? You can download it for FREE if you follow the link below…

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!) 

#ScribeFest Young Writers Crime Short Story Competition – Enter Now!

***Attention Young Crime Writers***

Write a prize winning crime short story and include the following words:

1. MYSTERIOUS

2. CLUE

3. PRINT

Age 12-15 - 500 words

Age 7-11 300 words

Closing date 6^th March 2017

There are more clues on how to enter the Scribe Short Story Competitions over on our website.

#ScribeFest celebrates all aspects of writing, illustrating and art. 23rd-25th March 2017

Follow Scribe Festival on Twitter, use the hashtag #ScribeFest to see live updates, and like our page on Facebook to see exclusive news and giveaways before and during the event.

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!) 

#ScribeFest Short Story Competition – Submissions Welcome!

“It was a human skull” – so begins the tale of The Canal Detective, but how will it end? That is for you, my quick-witted, creative crime writer, to tell us! Enter the Scribe Short Story competition now and see what you can win… competitions running for adults and children, see website for submission guidelines and criteria.

#ScribeFest celebrates all aspects of writing, illustrating and art. 23rd-25th March 2017

Follow Scribe Festival on Twitter, use the hashtag #ScribeFest to see live updates, and like our page on Facebook to see exclusive news and giveaways before and during the event.

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 West Midlands Valentine’s Book Signing & 1940’s Ball

February 4th 2017 TELFORD

It’s a New Year for new experiences, so why not make The West Midlands Valentine’s Book Signing & 1940’s Ball one of them! This February the 4th is set to be a day filled with books, romance, laughter, and live 1940’s style music all thanks to The West Midlands Valentine's Book Signing & 1940’s Ball. With over 25 confirmed authors covering genres such as romance, chick-lit, erotica, young adult, horror, and children’s fiction, there is sure to be something here for you or your loved one just in time for Valentine’s Day. Or at least something to occupy the kids with. 

 When the door close to the signing at 16:30 we will be reopening them at 19:30 for our 1940’s swing ball, where The Vintage Vocalist will take to the stage and take us back in time with classics from The Andrew Sisters, Vera Lynn, Anne Shelton, and many more. (1940’s dress is very much encouraged but not essential). So, why not come and mingle with the authors and get those books signed before joining them for a swing around the dancefloor? 

 ALL PROCEEDS MADE ARE BEING DONATED TO HELP FOR HEROES. *Tickets to the signing will be available on the door * Children under 16 years of age enter the signing for FREE, but must be accompanied by a paying adult at all times. * Tickets to the ball will NOT be available on the day and need to be pre-ordered before January 27^th – All attendees to the ball must be over the age of 18 years. Please visit our website for more information – www.westmidsvalentinesbooksigningball.wordpress.com

Event Address: Casey’s, Cordingley Hall, Wellington road, Telford TF2 8JS

Social Links

Website - http://www.westmidsvalentinesbooksigningball.wordpress.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/westmidsvalentinesbooksigning/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/WMVBSAB

Ticket Link - https://westmidsvalentinesbooksigningball.wordpress.com/tickets/

Defining Your Local Accent

One of the key factors in my writing process is the definition of accents. Having grown up reading books by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Judy Blume and L.J. Smith, I have been largely exposed to characters that speak in old fashioned Queen’s English accents, or a sort of generalised white America accent that I can’t quite define because I don’t know enough about the country and its various regions.

Now, I am very definitely not from a Queen’s English background, so I didn’t really connect with the characters in the books I read. They were distant, posh people who I could never emulate. I did feel a connection with Roald Dahl’s Matilda, but I am still not sure what kind of regional accent she might have spoken in. I get the feeling it was somewhere in the South of England, but I can’t be sure.

My characters are mostly Northern, like me. I grew up in the Staffordshire Moorlands, close to Stoke-on-Trent, and so I have a sort of hybrid “Stokie” accent when I speak. It grows more broad when I return home to visit, which I find quite amusing. My husband grew up in both Wigan (Northern England) and Staffordshire, because his family moved to my home town when he was ten. His accent grew into a hybrid Lancashire-Stoke, but then returned to its Northern roots when he went to university in Manchester and took up full time work in the region.

I want my characters to have accents. I don’t want them to be traditionally English, or cockney or anything that to my mind is all too common and far removed from my experiences. My heroine in the Redcliffe novels series, Jessica Stone, is from Manchester, but she now lives in Cornwall where the adventures take place. Her best friend, Liz, is also Mancunian, living in Cornwall, and she marries a local university lecturer who has a Cornish accent. Jessica’s love interests, the identical twins Jack and Danny Mason, have their roots in Dublin, but since they are over one hundred years old and have lived in many places, their accents seem to come and go, largely depending upon their emotional state.

How important is it for you to read stories where the characters have a definitive accent? Does it help you to relate more to the characters and the story, or do you prefer to learn about other cultures and other lives? I find the whole subject fascinating!

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!) 

#NaNoWinner16 and Merry Christmas!

Oops! It seems I forgot to do my Thursday blog this week, bad girl *slaps wrists* In my defense, I have been very busy and quite overwhelmed with a mixture of domestic and professional nuances. But not to worry. We are now officially in the countdown to Christmas, and so I will embrace the festive spirit and make some fabulous memories with my children. Oh, and yes, I did win #NaNoWriMo in the end, just as I planned. How did you get on?

#BlackFriday is Approaching – Support Small Business! #ASMSG

How do you feel about the #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday phenomenon? Let’s face it, we can barely avoid the hype in this day and age. It is how we have evolved in society. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I believe in not over-commercialising 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 myself, who rely on royalties paid via Amazon for the sales of our books.

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. 

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!) 

A Slow and Steady Start to #NaNoWriMo2016

Just a brief update today since I am well on the way to completing #NaNoWriMo2016 and I am powering through! Well, ok, I am plodding through at the moment, but I am happy with my progress and that’s the main thing. I have broken the 15k barrier and plan to hit 25k words halfway through November, keeping me on track to succeed. How is your #NaNoWriMo progressing?

Thinking back to 2015, and by this time I was in a very different place with my writing. I was reeling from the death of my beloved Nanna, and keeping my focus on the writing in her memory. She was so very proud of my author achievements! I still miss her, and even now I feel tearful when I remember her loss. But I have over 30 years of happy memories to treasure with my grandparents, and so I count my blessings. Happy writing, my friends!

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!) 

Romance Novel Giveaways: The Redcliffe Series by Catherine Green ❤️ Freebie...

Hey folks, check out this awesome guest blog feature over on Romance Novel Giveaways! And if you haven't already signed up for your FREE vampire Tarot reading, do it now!!!

Romance Novel Giveaways: The Redcliffe Series by Catherine Green ❤️ Freebie...: This blog post contains affiliate links.  Click Here for details. Sally Frost is a mild-mannered NHS hospital nurse by day...

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!)