“The Teen Game” inside Devils, Demons and Werewolves

The Teen Game is available inside Devils, Demons and Werewolves on Amazon. This story is published under my maiden name, Catherine Hargreaves.

Devils, demons, werewolves and other creatures of the night don’t have to be scary. In fact, at times they can be downright funny. They have their fair share of the type of problems we humans have – pesky monthly cycles, others out to get them, a lack of what they need and a surfeit of what they don’t want. They’re not immune to recessions either.

But we wouldn’t want to disappoint you. There are plenty of moments in this little collection that make you hold your breath; make you want to lock the door and turn the lights up and make you wish you hadn’t stayed home alone.

Laugh, cry and prepare to be scared…

Click here to buy the book.

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Let's Get These Stories Written!

During the past four years I have been on an exciting journey as I became a wife, a mother, and a published author. It has taken me until now to realise exactly where my writing career is likely to advance. I hadn't really considered the possibilities of how to earn a regular income and how to make my business viable. I am still figuring that out. True to my creative nature, I try not to think about facts and figures unless I need them in a story. I much prefer the freedom to follow my heart and go where my spirit takes me.

But, needs must, and we live in a society that is reliant on monetary income. It is time I returned to the land of paid employment. At the moment I am still working out how to do that as a self-employed businesswoman. My business is writing. I just have to establish which forms of writing I want to focus on. I had tried a little freelancing, and I secured a few jobs writing blogs for obscure websites in countries I have never visited. The pay was low, and after almost a year I decided it wasn't really worth my time and effort.

I have four published novels, and three published short stories that are all widely available for sale both online and in bookstores. My problem is advertising them effectively when I have literally no budget and no means of marketing beyond what I can manage for myself. It is very hard to rely on word-of-mouth sales when my friends and family rarely talk about books. I am still trying to get the word out, but I am not what you would call a vocal person, and I find it quite difficult to confidently sell myself to strangers without feeling nervous and self conscious.

Anyway, aside from that, I need a regular income. My book sales barely cover the cost of a pad of paper at the moment, and the freelance article writing I had considered just doesn't sit right with me. Now I have decided to start entering story competitions. I have entered a few in the past; indeed that is how I got my very first short story published, in the teen anthology Devils, Demons and Werewolves. But then I trailed off. I entered a few more competitions without success, but then allowed myself to be distracted. Now I need to get back on it, so to speak. My stories must be written, and I will earn some money from them so I can promote my novels and support my family. Let's do it!

My Journey to Being a Published Author

Since I started actively promoting my novels in my local area, I find an increased number of people asking me how I managed to get published. For me it seems quite strange in this world of eBooks and DIY publishing. I have taken forgranted the fact that for many people, being a published author is still just a distant dream. It was my distant dream only three years ago. My, how things change!

I did not actually self publish my books. I did not have the time or the finances to enable me in that arena. I spent several months writing to agents and trying to secure support for my Redcliffe novels. I began to submit short stories to competitions. And I researched the industry to figure out what my options were. It was the short story competitions that got me my ‘big break.’

I had submitted a short werewolf story, My New Master, to a partnership published in Somerset called Mirador. The editor was compiling stories for a new anthology entitled The Mirador Fantasmagoria. She accepted my story, and then asked if I had anything else to publish. Apparently my genre and style of writing appealed to their business model. I was so excited! I sent an eager reply and an attachment of my first Redcliffe novel Love Hurts. And that was how I got published.

My editor at Mirador very kindly worked out a practical financial agreement, and she gave me some guidance and advice on my manuscript at no extra cost. She really showed an interest in my work, and she gave me such a boost that my Muse went crazy! For the next eighteen months I spent every spare moment writing and editing, and now I have my first three Redcliffe novels published, all by Mirador.

However, I could not sustain that model much longer. I have no access to what I would call ‘serious money’ that would enable me to continue publishing in this way. It is an expensive business, and we have to acknowledge that fact. Fortunately for my fourth novel I was accepted by a traditional publisher, Chances Press. I believe I found their details in the monthly Writing Magazine that I subscribe to. They published The Darkness of Love and now here we are. I am up to date, promoting all my books, and raring to go with the next project on my list.

That was my story to being a published author. Now you tell me yours…

#ReadMe – College is a Dangerous Place; The Teen Game - #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. Today I share an excerpt from my first published short story The Teen Game, featured in the YA anthology Devils, Demons and Werewolves…

That afternoon I sat near to the boy I wanted.  He was tall and slender with short black hair in a spiked style.  I learnt that his name was David Samson and I set about making small talk while we had our first practical art lesson.  He was extremely shy and seemed confused as to why I wanted his attention but slowly he began to respond, amid much cajoling from his friends.  He was another local born and bred who had come to college straight from the affiliated high school.  I was very much the outsider in this place but that didn’t faze me in the slightest.  Shelley and I ended our first day with invitations to join a group of boys at the pool club in the nearby cinema complex on Wednesday evening.  Naturally the group included my David.  Everything was progressing smoothly.

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping!  

Young Adult #Vampire Fun in The Teen Game #HDH

Hello and welcome to the Hump Day Hook. I am offering something a little different today, so here is an excerpt from my first published short story, The Teen Game. Here is an excerpt where our protagonist, the 200 year old vampire Elizabeth Warrington, has decided to return to modern day college and proceeds to feed her way through the excited young boys who are enamoured by her model-perfect looks and her eternally 17 year-old body...

 His mouth was a little sloppy I have to admit but it was certainly exciting to be embraced by such a young boy after so many years!  I gradually showed him how to kiss me properly using my tongue, lips and teeth and then I felt his hands slide instinctively down my body, although he carefully avoided my breasts to begin with.  He was so innocent and clearly a virgin.  As much as I liked to torment myself with my little games, I was thirsty; I hadn't fed all day and was beginning to feel weak.  His pulse was beating against my skin, and I kissed in a seductive line down his jaw until my mouth hovered over that delicate place, and I inhaled his warm, sweet scent.  Then I struck, quick, fast, biting a neat little hole and drinking deeply of his youthful blood.  He cried out but it was muffled against my hair and I projected calming thoughts into his mind, persuading him that we were simply kissing and caressing each other, nothing more.  He became still against me and when I had finished and pushed him gently away, he swayed a little and struggled to focus on my face.  When he spoke his voice was hoarse.  “Whoa that was intense!  So, um, I should get you home Liz!”

If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping!

I Mourn for Being Human as it reaches the End

Last night I watched my favourite TV show, Being Human. It was an emotional time when the announcer reminded the audience that this final series is almost over. Next weekend we see the grand finale, which draws to a close 5 wonderful seasons of this innovative and action packed supernatural drama.

According to the writers at BBC3, who broadcast Being Human, this was never meant to be so big. It was an experiment, to see how the television audience reacted to watching the story of a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf living together in Bristol. It turned out the audience loved it, and during the next few series our characters evolved, grew, moved on, and the setting changed to Barry in Wales.

Part of my attraction to Being Human is that it is British. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy watching The Vampire Diaries and True Blood, among other things. But for me, to find a good, realistic, British supernatural drama on our native BBC, was just perfect. I am very sad to see the end of Being Human. I am also very interested to see what comes next.

I can’t help but think that there is now room for something more, perhaps a television dramatization of my Redcliffe novels? I am here, I am waiting, and I am hungry for the action! And judging by the popularity of Being Human, there are many more people who feel the same way. They just need to discover Redcliffe like I did!

Unfinished Business, Short Stories and New Novels

I have been looking through my files of short stories, searching for something to post on my blog. It occurred to me that I have several short stories, but about three of them are variations of the same theme, as yet unfinished. I have a few more still in progress, and the completed ones have already been shared. I have also finished writing a couple of novels and started another one. Oops! I tend to start something, then get distracted, and return to it at a later date. I think it might be time for some file organizing and spring cleaning, so I can figure out where I stand with works in progress.

In the meantime, you can view my edited short stories at Wattpad and a Redcliffe werewolf story on my author website or in the young adult anthology The Mirador Fantasmagoria. You can also find a vampire short story published under my maiden name Catherine Hargreaves in Devils, Demons and Werewolves.

Happy reading!