Moving away from the Redcliffe Novels

I have finished writing the third novel in my Redcliffe series.  Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) is complete and has been edited, but I am hanging on to it for just a little longer before I send it to my publisher.  At just under 90,000 words, this novel is longer than the first two.  It is certainly more fantastical than Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel), and I am interested to see what sort of response it gets from readers. 

Therein lies part of the problem. I am anxious about letting go of a story that has haunted me for ten years. It is finally written, and the first two sections are already in print and being consumed by readers the world over. Of course, that is what I want, otherwise I would never have submitted my work to a publisher. I want my Redcliffe novels to be enjoyed and celebrated, and I want to be a best selling, popular author in my genre. I even want to see a film or a television series about my stories one day.

But what happens next? Where do I go from here? The Redcliffe novels will definitely continue. My heroine, Jessica Stone, has made that perfectly clear. She has lots more stories to tell about her complicated relationship with two vampires and a werewolf, and about her personal journey into the world of magic and mystery as a witch. Book 4 in the Redcliffe series will be something very different to book 1 I am certain, and I feel that the witches will play a far more prominent role than they have so far. I also don't know what will happen, because my original plans have been changed after I rewrote the ending to Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel).

There is yet more news. Today I received inspiration from my muse for a completely new novel. This one tells the story of a female vampire hunter in the UK. I won't give too many details at present, indeed I don't even know very much myself. So far I have written the first chapter and become acquainted with my new heroine, Dr Jennifer Worthington, and her protagonists. The story came to me while I was out for an early morning walk with my family, and I spent all afternoon in a daydream until I could find the time to sit down and write properly. Now it is out of my head, on the computer, and I am very excited about what will arise.

Happy days, my friends!

Catherine Green on the Vampire Book Realm

Today I have a guest blog on the Vampire Book Realm. You can read about the Redcliffe Novels, and a little of my insight into the history of vampires in Britain in popular culture. Learn about our heroine, Jessica Stone, and the vampire and werewolf she becomes entangled with...

www.vampirebookrealm.com/1/post/2012/08/vampires-in-britain-by-author-catherine-green.html

Book Signing Event – Waterstones, Warrington

Join me in Waterstones, Warrington on Saturday 14^th July 2012 from 11:00 – 3:00pm.

I will be on hand to sign copies of my adult paranormal romance novels Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) and the newly released Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel).

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

If you are interested I will also tell you about my work as a spiritual advisor for Spirit Sisters, and my training as a shaman… See you there!

The Redcliffe Novels - Meet Jessica Stone

I would like you to meet my Redcliffe heroine, Jessica Stone. She would have liked to be here for an interview, but unfortunately she is currently dealing with a few personal issues. Whoever knew a girl's love life could get so complicated? It wasn't something Jessica planned, and she is not too impressed about the whole situation. Here is her brief introduction:

Jessica Marie Stone is 29 years old at the time of writing this. She has recently begun telling her story in the Redcliffe Novels, kindly written by Catherine Green. Jessica owns and runs a bookshop with her best friend, Elizabeth Gormond. Liz recently had a baby with her husband, Rob, so she is out of action for a while. Jessica was going to run the bookshop alone for a few months, but with her current dramas, she needs a little help. She is recruiting an assistant manager to take some of the stress away on a temporary basis, just until Liz is ready to put her daughter into nursery for a few days a week.

Jessica was just your average single woman up until she met Detective Jack Mason. She lived alone in her apartment above the bookshop. She enjoyed socializing in the local pub, the Ship, on Redcliffe promenade. Her other best friend, Simon Bunce, manages the pub on behalf of its owner, Detective Danny Mason. Yep, you guessed it, that's where the complications arose! Danny is Jack's identical twin brother. Jessica met Jack first, fell in love, and then met Danny. Now she is totally confused.

That isn't the half of it. Jack is a vampire. Danny is a werewolf, and alpha for the Redcliffe wolf pack. It turns out that Simon Bunce is his lieutenant, and he hid the secret of his identity to Jessica for almost five years. Needless to say she is a little angry about that. But she has bigger problems. Around the time that she met Jack, she was having crazy dreams about monsters. Then an older woman started visiting her. The woman is Jessica's deceased mother, Lillian.

Jessica's parents died in a car accident when Jessica was six years old. She grew up in foster homes, and got used to being alone and self sufficient. Now her mother has returned, albeit as a ghost, and is helping Jessica come to terms with the truth about the man she loves. Her revelations were not accidental. Jessica Stone is a witch, born of an ancient line, and her mother wants her to embrace her true abilities and make use of her natural powers. Jessica is very uncertain about all of this. Then again, it might help her deal with the vampires and werewolves a little better.

Would you like to know more? Read her novels, Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) and Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). Jessica is currently continuing her story in the third book, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), but it seems I just can't type fast enough for her...

Writing a good Redcliffe Conclusion

For the last week I have been mentally preparing the conclusion for my latest Redcliffe novel Love Kills. This follows the story of bookshop owner Jessica Stone as she comes to terms with the revelation that her lover is a vampire, his identical twin brother is a werewolf, and that she is a witch who must now learn to accept her heritage and embrace her newly discovered powers. The story is set on the rugged coast in Cornwall, England, and I have a host of vampire and werewolf supporting characters, with a few humans and witches thrown in for good measure.

The novel writing went very well until I reached the end. Then I began to struggle. I wanted to end the story at a point which leads easily into the third book in my Redcliffe series, but not so that it was too abrupt. While I was away on a short family holiday, I kept repeating the conclusion in my head, and every day it changed slightly. Tonight I finally managed to sit down and actually do the writing.

I was in for a surprise. Once I had settled my daughter in bed, I quickly became engrossed in my work. My fingers flew over the keys, the words appeared as if by magic on the computer before me. And my conclusion to Love Kills began to take shape with a surprisinly dramatic outcome. I still have a little more to write, and I have reached another brick wall of sorts. But I'm not worried. After a good night's sleep and a day of household chores, I have no doubt that my muse will be back on fine form tomorrow evening and I will write the perfect conclusion. Bring it on!

The Redcliffe Trilogy Inspiration

This morning I was feeling a mild sense of panic when I realised that once I finish editing Love Kills and send it off to the publisher, I will then need to start writing the third Redcliffe book. At the time it was only a vague idea in my head, sort of following on from the latest instalment that I just wrote. Determined not to be perturbed, I put the panic out of my mind and sent out a silent plea to my muse.

After lunch I finally dragged myself away from the computer and decided to take myself, the baby and the dog out for our daily walk. The weather was beautiful. It was sunny and fairly mild for a January day in England. We strolled along by the canal, my daughter chattering away happily in her pushchair, the dog running off ahead exploring the undergrowth.

My mind wandered as I stared out at the water, and I admired the way the sunshine reflected in warm colours of orange, yellow, and even hints of blue on the gently rippling surface. There were no boats moored up in their usual spots, which surprised me, but then I remembered, it is winter. We continued on our walk, following the gentle sweep of the recently resurfaced towpath, and we didn’t encounter anybody else on our way.

And then it hit me. I was mentally organizing my current edit of Love Kills, and then I started to think about what would happen next to Jessica Stone and Jack and Danny Mason. The story suddenly panned out in my head, clear and exciting and ready to be written. Hallelujah! My muse has spoken, and my prayers have been answered. As soon as Love Kills has been despatched, I will get started on the next book, as yet untitled.

But that wasn’t all. I was in luck today, and it must have been the sunshine drawing out my inspiration. Not only did I mentally prepare the third Redcliffe book, but an idea for the fourth one started to grow as well.  And it sounds good! And then, to top it off, I came up with a plot for a completely separate novel featuring a character that appeared in another novel. She is a powerful and ancient vampire, and I now have a clear idea of where she came from, and how her story should be told.

All in all, it was a very successful walk. I feel refreshed and invigorated to continue my work, the dog is happy after running round like a puppy and playing with sticks. And my daughter had some fresh air and a little stimulation as she saw the ducks, the water, and the beautiful countryside in which we live. Clearly I was brought to live in Middlewich by some sort of divine intervention!

If you haven't yet read Love Hurts, get it now for Kindle on special offer until the end of January!

Love Hurts - Love, Vampires and Werewolves

Love Hurts is about a young woman who runs a bookshop in Cornwall with her best friend. She falls in love with a local police detective and later discovers that he is a vampire, and that his identical twin brother is a werewolf. She is dragged into their complicated and dangerous lives, to her detriment, where secrets are told and lives are lost...

Here is a snippet from the novel, to whet your appetite:

“She is connected to the job in Scotland; they both are.” he said, “I’m sorry Jessica; it looks like we have inadvertently drawn you into our mess.  I need to find Jack and go sort this out.  Please promise me you will stay home, don’t answer the door unless you know who it is, and phone Jack or me if you get worried about anything, no matter how small or trivial.  Will you do that?”

             

He grabbed my shoulders, staring directly into my eyes, and I gasped, shocked at his forcefulness.  I nodded, feeling sick with nerves. 

             

“Yes of course.” I said, “Am I in danger?  What about Liz?” 

         

  He relaxed slightly and eased his grip on me.  

             

“Liz will be fine,” he said, “she is of no concern to them.  But they seem to have found out about you and your relationship with Jack and me.  You don’t need to be overly concerned just yet; hopefully we can settle this tonight.  Please just stay home and keep all your doors locked and your mobile phone handy, ok?” 

           

I nodded and Danny left, saying he would call Jack on the way. (END)

If you want to know more about Jessica Stone and Jack and Danny Mason, check out my website http://www.catherine-green.co.uk

On there you will find a free short story featuring the Redcliffe werewolf pack, and more details about my book.  

Merry Christmas!

'Love Hurts' Book Signing Event at Waterstones Warrington, Cheshire, UK

Join me on Saturday 10th December at Waterstones in Warrington, Cheshire, where I will be signing copies of my debut paranormal romance novel Love Hurts.  I will be at the book shop from 11:00am - 3:00pm and I look forward to seeing you there!

Love Hurts is about a young woman who runs a bookshop in Cornwall with her best friend. She falls in love with a local police detective and later discovers that he is a vampire, and that his identical twin brother is a werewolf. She is dragged into their complicated and dangerous lives, to her detriment, where secrets are told and lives are lost...

Compassion and Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel)

A fellow author has decided to focus on the theme of compassion in his novels, and also on his blog http://www.tommach.com/.  This got me thinking, how does Love Hurts deal with this issue? Do my characters feel compassion for each other, do they have strong decisive morals, or are they completely indifferent?

My heroine Jessica Stone believes herself to be an independent and compassionate woman. She does not show prejudice, she lives a good honest, hard working life, and she is friendly to everyone that she interacts with. But when she discovers that the man she loves is a vampire, and his brother is a werewolf, her morals go out of the window. In her confusion she experiences adultery, pain, heartbreak and terror.

Following her tumultuous experience after the revelations of the people she loves, Jessica is thrown into turmoil about her own feelings. Her friends and lover have betrayed her in the worst possible way. How does she continue? Well her story is still being told as I write the sequel Love Kills. The title alone may give you some idea where this paranormal romance is heading.

Will Jessica show compassion and remain faithful to her vampire Jack Mason? Or will she share herself with his werewolf brother Danny? Or will she leave them altogether, and make a clean break and a fresh start?