Vampire of Blackpool by Catherine Green

Her blood was intoxicating. It flowed into my cold body like liquid fire, and I almost swooned as I tasted its honey nectar. I had not fed from a witch in so many years; I had forgotten just what a wonderful experience it was. 

The vampire, the witch, and the hunter battle it out in a contemporary Gothic adventure in Northern England.

Meredith Hanson lives in Blackpool, the former Victorian holiday hotspot of Northern England. She masquerades as a reclusive author, feeding on the blood of unsuspecting tourists without remorse. Her life takes on new meaning when she meets a young witch in a local pub one evening. Despite Meredith’s cold demeanor, she finds herself oddly fascinated with Samantha Morris, and falls into an accidental relationship with the girl. It is at this time that a vampire hunter arrives in Blackpool. He is tough, he is determined, and his next target is an ancient vampire that has been spotted in the tourist town. He intends to bring her down and destroy her to save the lives of innocent humans. Will he succeed? Or will the experienced vampire seductress be the cause of his undoing?

Vampire of Blackpool is available to order from Amazon and other eBook stores.

“What are you doing here, Meredith?” Samantha asked.

            I smiled but said nothing. Samantha looked at Ryan James. She frowned.

            “Did you do this to him?” she asked, moving forward but keeping the bed as a barrier between me and her.

            She leaned forward, appraising her patient with a professional eye. She took in the sling on his arm, the cuts and bruises all over his skin, and the large bandage on his left shoulder. She reached over and carefully lifted a corner of it, and her eyes widened. She knew the truth.

            “Why did you do this?” she asked, “And why are you here now?”

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My Top 3 Professional Goals for 2020

I wanted to write something inspirational and motivational today. This is our first day back at school after the Christmas holidays, and for many people it is also the first day back at work. I know a few people who are planning career changes in 2020, but for me there is a sense of, well, nothing, to be honest. I usually start a new year raring to go, with lots of plans for how to grow my blog, how to increase my subscriber numbers, and crucially, how to sell my novels. But none of it works. I simply do not have the time or the resources to make it happen. So then I get cross with myself and start searching for work from home jobs on my preferred jobs websites. Then I get frustrated because it takes me away from working on my freelance business, and the whole cycle turns inwards. This year I am breaking that pattern. Here are my top 3 professional goals for 2020:

1, Be realistic. I have been trying to earn money from my published novels and freelance writing for the past eight years, and I still do not earn a regular livable wage. It simply isn’t happening for me. I need to lower my expectations, accept that I am just an average human, and keep trying to learn and grown in the best way that I can. I do not have access to business training courses, and I cannot pay for a mentor to guide me through the process. I have no money for PR or advertising, so I cannot build my author brand quickly. I can only take each day as it comes.

2, Be flexible. I have been applying for “regular jobs” for most of my adult life. Back when I worked a full-time office job, I was applying for work within the media industry, desperately looking for that big break so I could move into broadcasting and TV. But it was not my career, nor was it meant to be. I am a creative writer. I love words. But now I am struggling to get into the very closed and unwelcoming literary industry. I’m just a boring white girl from an average family. I have no special back story that will propel me to literary fame, and nobody has heard of my self-published novels. So, I will apply for part-time jobs in my local area and be open to suggestions about how to earn a decent wage while still caring for my family.

3, Be kind to myself. There is no point in me getting upset and frustrated every time I hit the proverbial brick wall. It is an old pattern of behaviour, and I am ready to move on. There is clearly a reason why I am not selected or considered for the jobs I apply for, whether they are freelance writing jobs, or regular day jobs. I do not desperately need the money. I want it for a bit of financial independence, but I am in a strong marriage, and my husband has a good, reliable job. He works in waste management; he will always find work. The work that I do is important but largely unrecognised in modern society. I know how valuable I am. I know my worth. And I will not settle for second best. I would rather be “unemployed” that make myself ill trying to juggle a job I despise with childcare and all the other domestic commitments on my time.

What are your plans and professional goals for 2020? Have you instigated a big career change, or are you happy and settled with your lot? I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous new decade!

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Happy New Year, Happy New Book Series!

We are limping towards the end of 2019, and I am very glad to say good riddance to this challenging and painful year. My family and I have experienced bereavement, redundancy, and the death of our family car in the past twelve months. We battle through and we keep going, but it is time for some positive change. We began a new adventure by welcoming our dog, Marley into the family this December. He is a little bundle of chaos, adorable and infuriating. He will help us to heal.

I never did finish and publish book 6 in the Redcliffe Novels series this year. I was determined to end the decade with a complete series, but life got in the way and I lost my mojo. The book will be finished, but I am not setting a deadline. I need to garner some reader interest for the previous books in the series first. They are currently languishing in the dusty crevices of the internet, ignored and underappreciated. I need to drag them out, dust them off, and relaunch them into the reading world, although I have no idea how to achieve such a feat, despite all of my research. Any advice, fellow (more successful) writers?!

If you haven’t yet read Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) Book 1, why don’t you give it a try and see if you want to experience the whole series? It is a good book, I promise! Happy New Year, and Happy New Book Series!  

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