For the Love of Books

I have finally embraced the digital revolution, and have acquired a Kindle. I love it. I was resistant at first, because I am of the old school generation where we believe there is nothing better than curling up with a good book. I realise now that it doesn’t have to be one or the other. I can enjoy both, and each has their own merits and advantages.

The Kindle, for example, is like a portable library. I had great fun one evening browsing the top 100 free bestsellers (I’m a penniless writer, there you go!). Anyway, my husband was greatly amused as I sat giggling away to myself, and proceeded to download somewhere in the region of 50 eBooks. Add to that a couple of PDFs that I had acquired, and my reading list is now looking extremely busy.

My Kindle is perfect for reading one-handed, for example while I am propping my daughter up as she learns to walk. Or I can stand in the kitchen with it while I am cooking dinner. And I have a very handy reading light so I don’t disturb my husband while I’m sitting up in bed at night. Oh, and I can comfortably recline in bed with the Kindle, something I struggled to do with my books before.


I was also very excited when I searched for my novel Love Hurts on the Kindle and found it second in the list of books with that name. It means my sales are doing well and I'm getting some exposure. Thank you my adoring fans! And for those who haven't yet read it, why not? It is even on special offer now until 5th January, so snap up a bargain while you can.

Do not despair my precious books! I still love you just as much. There is nothing quite like picking up a nice shiny new paperback, opening it for the first time, and inhaling that special smell of excitement and adventure. Every book is different. I love smoothing my fingers over the covers, and feeling the texture and shape. I love seeing the crisp, white pages of print just waiting to be explored. And I love walking past my bookshelves, and glancing at rows of beautiful, delightful, tomes of imagination.

So I have deduced that the Kindle, or indeed any other eReader tablet, is a great gadget for an easy to handle, quick to access book, and also a means of storing various books, magazines and newspapers. This is perfect for a frequent traveller, and saves lots of bag space for a young family with a modest car. But the good old-fashioned paperback, or hardback book, is a sacred and beloved text. It is to be treasured, revered, and will never be cast aside or forgotten, at least not in my world.

Happy New Kindle

It has been a very merry Christmas in the Green household this year. We celebrated my daughter’s first Christmas, and she was thoroughly spoiled by the whole family. In fact, we had to open her presents in three different houses! I do love having a large and close-knit family. We may not live so close to each other any more, but we certainly make the most of the holidays.

Anyway, my wish was for some money to buy a Kindle this year. I told my family that it was a necessary part of my writer’s kit. I need a Kindle in order to keep on top of all the fantastic Indie authors and new books that are available. And I need to read as many books as I can within my genre, for research purposes. Strangely, they didn’t believe me, but they did fulfill my wish.

Now I am the proud owner of a shiny new Kindle, and have already downloaded about 50 free books from its top 100 bestsellers. I am also adding many more to my wish list and will process these over the coming months. My reading pile has now exploded. Not only do I have about twenty old-fashioned paperbacks still waiting to be read, I also have a growing selection on my Kindle. When will I ever find time to actually write my books?

Today I am fortunate in that the weather outside is frightful (to quote a famous seasonal song), so I have no choice but to stay indoors. We don’t have snow here in South Cheshire. Oh no, that was last year. Today we have gale force winds and heavy rain showers. The poor dog will have to do without a walk, mainly because he won’t actually go outside in the rain. He is a fair-weather pooch! 

Christmas with the Vampires is just 99p / 99cents on Kindle!

So if I seem distant during the coming months, please forgive me. I am either reading, or writing, or eBook shopping! Happy New Year! And look out for my Redcliffe sequel in 2012...

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!) 

Love Hurts New Year Special Offer - Get it Now!

Hello, and Happy Holidays to you all! This time I am shamelessly promoting my novel, but when you read it I am sure you will agree that it is a wonderful story. For two weeks only you can now download your Kindle version of Love Hurts for the special offer price of £1.72 GBP. Take a look at this fabulous paranormal romance, where the sleepy Cornish seaside town of Redcliffe is not as peaceful as you may think...

Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel)

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...

Let's Talk About Love in Books

After a very successful broadcast back in October, I am proud to invite you to join me and my good friend, historical novellist Borislava Borissova for a webchat at Coffee Time Romance.

The talk will begin at 12:00 EST (17:00 BST) and end at around 15:00 EST (20:00 BST). We will chat about Affairs of the Heart, Love Hurts, Love Kills, and all related subjects around this most fascinating human (and not so human) emotion. We have a nice mixture of historical and paranormal interest, so there is something for everyone, and maybe even a few ideas for Christmas presents!

Join us for lively conversation, web games, novel spoilers, story telling, and a generally fun interaction.

Paranormal Book Signing at Waterstones Knutsford

Join me tomorrow (Saturday 3rd December) at Waterstones Knutsford where I will be signing copies of my paranormal romance novel Love Hurts.

This is the first in the series set  in a fictional Cornish town called Redcliffe, and the story is told by bookshop owner Jessica Stone.  She is in love with police detective Jack Mason, but there is more to him than meets the eye. When Jessica meets his identical twin brother Danny, her comfortable life descends into chaos and tragedy as the Mason brothers introduce Jessica to a whole new way of life in picturesque, coastal Redcliffe.

I will be at Waterstones from 11:30am until 3:30pm and I look forward to meeting you there...