Author Interview with Sarah Luddington

Here is an interview with Sarah Luddington, the British author of a new historical fantasy series, beginning with Lancelot and the Wolf

Author Interview: Sarah Luddington

This series offers an alternative view on the story of Camelot, more specifically King Arthur and Lancelot, and the nature of their relationship...

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!

Author Interview with Catherine Green

As part of my promotional programme for 2012, my aim is to appear on many blogs and book review sites to raise my profile. Here is one of the first, kindly hosted by Laurie:

Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews: Love Hurts by Catherine Green - Interview, Mini Ex...: The Cornish town of Redcliffe is a beautiful seaside resort. It has wild sea, rambling forests, mysterious cliffs, and a local powerful were...

Also remember that the Kindle version of Love Hurts is currently on a special offer price. The offer has now been extended until the end of January. Grab yourself a bargain!

The Thrill of being a Writer

I have just finished writing an intense cliffhanger of an ending to my second Redcliffe novel Love Kills. It was amazing! Having finished editing a separate manuscript, I was thinking about what needed to be done on my current WIP. I had written the first draft of Love Kills, but was unhappy with the way I had finished it.  There had to be more.

Well it seems that my muse agreed, and all day today, while doing my menial household chores, the story has unfolded in my head. As soon as my daughter was in bed, I had to get on the computer. Two and a half hours later, and the result is one finished first draft manuscript, and one very excited author! I do love this job.

The crazy thing is, I am actually physically shaking from the exertion of writing that particular part of my novel. The adrenaline is pumping through me, and I'm on a high. Who needs drugs? Just write! I could happily write all night now, but I know that I need a break, and my muse needs to rest. The only downside is I don't have any wine in the house to celebrate with. Never mind. Once my book is published and people are enjoying it, my current task will be complete. And by that time I will be on book 3, which promises to be even more exciting and intense...

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)