Mind, Body and Spirit Event in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, UK

Spirit Sisters are on the road again! This time we are a little closer to home, and will be at the Best Western Moat House Hotel, Festival Park, Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday 10th June. The event runs from 10:00am - 5:00pm and has free entry and free car parking.

I will be offering spiritual guidance with the aid of Tarot and Oracle cards, and I will sell signed copies of my adult paranormal romance series The Redcliffe Novels. My sister, Emily Hargreaves, will do holistic therapies. Try her fabulous Shamanic drum sessions which incorporate Reiki healing; they certainly are effective! She will do Swedish Body Massage, Indian head massage, ear candles, reflexology, and will exhibit a range of hand-crafted oils and creams to accompany her treatments.

There will also be a visit from our local Green Man, Mr Jon James! A professional saxophonist and multi-talented musician, Jon will be on hand to play his flute and guitar, and sell copies of his CDs. Jon has composed, performed and produced all of his music, and he offers a varied range of meditations, chanting sounds, and general music for relaxation and well-being.

The Mind, Body and Spirit event is a wonderful opportunity to stock up on your candles, incense and related accessories. You can find gifted and talented readers that use Tarot, Angel cards and crystal balls. There will be an aura photographer on site, various holistic therapists, and paranormal investigators. Throughout the day there will be free talks and workshops.

For more information please see http://www.pagan-charms.co.uk

Dreaming the Characters of your Novel

I am currently writing the third book in my Redcliffe Novels series. What started out as one story has developed into a whole series of novels, which follow the adventures of bookshop owner Jessica Stone in the fictional seaside town of Redcliffe in Cornwall, England. Not only am I writing the third book which will form a trilogy, but after that I have planned out books four, five and six as Jessica Stone begins a new phase in her life, brought about by her relationships with vampires, werewolves and witches.

Jessica Stone is sort of modelled on me. She is taller, sexier and tougher than I am, so effectively she is me in a parallel universe. Being the author, I have the luxury of passing on my favourite traits to my heroine, while adding those that I wish could be mine in real life.  It is a fun task.

But, recently a strange thing has happened. I actually dreamed that I was Jessica, and that I was interacting with Danny Mason, the werewolf protagonist from my Redcliffe novels. It was bizarre. I fell asleep one night, my head buzzing with the latest twists and turns in my plot, mentally planning what I would write the next day. And then I drifted into a version of Redcliffe that was shrouded in mystery and confusion.

The craziest thing to happen was that in my dream I was kissing Danny Mason. Those of you who have read my debut novel Love Hurts (ARedcliffe Novel) will know that Jessica is actually dating his identical twin brother, Jack Mason, the vampire. Anyway, in my dream I was Jessica, and I was kissing Danny Mason. When I drew away from him, he looked very different to what I imagined as the author.

To my mind, the Mason brothers are tall and ruggedly handsome. They have dark hair that is short but long enough to be wavy and a little unkempt. They are both clean-shaven, and they have piercing blue eyes, which change colour to suit their non-human moods. Jack and Danny Mason have tanned skin and muscular bodies, and if I were to compare them to a real-life actor, I would probably choose Aidan Turner, who played ‘Mitchell’ in the BBC3 television series Being Human. The only thing he doesn’t have is blue eyes.

In my dream, when I was Jessica Stone, I looked at Danny Mason to be met with a man who was clean-shaven. He had dark hair, but it was straight and cut in a neat, short style. He also had brown eyes, and that was the strange thing, because the eyes are important to my characters. Another surprise was that this version of Danny Mason looked very young, possibly in his early twenties. My actual characters appear to be in their mid-thirties, although they are in fact much older. As an idea of how he looked, I would say my ‘dream Danny’ was very similar to the actor Damien Molony, who played ‘Hal’ in the latest series of Being Human (yes, this is my favourite show!)

So there we have it. Not only am I obsessively writing my Redcliffe novels and thinking about them all day long. Now I am also dreaming from the perspective of my female protagonist. It was a fun dream, no doubt about that. It confused me, but at the same time it made me smile. I wonder what will happen next time…

Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) – British Paranormal Romance

Here is a sneak preview of my second Redcliffe novel, Love Kills, due for release in June 2012:

The pretty seaside resort of Redcliffe in Cornwall is a lot more dangerous than you might think. Especially if you fall in love with a vampire and become entangled with his twin brother’s werewolf pack.

Bookshop owner Jessica Stone did just that, against her better judgement, and while recovering from a horrific werewolf attack she is haunted by the creator of the vampire she loves. Jack Mason’s vengeful master does not share easily, and Emily Rose will return to kill her rivals and reclaim her consort.

Jessica has her own secrets, however, and they are about to be revealed as she discovers her true heritage as a witch, and finds out exactly how powerful she could become, and what lengths she is willing to reach to save the vampire she loves.

For more information about my Redcliffe novels, see my website http://www.catherine-green.co.uk and join me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Catherine-Green-Author/254977714519206

The Loneliness of the Indie Author

My computer was buzzing quietly in the corner. I had been online earlier in the day to push some last minute promotions on the usual social network sites. “Coffee Time Romance presents…Catherine Green… Tonight!” This, along with other, similar banners of excitement. Putting my daughter to bed early, I hurriedly returned to my computer, sat down, and prepared to get stuck in.

Nothing. Not one whisper of an audience. Not one word of support or interest from anybody. In my imagination I could picture the scene if this were not conducted in the virtual world. I sit behind a table in a dimly lit community centre. The room is small and square, with rows of empty chairs sitting before me. I sit on a slightly raised platform, a stage of sorts, with my books on the table and my hopes and dreams laid out before me.

Nobody comes. No-one has time to see what this particular Indie author has to offer today. I sit at my computer, checking both my email and the Yahoo group in which I have eagerly posted my prepared speeches and promotional material. In my imagination, a tumbleweed rolls across the room before me. I sigh heavily, take a sip of water from my glass, stretch my arms above my head, and lean back in my chair. There is still time. Somebody will surely be along soon, even if they are just curious about who is in the room?

Back in my dining room and I am sitting at the computer. Fortunately this is the virtual world, and I don’t sit here idly waiting for some attention. Instead I do some busy work, and check the group just on the off chance that someone might have logged in. Actually I have been rather productive this evening. I am always more active at night. Perhaps I share some of the nocturnal traits of my favourite vampire characters. Maybe it is because I find it easier to work once my toddler is in bed.

Anyway, I have typed up a couple of blog posts. I have checked through my emails. And I intend to do some more work on the final edit for Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) before I go to bed. Oh, and I might find time to write a little bit more of Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel)… I love my job!

Coffee Time Romance Presents - Awaken the Witch Within

“Awaken the Witch Within” - Join me on Friday 18th May for the Coffee Time Romance Chatters e-Loop, 16:00 - 18:00 EST (21:00 - 23:00 GMT)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/karenfindoutaboutnewbooks

I will be hosting an e-loop chat with Coffee Time Romance to promote my paranormal romance series 'The Redcliffe Novels.' Join me to hear about the Redcliffe sequel Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) due for release in June 2012, and hear about British bookshop owner Jessica Stone as she discovers her true self and adjusts to life with a vampire and his werewolf brother…I will also offer free online Goddess Oracle card readings during the chat, on behalf of Spirit Sisters.

Mind, Body and Spirit Event in Solihull, West Midlands, UK

Spirit Sisters are hitting the road! We are heading out to the West Midlands next weekend for a Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Holiday Inn hotel in Solihull. See http://www.spirit-sisters.co.uk for more details.

Who are the Spirit Sisters? Well, I will tell  you. Spirit Sisters are myself, Catherine Green, and my sister, Emily Hargreaves. I am the author and spiritual advisor. Emily is the holistic therapist and spiritual advisor. Together with our Spirit Brother, we are the Witch, the Shaman and the Druid...

At the event next weekend I will be offering spiritual guidance in the form of Tarot and Oracle card readings. I will also do a talk about my British paranormal romance series The Redcliffe Novels, and will sell signed copies of my books. My Spirit Sister will offer holistic therapies including massage, reflexology, ear candles and Indian head massage. She will also offer Reiki drumming sessions which I personally recommend as a wonderful treatment!

So come along, say hello, check out my books and maybe have a treatment or two... See you later!

Spirit Sisters and the Redcliffe Novels

This weekend (Sunday 6th May) I will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chester, UK to talk about my Redcliffe novels. I will sell signed copies of Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) and The Mirador Fantasmagoria, and I will tell people about the upcoming release of Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). As part of this promotion I will do a free talk about my books and my work as a spiritual advisor for Spirit Sisters.

There have been several occurrences lately which led me to believe in the connection between myself as a psychic medium and my work as an author. For example, I described to my editor how I envisioned the artwork for Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). She responded very excitedly by saying I had described almost exactly what she and her design team had been considering. Coincidence or psychic knowledge? I prefer the latter explanation.

The more I progress on my spiritual pagan path, the more excited and amazed I become at the events that unfold around me. Two years ago I never considered the fact that I would be preparing to launch my second novel, having written a third and currently writing a fourth. It seems that once I stepped out of my rational, restrictive mindset, I was set free to truly express myself and do what is natural. And the result is exhilarating, exciting and totally rewarding. Now you must excuse me, I have some writing to do...