Wednesday, 13 March 2013

Hump Day Hook #HDH – The Darkness of Love


Hello and welcome to another Hump Day Hook. I have finally decided to tear myself away from the Redcliffe novels and offer you a little something different. Here is an excerpt from my as yet unpublished novella The Darkenss of Love. It follows the story of Marcus Scott, who appears in Redcliffe, and is set during the industrious Victorian era. This snippet is an intimate scene between Lord Gregory Stockton and his beautiful young wife, Sarah.



“My dear, I am sorry,” he said quietly, “I forget how sensitive you are to cool temperatures.  Allow me to warm you.” 
            He slid his hands down her sides, smoothing over the rich taffeta, and she stood very still, enjoying his caress despite her embarrassment at his bold behaviour.  Resting his hands on her hips, Gregory lowered his handsome youthful face and tenderly kissed her rosebud lips.  His body reacted as it always did to her tenderness.  She was delicate, so beautiful, and always so compliant for him.  His teeth itched as his fangs fought to free themselves, and it took all his self-control not to bite her white skin, and drink deeply of her sweet blood.


If you enjoyed this one, why not pop over to our dedicated Hump Day Hook blog and peruse some new and exciting authors. We write about romance, love, science fiction, fantasy, erotica and everything in-between, so you are sure to find something that delights the senses. You can also find us on Facebook. Happy Humping!  

  [Image courtesy of Photobucket via Pinterest]

Monday, 11 March 2013

My Daughter, the Bookworm


Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK. I celebrated with a day out at our local craft and antique centre with my 2 year-old daughter, my younger sister and her partner. We love Dagfields Crafts and Antiques. Situated in the Cheshire countryside, close to the borders with Staffordshire and Shropshire, it is a hidden gem for bargain hunters. Well, not too hidden, since when we arrived at lunchtime the car park was full and the shops (barns) bustling with activity.

The main reason for our visit yesterday was a bookshop called Booklore. It is a wonderful place, a sanctuary. The shop sells second-hand, new and rare books of all descriptions. It also has a dedicated music room but I have never ventured to that part of the shop. I usually head straight for the New Age/Spiritual/Occult book section, because that is where I find a lot of my favourite and most useful non-fiction books.


As I mentioned before, we had my daughter with us. She is a precocious 2 year-old, full of enthusiasm and curiosity. I didn’t expect her to remain still for long in such a place, especially since we didn’t take her stroller with us. I was pleasantly surprised. We must have been in Booklore for over an hour, with me, my sister and her partner quickly becoming absorbed in our search for book bargains. My daughter picked up a very intellectual looking book, sat down on the floor, and proceeded to ‘read’ it!

Eventually she grew bored of that particular book, whereupon she decided to bring some selections for my sister. It was quite amusing to watch her scurry along to the crammed shelves, select a couple of paperbacks, and bring them over to thrust into my sister’s hands. Finally, my daughter decided that she had had enough of reading, and then she discovered she could run around the bookshelves in a circuit, which kept her entertained for a good ten minutes or so. Fortunately for us the shop was quiet so we didn’t disturb too many other customers!


I didn’t actually purchase a book in the end, which has to be a first for me. I finally realized that I have more than enough stacked up on my overflowing bookshelves at home, and so I exercised enormous restraint and self-control. It was hard though! My daughter had a lovely day, as did my sister and her partner. I always feel so much happier and more relaxed after a visit to Booklore. It is like my church I suppose…

Saturday, 9 March 2013

*New Release* Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel)

The book is finally available! My third novel, Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) is now available to order on Kindle at Amazon. The paperback is printed and I will share sales links as soon as all the websites catch up.


 Adjusting to life with vampires and werewolves, Jessica Stone is learning about being a witch. Love is painful. Life is difficult. It is never boring.

Life has changed forever in Redcliffe, Cornwall. Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch. It all happened when she met Detective Jack Mason and his identical twin brother Danny. Jessica almost died twice, fell into a love triangle, and she became a murderer. Now she faces the ultimate challenge as she continues the fight to save the man she loves, while simultaneously struggling with her lust for his werewolf brother and their vampire friend. Can she survive, or will love finally end her life completely?



If you haven't yet read the Redcliffe novels, where have you been? Try the first novel, Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) free at Wattpad for a limited time only, and then you can read the second book Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel). You will not be disappointed!

Thursday, 7 March 2013

Celebrate World Book Day

Today is World Book Day. Did I mention before that I love books? Well, I do! And I am doubly excited because my daughter’s pre-school are taking part in the event by requesting that the children dress up as their favourite book characters. Now, my daughter is only 2 years old, so this could be tricky. She is very independent, and she has very definite ideas about what she will and will not do.



But, she loves books, just like her Mummy! And at the moment she has a little obsession with Peppa Pig. So, I have the bright idea to dress her up as Peppa Pig. She has a pink dress that will suit, and I am attempting to make a mask and a curly tail to complete the outfit. Simple but effective (I hope!).

When I first heard about World Book Day I really wanted to be a part of it, but I didn’t know how. I mean, it was difficult, being a new mother and experiencing all sorts of new lifestyle situations. Today I will make a small contribution by attending my local library in Middlewich, Cheshire, where they are hosting a story time and tea session at 11:00. My daughter loves visiting the library, and it is a place that instantly calms me down when I am feeling stressed.


If you want to do something for World Book Day, why not check out your own local library for events? Or see their website for a list of events and activities. Also, get your World Book Day tokens for children’s books. I have received two tokens from my daughter’s pre-school, and I cannot wait to go and purchase her new books. Hooray for books! Happy World Book Day.

Did you enjoy this article? 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!) 

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Hump Day Hook #HDH – A Little Supernatural Chaos in Cornwall

I couldn’t resist sharing just one more snippet from Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel), especially since the novel will go live for sale this week! Look out for updates when all the various sales outlets catch up, but in the meantime you can get the first two Redcliffe novels via my website in both paperback and all eBook formats.



For now, here is an excerpt following an incident between our heroine Jessica, her animal familiar, and the Redcliffe werewolf pack:

“Are they alright, Danny?” I asked tentatively.
    Danny turned his head slowly to stare at me.  My heart skipped a beat and thudded painfully in my chest.  I swallowed again, forcing myself to hold his gaze and not back down.
    “They need to hunt,” Danny said gruffly, “The power hit them hard.  They lost control and their beasts awoke early.  It leaves them in pain and disoriented.  They need their master for support and grounding.”
    “Oh.” Was all I managed to say in reply.
    Danny shook his head.
    “I cannot deal with you at present, Jessica,” he said, “We will speak later.  I must go.”


 If you would like to see more fantastic new novels from lots of different authors, check out our dedicated Hump Day Hook website and the Facebook group. There you will find a wide range of  genres including traditional romance, BDSM, erotica, sci-fi and fantasy.




Monday, 4 March 2013

I Mourn for Being Human as it reaches the End

Last night I watched my favourite TV show, Being Human. It was an emotional time when the announcer reminded the audience that this final series is almost over. Next weekend we see the grand finale, which draws to a close 5 wonderful seasons of this innovative and action packed supernatural drama.

According to the writers at BBC3, who broadcast Being Human, this was never meant to be so big. It was an experiment, to see how the television audience reacted to watching the story of a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf living together in Bristol. It turned out the audience loved it, and during the next few series our characters evolved, grew, moved on, and the setting changed to Barry in Wales.

Part of my attraction to Being Human is that it is British. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy watching The Vampire Diaries and True Blood, among other things. But for me, to find a good, realistic, British supernatural drama on our native BBC, was just perfect. I am very sad to see the end of Being Human. I am also very interested to see what comes next.

I can’t help but think that there is now room for something more, perhaps a television dramatization of my Redcliffe novels? I am here, I am waiting, and I am hungry for the action! And judging by the popularity of Being Human, there are many more people who feel the same way. They just need to discover Redcliffe like I did!

Sunday, 3 March 2013

Planning and Writing my Books

My book writing schedule is at a funny stage right now. I am awaiting the public release of my third adult paranormal romance novel Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel). This is the third in a series that I affectionately call the Redcliffe novels, and it concludes the trilogy of how we met our heroine Jessica Stone and the insane supernatural love triangle that she fell into.

The story doesn’t end there, however. Love Redeems finishes on yet another cliffhanger. I won’t give it away, but suffice to say that the Redcliffe werewolf pack are in need of support and their alpha is broken hearted. I have to write book 4, not only because the series demands it, but because these characters are real people to me, and I hope they are real to a lot of other people who read my stories. So I am currently planning Redcliffe book 4 in my head, but have yet to begin writing it on the computer.



In the meantime I stepped away from Redcliffe to try something else. For NaNoWriMo 2012 I wrote a story about a vampire in Blackpool and what happened when she met a vampire hunter. I quite liked that story, and it is now awaiting editing ready for submission to publishers and/or agents. I then got the urge to begin writing another story about a vampire hunter who lives on a canal boat. That one came to me while I was out walking one day, ironically enough next to our local canal!

Well, this story is faltering. My heroine,  Dr Jennifer Worthington, has secrets to uncover but they are not coming out quite in the way I expected. I am writing this story in the third person, whereas the Redcliffe novels are in the first person and told by Jessica Stone. My muse has decided that this new vampire hunter story needs to include something about angels and demons. I have yet to write them properly into the story, and that is where I am faltering. Still, it is a challenge and I will not be defeated. No matter how long it takes, I will complete this story. But I might venture back into Redcliffe before then, because that is so much easier and more natural for me…