#PoweredByIndie – My Story, by Catherine Green (SpookyMrsGreen)

This month we are celebrating great writing self-published with Amazon via Kindle Direct Publishing, Createspace, and Audiobook Creation Exchange. I ventured into the world of self-publishing earlier this year, when I tentatively released a solo short story, It’s Complicated (A RedcliffeShort Story), to be included as a freebie for my newsletter followers. The process was very simple, although time-consuming, but I did come away feeling very satisfied and enthused to try it again.

#PoweredByIndie on Amazon

A month or so later, I released a short story anthology on Kindle, My Vampire Boyfriend (A Redcliffe Short Story Anthology). This compliments my Redcliffe novels series that has been published by Mirador, and will tie-in nicely with the next 3 books in the series that I am currently working on. I haven’t yet decided whether they should be self-published or not. I am still trying to design cover art for them.

Eventually, I took the plunge and published a whole novel, The Vampire of Blackpool. This one had been doing the rounds with agents and small publishers and every time I received a polite “thanks but the book doesn’t fit our requirements” response. So I decided to self-publish it. I wanted a paperback and an eBook, so I used Createspace and Kindle Publishing. I realise that there are still improvements to be made with the formatting of my paperback, but I am satisfied for now that I have a good, solid, readable book to share with my fans.

Have you read my books? Are you published with Amazon? Come and share your experiences… 

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!) 

From Mummy to Author and Back Again #ASMSG

This week has been a busy one, as always. I seem to spend my days switching from Mummy to author and back again, in a constant battle to fit everything in. Every weekday morning is the same routine as I struggle to get both my girls dressed, fed and off to school and preschool. Two days per week I have my youngest daughter at home with me. And this week, on one of those days, I took time out to do an author talk and promote my books to some new people.

On that afternoon I left my daughter with friends, drove thirty+ miles to the town where my talk had been arranged, did the deed and got back home just in time to collect my elder daughter from school. It was certainly an adventure as I traversed the rush hour motorway traffic and drove through a busy town centre.  But I thoroughly enjoyed myself, because it was something different. It felt like I was doing some proper author-related stuff after neglecting my books in favour of blogging.

You see, I have another passion that is currently taking priority - SpookyMrsGreen: The Pagan Housewife. This is my pagan lifestyle blog website and it is growing into something far more business-like and exciting. Now I am receiving products to review, and I have a growing schedule of official blog posts to write and share. And I really enjoy that, too! Sometimes I want to write, but my stories just don’t seem forthcoming. On those occasions I can write something casual for my blog, and that satisfies the urge but without the added pressure of needing to fulfill a word count target, or make the story fit, or perfect a scene that is refusing to play nicely.

Actually, if you are interested, I am running a special Halloween offer over on my SpookyMrsGreen blog. You can get a free Vampire Tarot Reading if you head over there now and sign up… and if you haven’t already read it, I am throwing in a free copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story). That way you get vampires and werewolves, and everyone is happy! 

#NationalPoetryDay – Living with the Black Dog

The sun is shining brightly

And the air is crisp and clear,

You barely slept again last night

I was there, so far, so near.

What thoughts distract your tired mind?

What torment must you feel?

You worry, stress, so much to do

You’re on the hamster wheel.

Come home, I say,

we need you here.

Oh no, you say,

There’s much to fear.

My work won’t wait

I’m all alone,

And there we wait

Just by the phone.

I love you, husband

I know you care.

We wait here for you

As the demons keep you there.

Life is too hectic

We never stop to think,

Why is it so important?

To push ourselves to the brink?

Of mental health disorder

Of chaos, anger and tears,

Our life falls into madness

While you succumb to your fears.

THE END 

Did this poem resonate with you? Then you might like to read some articles on my other blog: SpookyMrsGreen: the Pagan Housewife - A pagan lifestyle blog that incorporates mindful parenting, magic and mysticism, environmental awareness and related subjects.

Book Review: The Wrong Kind of Clouds

I was very fortunate to win a copy of The Wrong Kind of Clouds by Amanda Fleet in an online competition recently. The book is a contemporary crime thriller, and I liked the fact that it was set in Scotland. So many books that I have read recently are American or European, so it is nice to find something a bit closer to home, and in a place that I am more familiar with. Scotland is a spiritual home for me, anyway!

Crime novels are not my preferred genre. I like to read paranormal and horror, but since I had entered the competition and subsequently won, I decided that there was a reason I had to read this book. I was very impressed! The central character turns out to be not so central, since he disappears for the majority of the story. We still don’t know if he survives at the end, which I thought was quite clever of the author. I like to think that he survives, but maybe we find out in another book… I especially liked the unexpected romance between a work-hardened police detective and the female lead, who is a professional photographer and free spirit. I liked her, far more my kind of person!

All in all, I rate this book as very good, and I recommend it to all crime thriller fans, especially those that like Scotland. There is some great atmospheric description, just enough action to keep you hooked, and the chapters are easy to read in short bursts. A great companion for a long journey or a holiday (or in my case, bedtime reading!).

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!) 

The Wolf and the Fairy - An English Gothic Fairytale #ASMSG

She is a werewolf hunter, descended from ancient fairies, destined to fulfill her role in the family business. He is a lone wolf, his family brutally torn away, revenge his motivation for existence. The fairy and the wolf come together in a violent union as this modern, adult fairy tale gives us an alternative account of life in ancient Britain, and how it has evolved in the present day.

Download your copy today over at Amazon; Barnes & Noble; iTunes;  Scribd and Kobo.

Autumn Book Projects and the Sandbach Authors Signing Event

Well, our summer holidays are drawing to an end. We have had lots of fun and plenty of adventures. My children are returning to school and preschool this week, and that means I can officially return to work. It will be a phased return, since I work from home and am limited to school hours, but I can finally devote some proper alone time to my writing projects. Next on my list is book 4 in the Redcliffe novels series: Eye of the Tiger (A Redcliffe Novel). Look out for sneak previews coming soon…

In other news, I have finished a summer of Mind, Body, Spirit events and am now preparing my calendar for 2017. I have lots of ideas for places to visit with my books, taking them to a whole new audience. For now, I am preparing to attend the first Sandbach Authors Signing Event on 5^th November. Come and meet me, lots of fabulous authors, and even a few fairy folk at Sandbach Town Hall. For more details, see the Facebook event page.

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!) 

Inspired by the Seaside #amwriting

Ah, the seaside! Such a lovely place. We are fortunate to live within driving distance of many beautiful, sandy beaches along the British coast. Our favourite family destination is Talacre Beach in North Wales. It is dog friendly all year round, there is a quirky old lighthouse that always fires my imagination, and the beach is surrounded by sand dunes to explore. Every time we visit I come home feeling refreshed and invigorated. Wading into the shallow waves along the shore, feeling the cold sea water wash over my feet, I drink in the natural healing powers of the ocean. And then I walk across the soft sand, allowing it to warm my feet and tickle my toes. Bliss!

It is no surprise that most of my novels are set in seaside locations. TheRedcliffe novels, for example, are set in a fictitious holiday town in Cornwall. The location was inspired many years ago when we used to holiday down there at a friends’ hotel. I spent many hours wandering along the beach, exploring the working harbour, and climbing higher up to look out over the bay, all the while picturing my werewolves and vampires hunting around the area.

More recently I turned my attentions to a classic Victorian seaside holiday destination. Blackpool is a town with a chequered past, to say the least. It was established by the Victorians as a place to visit the sea, take in the fresh air, and revive the senses after long, hard days spent working in the industrial factories of the North of England. Nowadays, Blackpool draws in crowds of families, and it is a popular destination for hen parties and stag parties (I had my hen weekend there, years ago!). Read The Vampire of Blackpool for my take on contemporary English Gothic, and see what you think.

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!)