Cathie Dunn writes...

After much ah-ing and ooh-ing - and a few select swear words - my work is finally done: the trailer for Dark Deceit is complete! ~happy dance~ Dark Deceit , a historical novel with mystery and romantic elements, is the first in The Anarchy Trilogy. It's due to be published through  Crooked Cat Publishing on 10th February 2012 ! Blurb: On his return from battle at Lincoln, Geoffrey de Mortagne, under-sheriff of Gloucester and spy for the Empress Matilda, assists a dying knight caught in an ambush. Promising to look after the welfare of the knight’s only daughter, Geoffrey stays at her manor while he investigates the murder. Keen to join the Empress on her progress through England, he is torn between his oath and his duty. Left to defend her manor following her father’s death, Alleyne de Bellac at first accepts Geoffrey’s support. As she doesn’t trust the taciturn stranger, she asks Will d’Arques, an old friend, for help. But loyalties change. Her life in danger and her ...

My guest at My Place today is Wild Rose Press author Veronica Lynch . Over to you, Veronica! :-) Cathie, thanks so much for inviting me to your blog. I hope we can have some fun today. In the summer of 2010, my first attempt at writing short romance fiction,  Those Who Wait , found a home with Decadent Publishing and is available at  www.DecadentPublishing.com . After that, I decided to spread my wings and fly with another novella, this one for the Wild Rose Press' Class of '85 series. Over the years I've had the honor to work at a number of occupations: operating room nurse, malpractice insurance investigator, forensic nurse examiner, victim advocate, wife and mother. Even if I sometimes wish they'd remain in the closet, the years I spent in the OR and labor floor, and later advocating for victims of sexual violence, contribute significantly to the voice of my writing. You can't spend thirty years playing hand maiden and mind reader for egotistical surgeo...

The Amazing Authors Event tour has come to an end. We all had such fun, and we hope you have enjoyed reading the snippets and excerpts too. Of course, we have a winner of a PDF copy of Highland Arms - it is on its way via email to: Amber VampedChik Many congrats, Amber. I hope you'll enjoy the read. Highland Arms is available in different formats. Check out the details on my website ! :-)

The Amazing Authors Event has drawn to a close but there is still time to get your hands on a book of your choice! All you need to do is answer a simple question on Ginger Simpson's fabulous blog (girls, check out that dishy cowboy while you're there! ;-))! If you fancy a PDF copy of Highland Arms, here's my blog post where you'll find the answer to my question on Ginger's blog. Good luck!

As proper winter seems to elude us, mild rainy or chilly sunny days without any hint of snow (boo!), we are happily continuing with our successful My Place series. Today I'm delighted to welcome award-winning author Eleanor Sullivan to My Place. She tells us about a fascinating historic settlement in Ohio, founded by one of her ancestors. I'm intrigued! Without further ado, let's hear it from Eleanor: I never knew my distant grandfather. He died in 1853. But I grew up hearing family tales about  how he led a beleaguered band of religious dissenters safely out of Germany to establish a village in the Ohio wilderness. So, after writing several award-winning books for nurses and a series of three contemporary mysteries featuring a nurse, I turned my attention to uncovering the beliefs and practices of this unusual group of believers.  Cover Her Body, A Singular Village Mystery is the first book in a series of fictitious mysteries that I’ve set amidst the lives of thes...

Unbelievable! Time flies... Yes, it was six months ago that my Scottish romantic historical, Highland Arms, was released by The Wild Rose Press. I'm still excited by the fact that I can share Rory and Catriona's story. Here's the blurb again: Betrayed by her brother’s lies, Catriona MacKenzie is banished from her Edinburgh home to her godmother’s remote manor in the Highlands. While her father ponders her fate, Catriona’s insatiable curiosity leads her straight into trouble--and into the arms of a notorious Highlander. Five years after an ill-fated Jacobite rebellion, Rory Cameron works as a smuggler to raise money for the cause--until Catriona uncovers a plot against him and exposes his activities. Now Rory is faced with a decision that could save their lives or destroy them both. Highland Arms is available at Amazon US , Amazon UK , B&N and other electronic outlets. Today also marks a new era for my new publisher, Crooked Cat Publishing , who are going ...

Dark Deceit has come a long way since its inception. The initial story began in south Wales, at Taffs Well train station, to be precise, in the autumn of 2003. As I waited for the train to Cardiff, the outline of a story set in medieval England and Normandy first struck me. Scribbling frantically into my notepad throughout many such waits, the story developed nicely. Of course it helped that I spent my weekends in the company of a well-travelled re-enactment group. Clad in a handmade (not by me, I must admit) shift and dress, leather shoes and belt, a pouch hanging from it, and hair covered by a plain wimple, I enjoyed explaining historical points to visitors. Learning to be an archer - easy peasy for a Sagittarian like me - and watching the others cook (yumm, roast pork!), bake (griddle cakes, anyone?), doing needlework (I'm useless!) and making braces (necessary for an archer) brought with it a sense of an experience of a different life. People really used to live like ...

I'm a busy bee today as I also have a fabulous visitor at My Place: Wild Rose Press author Kat Henry Doran ! Her romance, Mad Dog and the Archangel is part of the Class of '85 series. Check out her fabulous setting! Handing over to Kat: Over the years I've had the honor to work at a number of occupations: operating room nurse, malpractice insurance investigator, forensic nurse examiner, victim advocate, wife and mother. Five years ago I became Nana for the first time and, believe me, it’s the best job ever! Even if I sometimes wish they'd remain in the closet, the years I spent in the OR and labor floor, and later advocating for victims of sexual violence, contribute significantly to the voice of my writing. You don’t  spend thirty years playing loyal serving maid and mind reader to egotistical surgeons, then twelve years haunting police stations, Emergency Rooms, and criminal courts without developing an internal alarm system for covert misogyny, rampant apathy,...

Woohoo, it's my turn today at the Amazing Authors Event! ~bounce~ A group of wonderful authors - and I - have recently joined together to host a blog tour: enjoy almost two weeks of tempting excerpts, wonderful stories and plenty of suggestions for your personal electronic bookshelves. But you might not even need to spend your hard earned cash - on the final day you'll get a chance to win free copies! You'll just have to answer the questions on the last blog. No worries - you'll find links to all our posts there so you can double check! It's like sitting a maths test with the result book by your side... ;-) Right, so now let me tell you about Highland Arms . My Scottish romantic historical has been on the market for 6 months! Wow! But with my new historical, Dark Deceit, coming out on 10th February, I must quickly tell you about where the idea for Highland Arms came from.  My in-laws live in the Scottish Highlands. On our way to visit, we pass through the m...

The countdown is on! In just two days' time, a group of 13 fabulous authors (including me! ~pat on back~) are hosting a blog tour. But not only can you discover the works of these wonderful ladies, you can also win a great read! Sounds good, doesn't it? Every one of the authors on the tour are offering a free download - but you have to pay attention to win. Easy peasy! ;-) On the last day of the tour, Ginger Simpson is going to post up the questions. Don't worry - she'll attach a link to each author's post so you can quickly double check. Don't miss out on a chance to win a read of your choice by simply answering a question. Not rocket science, eh? :p Here's the glamorous line up: Jan. 12.   Caroline Clemmons  -  http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com   Jan. 13.  Beth Trissel  -  http://bethrissel.wordpress.com   Jan. 14.  Roseanne Dowell  -  http://roseannedowellauthor.blogspot.com  Jan. 15.   Cathie ...

Today I was due to host the hugely talented and popular Elle Amberley . Sadly, Elle has been unwell recently, so the friendly team at her publisher, Indio Press, have provided me with details of Elle's last release. My thanks to Sarah at Indio Press for responding so quickly. My thoughts are with Elle. A prolific author, Elle Amberley writes Women’s Fiction, Literary, poetry, short stories and features. If that wasn’t enough she recently started writing in French and a novel is due for publication next year.  Nowhere Left to Hide, her latest novel, is based in California and charts the journey of Natasha Parker, a British student who seeks to escape her childhood ghosts.  My Place: Here's what Elle had to say earlier about her fabulous setting, Santa Barbara: While I was doing some research for my novel and in a recent interview I was asked “Why did you choose Santa Barbara for the story’s backdrop? Why not San Diego?” I love Santa Barbara , I wanted to shout back. Well,...

~happy dance~ My new historical novel, Dark Deceit , has a release date:   Friday, 10th February 2012!  So excited! ;-) In the final editing stages, just going through with a fine tooth comb, then it'll be ready. It's going to be released through Crooked Cat Publishing  - check out my Author Page !  I just love the cover! So dark, so forbidding. Laurence, who designed the cover, has caught the right atmosphere, just what I wanted to portray. Dark Deceit, the first in The Anarchy Trilogy, is going to be available on Amazon, Smashwords, B&N and other electronic retailers. Here's the blurb: On his return from battle at Lincoln, Geoffrey de Mortagne, undersheriff of Gloucester and spy for the Empress Matilda, assists a dying knight caught in an ambush. Promising to look after the welfare of the knight’s only daughter, Geoffrey stays at her manor while he investigates the murder. Keen to join the Empress on her progress through England, he is torn betwee...

Happy New Year to all my friends here! I hope you've all celebrated in style. :-) No rest for the wicked, so we're straight back to My Place to welcome the lovely Liz Flaherty whose latest novel, One More Summer, is due out on 2nd January 2012. Perfect timing! Let's hear about Liz... Life is new and wonderful for writer Liz Flaherty these days. She retired from the post office in 2011, promptly gained 15 pounds—she swears it was overnight—and promised her grandchildren, The Magnificent Seven, that she would make each of them a bed-size quilt. She also planned to write all day, every day. What was she thinking? She’s learned to write when she feels like it, sew when she feels like it, and maybe even to eat a little less. She’s gone back to school, where, yes, she is far and away the oldest kid in class. She’s learned to share the house and sometimes even the kitchen with Duane, her husband of, oh, lots of years. And she’s having a Very, Very Good Time. Her fifth ...