Cathie Dunn writes...

On this sunny - if a little hazy - spring Sunday, I welcome fabulous romance author Regan Black . Her Shadows of Justice series, set in the future, is an intriguing read. The future certainly provides plenty of scope for imagination! As I'm off to clean the garden furniture, I hand My Place over to Regan. Cathie, it's a pleasure to be your guest today. This is a terrific blog feature and I'm excited to share 'my place' with your readers. As an author, I focus primarily on crafting action-packed paranormal romance and urban fantasy novels. The Shadows of Justice series (Justice Incarnate, Invasion of Justice, Veil of Justice, Tracking Shadows and Shadows to Light) has a cast of characters that keeps me on my toes with psychic abilities, reincarnation, smugglers, assassins, and some seriously dark villains too.

Irish Blog Hop! Celebrating the Luck o' the Irish as part of Romance at Random 's fabulous giveaway marking St Patrick's Day! There's a wonderful array of authors and bloggers taking part. Romance at Random  are giving away three $20 gift vouchers for Barnes & Noble. To enter, go to: http://www.romanceatrandom.com/luck-o-the-irish-giveaway-hop-march-17th-thru-31st/ Plus discover exciting freebies on other authors' blogs (links below)!

Is there a difference? Well, yes. Lately, I've been pondering about the types of books I write. I keep saying that my novels don't fit into a specific box - but publishers (and reviewers) love those boxes! So, how do I ensure my books find the 'right' readers? Or should that be the other way round? ;-) First of all, how do you approach historical romance as opposed to a romantic adventure? The big difference is the love story. Romance focuses predominantly (naturally!) on the love story, the development of the main characters - in my books one male, one female - often classified as category (i.e., following a certain pattern). The historical setting, background, etc, are secondary. Still important to an extent, but they don't overshadow the love story, the internal and external conflict of the couple-to-be, with all its twists and turns. It might be used to throw obstacles in the characters' path, keeping them from each other until the end, but always link...

I'm delighted to welcome back a fabulous romance writer - Caroline Clemmons! Like me, she has a penchant for rescue pets. My door's always open to other pet lovers. Her setting of Lubbock, Texas, sounds like a treasure trove for archaeological finds. Fabulous! Caroline Clemmons writes mystery, romance, and adventures—although her earliest made up adventures featured her saving the West with Roy Rogers. Her career has included stay-at-home mom (her favorite job), newspaper reporter and featured columnist, assistant to the managing editor of a psychology journal, and bookkeeper. She and her husband live in rural North Central Texas with a menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, travel, browsing antique malls and estate sales, and genealogy/family history. 

I'm delighted to host another fabulous author on her launch day. Today, it's California based writer Maggie Secara whose fantasy saga, The Dragon Ring , is released by Crooked Cat Publishing . So, to learn more about Maggie, I've asked her some questions.  As a writer,  Maggie Secara  loves to explore the heroic ideal, to find the mythical in the every day, and discover the places where the realms of Faerie intersect the mundane. As a historian, she calls herself a gossip who just can’t stand that someone might have done something 400 years ago without her knowing about it, who else was there, what they had for dinner, and what they were wearing at the time.

Today, I support again a wonderful writer taking part in a huge giveaway  Par-Tay . Please help me get the word out for the talented Mimi Barbour whose paranormal romance,  My Cheeky Angel , is out now.  Wishing Mimi good luck! :-) My Cheeky Angel   (1st book in the Angels with Attitudes series) Mimi Barbour Blurb: Annie is naïve and love-starved, she’ll soon to be celebrating her big 3-0. Something needs to be done! Celi, her ‘down-to-earth’ guardian angel appears to help kick-start Annie’s big change—her looks, her job, her whole life. By taking a managerial position with a sophisticated shoe manufacturer, Annie becomes embroiled with her new associates and hooked on the power of big business. Unfortunately, her exhaustion from overwork forces her to ignore old friends, and her lapse places someone she cares about in terrible danger.  Tyler, a Social Worker and a woman-hater previously hurt in two relationships, only wants Annie in his life as a good buddy....

Today and tomorrow, I host a wonderful writer taking part in a huge giveaway  Par-Tay . Please help me get the word out for the talented Mimi Barbour whose paranormal romance, My Cheeky Angel , is out now.  Wishing Mimi good luck! :-) My Cheeky Angel   (1st book in the Angels with Attitudes series) Mimi Barbour Blurb: Annie is naïve and love-starved, she’ll soon to be celebrating her big 3-0. Something needs to be done! Celi, her ‘down-to-earth’ guardian angel appears to help kick-start Annie’s big change—her looks, her job, her whole life. By taking a managerial position with a sophisticated shoe manufacturer, Annie becomes embroiled with her new associates and hooked on the power of big business. Unfortunately, her exhaustion from overwork forces her to ignore old friends, and her lapse places someone she cares about in terrible danger.  Tyler, a Social Worker and a woman-hater previously hurt in two relationships, only wants Annie in his life as a good buddy. O...

I'm visiting romance writer  Emma Lai 's lovely blog, chatting about writing, reading - and Highlanders! ;-) Come on over & join us! http://emmalaiwrites.blogspot.com/2012/03/meet-author-monday-cathie-dunn.html See you there!

On a windy, overcast Sunday, I welcome talented author Doris Lemcke who tells us not just about one, but two fabulous releases, Passion's Spirit and Passion's Secret . Handing over to Doris... The Passion’s Legacy Series is the realization of dream that began a loooong time ago, after I became hooked on historical fiction back in the 4th grade. There was, of course, “Gone with the Wind”, that made me wild about romance and the War of the Rebellion. And through John Jakes’ Bi-Centennial series, “The Americans”, I fell in love with the Family Saga. From authors too numerous to name, I have followed the loves and lives of many a beloved family through generations, and even centuries. My heartfelt thanks to Kathleen Woodiwiss, Jude Devereaux, and Belva Plain!  I devoured their fabulous books until I finally told myself, “I can do that.” Of course I couldn’t do that…at first. So I set about learning, and achieved my dream of publication in 1993. It was a dream that faded too ...

Today, I welcome a fabulous new name on the thriller novel circuit - Frances di Plino . She talks about leading a double life. Ooh, must be exciting! Over to you, Frances (or is it Lorraine?)... Long before the Crooked Cat Publishing accepted Bad Moon Rising I had already decided to use a pen name. As Lorraine Mace I have a good author platform, so why would I make life difficult for myself by using a different name? One of my Writers Bureau students was so confused by this that he took the time to write and ask: “Why did you choose a pseudonym for Bad Moon Rising ? You are a well-known writer and have a strong brand.” I’ve never thought of myself in terms of a brand, but in a way he’s right. I have a regular column in Writing Magazine , am a judge for the monthly short story competition in Writers’ Forum , write features and short stories for a variety of national magazines, as well as running Flash 500 - an international writing competition, all under my own name, whereas Fra...

This first Sunday in March sees not only winter returned after weeks of mild temperatures, but we also discover a new holiday destination (for a slightly warmer season): Filey in Yorkshire, England. The seaside town of Filey is the location for author David W Robinson 's cosy English murder mystery, The Filey Connection, now available from Amazon & Smashwords. Let's head over to the seaside with David... My name is David Robinson, and I’m the author of the Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries. I have a long and varied track record as a writer, turning out everything from short works of non-fiction to hardline psychological thrillers, sci-fi and horror, and all of them have an element of mystery The Sanford 3rd Age Club Mysteries were a departure for me. I’ve never written traditional British cosy crimes before, but I’m a great aficionado of the whodunit. From Sherlock Holmes to Poirot and Miss Marple, I love a good mystery, and from a writer’s point of view, I enjoy the in...

Today sees another fabulous release from Crooked Cat Publishing: The Filey Connection by David W Robinson A cosy murder mystery in which the Sanford 3rd Age Club investigate a spate of events that occur in the Yorkshire seaside town of Filey.  If you love classic English murder mysteries, this is a must read for you! It has already received a glowing 4* review. Check it out on Amazon or Smashwords ! :-) Oh, and don't miss My Place this Sunday, 4th March , where author David W Robinson spills the beans on Filey!