Cathie Dunn writes...

Booked Up Reviews are hosting a giveaway for not one, not two - but all three of my releases! ~bounce~ So make sure to head over to Booked Up for a chance to win:  http://boookup.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/cathie-dunn-giveaway-int.html What an exciting event! So, j ust to remind you, here are some details... ;-) Silent Deception Having inherited a family estate she’d never heard of, Minerva Goodridge travels to Cornwall to take charge of her new home. But fatal memories lurk in the shadows of Trekellis Manor. As the locals keep away from the house, Minnie accepts the help of a stranger. Can she trust him? Gideon Drake, 8th Earl of Rothdale, is on a mission to uncover a family secret linked to Trekellis Manor. But the arrival of Minerva, the new owner, disrupts his investigation. Attracted to the headstrong heiress, he decides to take action - and ends up uncovering more than he expected. Gideon must weigh up his family’s reputation against Minnie’...

Today, my alter ego, Steph, is hosting renowned columnist and writing tutor,  Lorraine Mace aka  Frances di Plino ,  author of the gripping thriller, Bad Moon Rising ,  on her Critiques, Reviews & Writing blog. Lorraine/Frances talks about using back-story wisely, not burying (pardon the pun) your poor reader under a mountain of unnecessary information. Join us!   http://critiquesandmore.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/cut-back-on-back-story/ ~~~~~ All the while, over at Crooked Cat Publishing, another Sanford 3rd Age Club mystery makes an appearance: The I-Spy Murders by David W Robinson . Check it out: http://crookedcatpublishing.com/archives/1342

Today, after a busy week lugging stuff around in Germany (more later), I welcome erotic romance author C. Margery Kempe , whose recent release, Man City, was published by Tirgearr Publishing . As Brits might guess, Man City is set in...Manchester. ***Excerpt contains Adult Material*** Handing over... Hi, I'm C. Margery Kempe and I write erotic romance including the fairytales Spinning Gold, Love me Like a Reptile, Dragger Ella and the forthcoming Swan Prince . I also created the sexy spy Chastity Flame who'll soon appear in her sequel Lush Situation . But today I'm here to talk about my sexy footie ménage, Man City. I currently live in Galway, Ireland—the beautiful city on the bay—but I'm about to move to Dundee—the beautiful city on the Tay! My Place: Manchester often gets a bad rap; London definitely gets the lion's share of attention, but even the BBC has moved most of its production offices to Manchester. Most people associate Manchester with ...

Today, I'm over at Booked Up Reviews with an interview. Some revealing details there... Come on over and say 'hi'! :-) http://boookup.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/author-interview-12-black-tulips.html A big 'THANK YOU' goes to the lovely BlackTulip for her wonderful questions. I could have written novel-length replies...  Now, due to family issues at short notice (nothing serious, just a trip to Germany to help my mother), I've had to move the release of Silent Deception to 28th June, as I won't have enough time for the final edits before I go. I also wouldn't be able to promote it at all as I'm likely offline for five days (how will I survive??). A little frustrating, but hey... So, to remind you all, here's the cover, blurb & a short excerpt. Enjoy! Blurb: Having inherited a family estate she’d never heard of, Minerva Goodridge travels to Cornwall to take charge of her new home. But fatal memories lurk in the shadows of Trekellis ...

Today, I welcome author Mark Patton to My Place. Mark's historical novel, Undreamed Shores, is a fascinating tale of discovery and adventure. Handing over to Mark... I’m Mark Patton, and I write historical fiction set in early periods. I was born in Jersey, studied archaeology & anthropology at Cambridge, and have since gone on to teach the subjects at several universities in the UK and continental Europe. I have published several non-fiction books on aspects of European prehistory, and my first novel, Undreamed Shores , is set in around 2400 BC, the period which saw the building of Stonehenge, and the appearance of the first metal objects in the British Isles. The novel is an epic journey narrative, taking in Southern England (Dorset, Wiltshire), the Channel Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey) and Northern France. It draws not only on my understanding of the archaeology, but also on my intimacy with the landscapes and seascapes, based on many years of walking and bird-...

Today, I welcome romantic suspense author Karyn Good  who shares her Top Ten Tips for writing suspense. Her responses are fascinating, a real must read for all budding romantic suspense writers. Here goes... Cathie, thank you so much for hosting me today. I’m thrilled to be talking about one of my favorite subjects: writing romantic suspense! Here they are:  My Top Ten Tips for Writing Romantic Suspense Immediate Action: Jump right into it on the first page. A romantic suspense is not the same thing as a mystery. It’s not a whodunit. The stakes are clear right from the beginning. The villain’s identity is not a secret. Suspense is created by letting the reader in on everything that’s happening and gradually raising the stakes and increasing the tension. There’s no better rollercoaster ride than the dips and highs of danger and hope building the suspense to a breaking point.  A villain worthy of the name. Whenever I think of great villains I think of...

Today, I welcome historical fiction author N. Gemini Sasson , whose latest release, The King Must Die , the sequel to Isabeau , is out now. As part of the Goddessfish blog tour, she is also giving away a $25 Amazon gift voucher to one random commenter on the tour! But first, to find out more about her, I've asked her some questions. I hope you'll enjoy the excerpt below, too. Here goes... Welcome to my blog. What inspired you to write about this particular period? Jean Plaidy’s books, which I devoured during my teenage years, introduced me to the Plantagenet kings of England. She and other writers like Sir Walter Scott and Alexandre Dumas were definitely early influences, but the story that inspired me to explore the 14 th century and eventually write about it was the film Braveheart. I know, I know, there’s a lot of fiction to it, but it was a very dramatic and moving story. After seeing it, I knew I wanted to write something epic like that. I started out writing a...

Today, I'm delighted to welcome romance author Emma Lai to My Place, where she shares details about her exciting range of releases with us. Emma says: I’m a romance author who writes everything from the sweet to the erotic, from the historical to the contemporary, from the paranormal to the normal. My latest releases are two stories in a contemporary erotic romance anthology. The premise? Have you ever had that secret fantasy? The secret fantasy or hooking up with someone, no strings attached. Has the best man, caterer or another guest at a wedding caught your eye and triggered the “what if” question? In a situation where love, romance and sex abound, three authors present six short stories about just that. My Place: While I live in Houston, TX, my stories are not only set locally, but throughout the world and even space. :)

Today, I'm going back a few years when hubby and I met our best friends in London. We'd travelled from Scotland, they came over from Wales, and we enjoyed a lovely long weekend together. I love the Tower because of its Norman history, more than Tudor . Begun during the reign of William the Conqueror, the White Tower was designed as a fortress for the king to stay. Its later reputation of a prison - a place of no return - is well-documented. Jetty - last connection to the outside world Some famous historical personalities were imprisoned in the Tower. Some emerged alive, if a little pale, others were not so fortunate. The most famous person (to our minds) executed there was, of course, Anne Boleyn. A memorial marks the alleged spot. Other Tudor era executions included Thomas More and Lady Jane Grey.

Whoop whoop! I'm excited... Hubby has finished his design for the cover for Silent Deception . I love it! He has captured well certain aspects within the story - the colours of a leather bound diary; one woman's fate; the Gothic setting with a hint of paranormal whispers. Silent Deception , a Victorian romantic suspense novella, is due out mid-June (date tbc) on Amazon. Blurb: Having inherited a family estate she’d never heard of, Minerva Goodridge travels to Cornwall to take charge of her new home. But fatal memories lurk in the shadows of Trekellis Manor. As the locals keep away from the house, Minnie accepts the help of a stranger. Can she trust him? Gideon Drake, 8th earl of Rothdale, is on a mission to uncover a family secret linked to Trekellis Manor. But the arrival of Minerva, the new owner, disrupts his investigation. Attracted to the headstrong heiress, he decides to take action - and ends up uncovering more than he expected. Gideon must wei...

Today at My Place, I'm introducing the setting of my upcoming release: Cornwall ! I recently completed a historical romance novella, this time in the Victorian era. As I couldn't get through the edits in time for the deadline of the call for submission I wrote it for, I'm now going to publish Silent Deception independently. I haven't completed all edits, and hubby's still busy finalising the cover. But... I have a blurb and an excerpt! ;-) My Place: Cornwall is the south-western tip of England. Full of history , dramatic countryside and adventure, it forms the perfect backdrop for a romantic suspense set in Victorian times. Maybe even more than one... Trekellis , the fictional village and manor in Silent Deception , is set on the coast to the far south-west. I didn't have a specific place in mind this time, as I haven't visited Cornwall (yet) - the first location I wrote about that I haven't been to. Reason to rectify that omission and plan a...