Cathie Dunn writes...

Today, I welcome US contemporary fiction author, Lin Brooks . She's stopping by as part of her blog tour. I've asked her a few questions, and her replies have taught me something new.  a) I learnt about Alabama - it has beaches! (Ignorant European that I am...) b) There are half marathons happening at Disney World - at night! c) Her novel,  Where the Greener Grass Grows, sounds like a wonderful, warm story about relationships. (Have a peek, fellow Crooked Cat authors...) So, here goes... 1)  Welcome, Lin.  What inspired the plot to Where the Greener Grass Grows ? My daughter and I have always been very close. I spent many years as a single mom, and she’s an only child, so we have always looked out for each other. When she started her sophomore year in high school, I began to realize how quickly time was passing and I wondered how I would cope when she left home. I have a good friend who has a daughter the exact same age, and I could see that her “em...

I'm delighted to be part of author Maggie Jaimeson 's exciting blog tour. Discover more about her new release, Healing Notes , right here! Healing Notes by Maggie Jaimeson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blurb: Forgiving yourself is the first step, but helping others forgive may be just too hard.  Rachel Cullen grew up in Scotland with a fiddle in her hand from the age of four. She couldn't imagine life as anything but a musician. When her husband brought her to America she was immediately embraced by the Celtic and Bluegrass communities. But after her divorce, Rachel's life is a mess.  A year of trying to prove to herself that she's woman enough for any man, and then a vicious rape while on tour with the band, leaves Rachel reeling. When she meets Noel Kershaw, an English teacher who is poetry in motion, she is definitely attracted. But he has a young child and he's suffering from his own divorce. The last thing Rachel needs in life is more bagg...

Today, I welcome the lovely Blythe Gifford, a best selling romance author with Harlequin Historicals. A long time fan of Blythe's excellent historicals, I can't wait to get my paws on her upcoming Scottish trilogy. Her novels are full of adventure, sizzling tension and meticulously researched details. A must read for any fan of historical romance. Over to Blythe... Blythe Gifford introduces  The Brunson Clan in  RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR Cathie and I share several things besides a Sagittarian birth sign, notably, an interest in Scottish and English medieval and Tudor history and a passion for a story slightly off the beaten path.   That might well describe my new series, The Brunson Clan, launching with RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, a November release from Harlequin Historical, in both the US and the UK. The book is the first of three about the Brunson Clan, a family of Reivers on the Scottish Borders during the early Tudor era.  Stubb...

I'm thrilled (as in bone-chilling ' thriller ' - you see, it's to do with FEAR!) to host  Brandon Swarrow , one of the 60 wonderful horror fiction authors who are part of the FEAR Halloween charity anthology published by Crooked Cat. Just in time... FEAR: A Modern Anthology of Horror and Terror is available in paperback and electronic formats in two volumes, and features creepy, spooky, and horribly terrifying short stories. ~hides~ As the FEAR Blog Tour is well under way, Brandon tells us a little bit about his story, Disturbance of the Natural Pecking Order , published in Volume 1. See what he has to say... and make sure to check out the story! 1.  Without going all spoilery on us, can you tell us a little about your short story? Disturbance of the Natural Pecking Order is the story of an evolutionary uber-bully preying on a new victim. 2.  What was the inspiration behind this story? Public schools continue to spend countless hours ca...

I'm delighted to spotlight a brilliant, gripping thriller today:  Bad Moon Rising by the talented  Frances di Plino   Because from today, Bad Moon Rising will be available in paperback ! You know what that means? No excuses! One more soul is safe. Released earlier this year, the highly acclaimed story made it to the semi-finals of The Kindle Book Review 2012, it received raving reviews and rose high up the Amazon Kindle charts. New York Times bestselling author, Amanda Hodgkinson , called it, "Tense, fast paced and gripping. A brilliant debut.", whilst others have remarked on Frances di Plino's outstanding debut. But just who is Frances? Frances di Plino is the pseudonym of columnist, editor, non-fiction author, short story writer, poet and writing tutor, Lorraine Mace . Writing as Frances di Plino gives her the opportunity to allow the dark side of her personality to surface and take control. She is currently working on Someday Never Comes , the ...

My publisher, Crooked Cat , have just issued their first newsletter. ~drum roll~ The theme is... Halloween !  Oooohhhh... And I'm featured in it with an article. :-)  Turnip Lanterns and Apple Dookin is about historic traditions in Scotland. Browse articles, features and interviews with fellow authors Nancy Jardine , Tom Gillespie , Frances di Plino , Michela O'Brien, Ailsa Abraham, Kim Walker, Sarah Louise Smith and of course, the multi-talented David Robinson who put the feature together. He shares an excerpt from A Halloween Homicide , the latest in his series of cosy murder mysteries. So check it out now! Crooked Cat Halloween Newsletter

I'm over on the Inkslingers blog today, revealing my favourite bits of research. Come on and join us! We don't bite! Researching Historical Tidbits See you there! :-)

Today, I welcome fellow romance author and 'Inkslinger',  Kristina Knight , who shows off her release, The Saint's Devilish Deal . Love the title! Over to Kristina... Once upon a time, Kristina Knight spent her days running from car crash to fire to meetings with local police - no, she wasn't a trouble-maker, she was a journalist. When the opportunity came to write what she wanted - business and family/parenting articles - and to focus more energy on the stories in her head, she jumped at it. And she's never looked back. Now she writes articles for magazines and such by day and writes romance novels with spice by night. And any toddler-free, five minute break she has. She lives on Lake Erie with her husband and 4 year old daughter. Happily ever after. Blurb:  Esmerelda Quinn has been looking for a place to belong since her parents were killed in a car crash when she was young. The closest thing to home has always been Aunt Constance's ...

I've recently read a fabulous little guide book about how to trace your ancestors. As someone with mixed bloodlines, with my distant ancestors hailing from all over Europe and North America, I've always been intrigued. So, when editor and family researcher,  Maureen Vincent-Northam , published Trace Your Roots , I had to grab a copy. I know my German side hails from French Huguenot stock. Blue blooded French nobility. Nice! And luckily for me, I have a very inquisitive American aunt who has managed to track that side back to Sweden, Scotland, Ireland - and England, to the court of Edward I. I can't wait to see that family tree! The little gem of a book even helped with background research for Silent Deception , my romantic gothic novella. I reveal what exactly on Maureen's fab blog, Trace Your Roots ! Come on over!

No worries, I haven't switched genres. ~shudders~ I'm only promoting a new anthology for a good cause: FEAR: A Modern Anthology of Horror and Terror I can't watch Horror movies, and usually don't even read anything scarier than a psychological drama (my recent faves being Frances di Plino's Bad Moon Rising and Tom Gillespie's Painting by Numbers ). But for FEAR , I'll make an exception. Why? Because FEAR  is for charity! The anthology, released by Crooked Cat Publishing, comes in two volumes, so readers get sixty (that's 60! ) stories to terrify them. And neither the publisher, nor the many wonderful authors, get a penny. Of course, Amazon take their share, but all the rest goes to two worthy causes. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) An international, independent humanitarian organisation providing medical support and aid in the most troubled and poorest countries on the planet. Barnardo's Looking after the welfare of children in the ...