Cathie Dunn writes...

Today, I'm welcoming Liz Crowe , best-selling author and beer expert (yes, I know! Brilliant!), who celebrates her latest release, Good Faith ,  a contemporary chronicle about three families and their interlinked lives, with a proper Super Book Blast. Cheers! BLURB:    Strong personalities—volatile marriages—stressful careers—conflicting goals—difficult children. Contemporary challenges facing close-knit families form the crucible that forges a new generation.  Brandis, Gabriel, Blair and Lillian emerge from the entanglement of their parents’ longstanding emotional connections, but one’s star will burn brighter – and hotter – than the others.   With a personality that consumes everyone and everything in its path, Brandis Gordon struggles to maintain control as he ricochets between wild success and miserable failure. His life proves how even the strongest relationships can be strangled by the ties that bind. Brandis and Gabe Frietag are as close as any brothers,

Today, I'm delighted to welcome back  Nancy Jardine , fabulous author friend and creator of the Celtic Fervour historical adventure series on her latest release day. The second part of the series, After Whorl: Bran Reborn is out today in ebook and paperback formats from Crooked Cat Publishing. But first, Nancy is delving into her historical research box. Some fascinating insights are revealed! Over to Nancy... ~~~ Forgive me - I’m going to get a little ‘Petty’ today.  Please don’t disappear! Bear with me and I’ll explain. A few names are mentioned in my Celtic Fervour series of novels that in an odd way drive some of the action and yet they either do not appear as characters at all, or have a seriously limited role. ‘Petty’ is one of those names. Are you confused already? Perhaps asking yourself why someone ‘outside of the story’ should have any bearing on the action?  In the first two novels of my Celtic Fervour series - The Beltane Choice and After Whorl: Bran Re

I'm on a roll! ;-) Today, I'm being quizzed by the lovely Ailsa Abraham , author of the fabulous romantic futuristic adventure, Shaman's Drum . With a steady supply of hot drinks and cakes, Ailsa and I keep chatting away in her cosy cottage. There's plenty left, so why not join us?! http://ailsaabraham.com/2013/12/12/cathie-comes-home/ We'll see you there. Trust me, you'll love her lemon drizzle cake! :-)

I've been chatting over at fellow Crooked Cat and Wild Rose Press author Nancy Jardine 's blog today. About what? Well, Christmas, of course! Markets, snow, candles... Everything that's cosy! So, please nip over and say hi. http://nancyjardine.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/its-welcome-wednesday-hello-again-to.html We'd love to see you there! Black Forest winter wonderland

Ahh, the cold season is upon us. Lounging on the sofa by a roaring fire, with a mug of tea or glass of wine, and enjoying a good read! ;-) So, what's better than stocking up on some fantastic releases when they're on special offer. Like now! The Crooked Cats are having their annual winter ebook sale from 7th-14th December 2013 !  All their ebooks (apart from latest releases) are available on Amazon for only 77p / 99c ! So, don't hesitate to grab your copy of a 5* gripping historical romantic murder mystery! 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, investigating 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

Bob helping with research Goodbye, Bob! Seven weeks ago marked the end of an era in our household – we lost our beloved cat, Bob. We were distraught. Rewind 9 years. In August 2004, hubby and I moved together into a mews cottage in Cardiff's oldest part, Llandaff. Along we brought my then 11 year old cat, Gizmo. Gizmo As Giz was used to cat company, and had been jealous and lonely, we brought Tiger home a couple of weeks after the move. Tiger was then barely 8 weeks old, a playful little kitten. But this time, Giz wasn't happy, and during his first outing, he vanished. Hubby saw him later that night, called out, and Giz turned to him, then turned away and off he went on his way. Posters went up, we called rescue centres, but no black and white male cat was found, alive or dead. A very sad time. By November, we'd given up hope, when I spotted an ad for a black and white cat found by a colleague. She'd fed him in her garden shed but he kept going after her

I'm thrilled to welcome back a wonderful friend and brilliant romance author, the lovely  Rachel Brimble . Multi-published, with releases from Harlequin and Kensington, she's one to look out for if you love romance!  Today, Rachel is chatting about her romantic suspense, A Man Like Him . It's a gripping read full of drama and emotion. I had the pleasure of reading it prior to publication, and the unusual plot–with strong influences from a dramatic, real event Rachel witnessed–just keeps you reading on.  So, here's Rachel giving us some clues... (1) What is the location of your story? How did you select that particular location, and what research was involved? A Man Like Him is the second book in an ongoing series with Harlequin Superromance set in the fictional UK seaside town of Templeton Cove. The town itself is loosely based on a small town in southern England where I used to holiday as a child. For the most part though, the geography is a product of my ima

Well, hello again! Long time no see... :-) And we're back on air with a cracking hot read by Canadian author Kate Robbins . I recently had the pleasure of meeting her and her brother as they were touring Scotland. We sampled some of Edinburgh's culinary delights together. Needless to say, much food and drink was consumed during many hours spent chatting about, well, Scotland, history, Newfoundland, dogs and cats, and so much more.  So, of course, I'm thrilled to welcome Kate here! Her new release, Bound to the Highlander , is the first in the Highland Chiefs series published through the lovely folks at Tirgearr Publishing.  Take a peek and you'll know what I mean... Book Blurb Aileana Chattan suffers a devastating loss, then discovers she is to wed  neighbouring chief and baron, James MacIntosh—a man she despises and whose  loyalty deprived her of the father she loved. Despite him and his traitorous clan,  Aileana will do her duty, but she doesn't ha

I'm thrilled to welcome back Beth Trissel , award-winning author of romantic historical fiction. Today, she tells us about Somewhere in the Highlands .  Highlands. Highlanders. A stolen relic... Bought! :-) As a keen reader of Beth's novels, I can highly recommend readers to try Beth's wonderful blend of adventure, history and love. ~~~ “Never tell me the odds . ” ~Han Solo The motto of the unlikely hero, Fergus, in Somewhere in the Highlands, a fast-paced Sci-Fi Fantasy Time Travel Romance. Untold hours of scheming, dreaming, writing and revising went into this story. Yes, there will be another title in this continuing saga. Don’t ask me when, but plotting is underway. Somewhere in the Highlands is book three in my Somewhere in Time series , following Somewhere My Love , and is the sequel to Somewhere My Lass . Somewhere the Bells Ring is a hauntingly beautiful Christmas romance.  The idea behind this series is that the story opens in an old home, so

Oh no, I'm a little late! :-(  I'll still bit a warm welcome to the lovely  Christine Warner , whose new release, Bachelor's Special , is available now. Christine is a brilliant writer, and readers of contemporary romance get a tasty read here. Christine has kindly shared her favourite places to write. I must say, I'd be inspired by that view! Wouldn't you be? So, over to Christine... There are so many little quirks writers have. One of mine is where I write. To be creative I like to have quiet—which translates to no television or music in the background and definitely no family or friends to pull me out of my writing and into a conversation. That’s the toughest one of all because I really love those family/friend chats. I am lucky enough to have an office where I can close the door if I need to, but it’s really not a space that inspires me to write. Although I painted it a cheery yellow and there is a window to let in the sunshine, I never get a lot