Cathie Dunn writes...

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 ...

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, 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...