Cathie Dunn writes...

I'm delighted to welcome author Jen Black to my blog. Jen writes historical fiction , and today, she tells us a bit more about something vital to writing historicals: research! Over to Jen... ~~~ Research and Historicals The thing about writing historicals is that there is always research to be done. Not only on what happened when, to whom and why, but also on locations. Visiting the places that feature in stories is often illuminating. Victorian, Georgian, and even Tudor buildings are not too hard in the UK, but when I made a 4-day trip to Dublin, I discovered that the street I had chosen to house my heroine’s home was still there. I walked up and down Fishamble Street with my eyes as wide as they would go. Why was I so delighted? Because I had set my story in the eleventh century – almost a thousand years ago. The street looked nothing like the scene I had envisaged, but that didn’t spoil things for me. There might be ordinary brick buildings there now, but the sh...

I’m delighted to host bestselling author Isabella May today. Isabella’s novels are fabulous reads – and they include food and drinks! What’s not to like about that, eh?  Originally from Glastonbury, England (I know, Avalon, ley lines, ooh!), Isabella now lives in the south of Spain with her family. No doubt, they’re regularly enjoying a few cocktails, and  the main dish of her latest novel, Costa del Churros ! Yummy! Please extend a warm welcome to Isabella! COSTA DEL CHURROS  Muchas gracias  for hosting me on your blog today to talk about my brand new novel with Crooked Cat Books!  Costa Del Churros  will launch on September 19 th  and is another romantic comedy which fuses all things foodie, travel and spirituality. I’m keeping my fingers (and paws!) crossed that it’ll have as good a reception as its predecessors… Why write about Spain? My first two books, Oh! What a Pavlova and The Cocktail Bar centred much of their activity ...

Hello again, bonjour & guten Tag! It's been a while, hasn't it? I know. Much has happened in the last 1 1/2 years. Writing, editing, teaching novel writing, moving house again, losing and gaining pets – where do I start?! I take it you've visited my website www.cathiedunn.com ? You'll have seen my latest updates. My new literary 'baby', Love Lost in Time , has a fabulous cover. Unfortunately, I've still some writing to do, but it'll be finished soon. As I'm about to embark on new adventures – expanding my editing business and looking to offer novel writing courses online and possibly here, in Carcassonne in the (usually) sunny south of France – my aim is also to finally write the sequel to Dark Deceit . Yes, I know. It's been a loooong time coming, but my lovely readers deserve to know what happens next. And I promise it won't take me nine years to write, like Dark Deceit ! Toby, much missed As for pets, we sadly lost gorgeous ...

Ahh, I've had this lovely blog for over six years years, but now it's time to move to new adventures. Not just physically – as we have done, from Scotland to France – but also digitally. I've had a makeover! ;-) I wish to thank all my lovely followers, who've commented to and shared the posts over the years – and especially all those lovely writers who have visited and who brought with them so much knowledge, humour, romance, suspense, and literary delights. It has been a pleasure hosting you on my little blog. I have tried to incorporate the content into my new website, but it being WP-based, it didn't work properly. I'm gutted. Therefore, I'm leaving this site 'live' for readers to be able to find the many fascinating posts in online searches. It would be a waste to hide them! As for me, I would be delighted if you would follow me to my new website at http://www.cathiedunn.com , either to my new blog or my newsletters. I'm planning to hos...

Today, I'm delighted to welcome author Kathy Sharp . Her novel,  All the Wild Weather , the third instalment in her fabulous ' Larus ' trilogy, is released today. Many congratulations, Kathy! I'm handing over to Kathy to tell us more about that elusive island of Larus and its quirky inhabitants. Make sure to check out the trilogy on Amazon and other outlets.  Over to Kathy! ~~~ Hello, Cathie, and thank you for the opportunity to talk to your readers. A couple of summers ago I made a visit to Portsmouth. I had reached an impasse with the book I was working on, All the Wild Weather. It’s a seagoing sort of story, and I hoped a couple of days immersing myself in all things maritime might kick off the creative process once more. So off I went, and had a wonderful time in Portsmouth, clambering about HMS Victory with my mouth open in awe, trying not to confuse my trenails with my trunnions. Even in dry dock with her rigging taken down for repair, the old shi...

Today, I'm chatting about history with fellow Crooked Cat, Jennifer C Wilson (author of the intriguing and highly entertaining  Kindred Spirits: Tower of London ). Come on over and join us on Jennifer's Blog ! We'll see you there... :-)

We're already well into the new year. For some, it brings more of the same (positive or sad). For others, new adventures beckon. 2014 and 2015 have been sad years, with us losing first my mother-in-law to cancer in August 2014, and last January, my father-in-law followed her. He made it to 93. Quite an achievement for the old sailor! Bless. Last September, hubby and I travelled to Dorset where he grew up. We met with his extended family and scattered my in-laws' ashes on Stonebarrow Hill near Lyme Regis. They're now forever enjoying the sea views and fresh air. I couldn't imagine a more befitting and wonderfully peaceful (if a tad breezy) spot. The perfect resting place. Stonebarrow Hill, Dorset In 2016, big changes lie ahead for me and hubby, but I can't reveal those as yet. All I can say is, exciting (if a little scary) times ahead! :-) I'm also going to make sure to set aside time to write. I've woefully neglected my creative side in recent ye...

Are you a fan of ebooks? I am (as you may have noticed...)! I find the wider range of outlets, and with it potential readers, very appealing. I don't share many other blog posts through here, but thought this might interest my writer friends. Author David Robinson has been in the trade for decades. I fully agree with him, being a relative 'newbie' compared to him. ;-) Take a look at his blog today: http://www.dwrob.com/2015/04/in-praise-of-the-e-book-revolution/ Cheers!

Today, I'm being quizzed by fellow Crooked Cat author, Vanessa Couchman . She has the pleasure of living in France. I'm very envious. Vanessa has provided me with a list of fabulous questions. Somehow, we ended chatting about history, research (aka holidays), food and wines. Come on over and join us! It'd be lovely to see you there. https://vanessacouchmanwriter.wordpress.com/2015/03/27/on-the-chaise-longue-with-vanessa-meet-novelist-cathie-dunn-cathiedunn/?fb_action_ids=10206358911435071&fb_action_types=news.publishes&fb_ref=pub-standard ~reclines back on the chaise longue, sipping a glass of Sancerre~ PS: Dark Deceit is in parts set in Normandy... ;-)

So, here we are. The first of February. How did that happen? Well, I'll tell you. The last five weeks have been a bit of a personal roller-coaster. After the successful re-release of Highland Arms , I spent a wonderful Christmas Day with hubby and his lovely step-dad, Joe, who was widowed last August. It made a welcome change to the usual routine of just the two of us. Cooking for a third person was fun, and he very much enjoyed his turkey with all the trimmings. He gave it a nice thumbs up! :-) Then, near the end of the year, Joe took ill. The first time, really, in his 93 years. Over the next three weeks hubby and I visited him daily, and it was heart-breaking to watch. Sadly, the great sailor Joe passed away last week Saturday. He's now roaming the great seas in the sky. So our minds are currently all over the place. Not with work, writing, editing or designing. A break away soon will be very welcome. What's going on apart from that? Well, hubby has started G...