Cathie Dunn writes...

To mark today, the second last day (ha!) of February 2012, I've decided it's time to share the love... Well, not in that way, obviously. I just fancy giving away a free electronic copy of Dark Deceit !  To win a copy, simply comment below, not forgetting your email addy!  Dark Deceit , the first in The Anarchy Trilogy, is my latest release, a historical novel with mystery and romance elements. As is my habit, Dark Deceit doesn't fit into a specific box. Will I ever stick to the norm? Nope! ~sigh~ Murder, loyalty, betrayal and hope - all these are elements in Dark Deceit . Set during the English civil war of the late 1130s-50s, the story reveals the difficulties people faced in such times. An under-sheriff with uncertain loyalties; an heiress without a protector; a knight with his own agenda. 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...

On this mild winter Sunday, I'm delighted to welcome award winning author Margaret Tanner to My Place. Margaret Tanner is an award winning multi-published Australian author. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her historical romance novels, and prides herself on being historically correct. No book is too old or tattered for her to trawl through, no museum too dusty. Many of her novels have been inspired by true events, with one being written around the hardships and triumphs of her pioneering ancestors in frontier Australia. She once spent a couple of hours in an old  goal cell so she could feel the chilling cold and fear. She has also visited the 1 st World War battlefields and cemeteries of France as she researched her novel, Wild Oats.  My Place: Grave of Unknown Australian Soldier Some of the scenes in Wild Oats are set on the Somme battlefields of France in 1916.  In the town of Albert the troops saw a churc...

Today, I'm delighted to welcome a special guest, a wonderful writer and good friend of mine: Victoria Lamb , historical fiction author. Victoria has recently published her debut novel, The Queen's Secret , set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Brimming with colourful characters and courtly intrigues, The Queen's Secret is a must have read for any fan of historical fiction. Victoria tells us about writing in multiple viewpoints, often necessary to convey historical fiction in the most dramatic way. So without further ado, let's hear it from her... Victoria Lamb on Writing Multiple Viewpoints When writing my debut historical, The Queen's Secret , I decided early on that the plot was too complex to be carried by one narrative voice alone. First person narrative is excellent for increased intimacy, and I did consider it. But I didn't want to get into that dubious territory of having multiple first person narrators, identified by italics or their name a...

I'm delighted to introduce a new author - thriller writer AK James . Today is a special day for AK, also known as Mandy, as she celebrates the release of her first full length novel, Righteous Exposure. Many congratulations, Mandy! What an exciting day! :-) Righteous Exposure is a fast paced suspenseful novel about revenge, retribution and redemption. You'll find the blurb and a thrilling excerpt below. But first, let's hear it from Mandy. - Mandy, tell us briefly about yourself, your writing. I was born in Sheffield and lived there for about thirty years, but now live in Bristol with my husband Brian and two cats. I have grown up daughter and a wonderful grandson who will be soon be a year old!   I have written since I was a child, but have taken it up seriously in the last five years. In 2010, I had five short stories published in various anthologies, and number six and seven came out in June 2011. One is part of the anthology Hipp-O-Dee-...

On this sunny but chilly Sunday morning, I'm delighted to welcome another fantastic author to My Place - Mary Campisi, published with - amongst others - Carina Press and The Wild Rose Press. Mary writes romance and women's fiction. It's fabulous to have her on board. Over to Mary... I grew up in a very small town in northwest Pennsylvania with two older brothers and a younger sister. Small town people are very interesting and looking back, I’m fascinated by the speech, the nuances, the fact that when the owner of a small shoe store died, the sign on the door said ‘Closed due to Joe’s funeral.’ No one in town needed to ask who Joe was, just like I can still call the post office there and mention our family name and that starts a domino who’s who. My mother, at eighty-three still lives in the same house where we grew up and has the same phone number; quite telling, isn’t it? When I was a child, there were no malls, no McDonalds, and one movie theater that closed in the s...