Tag: life

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

Round-up of the week 14th April 2019

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Thought I would keep it light-hearted today with the news, I’ll leave all the sinister stuff to my finished book.

World News:

A North Atlantic right whale off the US east coast
Baby boom for one of the world’s most endangered whale species. Three North Atlantic whale mother and calf pairs have been seen in Cape Cod bay.
Only about 459 of the species are thought to remain.

London News:

Seals returning to the Thames.

The rising seal population in the Thames is considered a sign that water quality is improving.


My news:

Not much new to tell, working all week as usual, nine weeks in to the job and still love it. Fingers crossed that this is the one. Although, the life, work balance is still skewered heavily on the side of work.
Weekend was filled with the excitement of housework, food shopping etc…
Saw my mum, dad, brother, niece and nephew which is always lovely. Very proud of my sister and her youngest daughter who rang a half marathon and 10km respectively today.
I’ve got a banana bread baking in the oven as I type this, using coconut flour – can’t wait to taste. I dropped the banana bread coming out of the oven and it looks a mess, tastes good though.

Writing:

I’ve only gone and finished my edits of book five from the Children of the Streets series. Truth & Retribution is winging its way to my editor. This is such a change of direction for me as the character took control and lead me down the paths of evil.



Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

Work/Life balance

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Work_Life Balance.png

 

Does it exist? It would seem to me that the scales tip firmly on the side of work – so where is the balance?

Work takes up the majority of our working hours but it seems that employers are taking up more of our leisure time as working hours and stress levels increase. Where does that leave downtime? I can tell you that is doesn’t. We’re so caught up on this endless treadmill of trying to earn a living to put a roof over our heads, pay the bills, support a family etc… that we end up spending so much time at work to pay for it all. When you get home, chores, eating and head to bed so that you can face the next day. Weekends are the time you catch up on chores and can maybe indulge a little in whatever passes for leisure for you. Then on a Monday morning, barely refreshed we step back onto that treadmill of life again.

Many years ago my brother said, “You either work to live or live to work. ” this has always resonated with me. I don’t live to work. Don’t get me wrong, I have to work and I want to enjoy what I do. I have a strong work ethic and believe in giving my all to work, but all that results in is burn out. Over the last few years, I’ve experienced and heard more and more about horrendous work conditions. Now bearing in mind that maybe 50% of the population (this is a guess – see the maybe!) work to live then how have we allowed ourselves to end up in places that tear at our sanity, rob us of our sleep and make us dread going to work? Now I’m not suggesting that everyone experiences this, for all those people who love/like/enjoy going to work, I’m very pleased for you – that is how it should be.

Now, this really isn’t just a post about personal experience, this is something I’ve been hearing from people around me. Some very capable people, who work hard are being undermined, bosses, managers are chipping away at people’s self-confidence. I hear you say, well why do you stay? Good point. Except when they leave they find themselves in a similar situation in another company.

Why are things so dire? Have they always been that bad? Or as we get older do we struggle to deal with it? Are we worn out by it all?

I’m 44 years old and I know that I can’t take another 20 years of this but I have a plan for an exit strategy, which is a few years down the line but maybe not quite 20. My intention is to eventually be able to give up full-time work and live off what I earn from my writing. A long way off as I might have already mentioned. But with this in mind I have to spend a lot of my spare time writing, this is no hardship as I love writing, which brings me back to my earlier point of having fewer leisure hours in which to do it. Now let’s add into the mix, lack of sleep, messed up mind and inability to switch off from a demanding job and you can see what a challenge I have set myself.

“Take Care Of Your Employees And They’ll Take Care Of Your Business,” Says Richard Branson, Founder Of The Virgin Group.

Check this out 

ACAS: “Look after your staff and they’ll take care of the rest”

Check this out

ACAS has even published a guide on how to get the right balance to look after staff.

It isn’t just me saying it: when the leading employment law specialists and a man as successful as Richard Branson are recognising the importance of a good workforce and looking after them, why is it so hard for employers to do it?

If you compare yourself to a rechargeable battery for a moment (go with me) and you keep running that battery to empty and then put it on change for the bare minimum of time, you’ll only get the bare minimum back. If, however, you keep that battery topped up you get the best from it. (You see where I went with that?) Workplace empowerment creates a good environment where staff want to strive to be the best. Constant pressure and micromanagement create a stressed workforce who try to do their best under trying circumstances but invariably they burn out. We spend the best parts of our days at work, we should be able to feel safe there.

If you are a manager/boss and you’re reading this, think about this truth: People rarely leave their job, they leave their boss. Empower your staff don’t drain them.

Leaving you with one small thought: If 15,000 people picked up a copy of one of my novels, I could give up working for a year.

If 30,000 people did – I’d have two years grace.

If that were to happen I could leave my stressful work environment behind and write full-time.

Let’s get this trending #helpMariagiveupwork 😉

If you’re tempted in the US:

If you’re tempted in the UK:

 

I’d love to hear back from you on the following.

Do you live to work or work to live?

What are your experiences in the workplace, good or bad? Feel free to share experiences.

 

 

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Books, Life, Self-publishing

Round up of the Week

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Round up of the Week

 

World

 

Eight people have found dead inside a trailer truck parked outside Walmart in San Antonio, USA. Twenty others were in a critical or serious condition, with some believed to be suffering from heatstroke or dehydration. The driver is in police custody. It is thought this could be a people-smuggling operation. The police were called by a Walmart employee who had been approached by someone from the truck asking for water.

 

This makes my stomach churn to think about what these people have suffered.

 

London

 

Staff at Great Ormand Street Hospital have received death threats over the treatment of baby Charlie Gard. Police had been called after families were harassed and unacceptable behaviour was recorded in the hospital. Great Ormand Street Hospital is involved in a legal battle to remove life support from the 11-month-old, who has a rare genetic disorder. Charlie’s parents don’t condone this abuse of the hospital staff. Charlie was born with a form of mitochondrial disease, a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and irreversible brain damage, and his parents want to take him to the US for pioneering treatment. They have lost a succession of court cases and is back before the High Court on Monday.

 

I know Great Ormand Street Hospital well and it saddens me to think of their staff and patients being subjected to abuse. Whatever the wrongs and rights of this case, and it’s not for me to judge, this hospital has saved the lives of many thousands of children and has always in my experience treated their patients and parents with respect.

 

My World

 

This week is another run of the mill one for me, work, eat, write, sleep and repeat. I lost a work colleague this week as she moved on to other things but I gained a real friend. Other than visiting a friend for a glass of wine or two, a meal out with a friend/fellow author, visiting my parents and a ride out on my bike there isn’t much more to tell. I don’t lead a highly exciting life folks.

 

My Word

 

My editor returned ‘Is this Love?’ after doing the first round edits and I have the task now of working my way through it. My first newsletter was sent out yesterday and I gained a few more sign ups in the process. They were sent the first chapter of “Is this Love?’ were allowed a sneak preview of the cover and entered into a prize draw to win an e copy of a book by the author of the month which was my good friend Su, aka Rose English.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

My review of: Secrets of the Heart by D.M Miller

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This book isn’t full of dramatic events rather a gentle continuation of the last two books in the series – a progression of the lives of Catherine and Abdul with unexpected twists and turns. Two new, main character join us for this book Bahir and Rajab, both of whom add a new dimension to Catherine’s life in particular and enhances the book as a whole. It is always hard when you write a book such as this which has a steady storyline to keep the readers’ interest in the lives of your character – this author seems to do it with ease.

I don’t want to give too much away here but the relationship that forms between Catherine and Rajab right from the start and the hostility between Rajab and Abdul was a pleasure to read. I want to find out what’s in store next for this family and I have heard on the grapevine that there is to be another book in the series.

Once more I commend this author for the storyline and for the strong, consistent characters who have grown as people over the three books. This author is going from strength to strength. I highly recommend you read her books.

An easy five stars from me.

Books, Life, Self-publishing

Support needed for this baby whose mum has cancer

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This is a post requesting help but its not asking for a donation for a random stranger with no returns. This is an author asking you to buy his book in order that the proceeds go to fund the cancer treatment that his friend needs.

I’ve bought my copy, hope you do too. Let us see if we as a community can ensure this little baby gets to keep him mum.

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This post has been taken from a group I’m in on Facebook by Mark Dawson

Emma Johns is the wife of my son’s godfather and has been battling with breast cancer for five years. In the middle of her gruelling treatment she found out that she was pregnant (the chemotherapy was supposed to make her infertile but, to her surprise, it didn’t).

And then, in December, she gave birth to her own little miracle: baby Phoenix.

Emma’s condition is worsening but there is hope: a trial immunotherapy drug called Pembrolizumab has shown amazing results for women with incurable triple negative breast cancer (like her). But, due to her pregnancy, Emma missed out on being eligible for the only trial available for this drug. Her best option now is to pay for it privately for the eye-watering sum of £40,000.

I’ve written a short story in my John Milton and Beatrix Rose universe – called PHOENIX – and I will be giving all of the proceeds to her and her family. The book is available for preorder right now. For every $2.99 purchase of Phoenix, Emma and her family will receive $2. That might not sound like a lot, but you are one of 65,000 authors on the SPF mailing list.

If even a quarter of the list buys the book, we could fund Emma’s treatment for a whole year.

PHOENIX is available for preorder at the links below.

And if you think your readers might like it, a share to your mailing list or social media page would be even more amazing. If you are able to send a message to your readers, please forward a copy to mark@selfpublishingformula.com.

We’ll pick one at random to receive both our 101 and Ads for Authors courses (worth more than $1000).

Amazon: myBook.to/BeatrixPhoenix
Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/book/phoenix/id1232396011…
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/phoenix-70
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=X8vKDgAAQBAJ
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/phoenix-mark-da…/1126333708…

Books, Life, Uncategorized

Insecurities & Misconstruction

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STOPTHINKIT MAY NOT BEAS YOU THINK

Most of us have insecurities, whether it be about the way we look or in our abilities as parents, partners, as authors, our abilities in the workplace or a whole host of other reasons. From those insecurities we can create a situation or a belief that something that is said or done is aimed at us as we already have a sensitivity in that area. We hear what we think has been said and often that couldn’t be further from the truth. This miscommunication can often be highlighted by the male/female perspective and what we hear is not what is meant.

For example: You feel that maybe you aren’t achieving as well as you should at work, maybe you are but your expectations are too high. So when you hear a colleague being praised for good work it becomes a personal attack on you as what you are really hearing is that you yourself are not so good. I know I have a tendency to want to be perfect and hate making mistakes at work, even minor ones. As a result if I do make a mistake I feel as though the boss, colleague or person I’m dealing with will see me as incompetent.

Maybe you have an issue with your weight and when you hear someone pay a compliment to someone else it feels like a barb to you.

What we see and the reality is sometimes very different. I’m not saying that we hear everything wrong but stop and think before you take a comment to heart. Is this something that you are particularly sensitive about? If so, take a look at the compliment that someone else has been paid. Is it true? Did they do a good job? Are they looking nice? If the answer is yes then maybe you need to take it at face value, acknowledge it and not make it about you. (When I say you, I mean me too!)

We seem to be, and have bred generations of people whose faith in themselves is built on sinking sand and who find the tiniest of excuses to put themselves down. I tackled this very slightly in my latest book.

In A Boy from the Streets, Jose at the age of twelve finds out that he is adopted and has a twin brother whom his adoptive parents want to find. His relationship with his father is such that he believes that he wants to swap him due to his dissatisfaction of him as a son. Nothing can be further from the truth but this insecurity he has and the misconstruction that Jose places on the conversation he overhears leads him into a dangerous and potentially life threatening situation.

So if we can learn anything maybe it should be, none of us are perfect but perhaps you are more perfect than you think. And the chances are that the person you hold up as a shining example of perfection has a whole host of their own insecurities. Cut yourself some slack and if you can’t manage to love yourself, see if you can start by liking you.

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

The inspiration behind ‘A Boy from the Streets’

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A boy from the streets will be the first novel that I have published but not the first book I have written. It was while I was researching for one of my other books which hasn’t been published yet that I came up with the inspiration and the basic outline for the story.

While reading ‘Small Wars Permitting: Despatches from Foreign Lands’ by Foreign Correspondent Christina Lamb I came across something I hadn’t heard about before and it shocked me. This is taken from Christina’s book:

“There was one aspect of life in Rio I knew I would never get used to. Every morning when I arrived at my office downtown, there would be bundles in the doorways. After a while I discovered they had names and faces. These were children, some of the thousands – some say millions – of street kids who roam Brazil’s cities. Sometimes they would be sniffing glue from shoemakers’ tins or out of coke bottles for a high to dampen their hunger. Most Cariocas just step over them as if they were insects. Some areas like Ipanema had even erected iron railings round the parks to stop the children going in.
The first year I lived in Rio, Amnesty International ran a series of advertisements: ‘Brazil has found a new way of taking its children off the streets – killing them.'”

The book goes on to talk about 500 killings in one month alone, many of whom were children.

“Death squads pick up and kill the street kids who so upset the tourists and the businesses dependent on tourism. Many of the squads are run by policemen who have no shame about their methods of cleaning up the streets.”

After the initial revulsion and the coldness that pervaded my body at the thought of what these poor children endured and disgust at humankind, the beginnings of a story formed. I picked up my pen and the words flowed. This has now been polished by me and my editor and a new beginning was added later on as the story changed shape in my head. A Boy from the Streets was born. I am now coming to the end of the journey with this book as I aim to publish it early April.

Check it out:

Two babies abandoned at birth—one grows up in a life of privilege, the other in poverty.

On the 12th of September, 1981, twin boys are born in a Brasilian hospital and left to their fate as orphans. Jose is adopted by a couple who takes him to England, but the other isn’t so lucky. Pedro ends up on the streets of Rio, left to fend for himself in a harsh and unforgiving world.

Love and betrayal.

Twelve years later Jose’s family returns to Brasil, where he learns the truth about his adoption and his twin. Thinking his adoptive parents no longer want him, he runs away to find his brother. What follows will shake Jose to the core and shape the rest of his life—if he can survive.

Murder.

Jose isn’t the only one whose life will change. Pedro is offered an opportunity beyond any of his wildest dreams, but to keep it will mean the betrayal of someone he loves. This proves to be a far greater challenge than he anticipated when the orphan finds himself suddenly surrounded by family who, unfortunately, don’t all have good intentions.

Hopes and dreams.

A Boy from the Streets will tug at your heart-strings and have you rooting for the little guy as you follow the twists and turns this multi-continental tale takes.

A small snippet from the beginning of A Boy from the Streets:

“Fernando, we must take them both, we cannot separate twins.”

“Christina, you’re too soft, we can’t bring up two children. You’re not strong enough to cope with the needs of twins. Your constitution is weak. It would be unfair to all of us.”

“I know my health is delicate, Fernando, and I will always regret that I can’t carry your baby to term inside me, but I know I can love and care for these twins. We can afford to hire help…” She trailed off when she saw the determined jut of his chin, the expression that brooked no further argument. Christina decided to try one last tug at his conscience anyway. “If we leave one behind, he might end up on the streets, an urchin living in squalor and fighting to survive… if he even makes it past babyhood.”

“Christina, your abundance of love does you credit, but I have no doubts the other boy will be adopted also. The only thing left to do now is to choose which one you would like?”

Christina’s heart sank as she looked at the two bundles in front of her. He was asking her to choose one, like picking out a pair of shoes from the rows on display in a shop. One stirred and let out a howl, disturbing his twin. It was almost as though he were alert to the inherent danger in this situation and was warning his brother.

Print & Kindle Copies available NOW

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

West Midlands Attending Author Interview: Catherine Green

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1. Can we start with your name and where you’re from?

My name is Catherine Green, aka SpookyMrsGreen: The Pagan Housewife, and I am from Cheshire, UK. Originally, I come from the Staffordshire Moorlands.

2. Most authors love reading, is this true for you and if so who was/is your inspiration?

Of course I love reading, always have done! My early inspiration came from authors including Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. As I grew older I discovered Judy Blume, LJ Smith and Anne Rice. More recently my inspiration comes from Laurell K. Hamilton and her Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series.

3. What genre do you write in or do you cross over into many?

I write paranormal romance and contemporary English Gothic. My stories are primarily romance and stories about what happens when you fall in love, but my characters usually turn out to be supernatural or magical in some way. It just happens! I do have some humans in the stories as well…

4. If you could take any character from someone else’s book and make him/her your own creation who would it be and why?

I wouldn’t like to take on another author’s character, but I do admire Anita Blake from the author Laurell K. Hamilton. She is a heroine, but she has many flaws, and these are explored and even worked on throughout the series, which I think is important. I don’t like my book characters to be perfect, it gets boring that way!

5. When did you first start writing?

I have been writing since the first time I learned to form words. As a child I would copy out pages of prose from my favourite story books simply because I loved the act of writing, and the way my writing flowed across the page. As I grew older I wrote diaries (journals), and eventually I began to dabble in short stories and poems. My novel writing only began about eight years ago.

6. Do you plan every inch of your books or do you just let the words flow?

Oh no, I’m too impatient for that! I tried planning my first novel, Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), and I still occasionally refer to my character notes and location details if I get confused with my current manuscript. But I am what we refer to as a “pantser” – I write by the seat of my pants, typing away furiously and seeing what happens. Then I tidy up the writing later.

7. Who is your favourite character and why? (your own character)

Hmm, that’s a tricky one because I love them all! Alright, I do secretly have a favourite: Marcus Scott. He appears in my very first novel, Love Hurts, and he was only supposed to be a minor support character. He is a vampire, friends with the Mason brothers, and he develops a fixation with my heroine, Jessica Stone (read the books to find out why!). Marcus Scott became very insistent while I was writing the first three Redcliffe novels, and eventually I gave in and wrote his story, which was published as The Darkness of Love. He became a vampire during the late 1800s, on the whim of his Lord and Master on an English country estate.

8. Was there an event in your life that triggered a particular book, or even a scene in a book? If so what was the book and what was the event?

My books are really a collection of memories and experiences with added supernatural twists. The main theme throughout all my stories is the entity of being in love, and what it means to love another person. I have a very passionate relationship with my husband and we have been together since we were teenagers. A lot of our personal drama has appeared in my novels in some guise or other, along with themes I have observed from my peers.

9. Are you working on anything at the moment? If so can you share any tasty morsels?

Oh yes, lots of things! Let me see… Well primarily I am working on the final three books in the Redcliffe novels series. Jessica Stone has transitioned fully into the person she was supposed to be, and now she and her spirit animal are learning their place in the Redcliffe werewolf pack.

In other news, I am working on a series of novels set in and around the North West of England featuring vampire hunters and their adventures. One is about a vampire hunter who lives on a narrowboat and takes on a hit that unravels some very deep, very dark and very surprising secrets about herself and her occasional work partner. If angels and demons are your thing, you might like to read this one…

I have a first draft of a novel about a retired vampire hunter who is married with young children when she is persuaded to return to her old job for one last target – the female vampire that almost killed her ten years previously. She must hide her previous identity from her husband in order to protect her family, but of course it never works out that way, does it?

And then we have Hunting the Hunted. This is almost ready for publication, and might even lend itself to a sequel, I haven’t decided yet. This one follows the story of a vampire called Frederick James who haunts the old tunnels beneath Manchester city centre. He is targeted by a group of hunters, but they struggle to capture him when he meets a witch who entraps him in a love affair before revealing the true nature of his intentions. This novel has strong homosexual themes and is a bit more experimental for me as a writer. I like it!

10. What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting out?

Always be positive. When you feel the urge to write, just do it, and don’t worry about the consequences. If you decide to share your work with the world then fabulous, but be prepared for a long and arduous journey on your quest for fame and fortune. Ultimately, we write because we have to. It is in our nature.

11. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Mostly I wrangle children! I have two daughters, one aged 6 and one aged 3, so they keep me busy. We also have a big soft dog and two pet turtles. When I’m not desperately trying to tidy my messy house, I like to indulge in hobby crafts, mainly card making. My current obsession is craft stamps, but I also enjoy decoupage. I am also a Tarot reader, and am doing a Tarot reading every day for my #365DaysofTarot challenge. I plan to compile a non-fiction book with the results when it is finished.

12. What is the hardest part of the whole writing, editing, marketing process for you?

Definitely marketing. It is such a complicated, huge and confusing task. Where do we start? Who do we advertise to? How do we advertise to them? I am still exploring this one, so I will get back to you with an answer eventually (I hope!)

13. We all have those friends or family members who make sweeping statements about our writing or the process, which is your particular bug bear?

I don’t really have a bug bear because truthfully my friends and family don’t discuss my writing all that much. We are often too busy being consumed by the demands of the children and whatever domestic crisis is taking centre stage. I sort of get on with it quietly in the background.

14. What is your idea of happiness?

Happiness to me is an equal partnership between myself and my husband, where our parental duties are shared and I am free to work on my craft without hurrying or having to stop for mealtimes and bedtime routines etc. You’ve probably guessed that I am still struggling to achieve that balance!

15. For this one I want you to showcase your creativity by painting me a picture, with words, of your ideal setting to write in.

My personal library is a room at the back of my house. It is average size, square, with French doors opening out onto a picturesque garden where colourful flowers bloom in the borders, and my children play happily on the lawn. I have a Victorian antique desk to the left of the French doors, on which sits my laptop, notebooks, printer and coffee mug. Two of the walls are lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves, and in front of the Victorian fireplace sits a small, velvet sofa on which I can rest and read when I need a break. The polished floorboards are covered with a soft rug, and the colour scheme is a mixture of muted purples and greens.

How does that sound?

Lovely (me)

16. What makes you laugh/cry?

My children, my husband and my dog mostly.

17. You’re stranded on a desert island and you can take three men/women who would they be and why? This can be practical or purely sexual in nature.

Ooh, I haven’t thought about that! I might say I will just take my husband for now, because at least then I would get some quality time with him.

18. What is your most annoying habit?

Impatience! I cannot wait for things to happen, I always try and hurry them along. It doesn’t always work, and I am trying to calm down a bit and let things happen naturally.

19. Please tell me about your books?

Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) is about a young woman who runs a bookshop in Cornwall with her best friend. She falls in love with a local police detective and later discovers that he is a vampire, and that his identical twin brother is a werewolf. She is dragged into their complicated and dangerous lives, to her detriment, where secrets are told and lives are lost…

Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) is book 2 in the developing Redcliffe series. In the quiet Cornish seaside town of Redcliffe, Jessica Stone recovers from an horrific werewolf attack and comes to terms with revelations that her lover, Jack Mason, is a vampire, his brother, Danny, the werewolf pack leader, and her best friend, Simon, is a werewolf.  Add to that her discovery that she is a witch, and life is suddenly a whole lot harder than it used to be. Jessica has to fight for her own life and Jack’s when faced with his jealous vampire master who wants her old lover back. But things are never easy, and a vampire master is not so easy to defeat…

Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) – Life has changed forever in Redcliffe, Cornwall. Jessica Stone used to be a normal, happy human. Now she is an angry, conflicted and confused witch. It all happened when she met Detective Jack Mason and his identical twin brother Danny. Jessica almost died twice, fell into a love triangle, and she became a murderer. Now she faces the ultimate challenge as she continues the fight to save the man she loves, while simultaneously struggling with her lust for his werewolf brother and their vampire friend. Can she survive, or will love finally end her life completely?

The Darkness of Love – Lord Gregory Stockton is a powerful and respected businessman embracing the modern era of the Victorian industrial revolution. He has a grand and beautiful manor house complete with a repertoire of servants, and his young wife is charming, attractive, and the perfect lady to his gentleman. The only thing they lack is an heir to the family estate. Lord Gregory knows he can never produce a child, for he is a vampire, although his wife and servants know nothing of his secrets. There are other ways to provide heirs for his estate, however, and Lord Gregory has noticed the romantic attraction between his wife and the young stable hand Marcus Scott. He hatches a plan to bring the would-be lovers together, and then cruelly tear them apart as he continues to build his empire and secure his power base in the south of England. The humans are pawns in the vampire’s game of lust, love and control.

The Vampire of Blackpool – The vampire, the witch, and the hunter battle it out in a contemporary Gothic adventure in Northern England.

Meredith Hanson lives in Blackpool, the former Victorian holiday hotspot of Northern England. She masquerades as a reclusive author, feeding on the blood of unsuspecting tourists without remorse. Her life takes on new meaning when she meets a young witch in a local pub one evening. Despite Meredith’s cold demeanour, she finds herself oddly fascinated with Samantha Morris, and falls into an accidental relationship with the girl. It is at this time that a vampire hunter arrives in Blackpool. He is tough, he is determined, and his next target is an ancient vampire that has been spotted in the tourist town. He intends to bring her down and destroy her to save the lives of innocent humans.

Will he succeed? Or will the experienced vampire seductress be the cause of his undoing?

My Vampire Boyfriend: A Redcliffe Short Story Anthology – The pretty seaside town of Redcliffe in Cornwall is a popular location for holidaymakers during the summer season. It has good waves for surfing, good pubs for socialising, and a vibrant tourist industry. It is also home to a hidden werewolf pack, and several vampires and witches, who all live within human society, pretending to be just like the rest of us.

Bookshop owner Jessica Stone used to be one of those humans. Then she met Detective Jack Mason and his twin brother, Danny. They took her on a wild adventure that shows no sign of slowing down. Now she is deeply embedded with the vampires and werewolves, and learning the power of their lust, and a magnetic attraction that is just too hard to ignore. She is also learning about her own true heritage, and how to feed her desires and satisfy her powerful animal familiar that resides within.

This anthology contains adult themes, and scenes of a sexual nature.
20. Lightning round
Tea or Coffee? – Coffee
Cash or credit? – Cash
Cats or Dogs? – Dogs
Beach or Mountain? – Beach
Summer or Winter – Spring!
Sweet or Savoury – Sweet
Early riser or late riser? – Late riser
Morning or Night? – Night
Christmas Tree – real or fake? – Fake
Sex – Lights on or off? – Lights on!

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.
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Author of British paranormal romance series The Redcliffe Novels, Catherine Green was raised on books from a young age, and has happy memories of Saturday mornings spent in her small local library, devouring the contents of the shelves. Catherine has always been fascinated by the supernatural world, and it feels natural for her to write about vampires, werewolves, witches and other mystical creatures in her contemporary stories.

If you sign up to Catherine’s newsletter, she will send you a free copy of her Redcliffe short story, It’s Complicated, to introduce you to her fictional supernatural seaside town in Cornwall, England.

 

More recently, Catherine released her contemporary English Gothic novel, The Vampire of Blackpool. These novels will show you the darker, sexier side of our favourite British seaside resorts!

 

You can find Catherine in the following places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpookyMrsGreen

Author blog: http://www.catherinegreenauthor.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter page: https://twitter.com/SpookyMrsGreen

The Pagan Housewife Blog: http://spookymrsgreen.com/

 

 

Books, Life, Self-publishing, Uncategorized

A Lifetime or a Season- Teaser

gibbsdream

lifetime-3

My Mother had bee one of those alluring women, a flaming redhead, who had men baying at her feet like enslaved dogs. Not for her the indifference of men, she had played the game to the hilt and every man that walked out of her life was a man she had send packing.

Find out more about Athena’s journey to self-discovery as she throws aside the shackles that bind her in.

Novelette pricing:

Kindle 0.99

Paperback: £3.50/ $5.00

Amazon Link: http://mybook.to/ALifetime 

For more information and reviews: https://gibbsdream.wordpress.com/my-published-stories-a-lifetime-or-a-season/