Easter Update – two free books

Elizabeth Clansham book coverAs we approach Easter here in the UK, the weather is decidedly unseasonal.  The prevailing snow and sub-zero temperatures mean it’s the perfect time to take advantage of a final opportunity to acquire ‘Elizabeth Clansham,’ my novella set in the snowy Scottish Highlands, before it ceases to be free on Smashwords after Easter.  As the anti-hero, Andrew, is given to saying (though, of course, he doesn’t actually adhere to his adage), ‘It’s the things you don’t do in life that you regret,’ so get hold of the book for free while you still can!

Also free on Smashwords at present is my World War II novelette, ‘TheHangar Dance.’

If you read and enjoy either book, I’d be appreciative of ratings, recommendations and reviews anywhere and everywhere.

Happy Easter!

Christmas 2012-13 Update

Danburgh cover 2bI have various things to report happening over the festive season.  Firstly, I’m running two promotions:

World War II romantic novelette, ‘The Hangar Dance’ will be free on Amazon from 26th – 27th December.

Elizabeth Clansham, my contemporary novella set in the Scottish Highlands, is now free to download from Smashwords.  If you’re looking for a Christmas read, it’s the perfect book as much of the action is set over the holiday period and it’s a compact enough read to complete over the holidays!

I hope you enjoy reading the books if you download them and, as always, will be very appreciative of positive ratings, recommendations and reviews anywhere and everywhere!

Also, over Christmas, I will be publishing Danburgh Castle, Medieval novelette, on Smashwords – see the new wintry cover above!  This has received mixed reviews so far (much more favourable from UK readers than US, in general, interestingly enough) but I think if you like your heroes tall, dark and commanding and your romances short, dark and gothic in tone, it may be a story for you!  Excitingly, Danburgh Castle has recently had its first downloads on Amazon Japan, which I’m really thrilled about!

Lastly, I’ve also been really pleased to discover in recent times that ‘Brizecombe Hall’ continues to attract attention from fans of the Bronte sisters.  It’s currently being read by Swedish-UK blogger, Traxy, as part of her marathon campaign to read all things Jane Eyre-related.  It’s also featured on an Italian Jane Eyre fan-site.

Well, with those global snippets of info., I shall wrap up.  I wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and happy reading over the holidays.

Reviews of ‘The Beacon Singer’ & ‘Elizabeth Clansham’

Over the last few days I’ve been delighted to read the first review of ‘The Beacon Singer’, penned by women’s fiction writer, Darian Wilk.  Read the review and my guest post (about Jane Austen’s portraits and my ongoing angst concerning the romance genre!) here:

http://krazybooklady.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/review-beacon-singer-by-catherine-e.html

Reviews, it would seem, are like buses (or men, as poet Wendy Cope said!)  Not only did I receive my first review of ‘The Beacon Singer’ recently but I also received an unexpected review of ‘Elizabeth Clansham’ from Katy Sozeava, and I’m happy to say that, despite Katy’s open admission that romance is not really her thing, she enjoyed the book.  Read her review here:

http://katysozaeva.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/review-elizabeth-clansham.html

I was particularly pleased that Katy appreciated the humour in the book and that she saw it as literary fiction, which was useful feedback in my eternal quest to properly describe the stuff I write…!

Elizabeth Clansham

My novella, ‘Elizabeth Clansham,’ is available to buy from Smashwords and their retailers, and from Amazon (UK and US).  It’s a contemporary, realist story, set in the Scottish Highlands, with romantic storylines.

‘A finely-crafted tale of social interactions, of love and of finding yourself, all tied up into small-town life,’ (Goodreads review, Sept. 2011).  To read more reviews, see the book’s Goodreads page.

The book is now also available in print from CreateSpace & Amazon.