Sample Saturday: “Clytie’s Caller”

Hi, everyone. Today’s snippet is from my sweet Regency romance novelette, Clytie’s Caller. Enjoy!

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Samuel was just donning his hat to leave the Browning townhouse when Isabel stopped him in the foyer.

“Are you really calling on Archie’s sister? That girl is attics to let, Sam.”

“Bella, my dear, she is no such thing.”

“You saw how she ran from the Assembly Rooms; Archie was mortified.”

“She’s frightened, Bella; nothing more. Once I know why, I can help her. She’s no different from the soldiers I help every day.”

“Clytemnestra Preston has never been in battle,” Isabel scoffed.

“I beg to differ, cousin,” Samuel said, and walked out the door to mount his waiting horse.

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Want your own copy of Clytie’s Caller? It’s available in either eBook or audiobook form.

Back cover copy:

Bath, 1816. Clytemnestra Preston has become so terrified of life that she refuses to leave her room. Not even her family can convince her to take her place in Society again. Doctor Samuel Whittington, late of His Majesty’s Army, may be her only chance for a cure … and romance. Can Sam convince Clytie to open the door, and her heart?

Universal Purchase Link

Winter Promotion: After-Action Report

Hi, everyone. Well, here we are on the second day of 2022 — which also happens to be my birthday.

As I always do after a promotion, I thought I would share some statistics. I made all of my short fiction available free of charge during the holiday period. I’ll have the “sales” numbers as usual, but I did something different this time: I tallied where the sales took place.

So, first things first. Seventy-three selections were made all together. Clytie’s Caller was, as it has been since I released it, far and away the most popular download. It’s a sweet Regency romance novella, and that genre is perennially popular. Here’s how it all fell out, with numbers:

Clytie’s Caller – 21
Flowers of Europe – 7
A Light Across the Lake – 7
Through the Opera Glass – 6
His Beloved Infidel – 5
It Happened in Memphis – 5
Down on the Corner of Love – 4
Hard-Boiled Blues – 4
Last Stop: Storyville – 4
Two Days in June – 4
Yellowjack and the River Man – 4
The Rock Star in the Mirror (Or, How David Bowie Ruined My Life) – 2

Here’s the geographic breakdown:

United States: 41
Country not listed – 11
Ethiopia – 11
Germany – 8
Canada – 4
Malaysia – 2
United Kingdom – 2
India – 1
Philippines – 1
Spain – 1

I have to say, Ethiopia gave me food for thought. The average income in Ethiopia works out to about $170 USD/year. That means there is not a lot of money for books. That a reader there would take the time to select 11 of my titles was huge.

If you selected one of my books this time, I do hope you will enjoy it and leave a positive review at your site of choice. Thank you, as always, for being such great readers and friends.

Year-End Gift For You: All of My Short Fiction is Free!

Hi, everyone. Once again, I’m participating in Smashwords’ Year-End Sale. I’ve made all of my short fiction free as a gift to you, including the entire Pocketful of Stories series. Here are the links, blurbs, etc.

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Around the World in 80 Pages: Ten short stories of various genres, each taking place in a different location. With subject matter ranging from paranormal to historical fiction, urban fantasy to literary fiction, there is something in this sampler for everyone. 

The Rock Star in the Mirror  (Or, How David Bowie Ruined My Life): Joe is a small-town Oregon guy. He’s madly in love with Lynnie … who has a huge crush on David Bowie. Joe will do almost anything to get Lynnie’s attention, but there are always consequences.

Through the Opera Glass: Author Sharon E. Cathcart took up a challenge in 2012: to write flash fiction and full length short stories based on various prompts. Each story features one or more characters from In The Eye of The Beholder: A Novel of the Phantom of the Opera or its sequel, In The Eye of The Storm. Brimming with historical detail, the stories in this collection range in place and time from 19th Century Persia to post-World War II San Francisco.

His Beloved Infidel: Farukh and Catherine are colleagues at Paris’ World Language Institute. He is Persian; she is American. Can their newly-discovered love survive the strain of Iran’s Islamic Revolution? Set against the backdrop of real-world events, this inter-ethnic romance tells the story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.

Clytie’s Caller:  Bath, 1816. Clytemnestra Preston has become so terrified of life that she refuses to leave her room. Not even her family can convince her to take her place in Society again. Doctor Samuel Whittington, late of His Majesty’s Army, may be her only chance for a cure … and romance. Can Sam convince Clytie to open the door, and her heart? 

 

Last Stop: Storyville: Riding a New Orleans streetcar is an everyday occurrence for Tulane freshman Jimmy Arceneaux (Bayou Fire). But one evening, things are different.

Yellowjack and the Riverman: Yellow fever. Voodoo queen Marie Laveau. A long-lost relative’s homecoming. The Underground Railroad. All of them are part of Alcide Devereaux’s (Bayou Fire) continuing story.

A Light Across the Lake: Return to Paris’ glamorous Opera Garnier, and the world of the award-winning Seen Through the Phantom’s Eyes series! A Light Across the Lake is the tale of apprentice set builder Lucien Dubois, who is determined to see what lies in the fifth cellar. Will his exploration raise the ire of the infamous Opera Ghost?

Down on the Corner of Love: Being a civil rights activist isn’t easy in rural Louisiana. Raine’s found herself ostracized and alone because she’s a woman who speaks her mind. Fed up, she leaves her country world behind for beautiful San Francisco. There, Raine meets a new best friend, Jo, who is free-spirited and living life to the fullest. But Jo’s in more danger than Raine realizes.

Two Days in June: Starvation. Fear. Fighting in the streets. It’s June 1832, and Paris is once again at war. The students of the Sorbonne rise up against those in power, believing that right and the people are on their side. But King Louis-Philippe has other plans.

Flowers of Europe: Thaddeus Flowers, American inventor and charming rake, is chasing adventure and romance across Europe. English scientist Arabella Abingdon is always one step ahead of him. Join the excitement in these steampunk-tinged historical tales that take you from Hyde Park to the Place des Vosges. 

It Happened in Memphis: Evie Boudreaux has a knack for seeing history in action. Why? Because she sees ghosts. Come along on a visit to Tupelo and Memphis, and see the earliest days of rock music through Evie’s eyes! 

Hard-Boiled Blues:  Two dead bodies. Two policemen, one in New Orleans and one in Memphis. Not all crimes have easy solutions in the Jim Crow South.  It’s enough to make you sing the blues.

The promotion runs through January 1, 2022, and you’ll find formats for any eReader. Happy holidays to you!

Sample Saturday: “Clytie’s Caller”

Hi, everyone. This week’s sample is from my sweet Regency romance novella. Enjoy!

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It was a tearful and timid Clytemnestra who arrived at the Assembly Rooms, Her eyes were wary as she found seats for Susan and herself, a little bit away from the throng and close to the door. Her parents, as well as Archie and Isabel, were part of the crowds doing their “see and be seen” circuit, walking around the room.

Only one person seemed to notice Clytie’s discomfort: a physician named Samuel Whittington. A cousin of Isabel’s, he had recently resigned his Army commission and worked with his fellow veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. He was lean and handsome, with dark hair and brown eyes, and many a young woman had set her cap for the dashing doctor.

When he saw Archie and Isabel chatting with Clytie, Samuel sought an introduction … and noticed Clytie’s tension ratchet up all the further.

“I must go,” she choked out, and ran out the door with Susan at her heels.

“You’ll have to excuse my sister,” Archie apologized. “She does not do well at routs any more.”

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Want to find out what happens next in Clytie’s Caller? Here are the back cover copy and purchase links.

Bath, 1816. Clytemnestra Preston has become so terrified of life that she refuses to leave her room. Not even her family can convince her to take her place in Society again. Doctor Samuel Whittington, late of His Majesty’s Army, may be her only chance for a cure … and romance. Can Sam convince Clytie to open the door, and her heart?

Amazon (Geo-targeted link will take you to the site for your country); Apple Books; Audible; Barnes & Noble; BOL (Belgium & Netherlands); Booktopia (Australia); Chapters Indigo (Canada); Fnac (France); Gandhi (Mexico);  iTunes Audiobook; Kobobooks (also available for 2400 SuperPoints); La Feltrinelli (Italy); Livraria Cultura (Brazil); Mondadori (Italy); Porrua (Mexico); Rakuten Japan;  Scribd; Smashwords; Walmart.

Day 5 Recap, #HNS2021

Gang, I feel a little braindead just now. Not gonna lie. These 4 AM wake-ups are *hard.* One more to go, as the conference ends tomorrow.

So, yesterday I thoroughly enjoyed another session with Lisa See. We talked about The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. The book is about the Akha people … and about pu’er tea. A former boss had brought me a brick of it some time ago, and I finally broke the seal yesterday to enjoy some during the talk.

I was also able to take part in a great discussion about book covers first thing in the morning. We all learned a lot from each other.

There were some technical difficulties during two sessions, including one by K. Orme on using invisible illness in historical fiction. I’ve done that in In the Eye of The Beholder, In The Eye of The Storm, Clytie’s Caller, Bayou Fire, and more. I am looking forward to watching the recording once it’s available because I know I missed important information.