Mark of Caine - Hidden in the Shadows

Hey ladies! (and gents ... we know you're out there...)

We picked up a copy of Lost Island by Phyllis A. Whitney, published in 1970 in its original jacket from a used book sale. It now has a prominent place in the office to remind us of what we loved so much about this romance sub-genre. Good writing, skilled plotting and a breathtaking love story. She was the master!

The first installment of Mark of Caine hits the shelves on May 2nd. An Amazon exclusive! Do not let the length dismay you. It is about 2 chapters shorter than originally planned because Catherine Lloyd suffered a shoulder injury during the writing and was forced to shorten the first installment to do physiotherapy. 

BUT! We've read the next two episodes and they more than make up the difference. Trust us. This complex love story will keep you up at night. 

Buy it or Borrow it through Kindle Unlimited

Have a great May!

Victorian Villains ... the story continues!

Mark of Caine Trilogy

Book One: Hidden the Shadows

Laura Mayhew is the only witness to a sex scandal at Windsor Castle and is swiftly dispatched to Gateshead Insane Asylum. But the girl won’t stop babbling about a stolen baby and the Princess Louise and her mad tale is beginning to attract attention. Queen Victoria summons Tanner Caine to deal with the problem. The brilliant, solitary and emotionally damaged ex-naval officer is tasked with silencing the girl, but first he must break her out of the asylum and win her trust. Laura Mayhew has been expecting a man like Tanner Caine for some time and she has her own agenda for the ruthless Mr. Caine—if she can just stay alive long enough to see it through. 

Mark of Caine is the second book in Catherine Lloyd’s Victorian Villains Gothic Romance Serials, gothic romance novels set in 1867 Victorian England. 

Preorder it on Amazon for 0.99!

Release Date: May 2nd. 

Fans of Victorian Villains Windemere Hall Trilogy will be drawn in by Tanner Caine and his mysterious connection to Laura Mayhew. Catherine Lloyd's most passionate love story yet.

Season Finale of Windemere Hall Trilogy

BEGUILED wraps up the twisted, tormented love story of Branson Hamilton and his cousin, Clara. Branson's villainy comes back to bite him when he discovers too late that he needs Clara more than his revenge.

Buy it for 0.99 or Borrow through Kindle Unlimited!

Their story is woven seamlessly into the sequel, Mark of Caine Trilogy which will be launched in June.

Into the Shadows

Laura Mayhew is the only witness to a sex scandal at Windsor Castle and is swiftly dispatched to Gateshead Insane Asylum. But the girl won’t stop babbling about a stolen baby and the Princess Louise. Her mad tale is beginning to attract attention so Queen Victoria summons Tanner Caine to deal with the problem. The brilliant, solitary and emotionally damaged ex-naval officer is tasked with silencing the girl but first he must break her out of the asylum and win her trust. Laura Mayhew has been expecting the queen to send a man like Tanner Caine for some time and she knows his true purpose in liberating her. But Laura has her own agenda for the ruthless Mr. Caine—if she can just stay alive long enough to see it through. 

Mark of Caine Trilogy is the second in Catherine Lloyd’s Victorian Villains Gothic Romance Series, gothic romance novellas set in 1867 Victorian England. 

Weight Loss and Romance

We here at Writewood Creations have been trying to lose ten pounds (each) for literally years and we've discovered a certain level of starvation is required to pull this off for inactive women in their fifties. We don't care what the diet gurus say--our research shows we lose weight when we are hungry. As in starving. So hungry that a lunch of vegetable soup tastes out of this world. (For instance, I'm really hungry now and I can't wait for my poached egg on whole grain toast. Can. Not. Wait.)

There's no other way. We don't like to exercise, especially in the winter. A collective shudder goes through the office when someone suggests a walk at noon. ("In this? Are you well?") So that's out. Hunger is the only way to whittle those pounds down. Our motto is: "If you are not hungry, you're doing it wrong."

But we've noticed an overall increase in our testiness since we started this thing. Publishing is a cranky business at the best of times. Lots of snark and general irritating nit-picky stuff to deal with. We used to console ourselves with vats of red wine and chocolate Easter bunnies. Cabbage soup doesn't have the same soothing effect as a good-old bag of Hershey's Kisses. And the worst thing is, this semi-starved state will have to be permanent. The new world order. We just can't eat like we did in our twenties.

Does reading romance novels help us stay the course? Here are our completely unscientific results from the past month. We discovered:

1) Reading warm-to-hot love stories cheered us up and helped us unwind at the end of the day.
2) Romance novels are calorie-free. You burn calories reading a book!
3) Reading an engrossing romance distracted us from being hungry and kept us out of the fridge.
4) Romantic love stories made us more amorous with our husbands. Everyone knows sex burns calories.
5) We believe reading romance stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain and reduced our cravings.

Total weight lost: 7 pounds.

Craving a doughnut? Pick up a romance instead! The craving will pass and you'll be an hour or two closer to bedtime and another day done without blowing your diet. We've got this!

February Free eBook Romance....

Love. 

it can suck you in and then spit you out. falling in love, carrying a torch, heartbreak ... why do we do it?

we celebrate romantic love this month because it takes guts to fall in love and it takes faith to stay there. (Jeremy and Jocelyn, and Ellie and Griff know what we're talking about.)

LOVE RISING

Pick up your Free copy Feb. 11-15 on Amazon

TRAITOR

Pick up your Free copy Feb 13-17 on Amazon

Groundhogs and Heartstrings

Hot New Releases for February!

BETROTHED
Shy, stammering Clara Hamilton is shocked when her father announces her betrothal to a cousin she barely knows. Her uncle’s stepson, Branson Hamilton is handsome, avaricious and rumoured to be unstable. Nineteen-year-old Clara, anxious for her father’s approval, agrees to the union unaware of what is at stake. A sinister family secret surfaces and Clara soon discovers that master of Windemere Hall has a dark revenge in store when she enters into his power. GET IT FOR 0.99 IN FEBRUARY!

Betrothed is the first episode in Windemere Hall Trilogy and launches Catherine Lloyd’s Victorian Villains Gothic Romance Serials. Steamy gothic romance in the tradition of Phyllis A. Whitney and Victoria Holt, set in 1867 Victorian England. The novellas will be released in installments like the “penny dreadfuls” of the Age. Each episode ends in a cliff-hanger. They contain scenes, language and themes written for a mature audience.

FORBIDDEN PASSION OBSESSION

Three erotic stories set in Victorian America circa 1895, a time when social pressure puts the lid on simmering desires. Three inquisitive young women and three obsessive men are set on a collision course of taboo sexual encounters. In the Tent, a naturalist can’t stop thinking about a night of forbidden lovemaking with his young assistant. Backstage at the Bijou a young actor acts out a passionate illicit fantasy with his onstage ‘sister’. In When the Landlord Calls, a grotesque landlord is tormented by an obsessive desire for one of his beautiful female tenants. GET IT FOR 2.99 ON AMAZON! Coming soon to other retailers!

FREE ON SMASHWORDS!

Is it hot in here or is it January?

After an unseasonably mild December, we are back in the deep freeze. Writewood Creations has the space heater plugged in and hot chocolate in the coffee pot.

Freshly published today and available for $2.99 at Amazon, Smashwords (all formats) and coming soon to Kobo and B&N:

Buy it on Amazon: The Storm and Doctor Dixon

Buy it on Smashwords: The Storm and Doctor Dixon

Eagle-eyed readers who can spot the difference between the Amazon blurb and the Smashwords blurb will win a free copy of the ebook. There was a last minute change at the time of publishing that did not make it to all retailers. We decided to make a game of it--how many readers will notice? If you can spot it, use the contact form to the right and let us know. A free ebook (via a coupon to be redeemed at Smashwords to allow you the format of your choice) will be yours!

Happy 2016 and best wishes from Writewood Creations!