Novel News

All’s quiet on the farm in July…lambs growing, pastures wilting in the heat, dogs panting in the shade…so I’ll take a few minutes to mention two things:

First, you can now subscribe to this blog—see column to the right.

Second, my new novel, The Spanish Pearl, is out and available. It’s been really fun getting unsolicited feedback from readers I don’t know, which is the beauty of the Internet.

Here’s a sample from L in Illinois:

“I just finished The Spanish Pearl for the SECOND TIME! Wowzers, what a fantastic book….Parts of it have stayed with me well after I’ve finished reading. Kate is a terrific heroine, and I love how her 21st century sassiness comes to play in 1085. I laughed out loud at many of her exploits, and teared up when she helped Luis find himself. I look forward to the sequel, so Catherine, please keep up the great work.”

Words like this can keep me floating above the barn for hours.

Food for thought: In my reading life I’ve read hundreds and hundreds of books with straight protagonists and straight romances. I’ve watched hundreds and hundreds of movies with straight protagonists and straight romances. Yet here I am, still a lesbian! I’m pretty sure it works the other way as well—straight men and women will be able to read a novel about a gay woman, and still remain straight.

What’s most important is story, not sexuality. Does the story grip you? Does it make you laugh? Do you keep thinking about the characters after the book is over? I write stories to escape the despair and violence and pressures surrounding all of us in the twenty-first century. If that’s what you’re looking for too, consider giving The Spanish Pearl a try. You could lose yourself in another person’s life for a few hours without endangering your sexuality, whatever it might be.

Here’s the official description of the book:

When Kate Vincent and her partner travel to Spain, Kate is accidentally transported back in time…way back in time…to 1085. What does a woman like Kate do in a world of no antibiotics, no feminism, no Diet Coke? She denies it as long as possible, then sets her mind to getting home. Tricky with her now useless twenty-first century skills.

Things don’t go well. Kate is captured by a band of mercenary soldiers and becomes an unwitting pawn in the violent conflict between the Catholic kings and the Islamic Moors. In her struggle to stay alive and return to the future, Kate must flee exotic harems, filthy dungeons, and treacherous Moorish courts. But when a sword-brandishing woman with an astonishing secret sweeps into Kate’s life, Kate is suddenly torn between two women, and between two centuries.

The Spanish Pearl is an epic adventure spiced with humor, lust, and danger—a story with surprising twists that will capture your imagination just as Kate’s dilemma captures your heart.

For more reviews, reader comments, and links to buy the book, from this blog’s right column choose the link to Catherine Friend. I tried to put the link in here, and failed miserably. Maybe next time….

We now return to you our regularly scheduled farm blog.

Our ducks Daphne and Chloe have both hatched their eggs—Daphne 14, Chloe 10…photos to be included in next post if Daphne doesn’t attack the photographer. That would be me.