I met Cathy this year when she became a Crooked Cat author, her first novel Pride and Regicide having been published by Crooked Cat three weeks ago - though she's not new to writing.
Cathy's worked as a life model, civil servant and childminder before becoming a professional writer. She has won 20 literary awards, including the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Prize and the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest, and her work has appeared in over 200 publications. Cathy's books are 'Contains Strong Language and Scenes of a Sexual Nature' and 'Look at All the Women' (both poetry), 'How to Win Writing Competitions' (nonfiction). and 'Pride & Regicide - a Mary Bennet Mystery' (a novel). See her listings for cash-strapped writers at www.compsandcalls.com, updated on the first of every month. Cathy lives in Cheshire, UK.
(Read to the end of the excerpt to find out more about Cathy's competitions and inspiring wins!)
I'll be reading my copy of Pride & Regicide soon, since I'm gradually whittling down my kindle queue. I love reading Jane Austen's books so I'm sure to enjoy Cathy's humorous murder mystery based on daily life in the Bennet- style household.
Here's what Pride and Regicide is all about:
"Regicide? Oh, heaven preserve us! Was it the French? They will kill us all, and make us eat strange sauces."
So says Mrs Bennet, but the king is not dead -
Miss King is dead, and it looks
like murder.
Three years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Mary Bennet puts her formidable mind to work to solve the case, armed only with philosophy, her best friend, Cassandra Lucas, and some nifty detective techniques involving embroidery...
Three years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, Mary Bennet puts her formidable mind to work to solve the case, armed only with philosophy, her best friend, Cassandra Lucas, and some nifty detective techniques involving embroidery...
Cathy's very gallantly sent along a photo for us to admire- of herself and her new husband looking very swish in 'Bennet' attire! She's also included a wonderful excerpt that really whet's the appetite, especially for anyone who hasn't yet bought a copy of Pride and Regicide. I have to admit to picturing the cast of a certain BBC mini series version of Pride and Prejudice that came out in 1995 (THE Colin Firth /Jennifer Ehle one) as I read this excerpt- and that was my most favourite film of the decade!
Excerpt
“Murder!” exclaimed
everyone, and
then they all began to talk at once.
When the hubbub had
subsided
somewhat, Mr Wickham said, “Miss Bennet, can you be so sure that
what you saw
was the shadow of another person? Might it not have been anything
on such a
sunny day – the shadow of the bell itself, for instance?”
Everyone looked at
me for my
answer.
“No, sir, it could
not,” I said,
in a tone that was, I fear, cross. “It was shaped like a person,
not a bell,
and it moved like a person, not a bell or a tree or a cloud or
anything else.”
Mr Wickham bowed and
asked no
more.
“A single shadow
seems an awful
lot upon which to base a theory of murder!” said Charlotte
Collins.
“Oh, but the shadow
is not all,”
said Cassandra excitedly. “There is also the matter of—”
I silenced her with
the angriest
of looks, and she looked quite deflated.
“The matter of what,
Cassandra?”
Lydia asked.
“Oh – nothing – that
is – nothing
that signifies. I am over-excited and not certain of what I am
saying,” said
Cassandra, and looked at me with such misery that I forgave her on
the spot.
“I still say that it
is the
French,” said Mother. “Who else behaves in this manner? It is
quite historical.
If you look at trouble and death in the history of England, I am
assured that
the French are entirely to blame for more than two-thirds of it.
Depend upon
it, they are in this somewhere.”
As Lady Lucas had
one French
grandmother (who was by all accounts the most genteel and charming
of ladies,
renowned for the sweetness and goodness of her character as much
as for her
beauty and noble birth), this was not tactful. Lady Lucas sprang
to the defence
of the French, saying (with some justice) that there was no reason
to suspect
that they had a hand in the current case. Mrs Bennet disagreed,
and the
argument fixed the attention of the table away from me, for which
I was
heartily thankful.
“Enough of such
serious matters,”
said Sir William Lucas after a while. “Fortunately you ladies do
not have to
deal with politics – we shall do so over our brandies, and you may
rest assured
that we shall find out the matter. If there is anything to be
done, then I
shall take steps to interest the Court in the affair.”
This was a hint that
the ladies
should stop meddling and giving their opinions of matters that
should not
concern them. The argument was curtailed. Lady Lucas set the
example of
withdrawing to the drawing room, and we followed.
“Mary,” said
Cassandra. “I am
quite disconsolate. I would never have betrayed the secret, only –
only I could
not let Miss King be suspected of suicide.”
“No, I understand,”
I said. “Though
I hope that our minister would not have jumped to such dreadful
conclusions as
Mr Collins did. But I do not blame you, Cassandra. I only looked
at you so
angrily to prevent you from telling of the glove.”
“Oh yes! Of course,”
said
Cassandra. “Do you know – that remark about you knowing all was
the first time
I have spoken out loud like that in company. I am grown quite
brave. That is
why I almost blurted out The Secret of the Glove.”
She said it like
that, in
magiscule, as if it were a chapter in a novel.
“I am glad that you
are grown
brave, Cassandra,” I said. “But I hope for Miss King’s sake that
this courage
will be mixed with discretion.”
“Oh yes,” said
Cassandra, happy
now that she had been understood and forgiven. “I expect that I
will never dare
to speak out again for five years or so.”
“I hope that you
will, much
sooner than that,” I said. “But not about anything concerning the
murder. I
wonder what the gentlemen are saying on the matter? They have
probably
discounted all our information, and are making themselves seem
wise with
political reflections about France, or on the frailty of the
female sex.”
“Mary! What a
dreadful thing to
say!”
“I speak from
experience,
Cassandra, which renders my discourse allowable according to
philosophical
principles. Once, when I was just fifteen, I listened at the
door.”
What a fantastic line to stop at...Cathy! (I need one of those **wink** emoticons here)
And now here's some great advice from Cathy for winning competitions...and getting material benefit from it.
As for 'How to Win
Writing Competitions - and make money', I wrote it to show people
how to win prizes for their writing without paying out lots in
entry fees. It's the system I use myself, and I've gone from
winning nothing at all to winning 20 writing competitions. My
prizes have ranged from £1000 to a honeymoon in Italy! The
publicity also helps to sell books.
My books are
available from:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/577077
http://www.mothersmilkbooks.com/index.php/shop/product/133-look-at-all-the-women-by-cathy-bryant
http://www.mothersmilkbooks.com/index.php/shop/product/133-look-at-all-the-women-by-cathy-bryant
Thanks for joining me today, Cathy, and my very best wishes for great sales of your books.
Slainthe!
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