tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107051402012-01-26T17:38:41.387+01:00Online diary and journal of random musings, shameless promo, vitriolic rants and occasional bouts of gushing insanity by Kate Johnson and her smuttier alter-ego, Cat Marsters.Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.comBlogger8531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-30839698117430168172012-01-26T17:29:00.002+01:002012-01-26T17:38:41.399+01:00

It's been a season of upheaval here, even worse than it was when I was four, and the humans decided to have half the house torn down and rebuilt, which resulted in a lot of noise from the builders and even more from the Demon Puppy. I have seen many changes in my nearly six years, such as the terrible, terrible day five years ago when the Demon Puppy was first brought home. I still haven't

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-74144434818821314582012-01-17T15:10:00.004+01:002012-01-17T16:10:03.731+01:00

The very wise and lovely Julie Cohen calls the self-doubt stage of writing a book 'the crows of doubt'. You know, the bit where you're convinced the book you're writing is terrible, that the characters are one-dimensional and unsympathetic, that your plot is nonsensical and has more holes in it than Blackburn, Lancashire, that none of your jokes are funny and that your mystery plot isn't

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-47203364045482994552012-01-09T17:17:00.001+01:002012-01-09T17:25:20.145+01:00

Happy new year! Did you have a good Christmas? Stayed at home, did you, or...oh yes, and how is your sister? Mmm-hmm, oh dear. Well, it's going around this time of year, isn't it? We've all had it too. Did you do anything for New Year? No, fairly quiet one this year, a few drinks then I went to a friend's. Yep, of course I had the traditional hangover! Went for a lovely walk in Southwold the next

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-46562107170822110042011-12-19T16:08:00.000+01:002011-12-19T16:08:11.280+01:00

Firstly from me, a few minutes of Richard Armitage at his glowering best as Sir Guy in the BBC's Robin Hood. This was the character who sparked off my need to write a big, tough, unrefined man...sigh...who eventually became Harker in The Untied Kingdom. This is from the Children In Need appeal a few years back...if you ask me they should have said he'd take his shirt off if enough was raised.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-6594056382867457412011-12-14T19:01:00.001+01:002011-12-14T19:01:44.234+01:00

Its pretty chilly here in Blighty, so I'm warming myself up with some mulled wine, adapting a recipe for glugwein from a Finnish friend. Here's what you do: Get a bottle of vodka. Pour out a measure or two. Save it for vodka tonics later on. Add to the vodka: a crushed nutmeg (not ground as its too gritty); a couple of cinnamon sticks; the grated peel and juice of an orange; a teaspoon or so

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-34447954258350383522011-12-08T16:04:00.000+01:002011-12-08T16:04:04.336+01:00

I bought my Christmas cards earlier this week. Usually, I choose cards with cats on, but this year my eye was caught by this design: Because who doesn't need to take a moment to calm down during the festive season? You might also notice the image on the top of the box, which is the Help for Heroes logo. I always like to buy charity cards, and after researching and writing The Untied Kingdom, my

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-41481128079169794962011-11-24T15:52:00.000+01:002011-11-24T15:52:39.109+01:00

My lovely publishers Choc Lit are holding a short story contest where, by writing about chocolate, you can also win chocolate! We're looking for short stories of up to 1,500 words in which the central theme is chocolate - eating it, drinking it, cooking with it, or anything else. PRIZES 1st prize £200, publication on the Choc Lit website and Choc Lit’s authors corner blog and a box of

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-42766161032393979512011-11-11T18:41:00.000+01:002011-11-11T18:41:31.982+01:00

A bit of a self explanatory title here...because I've just found The Untied Kingdom on Amazon's Top 100 Customer Favourites of 2011. Thanks, Amazon customers!

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-48944579950339481782011-10-26T14:32:00.000+01:002011-10-26T14:32:55.757+01:00

Drumroll! Yes, here it is, the one we've all (well, I have) been waiting for! We've been through quite a few incarnations: photographic, cartoon, silhouetted figures; dark and gritty, pink and fluffy... but I think this, the final version, is perfect. Just the right blend of sexy, fun, and dangerous. What do you think?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-54468279022566174652011-10-21T13:33:00.001+01:002011-10-21T13:33:58.982+01:00

Step one: receive email from editor with comments and report on book. Read it, and be immediately outraged that she can find anything, anything at all, wrong with your book. Step two: drink a lot of wine and tell yourself it'll look better in the morning. Step three: Look at it in the morning (somewhat blearily). It doesn't look better. Step four. Reason that the editor's job is to find fault

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-60325764106850583582011-10-14T16:24:00.001+01:002011-10-14T16:43:29.199+01:00

Popping my head briefly out of the Editing Cave to talk a bit about playlists. Now, when I was writing The Untied Kingdom, music became almost like a character in its own right. Eve is constantly singing, playing the guitar and the piano to entertain the others and communicate her feelings, and her repertoire goes from Beethoven to Sheryl Crow. In Run Rabbit Run, there aren't any musicians, but

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-15949060862701110962011-10-10T13:57:00.002+01:002011-10-10T16:51:01.100+01:00

Today I'm being interviewed over at Alison Morton's blog, about my career history, inspirations and, of course, the lovely Major Harker. Pop over and see! And once you've read about the delicious Harker, you can buy him--for this week only--on Kindle for less than a pound! It's National Chocolate Week, you see, so at Choc Lit we're celebrating with a few special offers. And speaking of Choc Lit

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-72990733830681856122011-09-29T11:10:00.000+01:002011-09-29T11:10:33.354+01:00

I've been in hiding this last week while I sort out edits on Run Rabbit Run, and now I'm having a well-deserved break...except that as we speak I'm emailing the files to my iPad. Whoops! See you next week...

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-16134048706881591142011-09-23T17:08:00.000+01:002011-09-23T17:08:41.029+01:00

You know, I'm not sure Sophie's mind is somewhere I really want to be. It's a bit odd if you ask me. But if you want to see what happens inside the head of a dizzy blonde (apart from tumbleweed rolling around) then maybe you'd like to follow her on Twitter @TheSophieGreen. Come on, you know you want to. I mean, if you don't she might start shooting people.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-84694713741713378352011-09-20T15:44:00.000+01:002011-09-20T15:44:06.027+01:00

Next Thursday, 29th September, I will be taking part in a Writers Workshop in Guildford, along with my fellow Choc Lit-eers Juliet Archer, Sue Moorcroft, Christina Courtenay, and Margaret James. We will endeavour to answer your questions on writing and publishing, and on our books of course! And there will be chocolate. There's always chocolate. The event takes place at the Appleseed Bookshop,

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-53088739804349704962011-09-13T13:39:00.000+01:002011-09-13T13:39:31.660+01:00

I fancy a bit of an impromptu Q&A today. Yesterday I was at Victoria Library, talking about The Untied Kingdom (it's hard to get me to stop), but it was quite a small audience and I thought I might open it up a bit. So... If you're on Twitter, ask @K8JohnsonAuthor anything you like about The Untied Kingdom, using #theuntiedkingdom hashtag if you wish. When Eve Carpenter lands with a splash in

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-62703063290854846262011-09-05T16:40:00.002+01:002011-09-05T16:46:12.392+01:00

If you've been following my twitterings lately, you may have seen that my brother got married last week. As he's my only sibling, it was quite a big occasion--as Monica & Ross Geller's parents put it, "It may be the only wedding we get to throw." (But that's just because Richard Armitage hasn't met me yet). So last week was pretty busy, as alongside all the last minute preparations we also had

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-46435899896260160862011-08-26T17:06:00.001+01:002011-08-26T17:06:57.792+01:00

So, when I sent Run Rabbit Run to Choc Lit one of the first things they asked for was the hero's point of view. If you've read the Sophie Green books you'll know they're all first-person from Sophie's POV, so this obviously wasn't a small task. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised it was just what the book needed to flesh it out. I was a bit scared to write in Luke's first-person

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-20322074750500216642011-08-23T13:39:00.000+01:002011-08-23T13:39:03.926+01:00

So, you know how I teased you with the possibility of a new book contract? Well, I've just signed it. It's with Choc Lit, for Run Rabbit Run, a brand spanking new Sophie Green Mystery. When Luke Sharpe’s phone rang in the invisible hours of the morning he knew it was one of two things. Either work, which meant some sort of crisis, or Sophie, which meant some sort of crisis.Straightaway,

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-33429895119221330542011-08-19T17:49:00.000+01:002011-08-19T17:49:54.223+01:00

Where I'm at is, obviously, a grammatical nightmare, but you know what I mean. I thought I'd do a little post to tell you all what I'm up to, writing wise. My current release is--and I may not have mentioned this for about twenty seconds--The UnTied Kingdom, my cheerfully insane story of a third-world England, a washed-up popstar and the sexiest man to ever say, "I don't see no bugger else

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-41716282231277669382011-08-15T15:39:00.000+01:002011-08-15T15:39:32.333+01:00

Today is the 15th August, which means that the new edition of Your Cat magazine is now out in stores, and you should all go and buy a copy. Not just because it's a fab magazine with lots of advice, information, and utterly adorable pictures of cats, but also because my short story, The Treasure of Lady Margaret, is in it! Featuring treasure (well duh), cats and ghosts. See? My story in Your

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-27681333491712857622011-08-08T14:30:00.002+01:002011-08-08T14:32:04.084+01:00

Taxland isn't like Wonderland, in case you're wondering. I mean, everyone there will make you feel completely mad, and nothing makes sense, and there's no explanation of anything, but...wait, how was I going to finish that sentence? Anyway. About a million years ago (or four months, which is about the same in Internetland) I took a trip down to the US Embassy in London to attempt to get an

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-7742508396659312632011-08-02T21:11:00.004+01:002011-08-02T21:21:57.313+01:00

I'm clever, and I'm listening, and don't patronise me, because people have died and I'm Not. Happy. All right, no one has died, but otherwise I'm feeling a bit Sally Sparrow right now. The Doctor can't explain anything to me because he doesn't have the information himself and he's not really there anyway, and the Weeping Angels are circling, waiting to send me into the past so I can live myself

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-64338254453382403612011-07-27T13:38:00.003+01:002011-07-27T13:40:17.227+01:00

Okay, that was a tease. But today I'm blogging about why I'd cast the lovely Mr A in The Untied Kingdom (heck, in just about anything) over at the Choc Lit Author's Corner. Oh, all right. Have a little picture of him.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-19755471573531571162011-07-13T16:09:00.003+01:002011-07-13T16:10:38.834+01:00

It's fairly safe to say I haven't really been keeping up with what's in the newspapers--I've been away more than I've been at home over the last month or so, and what with conferences and jetlag I'm so tired I'm beginning to forget my own name. So when Bernardine Kennedy mentioned that she'd seen Kate Johnson's I, Spy? in the Mail on Sunday's Top Ten Ebook Downloads, I thought, hey, I've heard

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-9528293822269875032011-06-16T16:53:00.001+01:002011-06-16T16:56:54.757+01:00

It's come to my attention that I haven't blogged in, like, ages. There's a reason for this: I've been super-busy with all kinds of non-writing-related things (I know. I'd forgotten they existed) like taxes and going on holiday. And in less than a week's time--gulp!--I'll be off again, this time to New York City for the RWA National Conference. Okay, for a little holiday too. We'll call it

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-46505870564479227222011-06-01T14:39:00.001+01:002011-06-01T14:43:24.724+01:00

Yes folks, you read that right. Step right up and grab your absolutely free copy of I, Spy? on Kindle! For one month only it's free in the USA, it's free here in Blighty, it's free in Canada, heck it's free everywhere! What's that you say? You don't have a Kindle, you have a Nook? Well, it's free for you too! Are you feeling the love, everybody? Are you?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-78875585878789510452011-05-27T14:52:00.000+01:002011-05-27T14:52:35.552+01:00

En garde! RIPOSTE. Salute. Click to enlarge

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-71941332000266622892011-05-24T20:41:00.001+01:002011-05-24T20:48:09.869+01:00

Blimey, what a response! I was half expecting one or two kind reponses, but literally lost count of the overwhelming number of fabulous photos being Tweeted, blogged and Facebooked in response to my "This is what a Romantic Novelist looks like" campaign. Some absolutely wonderful shots, from the glamorous to the outrageous. There's also a gallery of wonderful photos on the RNA website, where you

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-12128650126780132432011-05-23T17:02:00.003+01:002011-05-23T17:21:37.862+01:00

You know those t-shirts that say "This is what a feminist looks like?" Well, it's given me an idea. Yesterday I posted a picture of myself looking, if I may say so, the exact opposite of the blue-rinsed, twin-setted and pearled old lady as portrayed in Claudia Connell's ludicrous Daily Mail article. Love or hate the Daily Mail, it's got a pretty damn big readership, and my heart grieves at the

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-44246747538542051742011-05-22T15:44:00.003+01:002011-05-23T17:32:36.988+01:00

Dear Daily Mail, Your recent piece on the Romantic Novelists Association summer party was a pretty terrible piece of journalism. I will refrain from commenting that this may be because you're a pretty terrible newspaper. Sweeping generalisations aside, several of the authors quoted have no recollection of saying the words attributed to them. Your piece was not only immensely patronising, it was

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-39301642502140697152011-05-19T14:41:00.000+01:002011-05-19T14:41:40.965+01:00

So, yesterday was quite eventful. In search of that elusive ITIN number, I gathered all my pertinent bits of info and set off for the American Embassy in London with Fenella Miller, neither of us entirely sure what to expect. There are men with large guns all around the Embassy, and about a billion checkpoints and staff to tell you where to go and what to do. This is just as well since it's quite

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-25986435768980042282011-05-17T15:36:00.000+01:002011-05-17T15:36:06.934+01:00

Right. Back from Southwold (a lovely time had by all, especially the Demon Puppy who seemed disappointed to return home, where she gets walked in boring fields and woods, not on fun beaches and muddy estuaries) and it's down to business. The really, really boring kind: taxes. Despite having written for three American publishers over six years, it's only now that all of them want an ITIN from me.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-45476169172409712552011-05-06T16:04:00.000+01:002011-05-06T16:04:49.265+01:00

I'll be away for a week, don't think I'm neglecting you or anything. Since I'm in that lovely period between finishing one book and getting stuck into the next, it's really good timing to take a holiday (all planned this way, I assure you). I'll be in Southwold, on the east coast, and fingers crossed the weather will stay as pleasant as it's been lately. When I come back, I shall be preparing

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-19971928036037256852011-04-28T16:27:00.000+01:002011-04-28T16:27:27.889+01:00

There's a lot of flag waving going on around here. Union Jacks everywhere (sorry, Union Flags, since they're not on a ship), since apparently there's some high-toned and fancy to-do at Buckingham Palace tomorrow. There's also the small matter of the flag on the cover of The Untied Kingdom--handy, that!--which I've been making the most of. My phone has a Union Flag cover, and for the launch party

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-71229472288578284972011-04-19T16:19:00.000+01:002011-04-19T16:19:37.425+01:00

Last week I held my first ever book launch at Waterstone's Bishop's Stortford, my small friendly local branch. The staff were all terrific, friendly and efficient, and allowed me to decorate their coffee shop with Union Jack bunting and tablecloths (I know. I have a Union Jack-sorry, Union Flag--on the cover of my book, which releases 28 days before the biggest royal event of the century. Union

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-75951680675519323622011-04-13T18:25:00.000+01:002011-04-13T18:25:25.020+01:00

I've blogged before about the Fantasy Movie Casting Game, and how I occasionally like to while away idle hours, like when I ought to be cleaning stuff or tidying the house, scripting my public reaction to the news that Richard Armitage would be delighted to play Major Harker in the movie of The Untied Kingdom, and how in fact he called me in advance to beg my assistance in securing the role.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-16429402511456273042011-04-08T13:12:00.000+01:002011-04-08T13:12:38.900+01:00

...interviewed on the Romantic Novelists Association blog, where you'll find me talking about salsa dancing, deranged killers, and writing like a lemming. Pop over and have a look!

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-83064685891310701942011-04-06T16:09:00.002+01:002011-04-07T09:18:15.961+01:00

Those of you in the Cambridgeshire area might like to switch on your wireless sets this evening at about 7.20pm to listen to me talking to Sue Marchant on BBC Cambridgeshire about The Untied Kingdom. I believe you'll find it on 95.7-96.0 FM. Those of you not in the Cambridgeshire area can listen online at the BBC website, and in fact I think you can use the Listen Again feature to play it back

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-74990868057760205442011-04-01T09:19:00.000+01:002011-04-07T09:20:12.309+01:00

Picture me pogoing madly around the room with loud excitable music pinging around after me, making the Demon Puppy dance on her hind legs and serenading the cats. Got that? Good. I'm so excited, The Untied Kingdom is finally out! It's available to buy in paperback from all the usual places, like Amazon UK, Amazon US, The Book Depository (with free worldwide delivery), AND it's out (or very

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-39818479717200101032011-03-28T15:45:00.002+01:002011-03-28T15:49:31.465+01:00

Today I'm pleased to interview Maj. Wm. Harker of His Majesty's British Army. Major, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me today. It's okay. I told Saskia I was reading reports and Charlie I was going for a smoke. Speaking of, d'you mind? (he gets out a cigarette and packet of matches. I tell him I don't mind at all). Ta. And yes, I know they're bad for me. I've been

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-45112827449946207012011-03-23T18:04:00.000+01:002011-03-23T18:04:16.270+01:00

This is so cool: My EPIC Award for Mad, Bad & Dangerous

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-12581794524211224922011-03-18T17:45:00.000+01:002011-03-18T17:45:41.441+01:00

Well, it was my birthday yesterday, and to celebrate I'm giving away a copy of The Untied Kingdom over on the Choc Lit blog. Pop over and leave a comment to be in with a chance of winning it. And also to see what David Tennant has to do with anything.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-21784263174818426102011-03-14T17:44:00.002+01:002011-03-14T17:44:54.666+01:00

What do you think?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-14124384693868185452011-03-13T15:45:00.000+01:002011-03-13T15:45:44.109+01:00

Quite literally! Rumours have reached my ears of the results of the 2011 EPIC awards. Via Twitter, of course. But according to all sources... Mad, Bad & Dangerous has won the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Fantasy Erotic Romance! Well. I wonder what Kett & Bael would make of all this?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-56993962333011761122011-03-07T18:17:00.000+01:002011-03-07T18:17:27.341+01:00

My lovely friend Selena Illyria is holding a blog event right now, as we speak! And yours truly has contributed not once, but twice. Because I'm just that sort of gal. From the Villains' Corner, Cat Marsters will be talking about everyone's favourite psychopath, Striker. And from the Heroes' corner, Kate Johnson will be talking about her most heroic hero, Harker. Pop over and read my thoughts--

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-42565065152104536402011-02-27T20:22:00.000+01:002011-02-27T20:22:59.497+01:00

To celebrate the release of The Untied Kingdom, over the next months I'll be blogging about it all over the place. You'll hardly be able to escape it! 1st March: Debs Day-Dreams 5th March: Nut Press 8th March: Lucie Wheeler 11 March: Love Romance Passion 18th March: Talli Roland 20th March: Strictly Writing 25th March: Choc Lit 26th March: CoffeeTime Romance 1st April: The Romance Studio

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-14791755367279003012011-02-21T17:48:00.000+01:002011-02-21T17:48:36.923+01:00

A quick post today over at Choc Lit about the ridiculous heights we scale--quite literally!--for your entertainment and instruction. I'd like to get down now...

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-69254569029176789732011-02-09T00:30:00.000+01:002011-02-09T00:30:48.811+01:00

Well, when I say 'here' I mean I don't mean the Editing Cave. No, I left that cave last week. I'm next door now, in the Rewrites Cave. Adding in some bits to the next book, before I go back and see if the whole thing actually works or not. It's absorbing, and exciting, and terrifying, because I'm flying utterly blind here. Still, if I'd wanted a boring job I wouldn't have become a writer.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-57479091483550461172011-01-24T18:07:00.000+01:002011-01-24T18:07:37.757+01:00

If you're reading this message it means I haven't made it out of the Editing Cave alive. Just remember that I love you, and there may still be hope that I'll see you again some day. I just need to overthrow the chains of my jailers--I mean editors--and break free. But whatever you do, don't come in after me. It's not safe in here.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-65096184234580840542011-01-22T00:40:00.000+01:002011-01-22T00:40:48.958+01:00

Today I'm blogging over at Choc Lit about Those Three Little Words, and my favourite examples of them in fiction. Come and weigh in!

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-70325689833895282152011-01-13T00:51:00.000+01:002011-01-13T00:51:47.963+01:00

From Just Erotic Romance Reviews: Dreaming of You is a highly entertaining, erotic and romantic tale about two people who loved each other a long time... The love scenes they conjure are quite magnificent, highly passionate and kinky especially when Tam joins them in the fun. I found myself enjoying the humor Matt and Tam get themselves into, which had me giggling out loud. Getting into Matt’s

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-30630184315326523252011-01-10T18:36:00.000+01:002011-01-10T18:36:53.893+01:00

First, happy new year. Hope 2011 fulfils its potential for you. Now, onto Doctor Horrible. If you don't know who he is, (why not??) he's the star of a 2008 web short by Joss Whedon, the genius behind Buffy and Firefly. Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog is a 45 minute mini musical about a wannabe supervillain (there just aren't enough musicals about supervillains). While Doctor Horrible is an

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-16033331628988490992010-12-28T17:30:00.003+01:002010-12-28T22:56:18.411+01:00

In a way, I'm glad it's over. Mostly because I never got the hang of typing 2010 and keep making it 1020 instead, which I'm sure you'll agree isn't a year I can talk about with quite as much authority. This passing year, however, has been pretty cool. I could do a Bridget-Jones style tot-up of all the calories eaten (but I can't count that high) or alcohol units consumed (ditto), boyfriends lost

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-66709690318415497872010-12-20T17:52:00.000+01:002010-12-20T17:52:03.967+01:00

You've got The Untied Kingdom, that's what!   I'm utterly in love with this cover. It's everything I didn't know I wanted! The dramatic black and white, the tattered flag, the detailing on the title... it's gorgeous. So that's my best Christmas present so far this year!

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-44699816983466323972010-12-19T13:59:00.000+01:002010-12-19T13:59:57.562+01:00

If you're a resident of the British Isles, you will know that the entire place is in the grip of icy weather conditions. Frozen Britain is a catastrophe, Travel Chaos is the only news headline, nothing has happened anywhere else in the world for weeks, Christmas will be ruined, and despite it happening every frigging year, no one has been remotely prepared for the severity of the situation. If,

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-40331084324048097912010-12-09T18:07:00.002+01:002010-12-10T11:53:42.277+01:00

I've been reading some of my Amazon reviews (never something to do without a stiff drink to hand) and one of them got me thinking. Well, actually several of them got me thinking, and not necessarily nice things, either (there's one review of Still Waters where the reader seems to have wandered off into fantasy land and actually made up things to complain about). But this was a review of I, Spy?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-30449953330266762272010-12-06T16:58:00.001+01:002010-12-06T22:42:21.099+01:00

So, what did you do yesterday? I took Pepper the Demon Puppy to Broadcasting House in London, that's what I did. Me and Pepper at BBC reception. I don't know why I look so grumpy there, I was actually feeling quite cheerful! Just one of those faces I suppose... And why, you ask? To audition for a new BBC3 show about badly behaved dogs. Being that Pepper barks incessantly, steals food, leaps

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-64579697807417325072010-12-01T10:25:00.001+01:002010-12-01T10:26:14.527+01:00

My lovely friend Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME is released today! Help it hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers. Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC,

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-23690059856837607012010-11-29T19:09:00.000+01:002010-11-29T19:09:19.204+01:00

Or should I say out-catted. "Er, he won't get out of my basket. What am I supposed to do about this?"

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-67750765941601991392010-11-23T18:06:00.001+01:002010-11-23T18:07:04.363+01:00

This is a post that's much more speculative than the last. Partly because it's talking about a hero who's still being written, and partly because it's someone who has had much less direct influence than Harker. Today I'm going to be talking about Luke Sharpe, who you may know as the some-time hero of the Sophie Green Mysteries. I'm currently working on rewrites for the fifth novel in the series,

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-67581884897940538892010-11-22T20:55:00.000+01:002010-11-22T20:55:06.685+01:00

At any rate, I was at time of going to press. If I'm not when you read this, trust me: Click to enlarge See, right there, 3rd column, towards the bottom? That's me, that is. And there's also a lovely press release comparing me to slightly intimidatingly wonderful authors. My Twitstream has nearly exploded.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-37379551502647486802010-11-18T19:15:00.000+01:002010-11-18T19:15:41.523+01:00

So, yesterday I was in London for the Romantic Novelists Association annual Winter Party, but before tripping off to the splendid Institute of Mechanical Engineering, I spent some time wandering around the Museum of London. I'd originally gone there as a friend had told me they had a London Bridge exhibit, which was no longer there when I visited (although I've just been reading about the London

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-51819654900028292572010-11-11T01:34:00.000+01:002010-11-11T01:34:59.078+01:00

So, today we're going to to be talking about the hero of the Untied Kingdom, and you know what that means, don't you? Yes! Completely gratuitous pictures of Richard Armitage! Will Harker, AKA Richard Armitage Harker came out of my desire to write a hero who was dark and gritty. A Real Man. Someone who faced danger so often it was mostly boring. Someone heaped with frustration and

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-74316938435678454962010-11-08T17:24:00.000+01:002010-11-08T17:24:35.219+01:00

My first post at the Choc Lit authors' blog is now live! (After much gnashing of teeth and swearing at Wordpress. Blogger, I forgive you utterly. Your image uploader is really annoying, but at least it actually works). Any road up, here I am, talking a little bit about The Untied Kingdom and posting gratuitous pictures of Richard Armitage. Enjoy!

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-17090543589560856242010-11-05T17:54:00.000+01:002010-11-05T17:54:43.114+01:00

What does my erotic romance hat look like? Bit of a scary prospect, isn't it? Well, not to worry, I'm not posting pictures, just wibbling on a bit over at Selena Illyria's site, where she's posted an interview with me as well as several (not safe for work. OMG really not safe for work) excerpts from Dreaming of You and Hardest of Hearts. Pop over to see what I think is the best and worst thing

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-8838707993425966342010-11-01T13:51:00.000+01:002010-11-01T13:51:44.383+01:00

My my, what a kinky lot you all are! When I asked which dreams you'd love to come true, you all seem to have pretty spicy dreams. Seems several of my readers harbour happy fantasies about more than one lover. Well, in that case I urge you to buy Dreaming of You, because....er, that's giving the plot away. But you won't be disappointed! In the end, however, I chose Retta's dream, because while

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-9167585184980953892010-10-28T00:05:00.000+01:002010-10-28T00:05:25.645+01:00

In case I forgot to mention, I've got a new ebook releasing from Changeling Press, 29th October 2010. Dreaming of You is a new standalone about an ancient warrior, a cursed torc, best friends in love, and Indo-Europpean phonetics. Only joking about the last one. It's Proto-Celtic, actually. Two thousand years ago, Tamenorix of the Segovantes was cursed to live forever as a sex slave, providing

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-91771387946086280282010-10-27T11:23:00.000+01:002010-10-27T11:23:47.328+01:00

Ooh, this was nice to wake up to: Not as nice as, say Richard Armitage, but still quite nice, nonetheless. I'd almost forgotten I'd entered Mad, Bad & Dangerous for this. Since it was formerly known as The Book That's Going To Kill Me, this is a nice bit of validation.   Even if it's absolutely the last time I write a violent belligerent heroine and a feckless psychopath hero. Well, maybe.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-54820006495653251592010-10-26T23:02:00.000+01:002010-10-26T23:02:15.723+01:00

So, I have a book releasing on Friday, five people coming to stay, a whole house to clean and repair in tiny, time-consuming ways, cupcakes and bread to make, one ridiculously messy office to empty and a Demon Puppy with a limp. D'you think anyone would notice if I hid in the bathroom until, say, Monday?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-40942696969643943592010-10-23T16:29:00.006+01:002010-10-24T13:03:01.227+01:00

Well, of locations used, at any rate. The Cornish village of Port Trevan where the first part of Still Waters takes place is based on the lovely village of Port Isaac, which I visited last week. I thought I'd take some pictures so you can see the locations for yourselves, and add an excerpt or two where relevant.   Eventually we found the cottage, hiding away on a little alleyway that was,

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-88079460257766498302010-10-18T14:09:00.000+01:002010-10-18T14:09:24.770+01:00

So, I'm back from Cornwall, and while I sort through my photos and reminiscences (that's surprisingly hard to spell), I thought I'd share the lovely things that happened while I was away. Firstly, a lovely new review for Mad, Bad & Dangerous, from those gorgeous folks at Joyfully Reviewed: When you are suddenly handed happiness, would you know to grab it and hold on? Mad, Bad & Dangerous does

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-15557388213850228572010-10-08T23:33:00.001+01:002010-10-08T23:34:28.408+01:00

So, tomorrow I'm off to Port Isaac, which is the real life setting for the first part of Still Waters. I based a lot of the story on real places, including the cottage where the SO17 team stayed, the Blue Dolphin pub, and Tintagel where Sophie and Luke share an important moment. Does anyone have any photo requests? I can't photograph the interior of Maria's aunt's cottage, but I can show you the

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-61771951262446178922010-10-06T17:50:00.000+01:002010-10-06T17:50:04.686+01:00

I love this game. I can while away hour after hour giving imaginary interviews to camera about how wonderful it is to have the perfect cast for the movie of my book. Don't pretend you don't do it too. A fan emailed me the other day about my Sophie Green books and mentioned that her perfect Luke would be Alex Pettyfer. I looked at him and thought: she's right, except for one detail: Pettyfer is

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-11953777661596304732010-10-01T14:48:00.002+01:002010-10-02T00:24:35.566+01:00

I know. If the answer's not me, then this is a really pointless post. But the answer is me, so hussah! Those lovely folks at Choc Lit have offered a contract on my The Untied Kingdom, starring of course my beloved Richard Armitage Major Harker. In terms of the yummy stuff, Harker is plain chocolate. Ungarnished, with plenty of bite, and quite bitter, but darkly delicious and very hard to say no

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-14743434082016279622010-09-28T11:03:00.000+01:002010-09-28T11:03:08.899+01:00

Well, okay, it was Monday when it went live, but it was also a wee bit late on this side of the globe, so I'm posting the news this morning. I've been interviewed over on Bethany's blog about Sophie Green, Almost Human, swearing, Joss Whedon and our mutual love of Hugh Jackman. Go and visit, you can even win stuff!

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-70791070024103943762010-09-23T17:06:00.000+01:002010-09-23T17:06:10.708+01:00

I was going to post something intelligent about heroes and heroines with physical and emotional flaws, but instead I'm posting a picture of Richard Armitage with a big gun. There. Thought you'd like that.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-60882206699598104292010-09-17T17:37:00.003+01:002010-09-17T17:40:17.712+01:00

There's this weird period at the end of a book, before the edits, where I feel like I'm in limbo. Depending on the book and the publisher, it can sometimes be a matter of days before I get edits back, or a matter of weeks. And it's a strange time, because I've just finished a book and there's all the "Wait! I should have put that in!" moments of panic, plus I miss the book and start wondering

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-84064847994299874452010-09-10T18:13:00.001+01:002010-09-10T18:34:16.071+01:00

So I just came back from Center Parcs and they have a pottery painting studio, which sounds geeky but is actually way fun. True to form, I painted a wine cooler, and I painted it with my cats, because I missed them. Here's Spike lounging on a vine and Daisy trying to climb it. Jack stalking and Jemima hiding in the grass (I painted stripes on her legs and she doesn't have them. But I didn't

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-35219378616626720862010-09-04T15:18:00.001+01:002010-09-04T15:18:53.708+01:00

In case anybody was wondering what I was on about with The Coral and Dreaming of You, here it is: Yeah. It's kind of a weird video. FYI, my ancient-warrior-and-best-friends-in-love story is now officially called Dreaming Of You. So, that's why. Sort of.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-64299964077742250062010-09-03T15:57:00.000+01:002010-09-03T15:57:19.851+01:00

...attempting to write the end of my next Changeling Press novella, which doesn't even have a proper title yet and which is going to be about a million words too long at this rate.  ...swearing at my inability to do the above. ...attempting to plan, at least in my head, what I'm going to take to Center Parcs with me next week. England. September. Could be shorts and sandals, could be winter

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-73952585646405661472010-08-29T10:32:00.001+01:002010-08-29T10:35:27.835+01:00

I'm going to call it a nightmare, because it involved the following: gas explosions, bloody murders, psychopaths (and not the sexy kind) and, most frighteningly of all, going back to school. In said dream I was once again at school, and being brainwashed into causing chaos, like opening a gas valve so that when Chemistry students lit their Bunsen burners, the whole building would explode. Except

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-34727342445851253062010-08-24T13:40:00.001+01:002010-08-24T13:41:20.029+01:00

Yesterday I posted a picture of three lovely young men from the TV series Spartacus: Blood & Sand. And I'm so very glad you all enjoyed looking at them. I enjoyed looking at them too, on screen, sometimes wearing even less than in the pictures. But it got me thinking. What was it, apart from the muscular naked men and the cartoon violence that kept me watching all series? (Yes, there is an

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-52472871234854631152010-08-23T16:23:00.000+01:002010-08-23T16:23:36.909+01:00

So, I'm finally working on something for Changeling Press, and I have my story and my characters and my backstory and my episodes of Spartacus: Blood & Sand (for inspiration, ahem) and my research into Proto-Celtic, but what I don't have is a title. Something with Warrior in it might be good, since that's what one of the characters used to be, before he was taken captive by the Romans, forced

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-17096963455744735072010-08-18T15:48:00.000+01:002010-08-18T15:48:35.263+01:00

Well, thank heaven for that. I was starting to wonder if Mad, Bad & Dangerous had been Teflon-coated. But finally, after six months, someone's reviewed it! Calloo callay. Those lovely folks over at Night Owl Romance have said some very nice things about it, calling it "Snarky, spicy, and laugh-out-loud entertaining." I'm quite happy with that! And want to go see what they've been saying nice

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-40914533547360758182010-08-08T23:20:00.003+01:002010-08-08T23:44:54.120+01:00

It's been suggested that my crush on The Master from Doctor Who, as portrayed by John Simm, is a bit odd. Why odd? Because he's a nihilistic psychopathic cipher for a bunch of megalomaniacal time travellers and he wants to destroy, let's face it, David Tennant's Doctor? Is that odd? Well, if you put it that way. But we may have established that I have a slight problem with psychopaths. I mean

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-64738225932009001252010-08-06T16:09:00.000+01:002010-08-06T16:09:15.412+01:00

Some day, I'll get back on that meme I was doing before. Some day. The other day my mum got the Autumn/Winter edition of a mail-order catalogue. "Any good?" I asked. "No, it's all stuff for old people now." NB my mother does not consider herself to be old. If pressed, she may admit to middle-aged, but she had to get to about 55 before she'd even entertain the idea. "They used to have stuff for

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-6856544353763971672010-08-03T17:18:00.002+01:002010-08-03T17:23:28.016+01:00

Been a bit late with this. Sorry 'bout that. But here are my pictures and reports from the Latitude Festival a couple of weeks ago. I'm maintaining my suntan with some success, thank you. The longest queue in the world, in which I stood with a 100l backpack and a frigging huge crate of camping equipment.  We arrived at the campsite in high winds. As the site is basically a field, there was

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-42470961783642441022010-07-23T16:55:00.002+01:002010-07-23T16:56:19.649+01:00

Well, I've been a bit absent from this blog as I've been mad busy the last few weeks. Two weeks ago was the RNA annual conference, and last week I popped my festival cherry at Latitude. Both of these required large amounts of preparation and both were utterly exhausting, requiring much recovery time! Added to which, every time I've attempted to escape to my computer during the last week I've

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-61262481313857651132010-07-22T11:01:00.000+01:002010-07-22T11:01:06.793+01:00

While I'm still sorting through photos, books, laundry, camping equipment and the slightly more-disordered mess that is my brain, I thought I'd give you all a little treat. At each RNA conference a small in-house competition is held. It's a short story contest around a given theme, and since 2010 is the RNA's golden anniversary, 'Anniversary' was the theme. And since I'm incapable of writing

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-14328342358388058132010-07-12T18:24:00.000+01:002010-07-12T18:24:21.671+01:00

I've just come back from the RNA's annual conference at the truly splendid Old Naval College in Greenwich. I've had a really fantastic time, hung out with some really wonderful people, and now I'm really tired. So tired I just used the word 'really' three times in a sentence. I'll attempt to blog about it over the next few days, before I disappear off to Latitude on Thursday, but before I do I

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-38002095983422247042010-07-07T11:06:00.000+01:002010-07-07T11:06:01.309+01:00

So I woke up this morning and it was raining. In one way, this is good: it means I won't have to water the garden. In another way, it's a disaster. Rain was not forecast for today. And yet it's raining. Rain has not been forecast for the RNA conference at the weekend. And yet will it rain? I mean, none of my shoes are possible. Why do I ever believe weather forecasts?

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-9476599607424742342010-07-06T10:55:00.001+01:002010-07-06T11:03:54.774+01:00

13. What’s your favourite culture to write, fictional or not? Hmm. I don't suppose I've ever really thought about 'culture' that way. I suppose that all depends on how you define it. A shared history, collective art and literature and music references, a vernacular, pride in all these things? I suppose then that you could define Britishness as a culture, and the one I write most about. Partly

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-21174409965453916202010-07-02T17:32:00.001+01:002010-07-02T17:49:10.968+01:00

Is it Friday already? Blimey. This is Centre Court, Wimbledon. I was there on Monday. This is Roger Federer, who was playing with such ease you wonder why everyone can't do it. Jurgen Melzer, who played Federer in the first match of the day, but lost 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Second match of the day was Serena Williams, who is through to the finals now. Serena played Maria Sharapova, who seems to

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-86664058242033964862010-06-29T16:20:00.000+01:002010-06-29T16:20:11.035+01:00

12. In what story did you feel you did the best job of worldbuilding? Any side-notes on it you’d like to share? In terms of published stories I'd say Almost Human, but in reality that's just the bastard lovechild of the earlier Realms stories I wrote (quite literally, in Chance's case). I loved, loved, loved creating that world. I made maps both of the whole world and of individual streets. I

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-5209964572998513452010-06-25T17:51:00.001+01:002010-06-25T17:52:45.610+01:00

Even a Demon Puppy needs a hobby.

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-59417168764041819692010-06-24T21:58:00.000+01:002010-06-24T21:58:02.370+01:00

It's been a while since I blogged, but I'll get back to it soon. Good weather--the kind that begs me to sit outside on my newly built terrace--has been an unexpected distraction, as has the sudden need to evacuate the loft of 17 years of accumulated crap. And we're really BAD accumulators in this house. And that loft is frigging hot this time of year. Which is probably why it need new insulation-

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-11592891164573881122010-06-16T13:43:00.000+01:002010-06-16T13:43:05.650+01:00

10. What are some really weird situations your characters have been in? Everything from serious canon scenes to meme questions counts! Mmm, not sure what 'serious canon scenes' means, unless it's a typo for 'cannon' and now I'm trying to remember if there have been any of those in my books. I'm not sure there have. I MUST rectify this. As for weird situations...how long do you have? At the last

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-7316131776004091952010-06-14T12:04:00.001+01:002010-06-14T12:06:59.730+01:00

8. What’s your favourite genre to write? To read? To read? All kinds of genres. All flavours of romance, from contemporary to historical to paranormal, and from dark to light. Although I prefer lighter contemporaries, when I think about it. I also like reading a bit of SF and fantasy, and the stuff that doesn't really fit a genre, like Jasper Fforde. To write? Hmm. Probably the paranormal stuff

Cat Marsters/Kate Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01502745299951529417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10705140.post-55609532624847606952010-06-13T17:36:00.000+01:002010-06-13T17:36:02.285+01:00

6. Where are you most comfortable writing? At what time of day? Computer or good ol’ pen and paper? At my computer in my office, which is a rather optimistic term for the spare room. I've written on my netbook before, but it's not particularly comfortable even if I've got a proper chair and table. I find the screen and keyboard too close together--and not just because it's a mini laptop.

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