Black Velvet Seductions has a new book out now, A Woman’s Secret by C.L. Koch. It is available for pre-order at a bargain price of $2.99. The release date is February 9th.
I had the chance to have a chat with Cathy, and asked her to tell me a bit about her background and her life as an author:
I live in a small apartment with my husband of 17 years and two cats. Bill works for an Automobile Wheel manufacturer here in northwest Arkansas, USA. My cats, Keva is the oldest and largest feline. She is part, Mane Coon. Narssisa is a couple of years younger and is the dainty one. The two of them are in control of our household. I believe they tolerate us, humans, because we provide the food and treats.
As for me, I was born in northern California near the coast. I am the oldest of 3 daughters. My mother is alive and well and still lives in northern California. She was my inspiration for reading at an early age. My father died a few years back.
I have two children, a daughter, and a son, and I also have two step-children, also a daughter and son. All four are adults and have homes and families of their own.
I write everywhere. That may sound funny, however; I carry a journal around with me to take notes when something pops into my head. If I do not write the thought down, I can never remember what it was. Then I head to my computer and put all the notes together. I write best after midnight. That is when I am most creative.
When I am not writing I enjoy reading, cooking, sewing, needle art, travel, photography, motorcycles, genealogy research, and a good movie. I read most of the time. I usually have a different book in the car, one in the living room and my nook is at my bedside.
Homelife is calm and quiet. Unless the neighbors are making loud noises.
I have been writing off and on since my teenage years, mostly short stories. The protagonist Hannah in A Woman’s Secret would not go away. About three years ago, I started writing down her story. The story grew with research. While doing this I picked up a book a movie had been based on. I had seen the movie. Hated the book. I could not get through the second chapter. It was terrible. Hannah’s story was better than that. So, I thought why not finish it and see what happens.
It is funny; most of my ideas come to me in the shower. Perhaps I have a water muse.
I played with A Woman’s Secret off and on for a few years. So, I am not sure how long it took to actually write it.
Anne Boleyn. I feel she was a product of her environment, having no control over her own life. Her family forced her to do what they wanted with no regard for her. She was not educated nor trained for being Queen of England or Henry VIII’s wife. No offense intended, but her death was a tragedy. As was Elizabeth’s childhood. I am working on a sequel to A Woman’s Secret. It is set about 16 years after the first book. I think you will like it.
I have a day job which has strange working hours. I either write after midnight, I like that time best. That is when it is most quiet and the characters come alive in my mind. However, if I must go to work at 7 a.m. I write in the evenings. I still carry a journal around with me to take notes. I now have goals for my writing, which I did not have with my first book.
For the books I read, it is a mix of historical fiction, fantasy, pagan studies, cookbooks, and history.
Writing tips I’d like to share. Do not be afraid. If you want to write, write, and never stop reading.
My current writing project, as I mentioned before is a sequel to A Woman’s Secret, I cannot say much about it without giving away how the first book ends. There are many of the characters from the first book and several new ones as well. Set in 1575 England, Ireland and beyond.
Cathy L. Koch.
cathylkochauthor.wordpress.com
https://twitter.com/Cathy_L_Koch
https://www.blackvelvetseductions.com/
A little taster of the story. A Woman’s Secret is a coming of age story set in the early part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This steamy, historical romance, combines a complex mixture of intrigue, spies, and pirates.
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Hannah Bingham is in love with the son of her father’s childhood friend. Within 24 hours of their wedding, she is captured and abused, her husband died and she is on the run accused of his murder, along with her father’s hired man, William.
Their anguished travels take them from England to France and then Ireland, while harried by Queen Elizabeth’s mercenary pirates. On their journey, a web of spies thwarts them at every turn and secrets are revealed on all sides. In this heart-pounding voyage, Hannah comes to realize that not everyone is who they appear to be and not everyone has her best interests in mind.
Will she ever find the true love she is desperately looking for?
A Woman’s Secret by C.L. Koch is now available, along with the new book from, Gabriella Hewitt Out of the Shadows