What's Your Pleasure?

Betting it All available HERE

by Cate Masters

Writing advice floods the web. Many say authors MUST have a brand, stick to one genre. Label yourself clearly so readers will know exactly what they'll get when they pick up one of your books.

I disagree. I say, go with your gut. Give your passion free rein, let it sweep you up into its arms and carry you away wherever it will. Passion is contagious. If you get caught up in it, then so will readers.

To me, genre ranks way below the story itself - whether the characters are compelling, the premise is engaging, the story keeps you turning pages. But then, I'm an eclectic reader. You'll find on my bookshelves everything from literary, mainstream, speculative and scifi, fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, horror and more. And that's just the fiction. Plenty of nonfiction titles are squeezed in there too, from poetry to reference to historical.

But the difference between the historical books I own and those I read in school is simple. Passion comes through in every one. The writers loved their subjects, were captivated by them, and couldn't wait to share.

That's how I feel about my own stories. And you've probably guessed I'm an eclectic writer as well. Paranormal, contemporary, mainstream or historical, the genre doesn't matter. I get caught up in them, and can't wait to share them.

Betting It All is my latest historical. I like to choose time periods or areas or events that are a little out of the ordinary, something readers might not know too much about, but will find as interesting as I do. This story's set during the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco - not quite a Western, not quite a Victorian. But it's full of great characters who have great hearts. Not to mention passion. :)

Do you have a favorite genre? Or do you just love a good story?

Here's the blurb for Betting It All:

Norah Hawkins wants a new life as far from her old one as possible, but where can she ever find that chance? When a letter arrives promising her the deed to property in San Francisco, Norah packs her bags and flees the broken shards of her troubled past.

With its anything-goes atmosphere, 1906 San Francisco suits Irishman Gerard MacKenzie just fine. He loves tending bar in Norah’s saloon, and verbally sparring with the shrewd businesswoman for more privileges and work. Her beauty, wit and sass make his blood boil with need.

But disaster looms over their promising new lives when a terrible earthquake buries their dreams and threatens to shatter their future. Norah and Mac must rebuild their lives from the ruins and they’ll need each other more than ever, but can their ties to each other save them or tear them apart?

Available from

Decadent Publishing http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=823&osCsid=9ti2eht9jasdt0l411ksvqdhk7

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Betting-it-All-ebook/dp/B00EJQDMHY/ref=sr_1_34?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376520296&sr=1-34

All Romance

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bettingitall-1268390-340.html

Barnes and Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1116477095?ean=2940148442585

Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Cate loves to hear from readers! Email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com

Catch up to Cate

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sign up for Cate's newsletter through her blog

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Real-life heroes and heroines

Betting it All available HERE

by Cate Masters

My husband’s addiction to The History Channel can be a good or bad thing. Bad when it’s a seeming replay of war and all its related weapons (in much too much gory detail) but good when it sparks a story idea. Some time ago, a feature about the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco caught both our attentions.

Like most story ideas, it gelled in my brain awhile, niggling at me to learn more. Being the research addict I am, I trolled the Web and found a treasure trove of stories waiting to be told. Stories of real-life heroes and heroines who overcame immense odds to rebuild the city after its worst tragedy to date.

Before the great quake, San Francisco was one hot city. The ninth largest in the U.S., it was home to 400,000 people, and rife with crime, prostitution, opium dives and most any vice you can imagine, mostly concentrated in the Barbary District. There, the city’s Vice Squad – for a price, of course – turned a blind eye to the scandalous dance halls, peep shows and whorehouses. More tame fun awaited at the Chutes and Zoo, an amusement park, or the Golden Gate Donkey Rides, where children could ride in goat carts or on donkeys.

Ragtime music was in its heyday, and Enrico Caruso enjoyed immense popularity – he was actually in town during the quake, having performed the night before at the Grand Operahouse.

While Enrico survived the earthquake, not much else in the city did. The Richter Scale had not yet been invented, but geologists estimate the quake to be equal to 7.8, and more than 270 miles of the San Andreas Fault ruptured. More than 3000 people lost their lives, either during the quake or in the resulting fires that destroyed what the quake had left.

The Golden Gate Bridge had not yet been constructed, so residents used the ferry to get back and forth to outlying islands. Trying to crowd onto that ferry to escape the devasation, more lost their lives.

How the survivors managed to carry on, I don’t know. But they did, in an incredible, roll-up-your-sleeves and get-down-to-business way. After President Teddy Roosevelt sent the military with wagonloads of rations, people set up tent cities, food lines and began cleanup efforts. Businesses reopened within days, as shopkeepers were determined to rebuild. Again, every single story told of actual heroes, many who never found recognition for their amazing courage.

In real life, such disaster is heartwrenching. In fiction, it’s fodder for a great story, especially when it has such a hopeful aftermath. I loved placing my heroine and hero in these circumstances. Already down and out, Norah Hawkins and Gerard “Mac” MacKenzie are looking for a better life in San Francisco. Do they find it? Well, you’ll have to read the story to find out. :)

And as of today, you can! It's release day for my historical novella Betting It All! Woot! :)

Here’s the blurb:

Norah Hawkins wants a new life as far from her old one as possible, but where can she ever find that chance? When a letter arrives promising her the deed to property in San Francisco, Norah packs her bags and flees the broken shards of her troubled past.

With its anything-goes atmosphere, 1906 San Francisco suits Irishman Gerard MacKenzie just fine. He loves tending bar in Norah’s saloon, and verbally sparring with the shrewd businesswoman for more privileges and work. Her beauty, wit and sass make his blood boil with need.

But disaster looms over their promising new lives when a terrible earthquake buries their dreams and threatens to shatter their future. Norah and Mac must rebuild their lives from the ruins and they’ll need each other more than ever, but can their ties to each other save them or tear them apart? 

About Cate

Cate Masters has made beautiful central Pennsylvania her home, but she’ll always be a Jersey girl at heart. When not spending time with her dear hubby, she can be found in her lair, concocting a magical brew of contemporary, historical, and fantasy/paranormal stories with her cat Chairman Maiow and dog Lily as company. Look for her at http://catemasters.blogspot.com and in strange nooks and far-flung corners of the web.

Cate loves to hear from readers! Email her at: cate.masters@gmail.com

Catch up to Cate

Blog     Facebook     Goodreads   Amazon

To receive extras exclusive to subscribers,

sign up for Cate's newsletter through her blog

at http://catemasters.blogspot.com