Category Archives: Updates

Everything else, Guinevere trilogy, Updates

I’m Baaack! Updates on the Last Two Years

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Yes, I have returned to the land of the living, er…writing. The last two years have been the craziest of my life and I’ve had to take some time away from writing, but I’m back now. Here’s a little summary of what’s been going on in my world:

  1. I got married! I met Chris, the love of my life, two and a half-ish years ago and our relationship was a whirlwind. (For those who don’t know, I relocated from St. Louis to South Bend, Indiana, two years ago to live with him.) We were married on October 19, 2025, at a historic mansion here in South Bend. I plan to eventually have photos/details of our wedding online but haven’t had the time to put something together yet.
  2. I’m in the process of leaving my agent. We’ve been together for five years, but we’ve both changed focus and I need someone who is more dedicated to historical fiction. I have a few agents in mind and I’ll start querying once my next book is finished. (I will still write non-fiction as well, and may need a second agent for that, depending on what the first represents, but we’ll deal with that later.)
  3. I just got back from the 2025 Historical Novel Society conference. It was held in Las Vegas, a city that I have found is too much for me. (Too expensive, too loud, too much flashiness.) The conference wasn’t the best I’ve been to, but I had a good time, learned a lot (my favorite session was on subtext) and got to see old friends and make new ones.
  4. I’ve started ghostwriting and book coaching. I’m still at my full-time job, but to earn some extra money, I’m working for a ghostwriting agency on the side. We’re writing the last few chapters of a historical fiction book now and I’m coaching a nonfiction book as well. I’m under an NDA, so I can’t talk about them, but I can say I love both books and am having a great time on both projects.
  5. I’m working on my next novel. I’m at the end of research for my next book. I have an outline and have started envisioning my characters with the help of Pinterest. I’m hoping to finish it by November-wish. I don’t want to say too much since I can’t sell on proposal yet, but I can tell you it’s historical fiction and takes place from 1913-1920 in England. The Great War will be part of it, but it is not the focus of the book. Get ready for a moody atmosphere, feisty characters, and of course, strong women who you won’t find in most history books.
  6. I’m working on establishing my own author services (ghostwriting, book coaching, research, marketing, branding and creative/design) company as well as a design company that focuses on authorial and other events like weddings, anniversaries, graduations, etc. I’ll provide design for invitations/signage and faux florals. More information coming on those soon. (This came out of planning and DIYing my own wedding, as well as my Sex and the City book launch party in 2022.)
  7. The Guinevere’s Tale trilogy is now part of the Chanticleer Hall of Fame in the book series category! Scroll down to about halfway to see it and read reviews of all three books. At almost 10 years old, this series is still going strong!
  8. I’m obsessed with Dark Academia. For those not following trends, Dark Academia is an aesthetic that focuses on a love of books and learning. That’s the simple definition, at least. It encompasses interior design, fashion, is a book genre and much more. Hubby and I are in the process of decorating our whole house in this style. More to come.

I’m sensing a theme here…not having time to do all I want to do. Story of my life! What about you? What have all of you been up to?

PS – It’s killing me that I can’t blog our research for this ghostwriting book. I love it so much and it is so much fun! Maybe my client will be able to once the book finds a publisher.

Books, Catherine McAuley, Catherine's Mercy, Fearless Females, Fierce Females, Interviews, Sisters of Mercy, Updates

Updates and Podcasts and Lists, Oh My!

Hi, everyone! Yes, I am still here. I’ve just been quiet because my life has been crazy (in a great way)! If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that I have a serious boyfriend and am moving to South Bend, Indiana, on May 20, to live with him. So that has totally thrown everything for a loop.

But to keep you up to date on book news:

  • Podcast: I was honored to be a guest on the National Constitution Center Podcast in March, along with Dr. Sara Chatfield, assistant professor of political science at the University of Denver. (If you get a chance to read her new book, please do. She and it are amazing!) I spoke about Virginia Minor and women’s constitutional rights and she spoke about women’s marriage and financial rights in 19th century America.
  • Event: I have a free book signing and presentation at Bellefontaine Cemetery this Saturday from 2-4 p.m. This will be my last St. Louis event for a while, so please stop by if you can! You can RSVP here, but it is not required.
  • Quoted: My Sex and the City book was quoted in an article on why the show ended that appeared on The List. That has never happened to me before!
  • Edits: I’ve turned in edits for both Fierce Females on Television and Catherine’s Mercy. Both are available for pre-order. Fierce Females comes out Oct. 15 and Catherine’s Mercy comes out Nov. 7.
  • Life: With the move, I’m not currently working on a book, but I will say that my agent and I are working on some things that will hopefully get me writing full time within the next two years or less.

So yeah, nothing new to see here. With the possible exception of a Fearless Females in History post, the next time I write you will likely be from my new life in Indiana! I hope everyone is well!

America's Forgotten Suffragists, Awards, Guinevere trilogy, Sex and the City, Updates

Updates on Health, Life, Books and Everything

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I know, I know, it’s been a minute since I’ve posted anything about writing or life. I’m even late with my August newsletter. But I have reasons.

Health Update
First, some of you may have seen on social that I was in the hospital about a week and a half ago. I went in via ambulance thinking I was having a heart attack (shortness of breath, dull pain in my left arm). My heart was fine, but in the course of testing they found I had three small blot clots in my lungs. I would never have known had I not gone in. (Listen to your body! It could save your life.)

They admitted me and pumped me full of blood thinners and now I’m home, back to work and taking blood thinners at home. (Which I will likely be on for the rest of my life.) They couldn’t find a reason for the clots; all my tests came back normal, so that is really scary. I’m paranoid about making sure I don’t sit in one place for too long at a time now.

As a result, I’m stepping back from some of the volunteer things I’ve been doing. I had a potential book project going on, but that fell through, and as much as I would have loved to have worked on it, I’m kind of glad. This situation forced me to look at the manic pace at which I’ve been working for at least two years now and settle down a bit. That is one weight off my shoulders.

Book Announcement – August 15
I’ve been sitting on this one for about a month and a half, but soon I will finally be able to tell you about a historical fiction book I have under contract! I’m really excited about it and I hope you will be, too. It’s a tight turnaround, but I know I can do it. And we have a cover to reveal at the same time! So please mark your calendars!

I’ve Joined TikTok
I finally gave in and went to the dark side. I’m on TikTok. (Find me here.) I’ve been lurking for a few months and realized its really not that bad when you find people of like mind. I’m going to try to make videos a few times a week. Right now it is just me trying to get used to how it works, but eventually you’ll see more book stuff on there too. So if you’re on, please follow me and feel free to like or comment on my videos. And if you have suggestions for improvement or things you’d like to see, I’m all ears.

Book Updates

  • We are just about three months out from the release of Sex and the City: A Cultural History! It is at the printer and I should be getting advanced copies within a few weeks. You’ll be seeing more and more about it as we ramp up marketing efforts.
  • The League of Women Voters book has a title: Raising Our Voices: The League of Women Voters in St. Louis 1690-2022. It is being sent to the publisher as we speak. More to come.
  • America’s Forgotten Suffragists is still in copy editing, but they say I should get those files back next week sometime. I’ll have a week to go through everything and then in late September I’ll see the book laid out for the first time in page proofs.
  • The Arthurian non-fiction book I wrote a chapter for is getting closer to publication. I completed edits that the potential publisher wanted a few weeks ago. Now we wait.
  • And yes, the Fierce Females on Television book is still happening, but it’s on the back burner right now with everything else that is going on. It’s due January 13. Plenty of time, right?

Chanticleer Conference Summary
I was planning on doing a full write up of the Chanticleer Conference but time got away from me and I don’t have the energy. Short version: It was one of the best conferences I’ve ever been to! I made so many amazing new friends and it was great reconnecting with old friends. America’s Forgotten Suffragists and The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy both won Grand Prizes! And I got to speak something like four times. It was amazing.

T-minus Two Years (or less) to the Windy City
At the Chanticleer Conference, I made a promise to my Chicago friends that I will move there within the next two years. And life, as it usually does to everyone, promptly gave me a leak in my basement, a hospital stay, and car bills, which takes away from paying off debt and being able to move. Whatever. It will still happen.

I think that’s everything outside of the day job. Oh, my birthday is coming up later this month. Maybe I should update my Amazon wishlist!