Uncaged welcomes Catherine Kean

Uncaged: Can you tell readers more about your Cat’s Paw Cove series that you have running?

The Cat’s Paw Cove series features paranormal romances set in or around the fictional town of Cat’s Paw Cove, Florida, located south of St. Augustine on the Atlantic coast. The name Cat’s Paw Cove is derived from the small islands in the harbor, which look like the pads of a kitty’s paw. The town was founded in 1645 by a few British families that (mostly) survived a shipwreck on their way from England to Barbados.

My longtime friend and fellow romance author Wynter Daniels and I had talked about creating a shared story world, and since we both love cats, and have both adopted rescue kitties from local animal shelters, we decided to create our own breed of feline, called Sherwoods, that have magical abilities and had arrived in the town along with the founding families. All of the Cat’s Paw Cove stories will include at least one kitty.

We founded CPC Publishing in January 2019 and kicked off the series in September with a fun, fast-paced time travel romance called A Witch in Time, which we co-wrote. Our multi-author holiday anthology, Meows & Mistletoe, was officially launched at a special two-hour event on November 2 at the Orlando Cat Café. Wynter has her own connected books within Cat’s Paw Cove, and so do I, and we also have 13 guest authors writing about the town, its businesses, annual events, and historical sites. Five Cat’s Paw Cove series books are available now in print and eBook; two are also available in audio, and we have a fabulous lineup of all-new stories to be released in 2020.

Uncaged: You also write in the historical genre and you’ve taken part in several collections and sets. How do those come about?

I’ve written over 20 historical romances and plan to continue to write them as well as contemporary-set Cat’s Paw Cove books. One of the joys of being an author is meeting other writers, sharing marketing ideas and strategies, and helping each other find new readers. Boxed set bundles are a great way to cross-promote and hopefully connect with people who haven’t read our stories before. I’ve coordinated a number of historical romance collections and am participating in several for 2020.

Uncaged: What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

I have several new projects in the planning stages: a medieval novella for a historical romance bundle that will be published next Fall; a sequel to Hot Magic, my Cat’s Paw Cove series novel about a modern-day antiques dealer who is actually a reincarnated 12th century knight, and his cat, who is in fact his reincarnated teenage squire; a sequel to A Witch in Time, which I will co-write with Wynter; and two other historical romance stories that would be part of multi-author bundles in 2020. I’m glad to be busy, but some days I wish I could write in my sleep. LOL!

Read the rest of the interview in the issue of Uncaged Book Reviews below.

Catherine Kean is an award-winning, Kindle Unlimited All-Star author of medieval romances whose creative muse has coaxed her to also write in other romance genres. She wrote her first medieval romance, A Knight’s Vengeance, while her baby daughter was napping, and now has a backlist of over 20 published books.

Catherine’s novels were originally published in paperback and several were released in Czech, German, and Thai foreign editions. She’s won numerous awards for her stories, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her novels also finaled in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the National Readers’ Choice Awards, and the International Digital Awards.

In 2019, she co-founded CPC Publishing with author Wynter Daniels and is busy writing books for the Cat’s Paw Cove Romance series.

When not working on her next book, Catherine enjoys cooking, baking, browsing antique shops, shopping with her daughter, and gardening. She lives in Central Florida with two spoiled rescue cats.

catspawcoveromance.com

Hot Magic
Catherine Kean
Paranormal Romance

While clearing out her late mother’s home in Cat’s Paw Cove, Florida, Molly Hendrickson finds an unusual antique necklace. Wearing it makes her feel confident and sexy—things she hasn’t felt since her ex broke off their engagement or, really, ever. She decides to keep the jewel but takes other items to Black Cat Antiquities, the local antique store, to have them appraised.

Lucian Lord, a reincarnated 12th century knight, moved to Cat’s Paw Cove after a scandal in which he revealed his magical abilities to his former girlfriend. Demoted by his superiors, he’s running the antiques shop while his grandfather is on vacation. But, when Molly brings in artifacts tainted by dark magic, Lucian is duty-bound to find and contain the dangerous energy before it wreaks havoc not only on the town, but the world.

Living by the knightly code of honor, Lucian vows to help Molly, especially when he realizes the necklace is the source of the ancient magic he’s hunting. He’s determined to save his headstrong damsel and redeem his tarnished reputation—but first, things will get very, very hot.

Excerpt

Did he see anything that interested him?

Hell, yeah.

Lucian clenched his jaw on a silent groan while he fought to control his inappropriate stirrings of desire. He gripped the rounded edges of the desk and pretended to be contemplating the items in front of him. Far better than what he really wanted to do: walk around the counter, pull her into his arms, and kiss her.

Regardless of her perfect, cherry-red lipstick.

Regardless of the fact they’d only just met.

Regardless of the fact she was a client, placing her trust in his professionalism.

What was wrong with him? Sure, she was a beautiful woman, but he’d known many beauties. Something about her, though, intrigued him and sent anticipation tingling through his veins: The slightly wry curve of her mouth, or the kindness he sensed within her, or the intelligence in her bright blue eyes.

He’d never been tempted so intensely before. Not even by his ex, Stephanie, a successful model with a wicked sense of humor and a passion for running marathons. His heart constricted as a memory flashed though his mind, of Steph wheeling her suitcase out of their apartment and slamming the door behind her.

Bitterness gnawed, because her leaving wasn’t entirely his fault. Of course he could have done a few things differently in their relationship, but his duties for the Experts had created the rift between them. Those same duties would stand between him and a less-than-superficial relationship with any woman.

They always would.

“Don’t look so grumpy, Lucian,” Galahad mewed from Molly’s arms. How smug the squire sounded, as though he’d guessed how much Lucian liked her. The squire would know Lucian’s taste in women, though, after more than eight hundred years spent together.

“What was that meow for, Galahad?” Molly cooed.
“She likes me,” the feline said. “Ohhh, but she knows how to pet me juuuust right.”

Lucian’s fingers tightened on the desk.

“You are cheeky, with all that kitty talk.” Molly nuzzled the cat’s head.

Lucian silently groaned. If only she knew what the hormone-driven teenager she cuddled was really saying. Thankfully, she’d never find out.

Read the rest of the excerpt below in Uncaged Book Reviews

Uncaged welcomes Mark A. Hewitt

Uncaged: Your latest book will release on January 2, and it’s the fifth book in a series. Can you tell us more about this series? Does a reader have to read these in order or can they be picked up anywhere in the series?

After the Soviets shot down the U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers over the USSR, the CIA and the President vowed to never again put a manned surveillance aircraft in harm’s way. The problem was, of course, that in the early 1960s the state of technology didn’t allow for reliable unmanned surveillance flights on an as-needed basis. My books are based on the premise that a retired CIA executive teams with a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot to conduct secret limited aerial surveillance missions on a contracted basis for the CIA, in apparent direct opposition to the national policy. The only people who knows of this unique black program is the President, the CIA Director, and the retired CIA exec and the Marine pilot. The program becomes wildly successful and missions are expanded. It allows the President and the CIA to use the pilot and his airplane in various ways not ever envisioned by previous CIA Directors or Presidents, such as finding and killing the top 100 terrorists on the planet.

After spending a few years with the U.S. Border Patrol, the pilot, Drue Duncan Hunter, develops the skills “to find people who do not want to be found.” The secret to his success is a unique “quiet airplane,” one of 11 which were built for the U.S. Army at the end of the Vietnam War. And he doesn’t only find terrorists but “enemies, both foreign and domestic.” Politicians with split allegiances. My five novels are based on various international missions (such as finding terrorists camps or hideouts, or the location of hostages in the mountains of Colombia, or conduct aerial eradication of opium poppies in Afghanistan).

I purposefully designed my novels so that they do not have to be read in order. Reading them in order is helpful. At book signings I tell prospective readers that they can pick up any of my novels and they will be brought up to speed very quickly on the previous exploits of Duncan Hunter.

Uncaged: Is this an open-ended series or do you have set plans on how far the series will go?

I believe my cast of characters are “older and more mature” than what you’d find in other series of novels. In many ways these are the exploits of men and women at the top of their game, near the end of their careers, racing to finish the “unfinished business” of some of the major terrorism problems of the intelligence community before they are also retired from the program. After eradicating the vast majority of terrorists abroad, Hunter and company find there are enemies “domestically” and struggle with how to deal with them. I think there’ll be several more Duncan Hunter novels.

Uncaged: Aviation has been a huge part of your life, from the dreams of a child to the time in the military. First of all, thank you for your service. Do you still fly for recreation?

I say the only way I fly now is “first class.” After flying jets off carriers, I’m comfortable with my past and gladly allow others to take me where I want to go. I’m one of the luckiest guys I know—anytime a kid gets to fly the jet of his dreams, that is a remarkable story.

Read the rest of this interview in the issue below

Mark A. Hewitt is a retired aviation executive, college professor, and military pilot. The ideas for his books spring from life experiences, his extensive international travel, and an admiration for the unique “quiet” spyplanes from the Vietnam War. He holds a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His novels have been approved by the CIA’s Publication Review Board.

Special Access
Mark A. Hewitt
War Fiction

Basking in the glory of killing Osama bin Laden, the President revealed that US Navy SEALs carried out the mission. His constant heralding of their heroism and capabilities damaged the SEAL’s operational security, revealed tricks of their trade, and endangered them and their families.

As some in the Special Operations community expected and feared, a number of SEALs are systematically killed across the country. The Navy’s legendary SEAL commander, Captain Bill McGee, believes he is the next target of a sniper and seeks help from a close friend with unusual contacts and capabilities.

Duncan Hunter, a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot, flies a top-secret airplane with his mentor, Greg Lynche, the sometimes über-liberal retired CIA Chief of Air Branch. Together, in their quiet airplane, they execute some of the CIA’s most sensitive airborne counterterrorism missions under a Special Access Program. Saving McGee from a sniper’s bullet comes at a price as Duncan Hunter finds himself at the crossroads – either remain a contract pilot and betray a friend or become a patriot and risk exposure as a traitor. His decision pulls him into one intrigue after another, finally revealing the truth behind several conspiracies hidden behind the firewalls of top-secret security clearances, CIA files, and Special Access Programs.

Excerpt

0700 October 10, 1996
Del Rio International Airport, Del Rio, Texas

The overnight thunderstorms blew out just in time. Duncan Hunter sat back in his chair and stared into the distance, as dozens of maquiladoras on the other side of the Rio Grande disappeared over the horizon and into the haze. Aircraft mechanics slogged through the hangar dripping with sweat. In a couple hours, it would be show time.

It was another humid Thursday in Del Rio, and the US Border Patrol’s Director of Aircraft Maintenance would soon be on his way to the other end of the airfield either to bring Border Patrol aviation into the 20th century or watch it lapse back into a glorified flying club—or die altogether.

The uncertainty made Hunter nervous. For a former Marine fighter pilot, the feeling was new and a bit unsettling. There was a career resting on how well the presentation went. Depending on who one talked with, it was not a good fit having a former fighter pilot and aircraft maintenance officer with a couple of graduate degrees as the Border Patrol’s new Aircraft Maintenance Director. It was an odd choice for a new civil servant with little to no civil aviation experience.

Law-enforcement aviation and FAA regulations were completely different beasts than military flight and maintenance operations, but the GAO report suggested either the Border Patrol get some adult leadership to turn its aviation program around, or it would be shut down.

Not many applied for the job. Hunter was a surprise selection. Within the first hour of his first day, he met the crusty old Chief Pilot for the first time. Charles Rodriguez jabbed a finger into Hunter’s chest and spat, “Who the fuck do you know in the Border Patrol?”

Taken completely by surprise by the outburst from the short, heavily wrinkled man in a flight suit, Hunter coolly replied, “You try that again, and I’ll break your finger. I don’t know anyone in the Border Patrol.” He saw a rectangular nametag, a Border Patrol aviation patch, and a shoulder holster containing a 9mm Beretta.

Read the rest of the excerpt in the issue below