I was tiny and pale when I was born, and so sickly-looking the midwife thought I would not last the week. They longed for a son who would restore honor to the family name and money to the family coffers. Once there lived a count and his countess whose fortunes had fallen far. I’d like to thank Janine Ballard and Evie Byrne for their critiques of this novella, my editor Alissa Davis for her excellent eye, my fabulous beta-readers, and the regulars at whose challenges helped me get the words on the page. We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page. So whether you’re reading this in the middle of a summer heat wave, looking to escape from the hot summer nights and sultry afternoons, or whether you’re reading this in the dead of winter, searching for a respite from the cold, months after I’ve written it, you can be assured that our promise to take you on new adventures, bring you great stories and discover new talent remains the same. This summer, we’ll continue to bring you new genres, new authors and new niches-and we plan to publish the unexpected for years to come. Every week brings something new for us, and we continue to look for ways to grow, expand and improve. This just boggles my mind.īut though we’re celebrating our one-year anniversary (with champagne and chocolate, of course) we’re not slowing down. Carina Press has been bringing you quality romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy and more for over twelve months.

I feel as though it was just last week I was attending 2010 conferences and telling authors and readers who were wondering what was next for Carina Press, “we’ve only been publishing books for four months, give us time” and now, here it is, a year later. Even if the curse can be broken, can a good-hearted man love a woman who has been as vain and selfish as Cat? She originally sees Julian as a mere pawn for her plans to break her curse, but as they work together Cat comes to know and care for him. Fortunately Cat is a clever survivor and enlists the help of Julian, the miller’s youngest son, in her plan for revenge. The king’s wizard turns her into a cat and tries to drown her in the mill pond. Once the peerlessly beautiful Lady Catriona, consort to the king, Cat’s fortunes fall far when her aged husband dies.

Once upon a time there was a scheming, lying tart who cared for nothing but her own pleasures and her shoe collection.

Cat's Tale by Bettie Sharpe