An Interview with Our #2 Top Selling Author, Catherine Astolfo

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Congratulations, Catherine, on being our #2 bestselling author. As one of our most prolific authors, we've watched you promote your books with creativity and excitement.

1. Tell us a bit about your books. What are they about?

Currently, I have five books published by Imajin Books. The first four are part of a series. The Emily Taylor Mysteries revolve around an unusual heroine - the principal of an elementary school. In her late forties, Emily Taylor becomes a reluctant sleuth through a variety of external events. Some of her decisions, however, are based on a fear of discovery, for she has a mysterious past that involves her husband. Readers do not find out the details of this past life until Book 4. My fifth book is a psychological suspense, a standalone, titled SWEET KAROLINE. This novel explores a dysfunctional relationship between two women and what happens when one of them dies violently.

2. Why do you think your books have sold so well?

I believe you must start with a good story. Readers must be caught by the characters, the plot, the setting - or, ideally, all three. After that, it’s good old fashioned hard work - marketing, promoting, networking.

3. Even though you're published by a hybrid/traditional type publisher, you've taken on the role of book promoter. What are some of the ways you've promoted your books?

For the most part, I use social media: Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, my blog, my website, as well as lots of online promotion sites, such as World Literary Cafe. I also network, through Crime Writers of Canada, local libraries, and bookstores to get my name out into the community.

4. What advice would you give to writers considering Imajin Books for their works?

Be prepared to work hard, build your Author Platform, and learn a LOT. Your rewards will be many.

Learn more about Catherine:

Catherine Astolfo's website
Catherine Astolfo on Facebook
Catherine Astolfo on Twitter

New Release: Seventh Fire by Catherine Astolfo

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Step out of the fire and into the flames…
Emily Taylor's husband, Langford, has a troubled past that has come back to haunt them, but it's time to clear his name. Along with their lawyer and a skilled private detective, they travel back to Vancouver, BC, the site of tragedy and heartbreak. 
When a twisted serial killer, who calls himself The Artist, discovers that Langford and his wife have returned, he is determined to complete a gruesome ritual of evil. He knows how to lure his victims into his trap.
But The Artist has a formidable opponent—the powerful, sustaining love between two people who have survived his malice before and plan to do it again.
Book Details:
ISBN: 978-1-926997-69-8 (Kindle ebook); $3.99 US; June 21, 2012
Language: English
Editorial Reviews:
"Seventh Fire is a chilling tale with unimaginable evil at its core. Astolfo slowly but steadily builds suspense while introducing a handful of plausible villains that keep the reader guessing until the very end. The story is a chilling, cautionary tale at odds with the beautiful setting of Vancouver, which Astolfo paints with a deft hand." —Brenda Chapman, author of In Winter’s Grip
"Thirty years ago a horrific murder shocked the city of Vancouver. The killer was quickly caught, tried, and incarcerated. But they had the wrong man, and Emily Taylor has devoted her life to seeing her husband exonerated. Seventh Fire is a powerful tale of love verses hate and the ability of that love to triumph over evil." — Vicki Delany, author of Among the Departed
"The evocative setting of 1980's Vancouver is beautifully described in Astolfo's latest Emily Taylor mystery "Seventh Fire." The horror of murder intertwines with the passion of art in an intriguing plot that the reader unravels only at the end. Emily Taylor fans will be astounded at the dark secrets that lurk in her past." —Janet Kellough, author of On the Head of a Pin
"Catherine Astolfo has an unusually keen insight into the sometimes-skewed human condition. One is struck by the amount of research Seventh Fire must have required. But don’t read this at bedtime, since it will make you distinctively uneasy. A writer of masterful plots, Catherine has completed the story of Emily Taylor’s secret past with a twist and a shock. One can only hope Catherine Astolfo produces further work for our eager consumption." —Merci Fournier, author of Plural Spaces
Available at:

New Release: LEGACY by Catherine Astolfo

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Not all legacies are good ones…
While Emily Taylor deals with the dysfunctional Sanderson family at school, seemingly unconnected characters play out their own troubled journeys into the past.
Doro searches for her lost childhood. Alain Reneaux delves into the reasons behind his violent nightmares. The town's new lawyer, Jacob Finch, suffers from guilt about the heartbreaking death of his wife. And two lonely little girls suffer neglect and tragedy. 
As Emily untangles the complexities of the Sanderson children’s lives, the collision of past into future causes an inferno of insanity and death, which ultimately proves how essential family and friendship are to happiness and endurance.
Available at: Amazon (Kindle)

Pick up a FREE Kindle edition of THE BRIDGEMAN - Feb 28/29

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Pick up your FREE Kindle edition of THE BRIDGEMAN by Catherine Astolfo today and tomorrow only via Amazon.

Some secrets can come back to haunt you…

Principal Emily Taylor feels safe in the friendly little town of Burchill—until she finds a body in her school. The murder of caretaker Nathaniel Ryeburn brings back memories she'd rather forget and plunges Emily into a mystery that involves a secret diary, an illegal puppy mill and a murderer innocently disguised as an ordinary citizen.

As fear rips through the traumatized town, Emily's investigation inadvertently leads the police to her door, and to her husband Langford, who is hiding a secret of his own. It becomes clear to Emily that many of Burchill's residents are merely wearing masks. And it's time for those masks to be ripped away…and for a killer's identity to be revealed.

New Release: The Bridgeman by Catherine Astolfo

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Catherine Astolfo's beloved mystery series gets a fresh new look--one that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Complete with a stunning new cover, this second edition comes to you in the form of an ebook edition. If you haven't read The Bridgeman, book 1 in the Emily Taylor Mystery series, you're in for a real treat.

Some secrets can come back to haunt you…

Principal Emily Taylor feels safe in the friendly little town of Burchill—until she finds a body in her school. The murder of caretaker Nathaniel Ryeburn brings back memories she'd rather forget and plunges Emily into a mystery that involves a secret diary, an illegal puppy mill and a murderer innocently disguised as an ordinary citizen.

As fear rips through the traumatized town, Emily's investigation inadvertently leads the police to her door, and to her husband Langford, who is hiding a secret of his own. It becomes clear to Emily that many of Burchill's residents are merely wearing masks. And it's time for those masks to be ripped away…and for a killer's identity to be revealed.

Available now in ebook edition via Amazon and Smashwords.

Check out the reviews:

"Love and depravity, rebirth and rot, veneer and the real wood underneath—Astolfo brings these opposing forces into play as she creates the complex community that is Burchill. Ordinary people find themselves in an extraordinary situation. Astolfo reveals their personalities in delicious detail." —Garry Ryan, author of the Detective Lane Mysteries

"Master storyteller Cathy Astolfo pulls out all the stops as old secrets come back to kill…in this chilling story of twisted desires. Astolfo grabs small-town Ontario and shakes it until its ugly secrets pour out. You won't catch your breath until the last page turns." —Lou Allin, author of She Felt No Pain

"Catherine Astolfo's descriptive prose and well-crafted characters soon make you feel part of the community of Burchill, sharing Emily's terror at what is happening in her perfect little town. It's a story rich in detail with unexpected twists and turns that keep you involved right through to the shocking end." —Meredith Henderson, actress, film producer, poet

"Astolfo throws opens the door of her idyllic setting into a world of darkness, depravity, and danger...After reading The Bridgeman, you’ll want to go home, lock the doors, and hug your pet." —Anthony Bidulka, author of the Russell Quant Mystery Series

Available now in ebook edition via Amazon and Smashwords.