Books by Laura Catherine
Waltzing Corridors in the Dark
In this first novel by Laura Catherine, Lenke-a newly--married Gypsy woman--ventures to Australia with her husband, Gregory Whitlock—owner of a prominent estate home along with his two siblings. Lenke is excited about coming into society and escaping her former transient lifestyle, but at the same time she wonders whether or not she is good
enough to move within the aristocratic circles of the Whitlock family.
All her fears are assuaged, however, once Lenke finds that she is actually the most normal one in the house! Now she finds herself in an enigma even stranger than her past life, as the house is a curse to everyone living inside. Torment, insanity, and the paranoid and paranormal alike all combine in this story. Some of the strange events to greet Lenke include: a black sheep cousin who has committed several crimes, including murder, unknown to the rest of his family; an estranged father and son who are visited often by the ghost of the departed mother/wife who them both; a scheming, blackmailing fiance whose intentions for marriage do not include love; a maid with an unknown past and seems far too accomplished to not have been prominent herself; a boy with the uncanny ability to move objects with his mind; a different dimension on the other side of a wall, unknown to the family in the house, and many more mysteries. If ever there was non-conformity!
Spider on the Window
Spider on the Window is the overlapping sequel to Waltzing Corridors in the Dark. It is an "overlapping" sequel in the sense that the story does not resume following the close of Waltzing Corridors in the Dark, but begins before the story in the first book ends.
Spider on the Window begins following Phyllis's wedding (which takes in one of the last chapters of Waltzing Corridors in the Dark). Phyllis and her new husband Cecil are on their way to England when Phyllis starts to question her love. She cannot ignore the fact that she feels inferior to her husband. She loves him, and strives to fulfill his expectations for her, but she has no clue about his true expectations.
Cecil married Phyllis with a morbid notion. Ever since Phyllis's cousin Fred murdered Cecil's father long ago, Cecil has been obsessed with the idea of bringing his father back. Phyllis never knew of Fred and Cecil's past connection, but it was Fred who ultimately helped Cecil to marry Phyllis in order to avoid blackmail for his father's death. Cecil has just purchased a home, once belonging to a writer who wrote a classic novel about a woman who used to speak to spirits. The woman described in his book matches Phyllis's physical description perfectly. For this reason, Cecil hopes that by bringing a new bride to this author's home, the author's spirit will be inspired by the uncanny resemblance of his title character and will therefore appear to them. From here, Cecil will be able to tap into the spirit world and make contact with his father.
When Phyllis learns that her husband does not love her, she blocks her heart of all emotion. But Cecil's plan for her to make contact into the spirit world works...but not in the way he'd planned. Phyllis meets the author, his friends, and becomes very connected to them. In fact, she even finds true love...but Phyllis must endure the fact that true love lies beyond the grave...
The Weeds That Grow In Innocent Fields
This novel takes place in Frederick County, Maryland in the early 1900s. The story entangles the lives of several friends and families in a small town and is quite similar to a soap opera. From the start, the constant shifts in character polarity and points of tension will keep you guessing all the way through this drama/psychological thriller.
The story begins with a look at two young women who have been friends since childhood. Their lives are about to take drastically different paths, however, when Joy Windsor gets engaged to her long-term beau, and Pollen Moriarty decides to become a nun. Though Pollen is a deeply religious individual, her motives for deciding to become a nun are spurred by her quest to find an end to the morbid, suppressed memories that haunt her nightmares.
The story delves deeper as each other character is presented. If you enjoy drama, the mob, psychological studies, love triangles, and unpredictable story-lines, you'll enjoy trying to prune The Weeds That Grow In Innocent Fields.