Jane C.R. Reid's Blog
May 11, 2025
"Becoming Catherine"
Hello everyone! I’m excited to be launching my next book soon – on May 27th my birthday!
In "Becoming Catherine," readers experience a time slip through history. As every writer knows, we live through our characters, and it feels good to have reached this point in the journey as my project draws to a close.
In summary, the novel is about Kate, a young woman who moves with her mother to her grandmother’s Victorian house, inadvertently slipping back in time and finding herself in a bewildering predicament. Not only must she contend with what has happened to her, but she has no idea if she will be able to get back to her life in the future. In addition, she finds herself projected into a world of drama, as those around her refer to her as Catherine, a young woman who shares an uncanny resemblance to her.
On my evocative writing journey, I tried to explore the cultural and societal climate of the times from both a Victorian and a modern perspective. In so doing, it highlighted that in our dualistic world, every period in history carries a unique set of challenges, with gains and losses, bringing me to question how we might define progress since, like all things, it has a flip side and heavy price tag.
For anyone interested, my book will be available for reading in the Amazon KENP programme.
In "Becoming Catherine," readers experience a time slip through history. As every writer knows, we live through our characters, and it feels good to have reached this point in the journey as my project draws to a close.
In summary, the novel is about Kate, a young woman who moves with her mother to her grandmother’s Victorian house, inadvertently slipping back in time and finding herself in a bewildering predicament. Not only must she contend with what has happened to her, but she has no idea if she will be able to get back to her life in the future. In addition, she finds herself projected into a world of drama, as those around her refer to her as Catherine, a young woman who shares an uncanny resemblance to her.
On my evocative writing journey, I tried to explore the cultural and societal climate of the times from both a Victorian and a modern perspective. In so doing, it highlighted that in our dualistic world, every period in history carries a unique set of challenges, with gains and losses, bringing me to question how we might define progress since, like all things, it has a flip side and heavy price tag.
For anyone interested, my book will be available for reading in the Amazon KENP programme.
November 3, 2024
Allure of the Stone
I look forward to publishing my latest book, “Allure of the Stone,” soon – my tenth, which I can find hard to believe myself! I decided to do something different this time around—a compilation of short stories. The theme I chose is something close to my heart: Mother Earth’s stones, from rocks to crystals and precious gems. Being a bit of a chameleon, I include a cross-range of tales from the past, present, and future—even taking place on other planets.
We can learn many lessons from Earth’s precious stones, and it is innate in us to appreciate attractive items—although we are often guilty of placing too much emphasis on their intrinsic value rather than treasuring them for their true beauty. Ultimately, what they mean to us as individuals is what holds the weight, but there are always dilemmas for us; for example, is a worthless trinket given to you by someone you love more precious than a diamond by someone you have no feelings for?
When we find ourselves in awe of the glimmer and beauty of precious gems, we should remember that they are a part of this beautiful planet and deserve our appreciation and gratitude. Like each person, every stone is unique, and each has a story to tell.
We can learn many lessons from Earth’s precious stones, and it is innate in us to appreciate attractive items—although we are often guilty of placing too much emphasis on their intrinsic value rather than treasuring them for their true beauty. Ultimately, what they mean to us as individuals is what holds the weight, but there are always dilemmas for us; for example, is a worthless trinket given to you by someone you love more precious than a diamond by someone you have no feelings for?
When we find ourselves in awe of the glimmer and beauty of precious gems, we should remember that they are a part of this beautiful planet and deserve our appreciation and gratitude. Like each person, every stone is unique, and each has a story to tell.
October 17, 2024
Beautiful quotes
I came across an Italian poet and philsopher recently, Dante Alighieri, and thought I would share some of his beautiful quotes with you:
Three things remain with us from Paradise: stars, flowers and children
The more souls who resonate together, the greater the intensity of their love ... and, mirror-like … each soul reflects the other.
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow; the man who lets his thoughts be turned, will lose sight of his true goal, his mind sapped of its strength.
Dante Alighieri
Three things remain with us from Paradise: stars, flowers and children
The more souls who resonate together, the greater the intensity of their love ... and, mirror-like … each soul reflects the other.
Be like a solid tower whose brave height remains unmoved by all the winds that blow; the man who lets his thoughts be turned, will lose sight of his true goal, his mind sapped of its strength.
Dante Alighieri
July 12, 2024
"Blessed Be"
My latest book, "Blessed Be" is about a perilous journey of a young woman from rural England in the seventeenth century. Writing it took me on an interesting journey of my own as I probed into the past, raising many questions. As I brought Martha, the central character, to life, I realised how far women have advanced societally (at least in our part of the world), having lived in a patriarchal society for what seems like forever. For centuries, whether rich or poor, women were the property of men. Never should we take our rights for granted - and not allow them to slip away.
Then, as I probed into the landscape of England in those times, it was like the rest of the world, under the iron grip of the dominant force—religion. Anything that countered religion in any form was dealt with swiftly and brutally; one such threat became known as witchcraft, a banner under which thousands, mainly women, were persecuted. Often, these people were intuitive, using the plants of the land to heal their neighbours, leaving me to wonder if feminine power itself was an existential threat in a world dominated by men.
For anyone interested, I am running a free Ebook promotion countdown deal on Amazon from 14th-18th. I would be delighted to answer anyone's questions about the book. If someone enjoys the read, reviews are always greatly appreciated and valued.
Blessed Be: A harrowing tale of a woman falsely accused of witchcraft
Then, as I probed into the landscape of England in those times, it was like the rest of the world, under the iron grip of the dominant force—religion. Anything that countered religion in any form was dealt with swiftly and brutally; one such threat became known as witchcraft, a banner under which thousands, mainly women, were persecuted. Often, these people were intuitive, using the plants of the land to heal their neighbours, leaving me to wonder if feminine power itself was an existential threat in a world dominated by men.
For anyone interested, I am running a free Ebook promotion countdown deal on Amazon from 14th-18th. I would be delighted to answer anyone's questions about the book. If someone enjoys the read, reviews are always greatly appreciated and valued.
Blessed Be: A harrowing tale of a woman falsely accused of witchcraft
