Bloodlines - Touch Not The Cat - Traces - A Scottish - American Genealogy Mystery Novel Series by Thomas McKerley and Ingrid Schippers

Bloodlines Big Time Bloopers… Take 27

Click here for the Bigtime Blooper podcast
3 minutes 9 seconds
A home made recording by Tom and Ingrid during their book 3 (untitled [...]

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Ready for some self-reflection after the abundant Christmas Holiday?

Download our FREE Bloodlines Family History Guide and explore your past guided by your very own ancestors

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FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

Inspired and curious I did some research on Thomas Hardy and found he was very much a defender of the country life-style and even feared for what he called ‘the decline of the rural class’ within the rapid developments of the Victorian Age and its industrial revolutions.

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Memories from the 1945 school bench

As my mother’s school friend pointed out to me, my mother and she shared all big events of a life time. Not only did they sit next to each other at school; they also attended their weddings; witnessed the birth of their children and supported each other after the death of their husbands.

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Family History Guide Free Download

Download the Bloodlines Series’ Family History Guide for free and follow the characters of Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat & Bloodlines-Traces in their quest to find out more about the lives and times of their ancestors

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5-day Free Download of Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat

On November 11, 2018, it is exactly 7 years ago , the debut Scottish American Genealogy Mystery Novel by McKerley & Schippers, BLOODLINES – TOUCH NOT THE CAT was launched.
To celebrate, FREE KINDLE COPIES are given away during 5 day period between the dates of November 11 and November 15, 2018

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November 2018 Library talks by Tom McKerley in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire

Tom McKerley will be doing 3 library talks in November 2018, all to do with the ins and outs of researching family history and the [...]

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Stories bloomed from family tree

Tom hit the newspapers again during this month of  May with a full fletch article in the eastkillbride.co.uk news.

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Dutch King Billy of Scotland

Picture left:   William of Orange, 1650-1702, King Willam the III of England; King William the II of Scotland; nicknamed King Billy in Scotland [...]

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Happy Hogmanay

Happy Hogmanay to all our lovely readers and those who supported us in our writing endeavors of Bloodlines -Touch Not the Cat & Bloodlines Traces [...]

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The Scottish Highlands without the Midges Kindle Promotion

‘Book’ yourself a journey of a lifetime to the Scottish Highlands, switching back and forth between Victorian/Edwardian times and the present day adventures of American [...]

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Family History Writing, Events & Bookreadings

Dear Bloodlines Readers,
It has been a while since you last heard from McKerley & Schippers and what goes on in the sometimes surprising world [...]

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Who Gave ‘Auld Lang Syne’ its Words?

Ask a genealogist what is the most interesting aspect of researching family history and you’ll most likely hear it’s what they learn about themselves, that [...]

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Genealogy Mystery Bloodlines – Traces Dec 8-11 Kindle Promotion starts at 80 % discount

Click Here for the direct link to the Kindle Countdown Deal of Bloodlines Traces and buy your digital copy with as much as 80% [...]

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Genealogy talks for the Klu Klux Klan

Family History talks by McKerley & Schippers in The Netherlands between 26 November and December 1.
A glimpse into the kitchen of family history [...]

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Did He Have Any Enemies?

What I like about listening to crime series over watching them, is that I hear more clearly what words and sentences are chosen to build up the narrative. Call it professional research if you will.

What I noticed while doing that for two days in a row, is that in many of the storylines, the same sort expressions are used to unravel the murder and the suspect’s motive.

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3 lovely lovely new reviews

The idea behind ‘Bloodlines – Touch Not The Cat’ is an intriguing one. Two threads of a story taking place a century or so apart on either side of the Atlantic are brought together in alternate chapters culminating in an absorbing mystery that has been shrouded in secrecy for generations.

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The Learning Curves of Writing: The Birth of a Book

We had never before done much creative writing, or published a novel. Our combined experience depended on Tom’s love for reporting sports (I will not mention his club for fear of diversion from the subject) and my personal development-related manuals, texts and columns

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Bloodlines Blurbs: a Legacy for Posterity

‘You know it saddens me how over the years I never realized I wasn’t taking the time to discuss family history with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and so on. Now I do not even have a brother or sister to go to’
Cathy gave a wry smile. She could relate to the woman’s regret.

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Tell us about your family history

Do you know what happened in your family generations ago?
Do you have your very own genealogy tale to tell?
We would love to hear [...]

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The Likeliness of a Whisky Murder

Many homicides are never solved in the real world, particularly those involving espionage.
In the 17th century a ‘tulip-mania’ raged through the provinces of [...]

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A perfect mix of warmth, wit and a little eccentricity.

Lovely review from a Macpherson no less…
The August Winner of the ‘Share a Post or Send in a Review’ contest is a Macpherson!
Thank [...]

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Wow…what twists and turns and surprises

Review from Ceci Wong,  
I just finished reading Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat last night and WOW…what twists and turns and surprises…but oh, so much [...]

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Share a Post or Send in a Review

Who will be the next Winner of the Bloodlines Share & Review contest?
Send in a Review or Share one of our Blogs and tells [...]

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The only disadvantage of Book One is that I could hardly wait for Book Two

Review from Jorine Janssen
July winner of our monthly Bloodlines Review Sharing Contest.

“Normally I’m not one for different timeframes in fiction, but in Bloodlines [...]

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And The Winner Is…

Will you be our August 2016 winner of  your very own copy of Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat or Bloodlines – Traces, to [...]

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Bloodlines Blurbs: The Funeral of Elisabeth Macpherson

Inveravon burial grounds,
Bannfshire, Scotland.
picture: 2010, personal archives.
For reasons he could not entirely understand himself for they had quarreled almost all of [...]

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Share a Post or Send in a Review and win a Bloodlines Mystery Novel.

We select a winner by drawing an e-mail address from the submissions sent in to info@touchnotthecat.com.

The winner receives a paperback copy of Bloodlines [...]

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June 21st 2016: Bloodlines -Traces paperback available NOW!

New beginnings for Bloodlines-Traces on the day of Summer Stolstice, June 21st 2016
You can order your paperback copy of Bloodlines Traces here

While our [...]

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How Publishing a Book is like Making Kefir

In one of my other lives, I’m a bit of a health-food-freak, which I have discovered is a very effective way to chase your [...]

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