Download our Free Bloodlines  Family History Guide November 11 2018 HERE
and explore the past guided by your very own ancestors.

• The Why and How of Family History Research; with excerpts from the Scottish American Genealogy Mystery novels Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat and Bloodlines -Traces,
  by McKerley & Schippers
• www.touchnotthecat.com

It has been a while since you last heard from McKerley & Schippers and what goes on in the sometimes surprising world of family history research and genealogy mystery writing.

Tom McKerley is at present entangled in writing about his very own family history as a result of finding a newspaper article on a Scottish ancestor who turned out be a locally famous!

Events- Booksignings – Family History Writing

Tom has also been doing quite a few events in Scotland for our Bloodlines -Touch Not the Cat and Bloodlines-Traces genealogy Mystery Novels,ranging from book signings at Waterstone’s, to book readings at reading/writing circles and libraries.

To contact us for promotional activities, – including your local (Netherlands or Scotland) reading circle- send us a mail at info@touchnotthecat.com or use the contact form of this website.

The McKerley & Schippers Family History Document

Together we have been working on a ‘real- life’ family history document to use for ‘family history gatherings’, highlighting the main things-to-remember when researching your own (Scottish-American) genealogy. In Scotland Tom is available to speak about his own family history research; the do’s and don’t's and how to get to the core of your question.

For more information about family history writing document or to contact Tom, send us a mail through the contact form

Behind the scenes stories and personal pictures

While you are here, take a look around in the blog section and ‘the books’ page, revealing behind the scenes stories on how Bloodlines Touch Not the Cat & Bloodlines- Traces were unexpectedly and mysteriously written by two first time mystery authors.

Our webdesigner Remco Kalf created a lovely slideshow on the www.touchnotthecat.com homepage, also featuring our self-designed ‘GlenFroach home-made whiskey label’, exclusively created for Bloodlines-Traces!

We love receiving reviews!!!!! While in the past we have organized review contests, we will now donate a complimentary copy of either Bloodlines Touch Not the Cat of Bloodlines Traces to the author of the most in-depth (which also means you may be critical) review on or both genealogy mystery novels.

Send your reviews through the contact form or info@touchnotthecat.com

To conclude: Thank you all for your heartwarming responses to Bloodlines Touch Not the Cat and Bloodlines Traces. Especially since these are our first fiction writing ventures we did not know what to expect, but the ride so far has been an absolute joY and meaningful learning experience.

On behalf of us both, wishing you a great day,

Ingrid

To view even more, go to ‘the books’ section of our website; and while you’re there, take a look at the slide show and behind the scenes blogs

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.

What begins with American David Stewart tracing his Scots heritage becomes increasingly murkier as the action shifts from North Carolina to the Scottish Highlands and a modern-day detective hunt by his homicide cop wife Cathy.

Vividly told, the story fairly rattles on through very convincingly fleshed-out characters as details from Victorian Scotland begin to merge with Cathy’s 21st century quest.

Written by first-time authors Tom McKerley and Ingrid Schippers, Touch Not the Cat is a triumph not only for pulling together two intriguing tales across the centuries but also in overcoming the strategic difficulties involved in the pair liaising from their homes in Troon, Scotland, and the Netherlands respectively.

Full of great characters and packed with fascinating detail – including the fact that Ballindalloch Castle which features in this work of fiction actually exists – this is a rewarding read for anyone interested in genealogy and historic novels as well as those who enjoy a good yarn well told.

Gerry Cassidy, The Word on the Street Magazine, October 2016

Bloodlines – Traces

US cop Cathy Stewart stays on in the Highlands to defend the Macpherson family from the inquisitive DI Duckett over the bones of Gordon Macpherson.

But she finds herself entangled in a 120-year-old scandal involving the laird’s daughter, Katherine, at the University of Edinburgh. Meanwhile, her estranged husband David continues the genealogy quest into the WWI atrocities of Gallipoli, where his ancestor Alexander Stewart is said to have died.

Following Cathy’s trail, New Yorker Diane Cox confronts present-day patriarch Angus Macpherson, when she boards the luxurious Royal Scotsman to heir-hunt her way to the Ballindalloch Estate.

But just as the paths of David and Cathy reunite, and all threads come together, Angus disappears.

This is a page-turner of a novel which sequels the hit debut of Tom McKerley and Ingrid Schippers and takes in many places familiar and not so familiar to Strathy readers, including Grantown and Boat of Garten, as the plot twists through time.

It reveals the challenges of women’s suffrage, poverty in Edwardian Scotland and the disastrous strategy of a young Winston Churchill in the Great War. Like its predecessor, Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat, it’s a well-researched genealogy mystery novel. Its multi-layered narrative combines an atmospheric Gothic romance with a gripping contemporary murder mystery.

McKerley had become somewhat of a genealogy expert having spent time tracing his family tree back to the 1790s so was the perfect foil for the pair’s debut novel with the plot coming in a dream to Schippers.

McKerley constructed an initial synopsis for the first Bloodlines, “just for fun really”, and on a hunch went looking on the web for a location to set the scene. He found Ballindalloch Estate, family home of the Macpherson-Grants since 1546.

The pair started creating a story that would not let them go. Quickly the short-story turned into their first novel. Their second book picks up where novel one left off.

Bloodlines Traces is now on sale priced £8.99 by Would You Believe That Publishing. There’s a free download of the first four chapters on www.touchnotthecat.com

Gavin Musgrove, Strathspey and Badenoch Herald, September 2016

Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and my comments are shown below.

The book was ‘easy on the eye’ due to lots of white space, font style and size and spacing between the sentences. Each chapter clearly reminds us of date, time and location. Excellent for keeping the mind focused if you have to take a break from the book for any reason.

I loved the feel of the book and the chosen size meant it felt comfortable in the hand. I liked that acknowledgements are explained and not just a list of names. It shows how people can research for their ancestors and also gives a wealth of knowledge on history, life style differences. It also showed how position in life impacted our way of thinking , restrictions and control.

Thank you again for such a lovely book.

Linda Luman, Troon Writer’s Club

The August Winner of the ‘Share a Post or Send in a Review’ contest is a Macpherson!
Thank you Karen for your lovely words. Your complimentary copy of Bloodlines-Traces is on its way.

Review of Karen Macpherson on Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat.

What a fabulous mystery book! Loved the time-travelling alternate chapters, it kept me page turning to find out what happened in each century and found it fascinating how events were inter-related. Characters are easy to identify with and I warmed to the modern independent yet vulnerable Cathy as the story unfolded, each chapter encouraging me to support her that bit more. Would love to find out more about the historical Katherine as she lives in a time of emerging changes for women and education. The Scottish Macphersons were a joy to read, a perfect mix of warmth and compassion, dry humour and wit with a little eccentricity. The descriptive narrative easily sets the scene in your mind and I found myself longing to visit the places so beautifully described in the book. The plot is pacy and full of just enough turns to keep you interested yet gently unfolds to give you time to get to know Cathy and to empathise with her situation. Loved the ending, it tied up all loose ends with a slightly humorous and “you go girl” attitude!

Looking forward to reading the sequel,

Karen Macpherson

Will you be the September 2016 Winner of the Share a Blog or Send in a Review contest?

Win a copy of Bloodlines-Traces or Bloodlines-Touch Not the Cat, to be send to an address of your choice, in Europe, U.S.A or Australia/New Zealand.

Simple send in a review or share one of our website posts and tell us about it in a mail to info@touchnotthecat.com

Every month a lucky winner’s name is drawn from among the e-mails.

You can order your paperback copy of Bloodlines Traces here

While our initial intention was to publish in May 16 2016, we are quite surprised to find the learning curves of self publishing brought us to this wonderful date of June 21st 2016;
a day not only of Summer Solstice, but also right after a night of full moon, two indicators of change and renewal.

We’re very ‘date conscious’ from a numeral point of view, where certain numbers or combinations thereof, hold their own specific promise and perspective according to esoteric traditions.
In short: we’re somewhat superstitious.

Bloodlines – Touch Not the Cat for this reason was published 11.11.11

Just like some stories seem to find their storyteller however,
(a feeling that overcame us many many times while writing the Bloodlines series)
our chosen publication date of May 16 was overturned when an upload went haywire, leading to having to re-format a 107.000 word file.

Living by the principle of ‘never make the same mistake twice; plenty of new ones are available’  we took extra care and therewith extra time to create a new file.

Then we had to wait for a new proof to arrive, approve that and grant the distributor their time to make it available plus register our newborn with the Nielsen and Ingram databases.

It is for this reason that to our own surprise and delight today has become the official day on which Bloodlines – Traces paperback can be ordered on line with your international internet bookseller worldwide or with your local bookseller.

The Kindle edition of Bloodlines-Traces can be preordered here
and is available as of June 30 2016.

We very much appreciate your thoughts on Bloodlines-Traces.
Please send your reviews to info@touchnotthecat.com.

Yes, yes, yes, it’s here! The long awaited PROOF, Bloodlines Traces really exists has arrived!

After some confusement on both sides, Lightning Source (the book printer) sent us an e-proofcopy of Bloodlines – Traces on the May 16th 2016, the original publication date we had in mind, (as it was such a nicely balanced date numerology-wise.)

It seems though Fate had something in else in store for us.
Like with ancestors, apparently some matters are out of our hands…

All we are waiting for now, is the printed proof, which should arrive soon

To be continued…