Toowoomba, Australia -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/11/2013 -- When one Catherine Wilson noticed the other’s name on an internet mailing list in 2003, she dropped a line to her to mention the coincidence. However, after also discovering that they live in similar geographical regions, have husbands sharing a middle initial, both have an eldest son and a youngest daughter and share a steadfast interest in medieval history – they knew that their serendipitous synchronicity could be put to literary use.

Joining forces in what has to be the most unique collaboration ever, Catherine A. Wilson and Catherine T. Wilson are delighted to announce the launch of the first book in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series, which mirrors their own chance meeting.

Synopsis of book one – ‘The Lily and the Lion’:

Separated in infancy, rediscovered by chance, can they unravel a mystery and find a way to reunite?

Wistful and passionate, the wayward Cecile d'Armagnac has enjoyed the indulgent childhood of a French noble, but life for the young woman is about to change when she learns of her sister.

Catherine Pembroke, a naive novice, has endured a lonely existence behind convent walls, but when Cecile's letter is intercepted by the malicious Earl of Salisbury, the shy nun is thrust into a dangerous and foreign world.

Placed into the custody of a cynical knight, Simon Marshall, Catherine struggles to unravel a past that threatens her future as William of Salisbury begins his own hunt – after the girls – hoping to use them as pawns in his desperate quest for power.

Trapped by one of England's most powerful lords, Cecile yields to him to save her sister. She flees with the aid of the King's courier, Gillet de Bellegarde, but will her journey see her lose all she holds dear, or just her heart?

In an age when women have no control over their lives, Cecile and Catherine find themselves immersed into political turbulence, intrigue, danger and romance. Their hopes of meeting are thwarted by the powerful men around them – even as they provide both distraction and passion, for none appear to be who they claim.

As one of the Wilsons explains, writing the book was quite a logistical challenge.

“We wrote the first two books via email, without ever meeting or even talking on the phone. We did eventually meet; in fact, a Sydney film producer was so intrigued with our personal story that he recorded it and produced it into a short twenty-minute film that’s available on DVD,” says Catherine T. Wilson.

Continuing, “The narrative is very unique and draws inspiration from our own lives. The two main characters, Catherine and Cécile, really are two separate individuals and not created and manipulated by one author but two completely different authors. The sisters really do think differently from each other.”

Since its release, the book has garnered a consistent string of rave reviews.

“Enjoyed the adventures of these two sisters, Cecile and Catherine. The writers take you to their world of "political turbulence, intrigue, danger and romance". You can lose yourself in The Lily and The Lion,” says Cynthia, who reviewed the book on Amazon.

Another reader, Rosemarie, was equally as impressed. She adds, “I wanted a good eBook to read over the holidays and thought this one would see me out. Problem is I read it in 4 days flat, not because it was too short, but because I just couldn't put it down.”

With so much success on their hands, the authors recently announced that volume two ‘The Order of the Lily’ is almost ready for release and books three and four, ‘The Gilded Crown’ and ‘The Roar of the Lion’ are in the works.

While writing is underway, fans eagerly await not just the next book, but information on what other weird yet wonderful coincidences exist between the authors. Time will tell.

In the meantime, ‘The Lily and the Lion’ is available from Amazon: http://amzn.to/16QXooA

More information can also be found on the authors’ official website: http://www.lionsandlilies.com/

About the Authors: Catherine A Wilson
‘My grandmother was a wonderful story teller and I count myself fortunate to have been able to spend time with her and my great uncles and aunts, who loved nothing more than a good pot of tea with added lashings of gossip. It is their legacy that fuelled my genealogical addiction as I strove to identify fact from fiction and then record the information for posterity. From this sprouted my love of history, the urge to research and write and, eventually, to develop my own stories.

At the suggestion of Anna Jacobs, another highly successful and talented Australian novelist, I joined Romance Writers Australia. One keystroke error placed me on a chat loop where I met my namesake, Cathy T. After making a crass remark concerning my rather plain name, our friendship was born. We began to regularly email one another, offering words of encouragement (the publishing world is a tough place for the uninitiated —believe me,) when Cathy T came upon the idea to create a novel along the lines of our real-time friendship. Hence, Lions and Lilies was born.’

Catherine was born in London, England, but has lived in Australia for the last thirty nine years, growing up in and around the leafy suburbs of Eastwood, Epping and Dundas. Without a particular path in mind she simply took the first job she was offered, which happened to be the position of Layout Artist for a well known map publisher, but changed course and selected a career in nursing. She later enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force, before resigning to a quiet life at home.

She lives in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, with her husband and two beautiful children, several Jack Russells, a large flock of flighty chickens, goldfish and budgies. When not writing (which is not often) she likes to garden, read books, shop, read books, drink copious cups of strong coffee with friends and read plenty of books.

‘My first lasting love? Hmm, I was fourteen and a friend handed me a book about a heroine in France during the 15th Century, and I fell in love with everything medieval. But maybe it didn’t start there. Come to think of it, when I was younger I devoured Alan Garner’s tales of sleeping knights in ?The Weirdstone of Brisingamen?, progressing to King Arthur and Ivanhoe, but somehow that French heroine always stayed with me.’

Catherine was born in Burnley, England, but moved to Australia when she was eleven months old. She grew up in Elizabeth, South Australia, relocating to Queensland when she was fourteen. She worked in communications, before finally deciding to fulfil her dream as a writer. The raw draft of her first novel, a Viking romance, won an encouragement award of $1,000 from six hundred entries, in a popular women’s magazine competition. A member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, she visited Europe in 2006 to witness the annual re-enactment of ?The Battle of Agincourt.? She travelled extensively throughout Britain and France, researching material for ‘Lions and Lilies.’

She lives on a small bushland property, on a mountain range west of Brisbane, with her husband and two beautiful children, three dogs, a small herd of cattle, a flock of cockatoos, and one horse. And yes, you only have to walk into her house to see her first love. Pictures of maidens on horseback grace the walls, and every corner and mantel is filled with knights and battle axes.