Little things mean a lot

Remember X and her demand that I should 'Write better books!'?

Well - no - don't remember - how could I worry about one person for whom my books just don't work when there's the popularity of The Italian's Forced Bride to prove that plenty of other people feel that way.

And then there are the reviews. I got another one for The Italian last week - from Sherri who reviews for Romance Junkies. The review was wonderful

Kate Walker has done it again! Internationally best-selling author Ms. Walker
pens another fantastic romance that will capture readers’ hearts. Alpha heroes
with a soft side and heroines with courage are Kate Walker’s speciality, and Dom
and Alice are no exception. With its passionately sensuous love scenes, its
emotionally gripping storyline, and realistic characters readers will care
about, THE ITALIAN’S FORCED BRIDE is going to definitely be another award winner
for Ms. Walker.

Thank you so much Sherri

But the best bit of this review was the mesage that came in the email with it - I've asked Sherri if I can print here and she's said yes so:

Sherri said: I don't know how you can keep coming up with such great storylines after so many books, but you never dish up the same old stuff. Thank you for giving readers a great story that tugs the heartstrings.

And that is a truly wonderful thing for a writer to read. When I'm coming up to the publication of my 50th title, believe me, it can be difficult to start on a new story - there are only so many plots that fit romances and it can be a struggle not to think, 'Oh but I did that in book 5 or book 18 or book36.' To me it has always been part of the challenge of writing to keep the freshness in my stories. I know I shall have to repeat some elements - after all there's that basic plot line that never alters.

Man meets woman they are attracted to each other but there is a conflict between
them/reasons why they feel they should not be together. They work to resolve
those problems/conflicts and by doing so find a love that promises to give them a
lifetime of happiness together.

So that's the framework. To keep the stories fresh and interesting is both difficult and simple. Some authors - and a lot of editors - think in terms of 'secret baby plots' or 'amnesia plots' or 'marriage of convenience.' Trouble is, that makes these sound like all those other secret babies or amnesiacs or MOC books. For me the only way to keep things different is to tell the characters' stories. So a couple of books might have a marriage of convenience plot, but one will be Sienna and Keir's story (The Hired Husband) another will be Ramon and Estrella's story (The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife)- very different backgrounds, settings, people, relationships - so, hopefully making very different books.

That;s why, somehow, in those 50+ titles (I'm now on the 52nd) I've made it a point of pride not to repeat a name. How long I'll be able to keep that up I don't know - but it's part of the challenge of writing. The cahallenge of not just writing the tried and true. Some people say well your readers won't remember that you used that name/plot back in 1990. - Well I'd remember and it would disappoint me - so I'm sure it would disppoint my readers.

So it's wonderful to read Sherri's comment and to know that, for this reader at least, I've succeeded in writing stories that ring fresh and true and emotionally satisfying. Thank you for taking the time to write, Sherri!

Funny though, isn't it - where Sherri describes 'heroines with courage ' and an 'emotionally gripping story line' - that is just about the exact opposite of X's belief that my heroines are cry babies who do nothing but whine and a plot that goes nowhere. Makes you wonder if they read the same book.

Just goes to show that, at the risk of repeating myself, you can't please all of the people all of the time. I can write a book where I believe that the hero is an Alpha with heart and the heroine is a woman of courage and sensitivity - and someone will read it and find an unredeemed male jerk and a wimpish whiney crybaby! But as the author, I'm not responsible for the personal background/beliefs / prejudices the reader brings to my book. So I'll just carry on writing what I believe makes a good story and thank heaven for readers like Sherri and other who 'get it ' so wonderfully.

After all, they're the readers I write for.

PS I haven't forgotten I have some prizes to give away - but first I have to rouse Sid from his morning snooze. And I have to get hold of Domenico to announce the winner of his (and Max's and Theo's ) Grooms' Contest. And as he (Dom) is away on his honeymoon somewhere I'll probably have some trouble getting him back here to do so.

Back soon.