Winners

And the winners of the Royal Wedding Collection prizes are:

Sian C  Hertfordshire UK

Amanda G Florida

Louise L

Catherine B

Thak you all for entering - I hope you had a great day. I think it was pretty obvious that William  and Kate did.

Look out for more contests  coming soon - or join my newsletter for special  contests there with extra chances to win.

Royal Wedding Day

So it's the day that it seems  everyone has been waiting for  - the Royal Wedding Day.

I have my coffee in a Mills & Boon Royal Wedding mug.  My own 'Queen''  Flora is sitting on the settee fascinated by the colours and movement   and - well, the fascinators on the screen.

Charlie has decided to echo the woodland/greenery decorations in  Wesminster Abbey and has brough a range of leaves and grass into the house attached to his great plume of a tail.

Sid - being the Alpha male that he  is - has  decided he wants to get away fro0m all the fuss and his gone into the garden to enhoy the sun.

I wish WIlliam and Kate a wonderful day, and a long loving married life with  every joy and happiness in the future .

And when the ceremony is over and they have become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then I'll try to persuade that alpha  cat to pick out the names of the winners of the Royal Wedding novella collection.

Enjy the day

TV 'star'!

Hope this works for you - I didn’t know it was broadcast yesterday so I’ve only just caught it!
The TV report on the Nottingham workshop is here for the next 9 hours I think.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007tj48
Hope this link is direct or if not it’s East Midlands today the programme for 26th April – about 22 minutes in

Good News About the 12 Point Guide

A while ago I mentioned that I was hoping to be able to make an exciting announcement about the newest edition of  the 12 Point Guide to Writng Romance.  I knew things were being planned, but I couldn't let you know until they were finalised.

Now I can. I just had a message from my publishers to let me that from today the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance is  now available on Kindle.

You can find the Kindle edition on Amazon.co.uk  - at a bargain price of £7.04 - on Amazon.com   and Amazon.de in Germany for 7,96 euro   .
I don't yet know what the price on Amazon.com will be but I'm sure they'll post that up very soon.

For over a year now I've been getting enquiries about whether the 12 Point Guide will be brought out as an ebook - and I've  wanted to be able to say yes. Now at last I can at least say a partial yes.  And hopefully this will make it a lot easier for some of you to get your hands on a copy.

Other ebook reader owners  - watch this space and I'll hope to have good news for you soon.

PS Just discobvered that the Amazon.com price is listed as $11.49

Calorie Free Easter Eggs!

Well I bet that got your attention.

Sadly - if chocolate is your thing (can I confess that i can take it or leave it?)  these aren't chocolate Easter Eggs - but the calorie free, square, printed 'eggs' that I prefer as a gift at Easter time.

I'm talking about books.   As you know I ran a workshop in Nottingham last week and  Mills & Boon generously gave out free books to everyone there.  There were a few copies left over so  I'm able to use them as prizes here on my blog.

I'm going to be  very very busy over the next week or so -  real life has interfered rather too much on my writing and I need to get my head down and do some solid concentrating on my book - Easter or not. So I might not be around too often  for a while.   But I am going to leave you with this contest -

The books I have to give away are copies of  the special Royal Wedding collection  with novellas  by Trish Morey, Caitlin Crews, Nina Harrington and Raye Morgan. And with  the real royal wedding coming up in exactly a week's time, I thought I'd give this contest a royal theme - so . . .

On April 29th Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry in Westminster Abbey -  to be in with a chance to win one of these Royal Wedding books  can you  complete these royal  partnerships?

1. Elizabeth  and  . . . .
2. Charles  and . . . . (First time around! William's parents)
3. Andrew and  . . . .
4. Edward and . . . .

Put the names of the missing partners on an email and send it to me   with the heading ROYAL WEDDING in the subject line.

You have a week to get your entries in and on the royal wedding day itself - Friday 29th - I'll get Sid to pick three lucky wnnners.

Good luck!

A Great Review

I discovered a great review for my current USA Presents Extra release - The Proud Wife over on CataRomance Reviews today.

My special thanks go  to Julie  for this great write-up.

"A powerful page-turner sure that will tug at your heartstrings and keep you enthralled from start to finish, The Proud Wife is Kate Walker’s sensational new novel for Harlequin Presents."



When Pietro D’Inzeo had clapped eyes on titian haired beauty Marina, the Italian prince had fallen head over heels in love with the gorgeous English rose. Their instant attraction had soon given way to a wild passion that had resulted in pregnancy. The honourable and conservative Pietro was not about let his child be born illegitimate, so he had proposed to Marina and had whisked the seductive siren, who had stolen his heart, away from her mundane life in rainy England to his fairy tale palazzo in sun-drenched Italy.


Ordinary girl Marina soon found herself swept up in a world of luxury, decadence and opulence. With a handsome husband by her side and a beautiful baby on the way, Marina thought that her life couldn’t possibly get any better. Yet, little did Marina realize that her worst nightmare was about to come true. When she had a miscarriage, broken-hearted Marina turned to her husband for comfort. However, when the man she had fallen in love with had turned his back on her, Marina had no other choice but to walk away from her husband and her new life.


Two years have passed since Marina had walked out on Pietro. Having returned to England, Marina has invested all of her time and energy into her job as a librarian, hoping that hard work would somehow make her forget about the pain and the misery which her miscarriage and the breakdown of her marriage had caused. Despite her separation from Pietro, Marina hasn’t so much as looked at another man. Although, she has tried going on dates with one of her colleagues, no man seems able to match up to the charisma, power and magnetism of Pietro. Marina knows that Pietro is part of her past, yet she can never forget him. When Marina receives a summons from Pietro to come to Italy to sign their divorce papers, it looks like the time has finally come for her to draw a line under the past and start healing.


Although the last thing Marina wants is to come face to face with the man who had destroyed her life, she knows that if she is ever to be free from the shackles of the past, she must swallow her pride and discuss terms with Pietro.


For the first time in years, Pietro and Marina find themselves in the same room and their feelings for one another are as strong as ever. Marina might be well aware that should resist Pietro, but thrown in close proximity together, she quickly finds herself giving into to Pietro’s skilled seduction…
Will Pietro and Marina allow the wide chasm that divides them to continue pushing them further and further apart? Or will they have the courage to take another stab at happiness?






A deeply moving, highly beguiling and immensely satisfying story that will touch readers’ heart and make them ponder, The Proud Wife’s alluring blend of subtle characterization, believable and affecting drama, heart-rending pathos and tender sensuality are guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats, unable to put the novel down.
Kate Walker’s outstanding storytelling prowess and her ability to pen stories and characters that linger in the reader’s mind .long after the last page is turned continues to cement her position as the mistress of compelling emotional romance

Juie B CataRomance Reviews

Contest on My Tote Bag

There is a Kate Walker Contest  running on My Tote Bag  where Lee Hyat is running a series of contests where you can win copies of some of my backlist books.

Have you missed Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife? Never got a copy of The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge? Check out this set of contests and have a chance to win some of the great novels you missed.

Marina thought her dreams had come true when her husband placed a wedding band on her finger. But their marriage was not the fairy tale she'd hoped for, and eventually Marina walked away, her heart broken.

Two years later Pietro D'Inzeo no longer haunts Marina's dreams. She knows the time has come to move on, and even a summons to join him in Sicily won't deter her....

However, with his wife standing before him, about to sign on the dotted line of their divorce papers, Pietro wonders why he ever let her go.

Question:What - or who - helps Kate pick the prizes for her contests?

Hint: You can find the answer on my web site!

Contest Deadline: April 30th, '11.



Prize: A copy of Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride & Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife!

Please email  with your answer and include your full name and mailing address. Please also mark the subject heading as Kate Walker Contest.

Blogging around

Thank you to everyone who came to my Royal Romance Nottingham workshop.  I had a great time and I hope you did too.

Special thanks need to go to Jane from the Central Library and the other members of her staff  whose warm welcome and  help made surethat everything ran smoothly and efficiently. 

Thanks too to Jo Healey and her camerman  who made the filming for  East Midlands Today easier and less nerve wracking than I  had feared.  No idea yet when the piece will be aired, but Jo says she will let me know and I'll pass that on to anyone who might be able to see it.

And a special wave to Sally Quilford who is now officially one of my workshop 'stalkers'!

Today I'm busy blogging at other places

It's the third Friday of the month so that means it's time for A Date With Kate over on the Pink Heart Society

and it's also the 15th of  the month which is the date I write my post for Kate's Corner over on We Write Romance - just as soon as I  dust off the brain cell and find an idea of what to talk about.

Interview

Super-super busy   but there's plenty for you to read here  at Romance Author Buzz where lovely Marilyn did a long interview with me  - she asked some great questions.

And if you didn't visit yeterday, there's my blog over at I heart Presents on reunion stories and why I love writing them so much - My very first book The Chalk Line was  a reunion story, my current title, The Proud Wife is one and my award-winning (I love saying that!) Konstantos Marriage Demand is a reunion story too.

There's just so much potential for emotion in these tales of lovers who had broken up but are now reunited.

Out and about

It's going to be a busy week  (is there any other sort?)   So I'm not sure how much  blogging I'll get to do.  But there will be blogs in other places even if I don't get to say much in  here.

So  - to give advance notice
1. I'm blogging at I Heart Presents on Monday- Obviously I'm talking about the release of The Proud Wife  - and about how I love writing reunion stories.
2.  Friday  will have two blogs -
One will be  Kate's Corner on We Write Romance
The other will be A Date With Kate at the Pink Heart Society
What will I be blogging about ?  Your guess is as good as mine - I need some good ideas!

Tomorrow I have to be up early because I have an interview on the Breakfast Show  on Radio Nottingham

Then on Wednesday I'm being interviewed  for  TV - Jo Healey from  East Midlands Today  will be coming here to talk to me and then she'll be attending the workshop in Nottingham Library  as well.  I'm not sure when this will be on the programme or if I can find a link so you can see it but if I can I will.

These last two are because of the Workshop at Nottingham Library  which is on Wednesday.  Just to remind you of the details -

Nottingham Library Royal Romance Workshop - led by Kate Walker

Location Nottingham Central Library
Angel Row, Nottingham, NG1 6HP

Mills & Boon are hosting a series of royal romance writing workshops for aspiring authors to learn the secrets of writing a successful royal romance novel. Mills & Boon author KATE WALKER will be leading this writing workshop at Nottingham Central Library.

This is a FREE event but booking is recommended.  (the last I heard almost all the ntickets had gone but there were still a few left)
Tickets are available from the Help Desk on the Ground Floor of Nottingham Central Library, contact 0115 915 2825 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0115 915 2825 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Check out the author's latest books before attending this event:

THE PROUD WIFE http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Modern/The-Proud-Wife.htm

MEDITERRANEAN TYCOONS http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Special-Releases/Mediterranean-Tycoons-.htm

This is only one of the planned workshops - for details on other events coming up in different parts of the country, check out Mills & Boon Facebook page here   or on my events page

From Mills & Boon Facebook page

Nottingham Library Royal Romance Workshop - led by Kate Walker
Location Nottingham Central Library

Angel Row, Nottingham, NG1 6HP

Mills & Boon are hosting a series of royal romance writing workshops for aspiring authors to learn the secrets of writing a successful royal romance novel. Mills & Boon author KATE WALKER will be leading this writing workshop at Nottingham Central Library.

This is a FREE event but booking is recommended.

Tickets are available from the Help Desk on the Ground Floor of Nottingham Central Library, contact 0115 915 2825.
Check out the author's latest books before attending this event:

THE PROUD WIFE http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Modern/The-Proud-Wife.htm

MEDITERRANEAN TYCOONS http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Special-Releases/Mediterranean-Tycoons-.htm

This is only one of the planned workshops - for details on other events coming up in different parts of the country, check out  Mills & Boon Facebook page here

And they're back . . .

For all fans of The Hecks, the family of hedgehogs who live in the special hedgehog  houses at the bottom of the garden - our little prickly friends are back.  And there are at least two of them again.

I spotted one of them enjoying the discarded cat meat on the lawn  a couple of days ago. And last night,  at around ten thirty  I could hear the familiar snuffling and grunting that tells me there are  two hedgehogs at least - and  that they're (hopefully) getting ready to create some brand new baby hedgehogs to keep the dynasty going.

When I consider that  we have lived in this house for 22 years, and in a ll that time we have had a family of hedgehogs sharing the garden with us, I'm always delighted to welcome them back as one of the signs of spring and to know that there will be more hedgehogs visiting for another year at least.

We now just have to wait for the fun moment when Charlie meets his first hedgehog.

Coming up . . . .

It's April so that means that my American Presents Extra edition of The Proud Wife will soon be in the shops. The official publication date is  - er well,  when is it in the shops?  Amazon has April 5th but I think the official date is April 12th. 

But the again  many bookshops put them out early anyway. So keep your eyes open  - look for this cover and you'll find it!   The Proud Wife is also out in Australia in the M&B Sexy line and I really love that full-length version of the cover.

I said that I would share the Romantic Times  review with it as soon as I'd found it. Well, thanks to the lovely  Abby Green, I've now got my hands on a copy of that review -   Thanks Abby!

THE PROUD WIFE (4.5) by Kate Walker: Pietro D’Inzeo summons his estranged wife Marina to Sicily to discuss their divorce. Marina, not happy about returning to the place where her dreams for a happy future were shattered, arms herself with a plan to refuse to accept a single penny from her arrogant soon-to-be ex. But she’s caught off guard when Pietro demands an immediate renegotiation … starting with a kiss. This is an emotionally charged page-turner with plenty of tension and passion.

Oh and while I'm talking about reviews - here's a great one from Joanna of the Romance Angels Network. Thank you so much for this Joanna - it's a fabulous  review becaiuse it's so understanding of what I was trying to do in the book

The fire burning beneath the ashes.
When Pietro officially ‘summons’ Marina back to Sicily with the excuse of discussing the terms of their divorce, she attends, only to have the satisfaction to tell him she wants nothing from him, but to send their short marriage into oblivion. None of them imagine the attraction that brought them together is still there. And the passion is burning hotter than ever. Unexpectedly, they are facing each other and their painful past.


A past where everything happened so fast and it was so painful that they didn’t have time to develop a relationship. The Proud Wife by Kate Walker is about finding closure for the painful experiences shared and connecting as a real couple.

My favorite part is when they finally talk about the death of their baby. The biggest misunderstanding in their relationship. Marina breaks down, Pietro gives her the sympathy and soothing he couldn’t before, and somehow they find closure. However, Pietro and Marina still have too many pending issues. Pietro’s idea of intimacy is making love. He thinks he is doing what she wants, but Marina needs much more. He has been emotionally unavailable in the past. While Marina was feeling used as a breeder to produce an heir, never truly loved and inadequate as a princess.

 

The Proud Wife is one of the books that I’d read where the characters’ emotions convey to the page the best. Kate Walker did a great job channeling their adversities, the emotional portion of the story is deeply touching, there were moments I was teary-eyed.

And in extra good news, there's another couple of my books that are being republished and brought out as ebooks - these were  published  on April 1st so they are available now from the eHarlequin site  and they are:

Fiancée By Mistake - orignally published   December 2000

Driving home for Christmas, Leah's car landed in a snow-filled ditch—and she was rescued by Sean Gallagher, who took her to his home to recover.
Leah couldn't believe it! Sean was convinced that Leah had got engaged to his brother, then run away. It was as if he hated her...and desired her. As the burning need between them grew more intense, Leah fought to resist: Sean seemed determined to prove she was a wanton...by seducing her into his bed...

And

Rafael's Love-Child  Originally published   February 2001

When Serena wakes up in hospital with amnesia, her only visitors are Rafael Cordoba and his baby son, Tonio. Following docotr's orders. Rafeal tells her nothing except that she had an accident in his car - but that he doesn't know her.
Rafael insists Serena recuperates at his home and, already having strong feelings for the sexy Spaniard, and adoring his son, she accepts. But what is Rafael not telling her - and where is his baby's mother?


His baby - he's sexy, he's successful . . . And he's facing up to fatherhood.

It's great to see these older books coming back with a new lease of life as ebooks.

Harlequin Presents Authors Blog

To mark the publication of my latest USA release - The Proud Wife - in Harlequin Presents Extra, today I'm blogging over at the Harlequin Presents Authors blog. 

I'm talking about the way that Spring finally seems to have arrived - and how that old saying  that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb really seems to describe the way a romance story develops.

So I hope I'll see you over there

Blogging around

It's the first Sunday of the month so that means that I'm blogging in my regular spot over on Tote Bags N Blogs  - so I hope you'll join me over there.

It's Mother's Day here in the  UK so that's what's behind my post on Tote Bags today.  I know it's not Mother's Day in America or anywhere - but Happy Mother's Day to all mothers everywhere!

Royal Romance - Workshop

Mills and Boon are really getting into the spirit of the upcoming roaylk wedding -  they've brought out a  ommemorative Limited Edition Royal Wedding mug – with a Mills & Boon twist.


The mug features William and Kate’s names and the wedding date on one side and the Mills & Boon logo on the reverse.

They're also running workshops on how to write a royal (or any style) romance   where aspiring novelists can meet and learn from established M&B authors in libraries all over the country.

I've been asked to run one of these workshops and the details have just been finalised  so I can let you know that I'll be running my workshop in Nottingham.
Here are the details:
Mills & Boon Royal Romance Writing Workshop

Nottingham Central Library,
Wednesday 13th April, 2 - 4pm.


With the nation swept up in the romance of the Royal Wedding, Mills & Boon are hosting a series of royal romance workshops for aspiring authors to learn the secrets of writing a successful royal romance novel.


This is a FREE event but booking is recommended.

Tickets are available from the Help Desk on the Ground Floor of Nottingham Central Library,

 Contact 0115 915 2825

I've also been approached and asked to run another week long  writing course - probably starting in 2012 - in a very special place - more details as soon as they're finalised and I can let you know.

Oh - and today I'm blogging over on Romance Bandits  where I'm talking about covers - old and new - so why not join me over there and you'll have a chance to win copies of  my latest USA release The Proud Wife and the award winning Konstantos Marriage Demand.

And now for something completely different . . .

It's April 1st and while other people might be using the date as an excuse to play tricks and   have fun, a friend of mine is doing something  a little - well a lot - different.

He's going to be buried alive! For a week.

And no, this is not an April Fool.  Ian Lawman, TV medium and exorcist is to take a challenge that is everyone’s fear – to be buried alive. In a small coffin shaped box, Ian will be buried six feet under in the grounds of the notoriously haunted and historic Dudley Castle in the West Midlands.

All Ian will be living on is water and food tablets.

For seven days he will be underground to raise money for two fantastic charities, Help for Heroes and PC David Rathband's Blue Lamp Foundation. He will be pushing the boundaries of the human endurance as he lays buried under nearly two tons of soil in the pitch black

If you want to see a picture of the coffin  and find out more details - they're on Ian's Buried Alive Facebook page

All i can say  is - good luck Ian!