Much Needed Catch Up

I knew that I needed to blog  - having neglected to post for some time – but I hadn’t realised just how long it is since I actually posted anything here.  And when my sister in Australia notices that I’ve been  missing in action (sorry Big Sis!) then I know it’s well overdue to write something.

So here I am, trying to catch up  and bring things up to date. What have I been doing since  I last posted?

1.       With the help of the wonderful Heather Reed of We Write Romance, I’ve  finally updated my web site. (Thank you Heather!)  I can’t believe how long it is since that was done. So now there is a complete list of all the recent M&B Vintage/Harlequin  Treasury ebooks that have been issued  - including a special banner that Heather has created -  and they’re all clearly shown.  The new publicity pic is up there too.

2.       On a personal front  there was the dental emergency  - how can a tooth go from ‘fine’ to ‘ouch!’ in what seems like the blink of an eye. Well, that’s what mine did  or so it seemed. So I’ve spent more time than I care to remember sitting in a dentist’s chair, trying to breathe calmly while the old filling was drilled out and a new one put in. Fun – not!

3.       Reading.  One of my resolutions – not new year, obviously, but a determined one all the same – has been to read more as I’d not been getting my hands on as many books as I would have liked.   So I’ve had my nose buried in as many volumes as possible – some good, some not so satisfactory.

4.       Admitting at last that the C word is coming – it’s December tomorrow and that means that Christmas is just around  the corner. And with friends and family in America, Spain, Australia, Japan, presents and parcels need to be  organised, gifts bought, wrapped and sent on their way.  I’ve just put what is (hopefully) the last foreign posting in the Mail.  Which means of course that I’ve bought the gifts and wrapped them before I did that! And there are some other presents ticked off the list for friends and family nearer home- I’m starting to feel   surprisingly organised.

5.       Watching the results and reading the top 3 entries in the So You Think You Can Write Contest – I enjoyed them all –  Congratulations to  all three – Mel, Amber and Jennifer – and extra special congratulations to Jennifer for winning that prized publishing contract. 

6.       Celebrating some very special news when  a dear friend Anna Louise Lucia  and her husband announced that they are adopting a a gorgeous, bouncy, little two year old boy.  That’s the very best sort of news on a cold grey damp November day.

7.       Planning the Advanced Contemporary Romance  Writing Workshop for Fishguard in February2013.  The welcome letters and the reading list have gone out and now I’m planning the final details of the course and waiting for some first chapter submissions so that I can discuss them in the one to ones in February. So looking forward to that. Oh – and if you were hoping to book for Fishguard, but hesitated after I announced that the course was sold out – as a result of an unexpected cancellation, there is now ONE place left on the course for February 15^th 2013.  One place only  - so if  you’d like to grab it – check out the details here and get your booking in.

8.       I’ve also been planning my Christmas celebrations on the blog – with the  Advent Calendar coming up starting on December 1^st (that’s tomorrow isn’t it? Yikes! Must get organised!)  I have a book a day to give away – some old, some new -  and I know that there are some Kate Walker collectors out there who might be interested in a couple  of ‘golden oldies’ I have on offer. All you have to do is to join in,  come and chat, tell me what’s happening in your world  and post a comments to be in with a chance to win -   So look out for that Advent Calendar starting Saturday December 1^st.

And that’s it – I think!  I’m sorry for the absence,  and  glad to be back. With the Advent Calendar giveaway lined up for the next 24 days, I’ll hope to be  much more of a regular blogger for December at least!

 

On Line Read

Mills & Boon free on-line reads:

 

 Wife for Real by Kate Walker - Chapter 8 FINAL CHAPTER

Sold out!

Congratulations to the 3 finalists in the So You think You Can Write contest.  If you haven’t read their entries – check them out on the SYTYCW page.    And look out for more news on other entries that have attracted attention and who may well be contacted by  the editors very soon.

Good luck to everyone  involved – and keep writing! Even if you’re not in this  list – or the longer list of finalists, the only way to reach your dream of being published is to keep writing, keep learning,  keep trying.

Oh – and talking of learning. I have just organised some updates on my web site, one of which was to put the updated details of  my Advanced Contemporary Romance WritingCourse in Fishguard on the Events page but   last night I heard that the final place on in February 2013 has been booked – so this course is now officially sold out.  Sorry to anyone who had hoped to get a place for 2013. But don’t forget – you can still send an email to show your interest and Gerry Hobbs will put your name on the waiting list in case anyone who has booked  drops out between now and February – this will be on a first come, first served basis so get you name in now if you  want to secure any place that comes free.

Finally, if you've missed it until now  -  my free online read, Wife For Real is running on the Mills & Boon web site. This is the story of Alexander Alcolar – the first of the Alcolar Family whose story appeared in the  called surprisingly enough – The Alcolar Family (and yes- Fiona  - they were originally 3 separate titles).   Wife For Real is now at Chapter 6 where the story is about to come to its emotional climax.  

I’ve been reading through this again for the first time in ages and I remember how much I had to pare it down to fit it into the short, serial format of the on-line reads. There was no room for extras, much description or anything but the immediate story. It was a fascinating exercise – getting the emotional impact of the story into just 10,000 words.  Reading it, I’ve been thinking how it could also be used  as a long, detailed plan of a novel, sketching out the emotional journey of the hero and heroine and  then it would be possible to go back and shade in all the details later.

I’m not very much of a planner,  but that way might work for some who need more structure. (Hmm – note to self – look at this from the point of view of  teaching on that Contemporary Romance Writing course. . . .

Tote Bags Blog day

Today's the first Sunday of the month so as usual I've written my usual blog post over on Tote Bags 'N' Blogs.

I'm sharing with you the very self-indulgent week I've had 'filling up the well' of my imagination with lots of great reading.   It's been so much fun - and I've made a large reduction in my TBR pile as  a result!

 What have you been reading lately?  Anything good? I'd love to know. I actually have space on my Kindle/TBR shelves now!

Good news for Australian readers

One of the books I get enquiries about so often from my Australian readers is A Sicilian Husband.  This is because this novel is part of a duo – the first title being The Sicilian’s Wife.

The first book tells the story of Cesare Santorino and his heroine Megan, and in that story readers met Cesare’s half-brother Gio Cardelli. Gio had adored his wife and had been heart-broken when  she had died tragically and far too young.

So many readers wanted to read Gio’s story – it was published in 2003 here in the UK, 2004 in America. But in Australia, it wasn’t  easy to find as it was published in a multipack of ‘Winter Warmers’ rather than as a separate title.

So if you missed it then, I have good news for you – and it’s great news for me too. Mills & Boon Australia is publishing a special reprint of both  these titles in a double volume  in their Bestsellers Collection which is out this month.

I’m so thrilled  about this for a couple of reasons – on is that A Sicilian Husband is one of my own personal favourites amongst my books. I always loved Gio from the moment I introduced him in Maegan and Cesare’s story. And secondly because it’s a real honour to have  two of my stories  reprinted in the special Bestseller series. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for a long time – and I’m really happy that the books selected are these two titles.

So I hope that if you’re one of my wonderful Australian readers who missed Gio’s story (or perhaps Cesare’s)  the first time around, or perhaps you just want to replace an old/missing edition of these stories you’ll be as glad as I am to see them back again. Or it they’re totally new to you – really hope you enjoy them this time around.

Oh - and I've  just discovered that over on the Mills & Boon website,  my novella Wife For Real is being republished  in their On Line Reads. This is the very first  story in  the series The Alcolar Family.  It isn't  available  in the reprint of the 3 in 1 Collection  - so if you wanted to know how that series began  - and to learn about Alex Alcolar  now's your chance to catch up.

(Wife For Real is included in the ebook collection of The Alcolar Family on Harlequin web site too)

Tomorrow in the first Friday in November which means that I will be blogging over on the Pink Hearts Society  site. I’m posting a second set of thoughts following on  from the So You Think You Can Write Contest  - hope to see you there!