Guest Blogging with Rachel

Lovely Superromance author Rachel Brimble invited me  to share a guest blog spot over on her blog. So that's where I am today - talking about writing,  writing, reading,  characters - and cats!

See you there!

Authors for Nepal

Just  23 hours left to place a bid on the Authors for Nepal auction - with so many wonderful lots of signed books, critiques etc available.

My lot of  signed copies of
The Alcolar Family  3 in 1 collection
A Question of Honour
Olivero's Outrageous Proposal

and
12  Point Guide to Writing Romance

is to be found here

Pink Heart Day

Today I'm over on The Pink Heart Society  with my  post for the day.  And I'm celebrating.

Celebrating what?  Well, the acceptance of Destined for the Desert King  obviously  but today'[s a special day ( and no I'm not talking about Polling Day in the General Election) 

Important note  though -

I may be celebrating but in Nepal there are people who are just hanging on to  being alive after the devastating earthquake there.   Authors For Nepal is a collection of writers who are all offering  signed books etc for auction to make a  contribution  to this vital cause.  

The auction is on ebay and you can find my lot  - three books and a copy of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance here and the whole auction - now live - can be found here.  Take a look at the great lots on offer - make a bid - and you can help the people of Nepal as well as  getting yourself some great signed books, critiques etc,

Good news

So the good news I want to share with you is that I just heard from my editor and she loved the revisions I sent her and so Nabil and Aziza's story will now be published in December 2015 - with the fabulous title of Destined for The Desert King  (I love that title!)

I thought this was my 63rd title, but, after checking my web site  and counting up it turns out that it's my 64th! - How did I lose count of everything?   Which means that I'm now about to launch into my 65th book!   Hard to believe, but that's what's coming up.

In case you hadn't realised,  Destined for The Desert King will follow on from  A Question of Honour. Nabil is the man (little more than a boy really) that Clementina was supposed to have married but he  rejected her for someone else.   He's grown up a lot  since then, this books takes place 10 years later  and a lot has happened to him in that time!

My editor really wanted this one - she's been pestering for Nabil's story so I had to write if for her. So I'm really pleased that she loved it so much.  I hope you all do too when it appears in December.

And no, in case you were wondering, the joy of getting an acceptance email never gets any less - I've been smiling ever since I read the news.

Now all I have to do is do it again . . . .

It's good news week really - I've just spotted so many lovely reviews of   Olivero's Outrageous Proposal over on Amazon.com - more smiles as a result!  Thank you to everyone who wrote such generous  and welcome reviews.

And the sun's coming out after  the torrential downpours of the weekend.  Lovely!

Finding books - part two - The Alcolar Family

Back in   . . . err ,  when was it?  2004 -   I was asked to write a short story to be serialised on eHarlequin.  That story was called Wife For Real and it was about  Alex Alcolar  and his heroine Louise.   It was good fun - and an interesting writing exercise  - putting everything into such a very few words (10,000) and splitting it into  eight chapters  each one ending on a cliff hanger to keep readers  coming back for more.

When the story was posted on  the eHarlequin site, readers enjoyed it and  when  they got to the end - and discovered that Alex had a family - two brothers and a sister -  they wanted  to know more about them. As a result, by popular request,  I wrote  3 full length novels
The Twelve Month Mistress  - which was Joaquin's story
The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife  which was
Ramon's story
and  Bound By Blackmail which was the story of the one Alcolar Daughter - Mercedes

Later these  3 stories were all republished in a 3 in 1 By Request   The Alcolar Family (in the UK)   and Kate Walker's Alcolar Family Bundle  in Presents.  The Alcolar Family (UK)  didn't have a copy of Wife For Real in it - but  Kate Walker's Alcolar Family Bundle did .  Or it should have done - it was meant to do  -  but initially there was a problem. The edition of Wife For Real include
d in this bundle was  not my short story but a novel by Jennifer Taylor  - a Harlequin Romance.    So people who wanted Alex's story were disappointed.

I talked to editorial back then and had thought that the situation  was sorted out  - but it seems some of the  mixed up ebook editions have stuck around. I've had some emails from readers who were looking for the  bundle with the Kate Walker story Wife For Real in them.  When they bought the  books and found there was Jennifer's story it was not the one they were looking for.

I've also had emails from people who have bought the UK  Alcolar Family  3 in 1  -   or bought each of the original Alcolar Family titles as separate books or ebooks - they'v e not been able to get their hands on a copy of  Wife For Real either.

I took this up with my editor, and with the people who organise Harlequin ebooks. They checked on the details of this for me,  and we want to apologise to anyone who ended up with the wrong version of Wife For Real  even after all a this time.

But for everyone who's been affected by this situation -  at last I have some news for you.

 I’m really happy to say that  the production team has been working on this problem and they have  revised the content of this book bundle  so that it now contains the right version of Wife For Real. As  I understand it, if you have already bought one version you should be able to log in to the site  where you bought it and download the revised version so that you have  all of The Alcolar Family on your reader.   I hope this works for you.

Otherwise, they have also put the novella up on eHarlequin again as an on-line read so that people

can get to see it there  and find out about Alex Alcolar and his story.

You should find it here.

This on line read could end up being even more important,  because I understand that in the autumn - about September of so  - the Alcolar Family trilogy will be republished in Australia under the title The Notorious Alcolars.   I haven't yet been able to find out if Wife For Real is included in this collection - but if it's not there, I shall now be able to let readers  know about the on-line read version of this novella.

So  if you've been looking for a copy of Alex Alcolar's story Wife For Real   you should now be able to find it. Either update your Alcolar Family Bundle - or go to the   eHarlequin site  and read the story there.

And if you haven't read any of the Alcolar family books, then maybe, as happened  ten + years ago, reading about Alex and Louise will whet your appetite to find out more about  the rest of his family.

Next course coming up

CREATIVE WRITING WEEKEND COURSE

‘Beginning Middle and End’

Planning your novel from start to finish

19 - 21 JUNE 2015

Attend as a Day Visitor or Residential Member

at

THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

CIRENCESTER

Kate Walker Author and Course Leader

Kate Walker is a well-known Harlequin Mills & Boon author, having published 61 titles for them in the UK, USA and worldwide. She is also the author of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance,  Kate’s workshops can be adapted to any form of popular fiction, and ‘Relax & Write’ plan weekend courses, two part courses and retreats, so that you can benefit from her expertise in this genre. 

Was your New Year resolution to ‘write that novel’?  Did you start out hopefully, wanting to write the story that was burning i your head ... Only to find that now you’ve slowed down, lost the plot, lost your way, become bogged down in a ‘sagging middle.’  Could you do with a route map - some guidelines to help you find your way?

This course will teach you how to plan out your novel so that you have a much better idea of where you’re going and how to create the best read possible.  It will show you how to:

l  Start well

l  Use opening hooks

l  Use a synopsis to keep yourself - and your characters - on track

l  Avoid the ‘sagging middle’

l  Maintain pace to keep the reader turning pages

l  Create a satisfying end - making the reader want more from you

For further information Contact Lois Bird-Maddox ‘Relax & Write’ Course Organiser on Tel. 01454  773579

e-mail loisbm@outlook.com              www.malagaworkshops.co.uk

Write to: The Secretary, ‘Relax & Write’ 9 (D) Langthorn Close, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol BS36 2JH.

Groups are kept small to benefit from the writing experience. Please let your Writing Group know about our ‘Relax & Write’ weekend courses, which are held at different venues during the year.  Book early to guarantee a place. Book early and pay by instalments. Non-participating partners welcome. Free Parking is available