When I find him . . . .

. . . Charlie will be picking some winners.
The contest to win the Haworth/Bronte souvenirs after my visit to Haworth to talk about  The Return of The Stranger has now closed.

So has the Great Big Blog Tour Stop 11 giveaway for comments over on We Write Romance to win a copy of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance

And as soon as Charlie comes in he will pick winners for both  .. . .er though that may be  a little while yet.    Charlie is a young cat,  having as he would say only just got a number -  that number being one. One year old.  So he is always desperate for the door to be opened and to get out into the garden - and he's never too desperate to come back inside! 

But at some point in the day  the urge of his tummy will bring him in and then I'll set him on to winner picking and announce the results  as soon as he's done his job.

Charlie is ready to become the winner picker  for the future but he would just like me to mention his loving memory of  The Great Sid  - that Cat of Superior Breeding  who taught him all he knew. Some of my gentlest memories of Sid's last days are of him and Charlie sitting in the hall - just hanging out together. And I'm sure that Sid was passing on all the wisdom of his 16 years,  He will have taught the Young 'Un  well, as I'm sure all the future prize-winners will know.

And so - for  Julie, Desere, Rita   and everyone else who have asked for 'more cats'  (Julie Thank you for the pic of Vala and Teyla and my sympathies on the loss of Mia -  I know exactly how you feel)  I've added a few cat picures to today's post to amuse you while you wait for the winners' names to be drawn.

And the next Blog Tour  Dates and stops will be coming up later this week - you can see the itinerary  here.  Don't forget that it you join my newsletter list  - see the sidebar  - you'll also get up to date news  and extra chances to win!

I found this review on We Read Romance this morning and after a difficult week it made my day - Thak you  so much Larissa!

The Return of the Stranger by Kate Walker

“Ms. Walker delivers a powerful, emotion-invoking read….”

Reviewed by Larissa M

Rating 5 stars

Ms. Walker does a splendid job weaving a modern-day tale of Heathcliff and Lady Catherine in The Return of the Stranger. Rich with intrigue, scandal, revenge and forbidden, unleashed desire her take on the classic Wuthering Heights reminds us why some love stories are truly timeless.

When I was a bit younger I found Emily Bronte’s story to be full of emotion, making it one of my all-time ill-fated love stories. And Ms. Walker’s current story based loosely on that epic tale lives up to the bar set by Bronte.

If you aren’t familiar with the classic, you won’t miss out but if you know the story I think you’ll see the parallels and enjoy watching how each plays out just slightly different. In The Return of the Stranger, Heath Montanha is a young man, a stablehand on the estate, who is friends with the young daughter of the house (Lady Katherine). But jealousy, circumstances and family tear their friendship apart leaving Heath hard and determined to seek revenge. Revenge being the powerful motivator it is, he builds his wealth and returns to show them all.

As usual, Ms. Walker delivers a powerful, emotion-invoking read that makes you route for the hero and heroine all the way through! A must read for sure!

Don't forget that the contest to win the Bronte Gifts is still open - see below. Charlie will be picking the winners soon -  he can't wait to prove he's learned  his job well from dear Sid.

Winners -and more chances to win

 The winners of the One Night in Madrid giveaway are Summer and Caroline  so please send me your postal addresses and I'll get your copies of the book in the mail to you.

  And just to remind you that there are more chances to win over on My Tote Bag   where Lee Hyat is giving away copies of books from my backlist - this month the books on offer areThe Good Greek Wife? and The Antonakos Marriage!
This contest is of course to celebrate the publication of The Proud Wife which is out in Presents Extra right now - if you can find a copy, because people are telling me it's selling so well they're having to hunt to find a copy.

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.

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!

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.

Covers Contests and Kudos

I posted about covers over on Tote Bags 'N' Blogs yesterday, showing the UK  and the USA cover of The Proud Wife, and Nas very kindly connected me to the Australian cover which is   a much fuller version of the USA  Presents Extra cover and  actually the one that best represents a scene in the book - the board room setting, the passion between the hero and heroine. The purple dress is all wrong - that's just not the impression that my heroine Marina was trying to give - but  you can't have everything!

Anyway, I thought I'd share it with you all here.

Kudos - well, I'd completely forgotten - I've been  so busy that the fact that it's March 7th hadn't registered. So today is the day that the RNA's Pure Passion Awards are handed out. And right about now in London the ceremony is  under way. I have no idea yet who has won anything but as soon as I do know, I'll pass the information on to you - and I'll raise a glass in a toast to all the winners - and all the entrants - later tonight.

If you missed the lists of the books nominated for each of the Pure Passion Awards  then you'll find it here.

And finally - contests -

One of the things I've noticed is how many of you are trying to collect up past books of mine, from my backlist.  The Advent Calendar giveaway created a lot of interest and people were trying to win copies of the older books that they'd missed or didn't have  copies of. So  to celebrate the publication of The Proud Wife - and to mark that 3 weeks at the #1 slot - I've got together with Lee Hyat of  My Tote Bag.

In the run up to the USA publication of The Proud Wife ( April 12th I think!)  we're running a series of contests where the prizes are collectable backlist books of mine. Each  contest, there will be a chance to win different title.   This time the books you can win are: 

A copy of Cordero's Forced Bride & The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge.
You will find the details and the question you need to answer here.  Please respond to Leena and not to me!

And look out for more such contests coming up - I'll let you know too.

Advent Calendar Giveaway

Let it snow . . .Well, I can't really do much else, but let it snow - the damn stuff is piling up around me. And has been for days.

It started with an inch or two. And since then there has been more added to that inch, day by day. I've tried to get out at least once a day just to get into the air and see daylight. But this morning I have drifts piled up against my door so that it's almost impossible to open it. Ihad to try though - Flora needed to go out.

She went into the garden and just about disappeared into the snow. It's higher than her legs. We had to go and fetch her because she couldn't get back! If Charlie went out into it, he'd be buried completely. I measured the snow by the door - over 14 inches of the stuff.

I think we need something to brighten the day

So it's December 1st. Today the countdown to Christmas begins. On December 1st, children open one door a day on their Advent Calendars to mark the days between now and December 25th.

And as I've been celebrating 25 years, I think 25 days of Christmas is a great way to round off the year.

So, every day between now and Christmas Eve, I'm giving away a book on this blog. Some old, some new(er). Some single titles, some 'By Request' or Collections. And all you have to do is to come and visit, and say hello in the comments, answering my question.

And every day I'll pick a winner - and then I'll send the book to you (when I can get out to the Post Office that is!)

So - today let's start with a golden oldie. Today's giveaway book is Bound By Blackmail (2005)

Bound by Blackmail is the final part of The Alcolar Family trilogy and it's the story of Mercedes, the only Alcolar daughter.

He'll make her his mistress for revenge...

Jake Taverner has never wanted a woman as much as he wants Mercedes Alcolar. So when she rejects him in the most painful way, Jake's hurt pride demands the most pleasurable revenge...
...his mistress for a month!

Jake traps Mercedes into a fake engagement as he embarks on his skillful seduction. She'll share his bed for one passionate month. But though he can bind her by blackmail...can he keep her?

So to be in with a chance of winning this book, all you need to do is to post in the comments - tell me, do you have an advent calendar in your house? For yourself, or the kids - or, like some crazy people - for the cats! (Can't find the photo right now - but I will!)

25th Anniversary Contest - WINNERS

Well - that took some time!

Even Sid was slightly outfaced by the 200 or so entries I had for the contest. But we got there in the end and the names of all the winners are listed below.

Each winner wins one of my backlist books plus a Kate Walker tote bag.

I don't know whether it was Sid's plan but we do seem to have come up with a wide variety of countries - and a large selection of USA states. At one point I thought he was going to pick names from every state in America but not quite

Congratulations to the winners - you should all have been notified but if your name is on here and you haven't heard, check your spam folder - or email me at the address at the bottom of the page

Maggie C Yorkshire

Zoe M Singapore

Winnie K Michigan
Pamela S Alabama

Theresa N S Carolina
Joanne A Massachusetts

Nyla T South Dakota

Rachel B Wiltshire

Linda B Illinois

Debra S Minneapolis

Jayne H Worcestershire

Maurine A Maryland

Debra C New York

Annie Martin New Zealand

Linda E Alberta

Juanita I Florida

Kelly W Manitoba

Frana L Croatia

Hannah B Connecticut
Christine H Coventry

Laurie G Wisconsin

Metha C Georgia
Mary K Tennessee

Christine N Indonesia
Kamini N

Jo G
Louise L from Massachusetts
Alison W from Dumfriesshire Scotland

And the special Newsletter extra prizes go to:

Pat C Texas

Michelle H Durham

Audra H
Xandra James
Afshan N from New York

New Voices winner

Just when everyone was waiting - technical difficulties hit the New Voices site and they haven't been able to announced the winner on there

But they have managed to get the news out on Facebook - and the winner is

SECRETS & SPEED-DATING - Leah Ashton

Many congratulations to Leah - and to everyone who was in the Final Four.

Nearly November . . .

So that means that it's the last days to enter the 25th Anniversary Celebration Contest and put yourself in with a chance to win a signed copy of one of my backlist books, and a Kate Walker tote bag.

The contest will close at midnight, October 31st wherever the last second of this month ticks away. So get your entries in today.

Full details are on my Contest Page and please don't just send in your name - entries without the answers to the questions will not be included in the draw - ahem - cat choosing.

Sid the Cat is going to be very busy tomorrow - and very happy when he has 25 + cat treats to munch his way through

Pivotal Moments

The New Voices contest has entered its final stage with the posting of the last piece of writing from the final four entrants. They have written their 'pivotal moments' and these are now posted on the web site, ready for your votes. I've been intrigued to see exactly what the authors and their mentors defined as a 'pivotal' moment - never having actually thought of a point in my stories as being 'pivotal' - I now see that it's a very good term for a particular moment. (Kate stores away the term 'pivotal moment' for future reference in writing classes and workshops. )

It's always interesting to see how editors talk about writing in a way that is very slightly different from the authors. Even when we are analysing our work. I'm always slightly wary that writing 'towards a pivotal moment' or planning around one might work against some writers by making them write too much to a plan and so not working with the characters to progress naturally to such a point because it's inevitable because of who they are and what is happening to them. I suppose I have always only ever really known for sure that a certain moment is 'pivotal' when I look at its place in my story and seen the Before and After effect. The way things are leading up to that moment and the way they are changed for ever after it.

I'm a great believer in the importance of Before and After

In other news, the Mills and Boon web site has just had a great new makeover in line with the new look covers that are now firmly established on the shelves - it's still in the development stage so not all the links are working fully yet, but it's a fresh new look.

(Sorry but theThe Good Greek Wife? is still sold out on there! So if you're looking for a copy you'll have to try Amazon or The Book Depository. Of course, in America it's still out in the shops.)

And this is the last week to enter my great big 25th Anniversary Celebration Contest with your chance to win one of 25 prizes of a signed copy of one of my backlist books and a special Kate Walker tote bag. (I use mine all the time - it just folds up inside my handbag for those unexpected bits of shopping so that you don't have to have a nasty plastic bag.)

Full details are on the Contest page.

Closing date is October 31st. And Sid the Cat is gearing up to help me pick the winners - he's licking his lips in anticipation of the 25 cat treats he has to pick. He'll be one very happy cat on Monday.

And probably on Friday too when I shall have some good news for want-to-be wrtiters. I'll have a blog giveaway then so Sid will be needed to help me pick. So don't forget to come by on Friday to hear all about it.

Another contest!

As I may have mentioned, The Good Greek Wife? was a special project that my editor asked me to write for a mini-series based on the Greek Myths.

The Good Greek Wife? is now released in Presents Extra in the second half of this mini-series which in America is labelled The Greek Tycoons - legends are made of men like these.

I've had some enquiries about these books, wanting to know which other titles are included in this special mini-series. So I thought I'd let you know what the other three books are:

Released in June were:

The Power of The Legendary Greek by Catherine George

and

The Greek Tycoon's Achilles Heel by Lucy Gordon (now guess which myth that is based on!)

and this month (October - ie this week)

The Good Greek Wife? by Kate Walker

and

Powerful Greek, Housekeeper Wife by Robyn Donald

To mark the publication of The Good Greek Wife? I'm running a contest with Lee Hyat of Authorsound Relations through her special Newswire service to win copies of each of the books in the mini series. I have 3 sets of all four books to give away - if you answer the simple question I've asked, then you'll be in with a chance.

You can find the full details here. But be quick - you only have until October 17th to get an entry in.

My 25th anniversary contest is still open until October 31st though. Entries are coming in nicely and Sid the Cat is realy looking forward to helping me choose 25 winners. He may even have to enlist Flora to help him (though I doubt it). Entry details are on my Contest page.

But please - do answer the questions to enter! Just sending me your name and address isn't going to work. No answers, no entry - and no entry means there won't be a piece of paper with your name and a cat treat on it for Sid to choose from - and you wouldn't want to diasapoint a hungry cat - would you?

Important PS to contest post!

I think I must not have explained myself clearly as I've noticed some people are spreading the word about the contest slightly differently to the way I meant it.

So - to make absolutely clear - I am still giving away 25 copies of backlist books + a tote bag

But these prizes will be given out to 25 different people! That's one book, one bag per winner.

Just so's that's clear. I don't actually have 25 different books to give to one person. But enough books to give to 25 different winners.

So if you were hoping for 25 books all your own - I'm sorry if you're disappointed. But with 25 different prizes to give away then you have to admit the odds on your winning are rather better than before!

25th Anniversary Contest

This week sees the publication in America of my latest book. The Good Greek Wife? is published in Presents Extra - officially on October 12th but it will start appearing in the shops towards the end of this week. To mark this and to round off the celebrations for my 25th year as a published writer, I’m running a final special, great big contest to thank all my readers for their support and enthusiasm for my books since The Chalk Line was first published in 1984, right through to the sell-out success of The Good Greek Wife? in 2010.

For this contest, I am giving away not one – not ten – not even twenty prizes but 25 special giveaways. One to mark each year I have been published. (Sid the Cat is so looking forward to helping me pick the prizes for this!)

What I have on offer are 25 books from my backlist, each with a special Kate Walker tote bag and special 25th anniversary pen and I’m giving them all away in this special celebratory contest
How can you be in with a chance of one of these prizes?

It’s quite simple. All you have to do is to check out my web site and find the answers to these four easy questions:

1. What is the title of the very first book I ever had published?

2. What are the names of the hero and heroine of my latest title, The Good Greek Wife?

3.What is the title of my award-winning guide to writing romance?

4.Who helps me pick all the winners of the contests I run?

Collect up all the answers and put them in an email

Send the email to me with 25th Anniversary Contest in the subject line
Closing date for this contest is: October 31st 2010
GOOD LUCK!

Kate's Corner and a contest

It's the 15th of the month so that means that it's my day for blogging in Kate's Corner over on We Write Romance.

Today I'm talking about the new cover designs and the changes that are happening in Harlequin Mills & Boon in the upcoming months. If you haven't seen the new designs then now's your chance - and they'll be out on the bookshop shelves next month.

And thinking of Kate's Corner reminds me. I've been asked to write another regular column on a great blog site, starting with the new year in 2011. Of course I've said yes.

But - and here's where I need your help - what should I call my column this time?

Heather at We Write Romance came up with Kate's Corner which I like a lot - but now I need another name for this regular column - so

CONTEST TIME -
I'd love it if you could suggest some possible ideas for the name of this new column
Walker's Warblings?
Kate's Crazies?
Queen's Queries?

I'm sure you can think of something much better.

How about posting your suggestion in the Comments section of the blog and I'll pick my favourite (s)

I can't guarantee that it will be the one that gets used but I will offer a prize to the winner
So - what are your ideas?

Oh - and my thanks to Marilyn who drew my attention to this good review of The Good Greek Wife? on The Good The Bad and The Unread

I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday Marilyn and hope that knee op goes smoothly and your'e soon up and about again

Thank you too to Lynne Connolly for the review

Winners

The Summer Sizzler Contest that I shared with Michelle Reid has now closed and today Michelle and I - or, rather, Michelle and Sid the Cat - picked the winners.

So I'm happy to announce that my (Sid's) winner is Eve S from Estonia (I don't think I've ever sent a prize to Estonia before)

Michelle picked out Carol W from New Jersey

And my special newsletter winner is Ali F from Texas.

Congratulations to all the winners who will each receive a copy of my latest release The Good Greek Wife? and Michelle's novel Mia's Scandal which starts off The Balfour Legacy series.

My thanks to everyone who entered. I'm not sure when I'll have the next contest - but keep your eyes on my Competition page for any details.

Incidentally, if you'd like an extra taster of the Balfour series, then Michelle's on-line read Scandal at the Balfour Ball which is a prequel to this goes live from today over on eHarlequin. You can find the story here.

Thanks and clebrations

My thanks to everyone who has sent me questions for the Conflict Q&A . I'll be addressing those in the workshop - and hopefully on here after the Conference. Any more questions, you still have time to ask.

Oh and special thanks to Janet who sent me a question by email and reminded me of something I'd once said a long time ago on this topic (some of you have memories like elephants!) that is a point I really want to make at RNA - so thanks for that question Janet!

And just to remind you that as it's 29th June, you still have one more day in which to enter the Summer Sizzler contest that I'm running with Michelle Reid. In case you've forgotten this is the contest where you can win a signed copy of both Michelle's and my new releases - Mia's Scandal and A Good Greek Wife?. Details can be found on the Contest page on both our sites. And don't forget that you can enter twice - once with Michelle, and once with me.

The contest closes when June 30th ends - everywhere in the world!

Of course this contest is to celebrate the publication of The Good Greek Wife? The official publication day is supposed to be July 2nd but as I was out and about yesterday and I discovered that it's already on the shelves, I'm celebrating today. I love seeing a new book on the bookshop shelves. And seeing it selling well - which A Good Greek Wife? was already doing, is even better.

Talking of publication, as Harlequin continues to reissue backlist books in ebook form, I've been thrilled to see The Married Mistress get a new lease of life as an ebook over on eHarlequin and Amazon. And now I've just discovered that Their Secret Baby has been reissued in ebook too.

This is one time when I'm realy pleased that it's the USA version of this book that's reissued. The original UK edition was known in this family as The Headless Wedding. And if you want to know why, you can see that cover here

WInners and Blogging about

Well, there is still plenty of sunshine around - the sun is already high in the sky outside and the cats are preparing for another hard day lying around in sun patches or under a bush if it gets a bit too warm. I may well join them with my laptop later.

Today I am blogging over on the Pink Heart Society where as it's Must Watch Friday I'm blogging about one of my favourite TV programmes. One of 'our' favourite TV programmes I should say as it's one that the Babe Magnet loves too.

And today I get to bring some extra sunshine into the lives of some visitors to this blog by letting you know that Sid has chosen a few winners and the names he picked this time are:

Laurie London

Denise

Laney

Jean Hovey

So if you would all contact me - see the email at the bottom of the page - I will get your prizes sorted out. You can choose one of these backlist books so let me know your choice.

AT THE SHEIKH'S COMMAND

THE ITALIAN'S FORCED BRIDE

SICILIAN HUSBAND BLACKMAILED BRIDE

THE SICILIAN'S RED-HOT REVENGE

THE GREEK TYCOON'S UNWILLING WIFE

CORDERO'S FORCED BRIDE

BEDDED BY THE GREEK BILLIONAIRE

KEPT FOR HER BABY

THE KONSTANTOS MARRIAGE DEMAND

And don't forget that the special Summer Sizzler Contest that I'm sharing with Michelle Reid ends on Wednesday 30th June - so get your entries in for that.

You could win yourself a copy of my next release: The Good Greek Wife?

SUMMER SIZZLER CONTEST WITH MICHELLE REID

Once again Michelle Reid and I have books out at the same time this summer and to celebrate we are running a joint contest to give you a chance to win a copy of each of these great new titles

Dates: June 10th – June 30th

Prizes:

There are two prizes of one signed copy of each of our new titles:
The Good Greek Wife? By Kate Walker (out July 2nd)
Mia’s Scandal by Michelle Reid (out now)

How to win
All you have to do is to answer this simple question:

Name the two series that these new books are coming out in this summer (one series for each book)

You can find the answers on our web sites

Send the names of the two min-series to each author with Summer Sizzler Contest in the subject line of the message and you’ll be in with a chance of winning
Good Luck!

The closing date for entries is June 30th.