Back from London - and off again

Quick catch up after the trip to London - It was a great couple of days (if a bit crowded) The highlight of th

e Wednesday night was a trip to The Globe and a performance of Love's Labours Lost in the Sam Wanamaker theatre - a smaller, indoor theatre, built on the same lines as the actual Globe - and all lit by candlelight. Very atmospheric and a really fun production.

Thursday was a guided tour of the Globe itself including a chance to watch a rehearsal of 'EYAM' - a play about the plague of 1665. We were warned to expect rotting 'corpses' and possible nudity - but neither appeared! My long-ago Amateur Dramatics experience at university surfaced as I watched.

Thursday afternoon was a visit to the Harlequin offices, meeting with my editor and Flo Nicholls (Senior editor Modern/Presents) - then dinner with my editor. I don't think we stopped talking for hours. Also took away with me a great booty bag of books for future reading - you have to love working with a company where you're asked 'would you like some books?' (silly question ) then taken to a room lined with bookshelves and told to help yourself! I had to force myself to remember that I had to carry a suitcase as well as the books - and I was 

going on to Kent to visit my sister for the weekend.

The AMBA lunch was so much fun - great to meet up with so many friends - Katherine Garbera, Kate Hardy, Michelle Styles, Liz Fielding, Heidi Rice (with special thanks to Heidi for the photo of the Presents cover of A Proposal to Secure His Vengeance - after a l-o-n-g wait for it to come round in the cycle of covers on display) Abby Green, Trish Morey . . . . too many others to mention.

The weekend was spent in wonderfully sunny Kent meeting up with my sister and her husband - and getting to know my gorgeous great-nephew for the very first time. We spent a fabulous evening at the Gulbenkian Theatre to see a stunning dance production of Medusa choreographed by Jasmin Vardimon 

More food - wine - conversation - family memories - visiting Folkestone . . . until we had to tear ourselves way and head home. Ruby has just about forgiven us for abandoning her . . .I daren't tell her that tomorrow we're heading off again - but only for 2 nights this time. More of that later.

40 for 40 - Liz Fielding

Today's special guest needs no introduction - or perhaps I should say that she should need no introduction to anyone who enjoys great well-written enchanting romances. Liz has written so many fabulous stories- won so many awards, the RNA Romance  Prize and TWO RITAs amongst them. Take her look at her web site to see the details of the rest. If you haven't tried her books then you should.

But it's as a friend that Liz is here today. And as a friend, Liz is every bit as lovely as her books. If you look at the banner heading on her web site you'll read the line 'Romance with wit, charm and sizzle' - it's mean to describe her books, but the description would fit Liz herself too.

Liz is another of my dear friends who is celebrating her own personal anniversary today - so welcome Liz, I'm so glad to see you here - and Many Congratulations to you and your Best Beloved.


Here's Liz -


Many congratulations to Kate and the Babe Magnet on their 40 years together.

I hit the same anniversary last year with the Best Beloved and know that holding a marriage together for that length of time has little to do with moonlight and roses (although they do get their moment even after forty years!)

It’s about commitment; hard work, compromise, support and — when the gazing in each other’s eyes gets old (see my earlier comment) — facing the same way to share whatever the future brings. Taking turns to hold each other’s backs when the going gets tough. Not quitting. Kate and the BM have all that.

I can’t remember when I first met them, it must be nearly fifteen years ago, and we’ve partied many times on both sides of the Atlantic. They are both very dear to me and I salute them on reaching this amazing milestone. Such an achievement is worthy of celebration and I raise a glass to Kate and the BM – on to gold, guys. Race you there!

Liz's latest release, His To Command: The Nanny, is available in both paper and digital.

Mother's Day Giveaway

The wonderful  Liz Fielding -  who has won both the RWA's RITA and the Romantic Novelists' Association  Romance Prize - has  a special  feature on her blog -  First Page Friday  - where she features  - obviously! - the first page of a new  - or a favourite - romance novel.

Today I'm delighted that she has chosen my novel The Proud Wife    as her  First Page feature this time. 

Thank you Liz!

I always find it really special when an author I admire (and if you haven't read Liz's books, you've been missing out!) enjoys my own work and tells people about it.  Liz and I both write romance  but in such different styles, which is what I love about the genre we both write in. We can both take the same themes, ideas, plot elements, even character types, as are so common in romance fiction - but make those elements our own and turn them into something special - something with that elusive thing called 'voice' - that make  reading books by individual authors a unique experience.  And Liz's books certainly fit into that category for me.  I've read everything she's written and I'm so looking forward to her upcoming  novel in the new  Harlequin KISS line - Anything But Vanilla  coming in April . (Ice cream + a new Liz Fielding book - sounds like the perfect combination to me!)

Liz and I  - together with Anne McAllister  - usually run the Here Come the Grooms contest jointly around this  time  but unfortunately this year cinrcumstances conspired against it and we didn't have new books with new 'grooms' in  this time.  But for me a new Liz Fielding novel is always something to celebrate - and here in the UK  this weekend we have cause to celebrate because Sunday 10th  March is UK's mother's day.

Sadly,  I don't have  my mother to celebrate with any more and two years ago we also lost my MIL - which is  extra poignant as March is also the birthday  month for both these very special ladies - but  I do want to celebrate  right now - so I'll celebrate Mother's Day/March birthdays   with you all instead.

So  I have five copies ot The Proud Wife to give away for someone who has a birthday this month - or whose mother has a birthday - or whose mother would love a copy of The Proud Wife.

So take a look at Liz's site -  read the first page of The Proud Wife and if you don't already have a copy  then either leave  a comment on Liz's  blog  to say  hello to her (tell her I sent you!)  - or post a comment here telling me about your Mum, or  your birthday - or hers  . . . or someone you'd like to give a copy of The Proud Wife to . . . .

And on Sunday - Mother's Day - I'll get Charlie and Flora on the job of picking out the winners who'll get to celebrate this time too.

Oh and while you're over on Liz's site - take a look at the details of some of her wonderful books and if you haven't tried any of them yet - well, why not treat yourself?

Winners and blogging elsewhere

We have winners for the Here Come The Grooms Contest -
My winner is  - Natalija Shkomare
Anne McAllister's winner is  Colleen Conklin
Liz Fielding's winner is - Carol Woodruff

Each of these winners will receive a copy of all three books -
The Devil and Miss Jones by Kate Walker
Savas's Wildcat - By Anne McAllister
Flirting with Italian - By  Liz Fielding

Congratulations ladies!

Today is the first Friday of the month so I'm blogging at one of my regular spots - today it's over on The Pink Heart Society blog.  I'm talking about why this Sunday is special for me - and  about one of the ways I learned about writing at a very early age. 

See you there?

Happy Saint David's Day!

The Here Come the Grooms Contest has closed now -  Charlie has picked my winner, but I need to wait until Liz Fielding and Anne McAllister have  selected their winners too. Just as soon as they give me the details, I'll announce them here and the books will be on their way to the lucky winners of these three books:

The Devil and Miss Jones by Kate Walker
Flirting With Italian by Liz Fielding
Savas's Wildcat by Anne McAllister

It's March 1st - St David's Day - and of course St David is the patron saint of Wales.  So what  better way to celebrate his day with the details that I promised of my return to Wales and the wonderful Caerleon Writers' Holiday in July.

There was a  bit of a mix up with the arrangements this year - and the courses have been changing as so often happens, as speakers find they can't  be at the event etc.  But after talking to Anne and Gerry at Fishguard, we've planned for me to teach at this years' Writers' Holiday - and link this course again to the Advanced Romance Writing in Fishguard next year.  So for everyone who's asked about it - here are the details . . .

Caerleon Writers' Holiday -

I will be taking course 2...replacing  what is currently listed  as Mitzi Sereto's erotica. 

Title: A COMPLETE INTRODUCTION TO WRITING ROMANCE

As with all courses at Caerleon this will be a 5 session course working through the basics of writing romance  and giving students a grounding in all the skills needed to  create characters, build plots, create pace . . .

My course will only be one of 14 courses on offer - you can choose to do Writing Romance  and one other in the week. And of course there wil be lots of special guest, main speakers, after tea sessions. Oh, and the trip out on the  Wednesday afternoon when you can visit Cardiff,  the 'book town' of Hay on Wye, or even go down a Welsh coal mine. And then of course the whole event is rounded off  by a wonderful evening of music with the Cwmbach Male Choir. 

Fishguard Writers' and Artists' Weekend

And of course this will prepare anyone who's interested for the  the advanced followup at Fishguard next year.  I don't have the dates for the Writers and Artists' Weekend  confirmed - though I expect it will be 15th/16th/17th February 2013. The venue will, as usual, be at the  Fishguard Bay Hotel, Fishguard, Wales  Pembrokeshire

If you book online for either of these events you will save £10 off the cost.

Maybe I'll see you there.  Or at one of the other courses that I'll be posting details  soon.

Dashing in . . .

 . . .while I still have electricity and a chance to blog to remind you that the Here Come The Grooms Contest is still open untiol Sadie Hawkins Day - ie tomorrow Leap Year Day 29th February.   When February ends I will be getting  Charlie on to the job of picking my winner and Anne McAllister and Liz Fielding will be choosing their winners too. Then three of you will win copies of
The Devil and Miss Jones  by Kate Walker

Savas's Wildcat by Anne McAllister

Flirting With Italian by Liz Fielding

All details are on this blog  - or over on the Contest page of my web site

Talking of The Devil and Miss Jones, I'm thrilled to see that over on the Mills & Boon web site there is a banner  that says that my newbook is ' Top rated this month' -  with five rating roses too!  The reviews on the site are great. It's at #3 in the top ten bestsellers too!

I spotted this one, but missed the really great news that in a previous list of Top Rated for 2011, my previous title The Return of The Stranger  was also listed on there. My thanks to Fiona who spotted this when I missed it and let me know.

The official publication date for The Devil and Miss Jones is March 2nd but I was in town yesterday and spotted that copies were already available in the shops so it's out there now.  And the ebook version is already available for sale  over on the eHarlequin site.

Coming up - I've been discussing and planning more workshops/talks and so I'll be posting the details of those soon. The good news is that I will be teaching Writing Romance at Caerleon Writers' Holiday  again this summer - more details to follow - and of all the other courses coming up, including that very special one at The Watermill in Italy.   There are some details on my Events page if you can't wait for the blogs.

Here Come the Grooms

It's that time of year again -  time for the 5th annual  Here Come the Grooms  Contest.

I love sharing this special contest with my greast friends - and great writers Anne McAllister and Liz Fielding. And I know that regular blog readers enjoy it too. You get to meet 3 great heroes from three great books - and get a chance to win a set of those three books for yourself.

Stop by any or all of our websites to get the contest information, but basically, if you were around last year or the year before or . . . you know the drill.

Each of our heroes asks one question. You can find the answers on our blog or in the excerpt to each hero’s particular book (on our websites). Send all three answers to each of us for THREE chances to win a copy of each other our books.

That means  that there will be three winners, each of whom will get three books.

So while I'm running workshops and travelling to Wales -  I'll introduce you to this year's Grooms.    I hope that when I  get a moment to ask him, Carlos - or  Diablo as he's  known - will come along and blog as well but - well, he's busy planning his wedding and changing  his Miss Jones' name to Mrs Ortega.

So - Carlos Diablo  is the Groom in my March release (April in Presents Extra and M&B Sexy in Australia)

THE DEVIL AND MISS JONES

Carlos Diablo Ortega -  who, ask he tells Martha - made his  fortune in 'horses and wine' -  he's a championship polo player and owns a hugely successful vineyard. He's also just discovered that he's not actually the son of the man he thought was his father - or the grandson of Javier Ortega.  And that has turned his life upside down.

Martha's rather different -  but her life has just been turned upside down too.

Martha Jones has never taken a risk in her whole life. Until the day she runs out on her wedding and succumbs to the magnetism of a man she has only just met! A man she knows only as Diablo.

Lone wolf Carlos Ortega won't promise Miss Jones more than one searing-hot night. Yet Carlos is shocked by Martha's sweet innocence. This runaway bride is a virgin, and it seems the repercussions of their sizzling encounter could last forever . . .


So what is  Carlos' question?
What is Martha wearing – and holding when he first sees her?

You'll find the answer in the extract on my web site.








FLIRTING WITH ITALIAN

That's the title of Liz's book  – which has just been short-listed for the Romance Novelists’ Association’s RoNA award this year!

Her Groom is Conte Matteo di Serrone, the owner of a great vineyard, a plant breeder who is working with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Office.

The lady in Matteo’s life is Sarah Gratton, a history teacher, who is picking up her life after her fiance falls for someone new and she finds herself working in an international school in Rome.

The blurb for Liz’s book says:

Bag: packed. Flight: booked. Soon I’ll be in Rome and experiencing life in a foreign language! Watch this space…
Newly single Sarah Gratton is about to jump start her life and a just-for-fun romance with dark-eyed Matteo di Serrone could be just what the doctor ordered! This Italian count is ideal flirting material—if Sarah’s brave enough to make a move!

Well, she might not be—but luckily Matteo is! Matteo decides to keep this mysterious woman close—no hardship at all, given their spine-tingling awareness of each other and for a while it’s like something out of a fairy tale—until Sarah realizes she’s made the most rookie mistake of all: falling in love with her holiday fling….

Matteo’s question is:

 I asked Sarah if she’d found someone. Who was it?

Finally there is Anne McAllister's brand new novel - out at the same time as  The Devil and MIss Jones - that's March (UK) and April (USA  - Presents Extra)

SAVAS’S WILDCAT

Anne's Groom is Yiannis, the youngest of the Savas brothers and his heroine, Catriona MacLean. Yiannis and Cat have a bit of a history – or a lot of history, depending on which of them you ask.

According to the back cover:

Yiannis Savas, the irresistible playboy of the Savas dynasty, was every girl’s dream. But he quickly turned into Cat’s nightmare when his idea of a relationship was no more than a fiery affair.

Now Cat MacLean has grown up and out of her girlish fantasies. Determined not to fall prey to smooth talk and fast charm again, she’d engaged to someone sensible.

Then she’s forced to spend a week with the one man she’s never been able to forget . . .

Yiannis's question is quite simple -  he wants to know

 Who’s Harry?

Yiannis, Carlos and Matteo would like you to check out their books. You can access them by clicking on the books tab at the top of each of our web pages and then find the individual book pages.

If you’d like to enter this year’s Here Come the Grooms! contest, read the blurbs/ the extracts  and/or our blogs and find the answers to the questions the grooms have asked  and send them to each of us . You send all 3 answers to each of us to complete your entry - that way you have three chnaces of be on of the three winners  of  three great books. (Let's hope your lucky number is  3!)

You can contact us via our blogs  or - for me -  using the email address at the borttom of the page. Put Here Come The Grooms in the subject line of your email so it will go into the right folder.

Don't forget that you need to collect up the answers to ALL 3 questions in order to enter

The contest is now open and it closes on Sadie Hawkins Day - or Leap Year Day - February 29th.

Good Luck!

Pink Tuesday

To celebrate Valentine's Day,  the Mills and Boon web site is launching Pink Tuesday  with discounts and special deals - so why not check out the site from midnight tonight?And  while you're there you can see my newly released title The Devil and Miss Jones which, I'm thrilled to see, already has two five star (well - five roses!) reviews  -

One simply says "I couldn't put this book down, loved it"

And here's the other - 

A scintillating page-turner with the adorable Carlos one of the most appealing heroes in a long time complemented by an appealing modern day heroine in Martha and a cracking good plot and dialogue.

This is a little gem - everything a Modern M&B should be which had me wanting to cheer at the end!

Can't ask for more than that!  Thank you to those two kind readers.

Oh - and tomorrow being Valentine's Day that means that
a. The workshop in Brigg Lincolnshire is on in the afternoon - 1.30 - 4.30 at The Angel Suite - and, yes,  to those who have asked,  you can still turn up at the door if you haven't yet booked tickets. I think we'll have space for you

and
b. The annual Here Come the Grooms contest launches once more with Liz Fielding and Anne McAllister - so call back here for details of how to enter tomorrow.

Here Come the Grooms - and Sadie Hawkins Day

It’s Leap Year, in case you hadn’t noticed.. 

And that  also means that Sadie Hawkins day is coming around again.

Sadie Hawkins Day? Are you familiar with it? Every self-respecting romance reader should be. Though I have to admit that I wasn't aware it had that name until Anne McAllister told me all about it - I just knew it as a Leap Year Day.  But  apparently . . .

Well,  I'll let Anne Explain it as she does it so much better than me:
"
 It’s the day that the women get to take things into their own hands and grab the man of their choice – if they can catch him.

It all began – well, it probably all began in the dark reaches of history – but for our intents and purposes, it began on November 15, 1937 when American cartoonist Al Capp began to write a story arc in his comic strip, Lil Abner, about Sadie Hawkins, the daughter of Hekzabiah Hawkins, Dogpatch resident.

Sadie, reputedly “the homeliest gal in all them hills,” was growing increasingly panicky about her chances of matrimony as the years went on. And finally, when Sadie reached 35 with nary a suitor in sight, her father (also frantic at the thought of being stuck with her for the rest of his – or her – days) took matters into his own hands.

He declared it Sadie Hawkins Day, and decreed that there would be a foot race: the holler’s bachelors would run and Sadie would take off after them. And whoever she caught would find himself at the altar with Sadie as his bride.

He took out his gun and said, “"When ah fires, all o' yo' kin start a-runnin! When ah fires agin—after givin' yo' a fair start—Sadie starts a runnin'. Th' one she ketches'll be her husband."

Well, it worked a treat.

And you’d better believe that all the other unattached women in the vicinity took note. They thought it was a fine idea and declared that there would be a “Sadie Hawkins Day” every year.

Because he got so much fan mail in favor of the idea, Capp did a variation on his Sadie Hawkins Day story every November for the next 40 or so years.

Sadie Hawkins Day got translated into once every four years when it became associated with old folk customs which claimed that on leap years women were allowed to take the initiative and propose. Combining the two seemed perfectly reasonable.

And celebrating it seems like something romance readers and writers ought to do."

In honor of Sadie – and to celebrate our 5th (I think it’s 5th! Has it really been five years?) annual Here Come The Grooms! Contest,  Anne McAllister, Liz Fielding and I -- and our respective heroes (who are currently on the run with some determined heroines after them) -- are opening this year’s contest on Valentine’s Day this year and ending it on February 29th – Sadie’s day.

So please drop by each of our websites during those two weeks and answer all three of our heroes’ questions, then send us those answers. You get three chances to win three  great books. 

It might not get you the man of your choice, but Sadie still thinks that’s a pretty good deal.

Liz's Little Book

I will be posting more details of courses and workshops - including that very special one in Italy -  soon - but if you're interested in learning to write romance then I have a new  how to book to tell you about  that could help you with your  novel.

It's Liz Fielding's  Little Book of Writing Romance

Liz has just released this book  as an ebook  this week. I knewshe was working on this project when we met last year, so I;ve asked her to give me a mini-interview about it to give you all the information you need.


Liz, can you tell me a little more about your Little Book of Writing Romance?

I've taken my model from the great thriller writer Elmore Leonard and I've left out the bits people skip over, kept it to bones of what a new writer needs to know. How to begin. Character. Emotion. Conflict.


What gave you the idea to write this? Did the ideas come from any workshops you've done in the past?
What will would-be authors find in this book

It all began quite a long time ago when I was approached by a publisher to produce a "little" book on writing for Mills and Boon. For various reasons it didn't happen, but I'd written the first chapter - Grabbing the Reader on the First Page - which you'll find on my website under "Writing". Then, this year, I did a talk on Humour and Emotion at the RNA Conference, talked to people interested in taking part in Mills and Boon's New Voices competition, mentored a finalist, and I realised that it was time to put together all the stuff I've learned over the years.



You say your book is a primer - will authors who have already tried submissions or read other books find things to help them in it?  (Personally I'm pretty sure they will -  so often it's not the advice that's being given but the way it's told that makes that light bulb moment happen and I'm sure your voice will reach so many people and help them.)

Thanks, Kate! There are some terrific how-to books out there. I always recommend your own 12-Point Guide, which is a fabulous book on the art of writing romance. Where mine differs is that I've gone with the basics, holding the hand of someone who isn't familiar with the publishing world, who is a total beginner. I've used lots of examples, broken down a scene to show what I'm doing. Can a more experienced writer benefit from this? I believe it will be useful for someone who has been submitting for a while without success. And I use the vital bullet points myself to make sure I'm getting the most out of every scene, thinking deeply enough about conflict, getting to know my characters. (Walking around a supermarket with your heroine will tell you a lot more about her than her star-sign!)


Where can readers who want to buy this book get hold of it?

My Little Book is online at Amazon (you don't have to have a Kindle, you can download it to your PC) and should be available on all other eBook platforms very shortly. It will be online everywhere  an eBook  (except Barnes and Noble - but will come as soon as Waterstones sign up for the Nook) by the end of the week, or so I am assured.




Thanks so much Liz! Congratulations on the publication of your 'little book' - I hope it's a great success!

As I said above I do believe that  the good thing about having a variety of how to books out there is that sometimes one author's way  of explaining things can work better for  a writer than any others - and it's always good to have two different approaches to anything in writing so you can see what works for you best. And  having been to some of Liz's workshops - and of course knowing her writing, I  know how helpful this book  is going to be.

Friends and titles

I'm having one of those  'how did I ever find the time to write' weeks. I have an strong idea buzzing in my head, characters wanting to talk to me all the time - and I'm rushed off my feet doing so many things.Account books up to date and delivered - check!
Writing Romance Course prepared, handouts copied, etc for Caerleon Writers' Holiday - check!
Washing and ironing done ready to pack for self and Babe Magnet to go  to said Writers' Holiday - check!
Letters  to write - some of 'em
Web site up dates . . .errr
And today and the rest of the week I'm kitten sitting. The Offspring and his partner are having their bathrom redone and so their cats - Stumpy the large Rag Doll and Creature the wicked not yet  3 month old kitten have come to saty.  Charlie and Flora  are in  the garden so they don't yet know about their visitors!

So it's chaotic - but fun.

But today and all the rest of this week I havce to send you to visit another site - for lots of fun, celebrations and books! And one of the loveliest people in the romance writing world!

This week the fabulous Liz Fielding is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the day she signed for Mills and Boon - and that's somwthing well worth celebrating! 

Liz is one of my favourite people and favourite authors of all time  and I was so delighted to be asked to share in her 20th anniversary celebrations.

Liz is having a week long blog party to mark this special occasion and so many of her friends - it's no wonder she has lots of them! - are joining in to celebrate - and give away books to visitors who come and join in.   So why not visit Liz's blog today - and all the rest of the week?  And wish her a wonderful 20th anniversary.
Titles? I heard from my editor yesterday that they love my The Devil and Miss Jones title for  Diablo and Martha's story - but America hve to OK it yet. So keep your fingers crossed!

Oh yes - and if you are interested in writing romantic fiction and would like to come on one of my courses - watch this space! I have news for you about that fantastic one week course I'll be running - in the most fabulous setting!

Come back tomorrow  for more news on that!

That Daily Mail Article Again, Again - With Trish Morey

Following on from yesterday's post. I just discovered a comment from my fellow Presents author the fabulous Trish Morey.   This was such a great response and one I so agreed with that I thought I'd move it from the Comments section to this main part of the blog because I think it should be read by everyone - I'd like to say 'including the Daily Mail and their Columnist Claudia Cullen' - but I doubt very  much that  they will trouble to follow up on the real Romantic Novelists  who were so insulted and wrongly reported in the original article.

So here's Trish  -

Kate, thanks for posting the letter. I'm still shaking my head at the unprofessional attitude of the so-called "journalist". Maybe they should have sent a grown up to the event, rather than an adolescent who equates romance with sex and can't see beyond that. Although adolescent might be pushing it. The DM level of reporting actually reminded me of schoolboys who have just discovered the word "fart" in the dictionary.


I do applaud the "this is what a romance author looks like" postings, although I would like to add one rider - I don't think it matters two hoots what romance authors look like and how old they might be. No, I've never seen one with a blue rinse and in support hose, but would it actually matter?


When we write romance, it's not just about the sex, as any one of us knows. We're writing about real people and real life changing events (well, we've made them up, sure, but out of real material). And the reason our books are successful is that they touch a chord with the readers.


Why?


Because we authors have experiences these same things. We have gone through the joy of birth, the tragedy of death, the agony of a loved one fading away. We have suffered through cancers and miscarriages and road crashes and remember being told to sit down before we hear news because we will fall down if we don't. We remember the thunderclap of hearing that news, we remember the impact it had on our hearts and our minds and our lives. And heaven forbid, we've made love. Maybe still do! Shocking.


Bottom line, we've lived. We've experienced all life has to throw at us and we've survived to tell the story, in a million different ways, all with a happy ending.


And yet, because we've lived, because we got the experience of a lifetime, or a goodly portion of it, because we're on the wrong side of twenty years old, somehow that makes us less worthy to write about the things we know?


Bollocks to that, I say. We write real stories for real women because we are real women.


The feeble hearted need not apply

Thank you Trish and Here! Here!  (Or should it be Hear Hear! ? I never know)
Trish's latest - The Heir From Nowehere is out in Presents

And as  - I hope  - my last comment on that stupid article (unless they publish an apology and a whole revised report - bets anyone?)  I just need to add that another comment I wholeheartedly agree with from another great friend and fabulous Romantic Novelist - Liz Fielding:

If the DM were moved to cut off the comment thread they clearly realised they'd boobed and - hopefully - won't make the mistake of irritating several hundred literate ladies again in a hurry.
Liz's first RIVA  story - Tempted by Trouble is out in the UK right now.

Here Come the Grooms - the winners

So the cats (Sid) dogs (Mitch and Micah McAllister  and - er  - I think - husband?  (Mr Liz Fielding)  were roped in to choose the winners of the Here Come The Grooms contest and the results were:

My winner  Mik  from Michigan
Anne's winner is Desere from South Africa
and Liz's winner is  Kelly from Canada
Our readers certainly cover the world!

Congratulations to the winners who all receive  a copy of
The Proud Wife by Kate Walker
Hired by Her Husband by Anne McAllister
Chosen as the Sheikh's Wife by Liz Fielding

I have to admit it's a great prize and if I hadn't read the books - and written one - already then I'd love to win myself.   I was thrilled to discover that The Proud Wife is currently #1 bestseller on the Mills & Boon web site for the second week running.   And it's not even officially out yet!

I have to finish preparing and head out for Fishguard for my  Advance Writing Romance Course so if I don't blog for a few days that's where I'll be.  But I do have a blog for A Date With Kate over on the Pink Heart Society site on Friday.  So I'll see you there.

PS if you're on my newsletter list then there are still a few days left to enter the special  Grooms contest  for the Newsletter prize - I'll run the draw for that when I get  home on Monday. If you'd like to be on my newsletter list - just see the link in the sidebar or at the bottom of the pages of my web site.

Just to remind you of the contest

To celebrate the publication of our new books, once again I’m getting together with the fabulous Anne McAllister and Liz Fielding to run our now traditional February Here Come the Grooms Contest.

The Prize

As before, we have three prizes to give away – each prize will be a set of the three new titles we have coming out soon

These will be:

The Proud Wife by Kate Walker

Hired By Her Husband by Anne McAllister

Chosen As The Sheikh’s Bride by Liz Fielding

(In Becoming the Tycoon’s Bride together with Patricia Thayer)

Each winner will win a set of all three books

What do you have to do?

Answer these three questions – you’ll find the answers on the authors’ web sites or blogs – and send your answers to us with Here Come The Grooms Contest in the subject line of your email.  (Please remember to answer all three!)

You can answer once with each author – so visit Anne’s and Liz’s sites too to send them your answers as well.
The Questions

Answer all three questions to be in with a chance of winning. As always, I’ll get Sid the Cat on to the job of picking a winner.

1.From The Proud Wife - What has Marina received from Pietro at the opening of the story?

2.From Hired by Her Husband - What is George's occupation and where does he live?

3.From Chosen as the Sheikh’s Bride - Who was Violet's great-great-grandmother?

Deadline

The contest starts on February 1st and runs until February 14th. The draw will be held at the last moment of Valentine’s Day and the three lucky winners will have an extra Valentine’s gift to celebrate.

Good luck!

And just to make sure you know where to find an extract of The Proud Wife  (I'm having no luck trying to put one  in the sidebar - sorry!
There's one on the Mills & Boon Site  here
And one on Amazon here.

Ciao  -
Kate has told me to come and introduce myself as  she is busy -preparing for classes in Wales. And busy, it seems with another man.  Someone called Carlos Ortega . . . or he might be called - I forget what!  He uses  two different surnames and I don't know which one is really his! He does not seem to know himself very well, this  Argentinian, but no doubt he will tell his  story to Kate and then she will write it down and we will all find  out just what has happened to him.

Just as you will all find out my story - mine and La bella Marina - in the book  The Proud  Wife.   I am to tell you all about this as I am one of The Grooms in this contest. My name is Pietro -Pietro D'Inzeo.   Prince Pietro D'Inzeo  in fact. Or - if you want the full details and title, as my parents would have insisted upon - Il Principe Pietro Raymundo Marcello D'Inzeo - a mouthful of a title that Marina would throw at me  like a challenge whenever we  confronted one another.

She thinks it matters - that damn title of mine. Yes, I am a prince and yes my family come from a long line of  Sicilian aristocracy. Those things might have mattered once - they certainly still matter (too much) to my Mother! - but  when they come between me and the woman I love then  they are irrelevant and  old-fashioned.

I say that I am one of the Grooms because this contest is calle Here Come the Grooms  - but the truth is that I am more  like poor George  who got Anne McAllister to tell his story, and unlike Fayad who is the Groom who chose Liz Fielding to tell his   and who  it seems  is busy arranging a divorce at the same time as he is arranging  a wedding!  I am not actually a groom - my wedding day to the beatiful but defiant Marina was almost three years ago and now,  as we have been separated for close to two years, I felt - or do I mean feared?- that the time has come to  accept defeat, acknowledge the fact that our marriage is over and make a clean break. That seemed to be what Marina wants.

But Marina should know that I do not give in so easily. After all my family's motto is What is mine, I hold.  So I summoned her to Sicily . . .  and that was when the sparks really started to fly.

If you want to know what happened, then you will need to read the book of course. Kate tells me that  our story - mine and Marina's is  currently at #1  on the Mills & Boon web site.  It will be out in the shops in March - and in America in April.

PS from Kate

Thanks Pietro -  I know you are Marina really had some sparks flying. I had to duck a couple of times when  I was working on your book.  But  then, what can you expect when you bring together a proud Sicilian Prince and a passionate, fiery readhead?

Now about the contest - an apology! I was supposed to have post an extract from The Proud Wife on my web site so that you could find the amswer to my question in there - but I'm afraid that life has kept me too busy to actually get round to it.  So -  if you are looking for an extract - you can find  it either on the Amazon.co.uk page for The Proud Wife  or on the Mills and Boon web site  page.

I'm also posting a 'browse the book' link in the sidebar and  hoping to get the extracts uploaded just as soon as I possibly can.  Sorry about this!

Here Come The Grooms Contest - Year 4

It’s that time of year again!

For the fourth year in a row, Liz Fielding, Anne McAllister and I are celebrating our latest books with  the now- traditional Here Come The Grooms! contest.

It’s a chance to answer three questions, win three great new books, and meet three gorgeous guys in the process.

This year the heroes are  Pietro D’Inzeo, a passionat Sicilian prince in my book,  Liz’s gorgeous sheikh Fayad al Khalifa. and Anne's sexy physicist, George Savas.

How’s that for variety? A hero for every taste. You’ll get to meet each of them in the coming days. But for now here’s glimpse  of each of these exciting heroes - and each picture is  definitely worth more than 1,000 words!

So here's

PIETRO



GEORGE



FAYAD

Here's a little more about  all three books:

The Proud Wife


Her husband wants her back!
Marina thought her dreams had come true when her husband placed a wedding band on her finger. But their marriage was not the fairytale she’d hoped for, and eventually Marina walked away, her heart broken.

Two years o Pietro DInzeo no longer haunts Marinas 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?



Hired by her Husband
Back in her husband’s bed!

Once Sophy and George Savas were happily married . . . Then Sophy woke up and realized that her blissful marriage was a sham. She’s never looked back — until the day she learns her husband has been critically injured and her world is shaken.
Now though he’s stubborn and proud, George wants Sophy’s help. He knows she won’t come willingly, so he hires her to be his wife for as long as he needs her! But playing happy families is dangerous, and soon George realizes that his need for Sophy runs deep and strong . . .

Chosen as the Sheikh’s Wife
After a beautiful stranger discovers his long-lost heirloom under a floorboard, Sheikh Fayad al Kuwani swoops in to protect innocent Violent Hamilton. Now, with greedy enemiesgathering, the only way he can keep her safe is to put her on his private jet, take her to his desert kingdom and … marry her!

If that isn’t enough to whet your appetite, you can check out excerpts on our websites –   you'll find Liz's here , Anne's is here.  And just as soon as the wonderful Heather completes the details there will be an extract on my site too - but for now, if you want to read one you'll find it on Amazon or on the M&B web site

If you want to enter the contest – you get three chances to win! – go to each of our contest pages, answer the three questions there, follow the rest of the directions on how to enter, and you’ll have three chances to win the books.

Closing date is February 14th - so if you get the answers right you'll get to share Valentine's Day with our three gorgeous heroes!    GOOD LUCK!

PS The Proud Wife is  now available a month in advance of the shops over on the  newly updated Mills & Boon Site