And Repeat as Before . . .

This is basically - no, just about  exactly, the post I put up on this blog at this time last year.  And I'm making no apologies for that because it seems to me that, sadly,  what I said last year needs saying all over again - and then some.   Already the kickback at the choice of the Top Twenty (one) has started) So , sadly, I need to repeat myself - Only the numbers have been changed in the cause of accuracy. 

Yesterday was   a big day for aspiring romance writers. The day when the next stage of the New Voices contest was  announced. When the  20 (21)  writers whose work was selected to go into the second stage and write another chapter of their story learn which of them will now be asked for the final entry - to write the pivotal moment between their characters.

20 entries out of 1088 - it's a very small proportion of the oringinal entries who will now be seens as winners of this stage. But does that make the other 1068 entrants 'losers' - not in my book. 1088 people put their words and their dreams on- line and on the line. And while they all did it with varying degrees of success in editorial assessment terms - they also all succeeded in doing what writers do - they wrote.

There has been a variety of responses to the announcement of the results - but one that has saddened me by prevailing is the wash of disapointment - natural disapointment - that has tended in some cases to slide over the line into negativity. If this chapter didn't succeed as it is, then it's no good. And if it's no good then I'm no good as a writer seems to be the assumption. Or - I can't see what was wrong with my chapter - everyone on the web site loved it - they must be 'moving the goalposts' or 'changing the rules'. Neither of which is true. But it can feel that way. I know - I've been there.

As you know I'm celebrating 25 + years of being published. The Chalk Line was published in December 1984 . . . but my next book wasn't out until 1986. The reason for the gap? You can call it second book blues, but the truth is that I didn't get another book right until then. I can excuse myself by saying that my mother was dying or that I was ill myself but the fact remains that the two books I wrote after The Chalk Line just did not work. Particularly not the one between The Chalk Line and Game of Hazard, which was the book I managed to revise to publication standard.

The one in the middle was called Chase The Dawn. And as I write this I have in front of me the revsion letters that my then editor sent me about this book - five different letters ! After each one I tried top do the revisions - and just couldn't get them right. The letters are also spread over four years because I ended up doing the sensible thing - and looking back - the best thing - and put the book away for about 18 months so that then I could look at it much ore clearly when I brought it out.

What was so wrong with the book? With the benefit of hindsight, I can now honestly say not that much. Or rather, not that many things but the fact that I hadn't done one basic thing that I now hear myself advising would-be authors to do all the time.

Keep it simple. Dig deep.

Or to quote one of the revision letters - probably the first - I didn't 'delve deeply enough into your central characters' motives and personalities to integrate their actions into the devlopment of the relationship.' But honestly, remembering back, I really thought I had done that. I remember staring at the revisions letters wondering just what it all meant. How could they say this? I was a failure - a one book wonder who would never be published again.

Today, looking at those letters, I see where so much of my teaching and commenting, the sort of things I put in the 12 Point Guide come from. And the important thing is that although those letters were written back in the 1980, by an editor who hasn't worked for M&B for - what - 20 years? - they show that the things editors have been looking for have always been the same.

Delve deeply into your characters' motives and personalities

Go all out for emotional identification with your heroine. If you live inside her head then your reader will too. (These days it would be identification with both hero and heroine - there wasn't scope for dual point of view then)

Make the reader understand that what she(they) thought and did were her (their) only possible reactions at the time

Get inside your characters' skin so that the developing relationship is no longer swamped by the convolutions of the plot.

It all seems so obvious to me now - but then I was too close to my book to see what they meant.

And the end of this story?

If you look on my backlist page, you'll see it there -

Chase the Dawn 1988

It took me four years but I got there.

And what has always intrigued me is that while I ended up feeling quite sick at the sight of that manuscript, and eventually that book, Chase the Dawn is one of the books I have written that I have had most personal mail about, that so many people have said is one of their favourites. Readers say 'Chase the Dawn - oh, I loved that book.' It might be 20 years old but people remember it.

And no one has ever said anything about being able to see all the blood sweat and tears (lots of them!) that went into that book.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that I and every author I know has been through the rejection of 'this doesn't work'. I know how it feels to think I'll never be a writer - I just can't get this. And I know how it feels to have your precious work sent back to you and to feel you have to start all over again.

I used to have a routine when I got rejections/rewrites/revisions. I used to go into the garage and scream, stamp my feet - and fling the rejected manuscript at the wall. Then when I'd calmed down, I'd pick it all up, put it back in order - and I'd reread the rejection letter to see what I could do about it. It was that 'what can I do about it' that got me into being a writer.

I learned so much from those rejections. And from reading and studying the books that did make it. There weren't contests then but I wish there had been - not from the winning point of view but from the value of the lessons in writing romance that the chosen chapters and the editors' comments on them can reveal if you just take note.

What is it they say - that success is picking yourself up one more time than you are knocked down. If you think you're a 'loser' then you will probably stay down - but if you look at what you can learn from all this and work with it, I'll be willing to bet that there will be way more than the 21 winners on one list - or the 45 on the 'see again' list.

But the only person who can make that happen is you.

Writing Tips from M&B

Are you still polishing your NV entry?
Or have you uploaded that and now you're hard at work finishing the book that goes with the the first chapter?

Or are you working on something new?  You're not just sitting back and waiting for that contratct/the prizewinning announcement to come to you  are you?

Anyway,  to encourage you to keep going - give you lots of ideas and tips to help you on your way M&B have produced a free ebooklet  with  advice in it.

The book’s here – though please note it’s in epub format, so you’ll need Adobe digital editions to open it. (Or, if you’re using an iPad, the Bluefire app will sort it for you.)

Workshop photos

I just wanted to post these photos of the workshop at Ashby Library last week  as part of the M&B  New Voices contest lead-up. As I said, the workshop was orignally fully booked but we managed to fit in another five extra people on the day.  Some of the pics are a bit dark because of the way everyone was sitting against the window but  from what I've heard, everyone had fun and learned a lot .
 Thank you to everyone for coming.

Special thanks too to Emma the librarian  who organised everything and made sure that it all ran wonderfully smoothly - so smoothly that no one left for almost an hour after the official closing date. Emma is already talking about inviting me back for another event - maybe for Valentine's Day so watch this space!

Other good news is that The Return of the Stranger is now at #1 in the Amazon  bestseller charts for Modern Romance - and, probably because of the New Voices Contest, the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is also selling pretty fast. Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy!

And talking of workshops - I think that there are still places available on the workshop in Haworth as part of the Bronte Society Festival of Women's Writing - details here or on my Events page.

Publication day!

Today is 2nd September - so that's officially the publication date of The Return of the Stranger! Though I have to admit that I saw brand new copies on the shelves in York  when the Babe Magnet and I went there yesterday. Today I'm going into town and hope to see the books on display there  - it's a thrill that never lessens.

I had a wonderful time at the workshop in Ashby on Wednesdy - my thanks to everyone who turned up and stayed so long after the official closing  to talk and ask questions. We had originally put a number of 20  on this but  another five people tyrned up at the door and luckily we could fit them in so there was a great audience.  And special thanks to the library staff - specially Emma who made everything so easy and provided such a warm welcome.  I once used to work as a librarian in Ashby library - though not in this particular building - so it was a sort of going home experience for me.

As Charlie mentioned around his birthday - I'm marking the publication of The Return of The Stranger with a big blog tour that starts of on September 11th and ends in December - you can follow me round all sorts of different blogs, get to know the bloggers - and me  - more - and hope to win books from my backlist.  Last time I heard there were 21 blog spots - but the number keeps growing all the time  - so -
Launch date September 11th - and for more details check out this page that the lovely Nas Dean has set up for me.  You'll find all the up to date news there.

Oh yes - and although today is officially publication day in the UK  being September it does mean that The Return of The Stranger is now  available  a month early over on eHarlequin.com  either in print form  or as an ebook.

And for anyone who couldn't get to the  Ashby workshop - I have another  one planned in Haworth for the 17th September - details on my Events page.

Oh - and I just checked over on the Mills& Boon web site - The Return of The Stranger is still up there at #1 - that's all of August!  Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me achieve this by buying a copy.

Workshop and The Return of The Stranger

So looking forward to meeting everyone at my New Voices workskshop at Ashby Library today. The workshop starts at 11am and lasts two hours. The last I heard it was just about full, but if you've only just learned about this or decided you can manage to come after all, I should be able to squeeze and extra person or two in at the last minute - North Lincolnshire Central Library on 01724 860161 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 01724 860161 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email library.enquiries@northlincs.gov.uk.
Friday 2nd October is the official publication date for the UK edition of The Return of the Stranger so I'm looking forward to seeing this on the shelves in the bookshops.   This book got a great review over on the Mills & Boon site where one reader said:

"I'm not altogether sure that I agree with the premise of re-working the plot of all time classic novels.

This is the last in the Series and is based on Wuthering Heights. Moreover I never really liked Heathcliffe seeing him as rather cruel.

However Mrs Walker triumphantly produces a powerful and intense novel which involves your emotions from start to finish.

Heath is a super hero full of brooding passion and the delightful Katherine evokes your sympathy.

Not to be missed - as they say they saved the best till last.

Ten out of ten."

Thank you to the reviewer!  And talking of the M&B site - it's 31st Augusr and The Return of The Stranger is still there at #1 on the web site sales list! This means that it's been up there at #1 all month. Thank you so very much to every single one of you who has bought a copy to help me achieve this amazing result - it's so appreciated. I couldn't have done it without you!

Oh - and  if you're in America and want to get your hands on this book, don't forget that the books are on sale early on the Harlequin web site - the eboook is already up there  and the paperback edition  should go on sale as soon as August becomes September.

Right, time to pack up my workshop notes and get ready to talk about New Voices

New Voices Workshop This Week!

Just to remind anyone planning on entering the  Mills & Boon New Voices  contest, that the workshop I'm doing is on Wednesday this week.

If you live anywhere in  Lincolnshire or close enough to travel  then I'd love to see you there.

To celebrate the launch of the Mills & Boon New Voices 2011 writing competition, Mills & Boon are hosting a series of writing workshops for aspiring authors to learn the secrets of writing a successful Mills & Boon story.
I will be leading this writing workshop at:

• Date: Wednesday, August 31
• Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
• Location:
  
  • Ashby Library and Local Link
    Ashby High Street
    Scunthorpe
    North Lincolnshire, DN16 2RY
• Cost: Tickets cost £5, including refreshments, and are available in advance from North Lincolnshire Central Library. Places are limited so booking is essential.

For more information, please contact Emma Prideaux at North Lincolnshire Central Library on 01724 860161   or email library.enquiries@northlincs.gov.uk.

Putting a to do list on the to do list . . .

At least that's what it feels like this week - I have about six To Do Lists on the go - and on one of them  is 'Find Diary - and put To Do List in it!'  A couple of months ago I invested ina bran new iphone ( Ok - honest admission - I inadvertently put  my old phone in the washing machine because it got caught up with a bundle of bed lined I'd just stripped off the bed  and shoved in the washer.)   I love my iphone - it has my life in it now, so heavens only  knows what I'd do if I washed this one!  But I  still have a penandpaper To List  as backup and I haven't quite correlated the two yet.

Add in a book dangerously close to its dreadline

Add in major revamping plans on the house - knock through kitchen/build garden room/renew central heating . ..  all going to be fabulous - but all needing time and energy to plan

Add in a  new book coming out  - you know the one - The Return of the  Stranger with that fabulous cover. And  that means lots of blog posts - a Virtual Book Tour  - and one major interview (more of that later) because people want to know about this one  a lot.  (Can I also just sneak in a mention of the fact that it's still at #1  on the Mills and Boon site  - this is the 3rd week it's up there! )

Add in that I said I'd tell you more about it  and I haven't done yet . . .

Add in that there is the New Voices contest coming up - cue Worksop at Ashby Library  on 31st August .. .  You can find the details here - and the wonderful Heather from We Write Romance  who  updates my site for me has reorganised  my Events page so that it's easier for you to find out what's going on when (Thank you Heather!)

You get the idea? But talking of New Voices - don't forget to visit The Pink Heart Society today where Editor Flo Nicholls has given her Top Tips for those of you planning on entering the contest.  Lots of good advice there.

Tomorrow is an important day for one member of this household - clue - its one  of the ones with fur, whiskers and a tail.   There will be celebrations and  a party - with lots of treats  and maybe some give aways  for those of you who don't like supermeat with chicken . . .
So come back tomorrow to join in the celebrations.

Writing Help for New Voices

Over on Facebook there is a page for the New Voices Contest  - and it's buzzing. Everyone has questions they want to ask and  they are posting their queries and getting plenty of great answers.

But there are still more and more questions. To help with some of the queries, Nas Dean posted some links to posts I'd done in the past here on this blog - posts on Conflict when I did the Conflict series and Q&A  back in 2010.  That made me think of the other series of posts on writing I've done - All About Alphas for one. And the Writing Q&A  where I answered questions you sent in.

But these are scattered through  my blog, here there and everywhere. So I thought I'd try to make things a bit easier for you and I checked through, collecting up the dates  where I put most of these posts about writing, so that I could list themn for you to go back and find and have a read.

Writing for Presents-   1-4
Basic information about what I think is important if you want to aim for the  Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents line.
All About Alphas  1-22

A long  series of posts on the often vexed topic of  the 'Alpha Male' - love him or hate him, Mills & Boon editorial  have been heard to say that they only ever publish alpha heroes.  But  if you think Alpha means bully and brute, trampling a poor little heroine underfoot, you couldn't be more wrong. Read the contributions from so many successful  published romance writers and find out why there's so much more to this guy than being tal dark and handsome, successful - and snarling!

The link will take you to the first post - after that just scroll further and you'll find all you ever wanted to know about the Alpha hero.

Keep It Simple Dig Deep


Writing Q&A
A series of answers to questions readers sent in

Conflict 1- 21
Another long series of posts following on from the time that I taught a workshop on Conflict at the Romantic Novelists' Association conference  in 2010.  Why conflictr? Well, without conflict you don't have a story - but so many people get themselves in a tangle about internal conflict/external conflict/sustaining conflict/resolving conflict - it's all here. Just  start at post one and read on through.

And over on Sally Quilford's blog, I did a guest post for her  May -  You Write Your Novel  section - you can find that here.

Writing Category Romance

That should keep you quiet for a while - when you've read through all that lot, if you still have questions  - on these topics or anything else, then  come back and post them here and I'll start another Writing Q&A to  post some answers.

And of course, there  is a lot more information and advice in my 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance which is available in paperback or  on KINDLE both in America and the UK.

Workshop confirmed

Yesterday was the Babe Magnet's birthday so we celebrated with a day out at Filey on the North Yorkshire coast with The Offspring and his lovely partner.  We did the full seaside thing with fish and chips, ice cream cones, walking barefoot along the sand, paddling in the not too icy sea, and exploring Filey Brigg looking for fossils. We didn't find any, but a great collection of rocks and shells came back with us. Along with a large amount of sand between the toes.  Lovely.

Just to say that the New Voices workshop has been confirmed and will be going ahead on August  31st
at Ashby Library North Lincolnshire
11am- 1pm

Full details can be found here:  https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159039720839370

As places are strictly limited please book  to ensure your place.

Ashby Workshop

Sorry - I  have been reminded that I didn't give full details for the Ashby  workshop -  it is still being absolutely finalised but as it stands - and will probbaly stay  - it:

Ashby Library
Ashby High Street

Wednesday August 31st 11am - 1pm

New Voices Workshop(s)

Do you live anywhere near North Lincolnshire? 

That's where I'm doing my New Voices writing workshop this time around - at Ashby Library 
Ashby High Street
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN16 2RY


I'll also have copies of my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance for sale at this - and all events.

Numbers will be limited so Tel: 01724 296832 to enquire about bookings.



Or perhaps West Yorkshire is closer for you -
 I'm also doing a workshop at the Bronte Society Festival of Women's Writing on September 17th

Writing Romance with Kate Walker

10am-12pm, West Lane Baptist Centre

Romantic fiction writing is big business. This workshop, based on Kate Walker’s award winning

12 Point Guide to Writing Romance, is intended to provide information and advice for anyone

who wants to learn how to write in this popular genre. If you’re just starting out, or you’ve

written a manuscript or two but are not yet published and want to hone your skills, this

workshop is for you.

Tickets £15, includes refreshments.

Places are limited so early booking is recommended.

Also:

The Return of the Stranger:   Wuthering Heights meets Mills & Boon

2pm, The Old School room, Church Street

‘The Powerful and the Pure’ is a new series for Mills & Boon reworking

classics from romantic literature, including Pride and Prejudice and Jane

Eyre. Kate Walker discusses her newly published contribution to the

series, The Return of The Stranger, a reworking of her favourite novel,

Wuthering Heights.

Kate Walker wrote her first book for Mills & Boon, The Chalk Line, in 1984 and is currently working on her sixtieth title. A huge admirer of the Brontës, she wrote her MA thesis on the work of Charlotte and Emily Brontë and one of her most recent titles, Bedded by the Greek Billionaire, was loosely inspired by Wuthering Heights. She frequently lectures on romance writing.

Tickets £5 and should be booked in advance.

For all bookings and further  information contact the Brontë

Parsonage Museum: 01535 640188

Or jenna.holmes@bronte.org.uk

And if you can't get to any workshops - do you have any questiosn that are worrying you? Nigggling at your mind so you can't settle to writing?

In the run up to the New Voices contest, I'll be running a romance writing Q&A  - so now's your chance to ask!

NB - I keep trying to post this up by the Ashby Library workshop but for some weird reason it keeps disappearing  so I'm adding it here:

I'll also have copies of my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance for sale at this - and all events.
Numbers will be limited so telephone 01724 296832 to enquire about the Ashby Library workshop on August 31st

Back home

Well I should have known better than to think I might be able to post agaion from Caerleon.  Apart from teaching the final four sections of my course, the last days are always hectic  and rather special with the  last talks -  John Townsend on The Writer's Curse) - the  Thursday night concert with the glorious sound of ther Cwmbach Male  Voice choir , then packing, the last evening with friends and, sadly, the round of goodbyes and 'See you next year.'

My thanks as always to the fabulous Anne and Gerry for making this  anothe really lovely Writers' Holiday, for their  generosity and warm welcome  every year - and for inviting us back again in 2012.  We always love arriving at Caerleon - hate leaving  - and look forward to the next year with  great anticipation.

Thanks too to everyone who came on my course. It was great to meet you all. I know too that some of you have already booked for the Advanced Course in Fishguard in Febrauary - so I'll see you there!
(Special note about February - if you're interested in booking for the Advanced Romance Writing Course, rememeber that the numbers are strictly limited to the  first 15 bookings. I know that some places are already taken and that there were  at least three who booked after this year's Writer's Holiday - so  don't lose out - get your name down now.)

The details of the 2012 Fishguard Course and the line up for Writers' Holiday 2012 can be found on the web site here.

Finally - as August has started, my newest title The Return of The Stranger  with its fabulous cover is now available - a month before it's in the shops - on the Mills & Boon web site. It also has a great review.   I'll be talking more about this book later in the month.

And about the New Voices Competition when I get my thoughts together.

New Voices 2011

Welcome to Mills & Boon New Voices 2011!

On September 13th 2011 we launch our second global search for fresh writing talent to join Mills & Boon’s galaxy of romantic fiction stars.

A celebration of romantic fiction and romance, New Voices will put entrants through their romantic fiction paces – and we want the Mills & Boon readership to have their say every step of the way!
The winner of the competition will win some fantastic prizes, including publication by Mills & Boon and a Mills & Boon editor for a year!

There will be workshops again - I believe I'll be running one somewhere - details to be confirmed later - but if you live anywhere near Haworth West Yorkshire, I am running  a workshop on writing romance there on September 17th   - see my Events page for details.

And keep your eyes on the Romance Is Not Dead site for more details as they are added.
In the meantime - get writing! And then you'll be ready to submit when the contest opens.

And good luck!

Writing Around the World

Yesterday was a crazy day - there was a rush of comments to answer over on the I Heart Presents blog. So many had been caught up in moderation over the weekend and were released when Canada woke up on Monday morning. They all needed to be answered.

And then there was the great excitement of the announcement of the winner of the New Voices contest (Congratulations again Leah!)

And then (my editor will like this best) a book that I had been struggling with suddenly decided to be more cooperative . . .

And so I forgot to mentin that as part of the So You Think You Can Write Editorial Week blog over on EHarlequin, I had been asked to contribute a blog to special section for the week called Writing Around The World. As I understand it, I'm one of only two Presents authors who have been asked to contribute to the Editorial Weeek and so I was honoured to be part of it. I specially loved being able to write about Writing Around the World as I have so many wonderful readers in so many countries. Only this morning I had a notificatin that my blog has had 126,400 visitors from 155 different countries!

You are all so welcome - and I'm really glad you come to visit. Writing for Harlequin Presents is truly an international experience - and that's what my blog is about on Eharlequin.com. If you'd like to read more then you can find it here .

And I know that the 25th anniversary contest winners have to be chosen - but Sid The Cat was busy yesterday with another giveaway - from the I Heart Presents blog - and as I said there's this book . . .

But watch this space!

Oh and Jo who commented on my blog yesterday that it was a pity SYTYCW isn't open to UK residents - is that the case? I haven't had a chance to go and check - see the above! - but from my experience of EHarlequin and their boards they are truly international. You just need to be a member of the Community - so easy to sign up for. I often chat with lots of people - and authors - from the UK in different places on that site. Will double check if I get a minute but I think a lot of it will be available to all.

PS - Thanks to Nas who commented already this morning (thanks so much Nas!) - to clarify SYTYCW IS open to all - here's what Nas said:

It was clarified in the forums that SYTYCW is indeed international. There was some misunderstanding regarding the contest rules but its cleared now.

So I hope lots of you will join in and gain a lot from it.

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.

New Edition of 12 Point Guide

I promised you a giveaway today - but it sort of got taken over . . .

Amy who organises the posts for I Heart Presents learned that I have a new edition of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance out today and she asked if I would post about it over on that site.

So today's big announcement about the third reprint of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance has moved over there today! And so has the giveaway of the copy of the brand new third edition. (But I will still get Sid to pick the winner)

Amy also asked me to share my Top Five hints about writing romance. Sorry they - and the 3rd edition - are all a bit late for this year's New Voices contest. But as Mills & Boon are planning another contest for next year the book is out in great time for you to study it and really start working on your entry for New Voices 2011 - nothing like being prepared and starting early!

Now that 2nd edition has sold out and I’ve been working on a 3rd. The third reprint of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance will be published today October 30th, with copies in America for November. There’s also exciting news of a possible Kindle edition coming up so watch this space. For details of the new edition (now published by Aber Publishing) watch the Writers page on my web site. This one has just been brought up to date with the new names for the lines in the UK – nothing stays the same for very long in the romance writing world!

I've been told by my publisher that the books will arrive today and that there should be copies in America for November 30th.

Any other news you'll read it here first (unless Amy asks me to post on I Heart Presents!)

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.

New Voices and Editorial Week

The New Voices contest now has its Favourite Four entries listed. Many congratulations to the chosen authors - and good luck with the next stage of the contest.
The next stage is of course the 'pivotal moment' and, having been asked so many times just what a pivotal moment is, I'm going to be intrigued to see just what each writer chooses as the pivotal moment for their particular story.

New Voices 2011 is already being talked about so if you want to let the editors know more about how you'd like that to go then you can contriubute your comments here.

And if you'd like more about writing romance, want to know what the editors are looking for then mark the week of November 1 - 5 in your diary. That's when Editorial Week runs over on eHarlequin.com. Here's what Harlequin have to say:

Through podcasts, blogs, and discussions with our expert editors and current authors, we’re going to help you understand the appeal of the romance genre. And there’s a special daily challenge with feedback that will give some great insights into crafting the perfect story. So for the next week, come by to hone your skills and get started on the path to publication. So you think you can write? Here’s your chance to show us!

I was delighted to be asked to contribute a blog as part of this special week - and there's a lot going on in those five days. I'm sure there's something for everyone.

Let me tell you a story

Tomorrow is a big day for aspiring romance writers. It's the day when the next stage of the New Voices contest is announced. When the ten writers whose work was selected to go into the second stage and write another chapter of their story learn which four of them will now be asked for the final entry - to write the pivotal moment between their characters.

Four entries out of 825 - it's a very small proportion of the oringinal entries who will now be seens as winners of this stage. But does that make the other 821 entrants 'losers' - not in my book. 825 people put their words and their dreams on- line and on the line. And while they all did it with varying degrees of success in editorial assessment terms - they also all succeeded in doing what writers do - they wrote.

There has been a variety of responses to the announcement of the results - but one that has saddened me by prevailing is the wash of disapointment - natural disapointment - that has tended in some cases to slide over the line into negativity. If this chapter didn't succeed as it is, then it's no good. And if it's no good then I'm no good as a writer seems to be the assumption. Or - I can't see what was wrong with my chapter - everyone on the web site loved it - they must be 'moving the goalposts' or 'changing the rules'. Neither of which is true. But it can feel that way. I know - I've been there.

As you know I'm celebrating 25 years of being published. The Chalk Line was published in December 1984 . . . but my next book wasn't out until 1986. The reason for the gap? You can call it second book blues, but the truth is that I didn't get another book right until then. I can excuse myself by saying that my mother was dying or that I was ill myself but the fact remains that the two books I wrote after The Chalk Line just did not work. Particularly not the one between The Chalk Line and Game of Hazard, which was the book I managed to revise to publication standard.

The one in the middle was called Chase The Dawn. And as I write this I have in front of me the revsion letters that my then editor sent me about this book - five different letters ! After each one I tried top do the revisions - and just couldn't get them right. The letters are also spread over four years because I ended up doing the sensible thing - and looking back - the best thing - and put the book away for about 18 months so that then I could look at it much ore clearly when I brought it out.

What was so wrong with the book? With the benefit of hindsight, I can now honestly say not that much. Or rather, not that many things but the fact that I hadn't done one basic thing that I now hear myself advising would-be authors to do all the time.

Keep it simple. Dig deep.

Or to quote one of the revision letters - probably the first - I didn't 'delve deeply enough into your central characters' motives and personalities to integrate their actions into the devlopment of the relationship.' But honestly, remembering back, I really thought I had done that. I remember staring at the revisions letters wondering just what it all meant. How could they say this? I was a failure - a one book wonder who would never be published again.

Today, looking at those letters, I see where so much of my teaching and commenting, the sort of things I put in the 12 Point Guide come from. And the important thing is that although those letters were written back in the 1980, by an editor who hasn't worked for M&B for - what - 20 years? - they show that the things editors have been looking for have always been the same.

Delve deeply into your characters' motives and personalities

Go all out for emotional identification with your heroine. If you live inside her head then your reader will too. (These days it would be identification with both hero and heroine - there wasn't scope for dual point of view then)

Make the reader understand that what she(they) thought and did were her (their) only possible reactions at the time

Get inside your characters' skin so that the developing relationship is no longer swamped by the convolutions of the plot.

It all seems so obvious to me now - but then I was too close to my book to see what they meant.

And the end of this story?

If you look on my backlist page, you'll see it there -

Chase the Dawn 1988

It took me four years but I got there.

And what has always intrigued me is that while I ended up feeling quite sick at the sight of that manuscript, and eventually that book, Chase the Dawn is one of the books I have written that I have had most personal mail about, that so many people have said is one of their favourites. Readers say 'Chase the Dawn - oh, I loved that book.' It might be 20 years old but people remember it.

And no one has ever said anything about being able to see all the blood sweat and tears (lots of them!) that went into that book.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that I and every author I know has been through the rejection of 'this doesn't work'. I know how it feels to think I'll never be a writer - I just can't get this. And I know how it feels to have your precious work sent back to you and to feel you have to start all over again.

I used to have a routine when I got rejections/rewrites/revisions. I used to go into the garage and scream, stamp my feet - and fling the rejected manuscript at the wall. Then when I'd calmed down, I'd pick it all up, put it back in order - and I'd reread the rejection letter to see what I could do about it. It was that 'what can I do about it' that got me into being a writer.

I learned so much from those rejections. And from reading and studying the books that did make it. There weren't contests then but I wish there had been - not from the winning point of view but from the value of the lessons in writing romance that the chosen chapters and the editors' comments on them can reveal if you just take note.

What is it they say - that success is picking yourself up one more time than you are knocked down. If you think you're a 'loser' then you will probably stay down - but if you look at what you can learn from all this and work with it, I'll be willing to bet that there will be way more than the ten winners on one list - or the 45 on the 'see again' list.

But the only person who can make that happen is you.

Thank you Halifax - and New Voices 2

I had a great time in Halifax for the Calderdale Writers' Roadshow. It was a nostalgic trip as well as a work event and I had a lovely time wandering around the streets of the town that used to be home to me when I was growing up and where I had my first ever married home.

My thanks to the group who came to my workshop, joined in, asked great questions, and generally made the 2 hours slip by so fast I barely realised we'd started.

Also Jayne, Christine and Catherine who booked one to ones - it was great to meet you, to talk writing with you, and I really hope that our discussions helped you see a way forward to creating your own novels in the future. Good Luck!

And Good Luck wishes too to the ten finalists in the New Voices Contest who have worked on their entries with the advice and input of their mentoring teams and have submitted their second chapters which are up on the site now.

Anyone who entered - and even if you didn't but you're interested in the writing process - should go and take a look at how these stories have progressed. Because, as I've said before and I'm sure I'll say again, it's the potential for such progress that the editors saw in them from the start and that now, with their editorial input, is being put into place. Personally I'm finding it fascinating to see what the authors have done to move on from that first chapter, how they've put the editor's comments into their stories, and what the result is as posted on the site.

The voting of course is the subjective part. The bit where you are asked to vote for your favourite - but being honest, I wouldn't know if I was best voting as a reader or as an author or as a trained critiquer. And in the end, it's the editorial opinion that matters most. They are the ones who will be working with the writers - probably many more authors than just the one who is finally declared the winner - in the hope of developing a dynamite book out of the unpolished diamonds that were first submitted.

It's intriguing and enlightening watching the 'work in progress' - something that we rarely get to see from any author, any book. But ultimately the real prize for any of those who have submitted will be to see their name on a book on the bookshop shelves. I really hope that they achieve their dreams.

And talking of books on shelves, today is the actual, official publication date for the Presents EXTRA edition of The Good Greek Wife? in America. But I've been thrilled to see it riding high in the Top Ten on Amazon.com all weekend. Many many thnanks to everyone who's bought a copy to create this great result. As I hope the winners of New Voices and others will discover - this is a thrill that never goes away.