Kiss goodbye to the Kissing Ban

This happened while I was in Wales, but I know other M&B novelists covered it.

Remember this? Back in February, Warrington Bank Quay station put a ban on couples kissing on the platform as they said goodbye:





No Kissing sign has been unveiled at a railway station in a bid to cut delays.
The sign was placed by rail bosses at the passenger drop-off point at Warrington Bank Quay station in Warrington, Cheshire.
Virgin Rail, which runs the station, said if passengers want to share an embrace before they part company, their loved ones should pay to park their cars nearby.
A Virgin spokesman said: "We have not banned kissing in the station.
"But we have put the sign up at the drop off point because it is not a very big area and it often gets busy with lots of traffic.
"The sign is a light-hearted way of getting people to move on quickly."
He added: "If people wish to spend a little more time with their loved ones before they leave, then they should park in the short-stay car park nearby."
The no kissing zone was created at Bank Quay's drop off point ten years ago following a suggestion by the local Chamber of Commerce.
The sign was created and installed as part of a "1 million refurbishment of the station which is currently under way.








Well, romantics like Mills & Boon weren't going to stand for that.

Using Facebook to start from, they launched a Kiss Goodbye To No Kissing Campaign and many authors, and other supporters signed up for it.




'It's our right to kiss where we like' they declared -
Mills & Boon have come out in protest against Virgin's ban on public displays of affection in UK train stations.“Romantic embraces and passionate kisses are a vital part of life and should never be discouraged. We don't believe that you should restrict passion to certain times or areas. Lovers should be free to express their feelings whenever the mood takes them,” says Mills & Boon Publishing Director Sarah Ritherdon. If you're as annoyed by the breach of our fundamental right to kiss in public, please download the posters, join the twitter activists (follow Sayyestokissing) and upload photos of you kissing at stations here.Join our fight and kiss goodbye to no kissing.



And yesterday those of us who signed up to the campaign heard that the course of romance and public displays of affection started to run smoothly again when after meetings and a discussion of views, Virgin have removed the kissing zone at Warrington BQ. Couple are free to kiss where they like and romance is once more restored.



The next piece of news is that Virgin told us they'll be running some romantic activity at Warrington station on Friday to celebrate Comic Relief and have asked if Mills & Boon would like to be involved. They're thinking of doing some sort of kiss and make up.




So if you're anywhere close to Warringto station for Red Nose Day, you might want to find out what's happening. I'd love to be there but at the moment I'm booked for another radio interview - this time on Radio Lincolnshire (94.9 ) with Judy Theobald. That's at 11. 10 am.

But I'll hope to hear more about the end to the kissing ban - and the kiss and make up as it happens.

Writers' Q&A - Query Letters

There's been a lot of interest in this Q&A - I'm really glad that the answers I've given seem to be helping. If you have any more questions, please post them in the comments. I'm deeply involved in my current book but I'll get to them as and when I can.

So here's the latest question.

Janet said:

Hi Kate,I love it when you answer writing questions. Here's one about submitting to M&B.

The Harlequin London office asks to see a partial in the first instance, rather than a a query letter, but it only seems polite to include a covering letter with the submission. What would you advise us to include in this cover letter?

I tend to give a few very basic details ie title, wordcount, and line targetted. But I often wonder if maybe also including an intriguing pitch paragraph/logline is a good idea? Or does the synopsis make it unneccessary?

Thank you,Janet

Hi Janet. I'm always happy to answer writing questions.

Now it's a l-o-n-g time since I submitted with the need for a covering letter (25 years!) but I'll tell you what I advise - what I would do if I had to write one now.

Harlequin Mills & Boon offices in Richmond UK are unusual in that they do ask for the partial (3 chapters) and a synopsis, unlike the American and Canadian offices that ask for a query letter and synopsis first. And yes, you definitely should include a covering letter with that submission. Think of it as your introduction to the editor who is going to read your manuscript. So as well as telling her the basics about your manuscript - as you said - the title, word count, the line you are targetting - you should tell her about yourself and what you are bringing to this submission.

Here are some basics to include:

1. Briefly pitch your book. What is the story? What line are you aiming it at? Show that you know about the line you're aiming for and why your story might fit into it.What are the hooks? What will make a reader want to read your book?

2. Your publication experience. If you haven't yet sold a book, have you had articles published? Short stories? Have you won writing contests? If you have published, have you been honoured in any way (awards, contests, bestseller lists)?

3. What writing organizations do you belong to, if any? Membership of something like the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association, especially if you attend meetings or the conference, shows a professional and committed approach to writing.

4. Optional: Any experience that you have brought bring to the writing of this book. If it's about a junior school, are you a teacher? If it's set in the theatre did you once act - even as an amateur?

5. Offer to revise if the story is close. Editors prefer to work with authors who are easy to work with.

6. Be sure to include your name, address, phone, email and send an self addressed envelope with postage for the return of the manuscript if you are submitting by post or tell the editor that she may shred the manuscript if it not suitable. But still include an SASE for her response to you. And although it may seem obvious, do make sure that you send your submission in secure packaging with adequate postage. It's not going to make a great impression if the script looks tatty and as if it has already been to 101 other publishers - and they have to pay an excess postage fee simply to receive it.


7. Try to keep your query letter to only one page in length

8. Don't try to be clever, cute or quirky even if your story writing style is like that. Leave it to your fiction to be that voice - this one is business, so treat it like a business letter. It doesn't have to be dry and stiffly formal - it can be personal in voice and style. But keep it professional.

9. Keep the presentation professional too. Luckily , with computers it is easy to create a professional looking letter format. Check spellings and punctuation - specially things like apostrophes etc! (I always stop and think twice before I write The Romantic Novelists' Association's New Writers' Scheme for example!) Don't send your query on cutesy letterhead or weird paper. Editors read a lot of letters/manuscripts/synopses every day - be polite in what you say and in the way you submit. If they have to struggle to read something written in a fancy font on dark red paper, it will not make you stand out except as a cause of irritation.

10. Finally on submissions - M&B editors do make a point of asking for only one submission at a time and not to keep on submitting while you are waiting for their response on the current one. Again be polite and professional and go along with this even if it seems infuriating and you have written a whole new book - or more - in the waiting time. If you do get comments and suggestions they would want to see in the next submission that you have worked on those lines. Submitting without hearing from them simply risks repeating all the same mistakes and so getting the same rejection/response.

And of course then you'll need lots of patience once you've sent it off. Good luck with the submission!

Keep it simple; dig deep

Another writing question today - Jo said:

When you advise would-be writers to 'dig deep', what do you mean?

'Keep it simple; dig deep' is a direct quote from an editor – and they’re always good people to take advice from! But apart from that, this is an approach to writing fiction – but particularly - romances that really resonates with me. I’ve always loved, both as a reader and as a writer, the sort of story that totally engages my emotions, tugs – no, more than tugs – yanks on my heartstrings and twists them into knots. It’s why I’m not a great thriller reader or lover of disaster movies – unless the characters n the story get me involved with them a big way.

So when I advise writers to keep it simple dig deep – particularly that ‘dig deep’ point - I really going back to the tried and tested, often quote, Kate Walker’s most important question – WHY?

The important point about a romance is that readers read them for the developing relationship. They want to know what is happening between the hero and the heroine, what is keeping them apart and how they will overcome that and get together so that they can go into their happy ever after ending having convinced each other – and hopefully the readers - that this relationship has a chance of being one of those wonderful love stories that really does last ‘till death do us part’ and afterwards.

And that sort of love is not based on shallow or trivial things. It’s probably the deepest emotions possible. So to create a great love story you need to create one where the obstacles/problems that come between your hero and heroine – the thing that is loosely called ‘conflict’ are ones that matter, ones that really would keep them apart, ones that are worth possibly losing the love of your life/your soul mate over.

Now you can put in, say, a war situation where the hero and heroine are on opposite sides, or you can separate them physically or have other members of their families scheming to keep them apart, but none of these matter anything like as much as what is going on inside their heads and their hearts. In other words, it’s the internal conflict that matters, and the deeper that internal conflict the better. Because that means that each character has more to overcome and their character growth and development will be far greater and so, inevitably, the happy ending will seem far sweeter when it happens. We’re not talking about dramatic events or shocking melodrama. Too many complicated events, too many story events twists and turns will distract your reader, confuse, stop them concentrating on the emotional development of the story. If anything, my experience is that these tend to distance the reader from your characters rather than bringing them close. And bringing them close is what you want to do.

So you keep coming back to that question WHY? Why does your heroine not trust this man? You can say it’s because she’s been hurt before – but to tar every single male with the same brush just because one guy betrayed you isn’t really enough. So what is it about this man that makes her feel she can’t trust him either? What does he do, say – how does he behave to convince her that he’s going to do it too? Why does she believe that? What are her deepest fears? Her deepest convictions about this man? And what makes her think like that? Why is she made to feel this way?

One of the most useful things you can do is to keep asking your characters ‘Why are you doing this?’ or ‘How do you feel right now?’ and when they ‘answer’ – ask ‘Why?’ and again when they respond – ‘why?’ Imagine if you did this is real life, when there was a problem between you and your partner - if you asked why they would probably start of with some throwaway answer - ‘I’m cross’ – ‘I’m fed up’ – but probe deeper, keep asking that why and (as well as probably getting pretty infuriated with the questions) eventually they will give up the real, deepest reason for the way they are behaving. Human beings are not very good at admitting – even to themselves - the deepest motivations they have. We often cover our tracks by making trivial excuses, rather than admit to some of those deep, often dark emotions like jealousy, a sense of inferiority, a belief that we are unlovable etc.

Donald Maass (Writing the Breakout Novel) has a great exercise in his workbook. One is to look at what your character most wants in all the world and then consider what is the opposite of that – the thing that would most oppose it. How could you create a situation where your character wanted both of those things simultaneously? What inner conflict would that set up?

When we are writing romance you need to keep the focus on that emotional story, the emotional development, the emotional changes your characters go through right from the start and so leading into a believable ending. (I am not a big fan of those sudden con version/redemption endings. I believe that you need to see your characters change as they go through the story and not spring a sudden ‘but I love you’ ending on the reader. Wouldn’t convince me in real life so why should it in a story?) So you need to write about the things that matter most to those characters, the most individual, most personal, most intimate motivations they have. Because the more personal something is , the more you can believe that this might not matter to anyone else in quite this way, but it sure as hell matters to this hero/heroine, then the more involved with your characters your reader will become and the more involved they are, the more they will enjoy the story, and the more they enjoy it the more they will remember it – and you the author afterwards.

To quote two great romance writers -
Think of the emotion a scene needs – and double it – Emma Darcy

Don’t spare the agony – Michelle Reid.

Radio Humberside

Well that was fun. Thankfully the freezing fog dissipated and turned into bright sunshine so the journey was quick and easy. And then the radio interview went so quickly and was a lot of fun.

Lara King was so easy to talk to and we laughed at the same things. Kept having to remember when the mike was on and when it wasn't! Thank you Lara for making it so easy so that I didn't have a moment to have nerves.

And thanks too to Helen for friendly reception and the mug of coffee - hope you both enjoy the books.

Oh yes - the book. That's what it was all about isn't it? Officially today is the publication day for the UK edition of Cordero's Forced Bride, but to judge from the shelves in WH Smith, it has probably been out for a couple of days already. There were only 8 left of the 15 or so copies that had been put out. So that made my day too. And if you're in Grimsby and you're planning on buying a copy - I left some of my bookmarks there so if you're quick you'll get one.

And for those who have asked (thanks Anna) I think you can catch the interview on the listen again facility of the Radio Humberside site . I can't be totally sure as it does say the 'highlights' and I haven't listened to myself. But if it's anywhere, that's where you'll find it,

Right now I have to pick up where I left off with a recalcitrant Greek and then next in blogging terms is answering another question . . . Back soon!

Do you lie about your reading?

An interesting article in the Telegraph today about the results of a survey orgainsed to mark World Book Day.

Readers were asked to reply anonymously to the questions which included one asking if they had ever lied about reading literary books "to make themselves appear more intelligent and sexy than they actually are."

Apparently two thirds of those who responded admitted to lying about their reading. And the book most people claimed to have read was 1984 by George Orwell.

The second part of the survey asked people what they really liked to read and enjoyed. And guess what was right in there, above authors like James Herbert and Frederick Forsyth but Mills & Boon. 5th out of a list of 10. Good for all those readers, that's what I say. At times when the subject finding ways of getting people to read and keep reading is being debated all over the place - how about taking note of a resounding vote for simple, straightforward reading for pleasure? If people were made to feel less embarrassed by the fact that what they enjoy reading doesn't meet with the approval of the elitist critics who seem to think that only reading thier choice of the 'right' books is actually worth registering, then perhaps the levels of literacy could go up through simple practice and enjoyment.

If you want to know the full results then here they are:

Books we pretend we have read:
1. 1984, by George Orwell42%
2. War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy31%
3. Ulysses, by James Joyce25%
4. The Bible24%
5. Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert16%
6. A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking15%
7. Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie14%
8. In Remembrance of Things Past, by Marcel Proust 9%
9. Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama6%
10. The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins6%

(If you want to know - I've read 1-5 of these and not the others. And no I've never lied about reading any of them - I can't actually see the point.)

Authors we actually like reading:
1. J K Rowling61%
2. John Grisham32%
3. Sophie Kinsella22%
4. Jilly Cooper20%
5. Mills & Boon18%
6. Dick Francis17%
7. Robert Harris16%
8. Jeffrey Archer15%
9. Frederick Forsyth13%
10. James Herbert12%

I suspect this topic might come up tomorrow when I have an interview on Radio Humberside.

If you can find the station (95.9fm, 1485am ) , I'll be talking to Lara King sometime after 10am. I'll be talking, amongst other things, about my latest book - Cordero's Forced Bride - which is officially published tomorrow. And possibly about living and working with another writer (aka The Babe Magnet) in a combinaton that's affectionately known as Crime and Passion.

Writing Questions and Answers

I asked if you had any writing questions and the first one in the comments section on Sunday was from Caroline who asked:

could you answer the question (from your experience) as to whether you should write the whole book or just stick with the first 3 chapters and a synopsis when sending off to HM&B. Thanks - Caroline.

Well, to start my answer, I'd have to ask another question. And that is -

Can you " just stick with the first 3 chapters and a synopsis when sending off to HM&B". Becasue I never have been able to and I doubt that I ever would.

It really depends what you're writing for, I suppose. If the sole aim is to reach for publication and to plan your writing only around editorial dictates and stick strictly to the guidelines then I can see there could be a need to get editorial approval on the characters and plotline you've embarked on. And then follow their directions in the hope of turning it a book.

But if you are writing that particular book because you have to tell the characters' stories. If there are voices in your head and scenes appearing daily in front of your mind's eye, then you are a writer - a creator of fiction - and writers write. Writers also have to tell the story, whether anyone ever publishes it or not. And I for one - and I'm sure so many other writers I know - couldn't write three chapters of a story and then abandon it

I understand that you might feel that if you send of the 3 chapters and a synopsis and an editor at M&B says 'sorry this just doesn't work for us. The characters don't convince, the plot doesn't fit into any of of very specialised lines of publication' that you'd feel bettter about only having lost those three chapters. If you've gone ahead and written the whole book, all 50,000 words of it, you've lost so much more.

But, no you haven't - not really. No writing is ever wasted. While writing that book, even if it's totally rejected, you'll have learned so much more about yourself and your writing. You'll have learned the commitment it takes to write those 50,000 words. Many people I know start out on writing, thinking 'Well, a M&B novel is such a short book - dead easy really - I'll bang out one of those in no time.' And then they get to, say Chapter Three, and find that they have 9/10,000 words - and another 40,000 to go. And they've run out of steam.

So for me, the important thing to learn is - Can you actually finish a book? Beginning, middle and end. Writing the whole thing - not just thinking about it and planning it. And can you find the stamina, the courage, the com,mitment to do it again and again? Because if you were to be accepted then that's what would be wanted of you. You might as well start practising now. I've read - and critiqued - so many first 3 chapters or so over my time with writing courses and the RNA's New Writers' Scheme - and I haven't seen any of them come back to me as full books or even full manuscripts!

So finishing that book shows you can do it. Even if not yet to publishable standard. I know some people thinnk that they want to know if this book isn't going to work so they don't 'waste their time' finishing it. Because they could have been writing something new. But if you're always jumping on to that 'something new' you're too easily distracted by the next 'brilliant idea' and never completing the course.

Another point is that no synopsis is ever set in stone. Or it shouldn't be. If you write a book plan, a synopsis that outlines the plot and then you stick totally rigidly to it and never waver or change or adapt something then you are moving your characters around like cardboard cutout. You are telling them what to do instead of creating characters who come to life and start almost breathing down your ear as they tell you things about themselves. You might start out believing A B and C are going to happen only to find that really it's X Y and Z that matter. And it's only by writing the whole thing, by letting the story really develop, and letting your characters grow that you'll find out this.

Even a rejected synopsis - at the 3 chapters and a synopsis stage - isn't a dead synopsis. As you write the whole book and adapt the original synopsis as you go, you could end up with a whole new version of the story that works so much better and turns into a much more workable book. One an editor would be prepared to work on with you.

Finally remember the famous quote that is attributed to several people but mostly to Nora Roberts - the fact that you can always edit a bad page but you can't edit an empty page. The story, the characters, the plot, the writing, may all seem wonderful inside your head. It's only by putting them down on paper in reality that you can see how they will really manage in the cold hard world of publishing.

And as you asked for an answer for the question from my experience, I have to admit that I don't sell on synopsis - I always submit a full novel and see what my editor thinks. If there are any tricky moments in the story I want her to see it as a whole and see if it works out or not.

And if I was a beginner again and submitting those 3 chapters and a synopsis then I'd proably never send of my partial submission until I'd finished the whole book first. Or if I did ever send the 3 chapters off - knowing how long I might have to wait for a response - I'd have to fill in the waiting time by completing the book. Just to prove I could. And because I'd owe it to my characters to get them to their happy ever after ending.

(c) Kate Walker 2009

Happy Birthdays and Lemons!

I'm preoccupied with a difficult Greek hero who is taking up most of my time and attention but I have to blog today to say Happy Birthday to one of my favourite people - the lovely Abby Green whose special day is today.




As well as being a great writer, Abby is a wonderful friend. Her surpise visit to Fishguard was a real highlight of that weekend. She's also a great hostess on our frequent visits to Dublin - now more frequent because of her company - a tireless and generous chauffeur and a great sharer of Kir Royales in selected hotels etc. She also shares her birthday with my late mother so that's a special connection for me.



Happy Birthday Abby! I hope you have wonderful day.

(Abby's next book is The French Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress - out in April)


While I was away, another friend, Anna Adams sent me a special award for blogging - the Lemonade Award - for the ability to make lemonade out of lemons - metaphorically speaking. Anna, I'm so sorry to be late with this as I've been struggling to catch up since I got back from Wales.



I'm supposed to pass this on to 10 people who brighten - and sweeten - my days with their blogs but when I checked out Julie Cohen's blog (she's one of the ones I'd nominate but she already had the award passed to her by someone else) I found that at least half of her list matched mine.


But there's no harm in mentioning some people twice. So Julie, Janet Gover, Anna Louise Lucia, Biddy Coady Donna Alward consider yourselves re-nominated! And I'm adding in Anne McAllister, my dear friend Duck in Spain, Anna Adams back at her, Liz Fielding too. And I'd nominate Abby if she had a blog - oh, what the heck I'm nominating her anyway!



Thank you to Jo and Caroline wo have posted writing questions for me - I will answer those in the coming week - so long as Nikos gives me a moment's peace to do so. Still not sure what I'll write about for the Pink Heart Society blog but I'll come up with something.

Happy St David's day!

It's March 1st and a brand new month. It's also St David's Day so as he's the patron saint of Wales I want to wish a really happy saint's day to all my friends from Fishguard and Caerleon .

It's also the first Sunday of the month so that means that it's the day I post my regular blog over on Tote Bags 'N' Blogs so that's where you'll find me today.

And talking of blogs - my next posting on the Pink Heart Society (on 18th March) will be on the topic of Writers' Wednesday so I was wondering if there was any particular topic anyone wanted me to cover. Leave your suggestions in the comments secion - and if I don't actually deal with your request on that blog then I'll make sure I answer queries on here. We haven't had any writing tips for a while so I'll make it a mini Q&A if anyone has anything they want help with.

Books and more books

World Book day is coming up - March 5th to be exact - but in this house it seemed like yesterday was actually the world of books day. I had a lot of trouble settling to work because it seemed that every time I sat down there was a ring at the doorbell to announce another postman/delivery man with yet another parcel of books.

That's what you get for living in a house of two writers - Crime and Passion as the Offspring labelled us. And yesterday there was a fair balance of both my books and the Babe Magnet's.

There was the upcoming Indian edition of Cordero's Forced Bride which is out in March, just as it is in the UK. Then the very handsome Afrikaans edition of The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge.

But for me the most exciting deliveries were two for the Babe Magnet. These are books I've been looking forward to seeing for a while so it was great to have them actually 'in the paper' so to speak.

Victoria's Spymasters (The History Press) is - well, just as it says - 'an insight into spying in the age of Victoria'. And in one of those peculiar coincidences that sometimes happens, as the Magnet was writing about one particular 'Spymaster' - Sir Mark Sykes last year, his remains (Mark Sykes' that is, not the BM's!) were exhumed in September 2008 in the hope that taking samples from them might lead to the hopes of a cure for the flu (Spanish Flu) that had killed him in 1919. This is the Magnet wearing his Historian hat - the one that he'll be wearing when he teaches the Writing The Past Course in Caerleon in July.

The other book is one that I personally love. Those students who were on his course in Fishguard last week and anyone who had attended Caerleon in the past know that as well as dealing in history and the Grim and Gruesome books, the Babe Magnet is a very fine poet. Much of his work has appeared in 'slim volumes' that don't really make many bookshop shelves so I was thrilled to get my hands on the Selected Poems and Monlogues that is now published by Emerald Publishing. I may be a total specialist but the Magnet is nothing if not versatile.

It seems a really good way to celebrate World Book Day with lots of different titles, reprints and new, arriving to fill up our shelves . . . now if I could just find a little more time to read . . .

Back!

Actually I've been back for a day or so but I've been trying to catch up on things - including sleep! You don't sleep much on a long weekend course when there are lots of great people to talk to, lots of writing to discuss and a little bit of wine to share while talking.

Not to mention the l-o-n-g drive back from Wales.

But it was worth it. It was a a great weekend. But then it always is in Fishguard - or Caerleon - any writing event run by Anne and Gerry Hobbs is always a warm, welcoming and happy time. And this one was specialy so,

Maybe it was because I had such a great group for my class - 16 lively, intelligent and interesting women all wanting to learn as much as they could about writing the novel and keen to join in in the classes, to make friends as a result, and to just enjoy the whole experience.

Or perhaps it was the addition (one totally unexpected) of two special friends to add extra warmth to the weeked. One, Chris, was on my romance writing course 2 years ago and she was visiting family in Haverfordwest so she came by for the Saturday night. The other was lovely fellow Presents writer Abby Green who wickedly convinced me that she was working so hard on revisions that, even though Fishguard is just across the Irish sea from Ireland, in fact the Rosslare ferry leaves from right below the hotel, she wouldn't be able to come and say Hi.

She lied! After totally deceiving me with texts that claimed to come from where she was supposed to be in Dublin where we had last seen her at the end of January, she was actually on the road to Fishguard and stunned and delighted the Magnet and I by suddenly appearing beside us as we were unpacking the car! What a real joy it was to have her company for the weekend as well. (Incidentally Abby's April Presents release, The French Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress, just earned 4.5 stars and a Top Pick from Romantic Times - congratulations Abby! )

Of course I could add in to the things that made the weekend great the amazing weather - the sun shone and it was actually warm enough to sit out side for coffee breaks and those on the artists' course took full advantage of that. The sea looked wonderful in the sunshine and the Magnet and I were able to appreciate that even more from our fabulous room which had a full balcony overlooking the bay. Not that we had too much time to enjoy it as we were talking, teaching and socialising most of the time.

And then there were other friends from past Fishguard or Caerleon events - special mention to Rachael, affectionately known as my 'stalker', having been to three of the course I've taught. (But then so has Johanna - and Kate and Sarah are coming up close behind!) And crime writers, Lesley Horton and Janet Laurence, new tutor Sophie King who taught the short story course . . . We had to tear ourselves away when Sunday afternoon finally came around.

But we'll be back again. I thought that we wouldn't be visiting Fishguard again for a while but Gerry took advantage of a mellow moment and booked me to teach there again next February - I'll be teaching the Modern Romance course there this time. Details will soon appear on the web site here.

While you're there take a look at the upcoming Caerleon Writers' Holiday where there are - just - a few places (a very few - about 3 I think) left to book. If you want one of those, you'll have to act fast!

So now that I've recovered from the lack of sleep and the travelling (my talk-hoarse voice might take a little while longer) I have to concentrate hard and focus on the latest book - and see if I can put into practice all I talked about at Fishguard.

But if anyone from my course this time is reading this, I just want to send a great big thank you to you all for making it such a special time - Rachael, Brenda, Jo, Kate, Siobhan, Sarah, Christine, Ann, new Granny Anne (have you seen those little twins yet?) , Christine, Vanda, Karen, Jess, Becks, Kirsty, Yvie and Mary.

Hope I'll see you all again soon.

Travelling

I'm heading out across country today - leaving any minute.

This weekend I'm teaching The Novel at the Fishguard Writers' Weekend and I can't wait. I love being back in Wales and the thought of waking up each morning with a view of the sea is just the best.

We'll be stopping off at Malvern en route to break the journey and so that the Babe Magnet can raid the bookshops so if I get a moment I might post from there. But if I don't then I'll be back here on Monday with the course behind me and Nikos my new Greek hero demanding that I write his story.

So be good while I'm gone. If you're coming to Fishguard - and I know some of you are - I'm looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again as appropriate. It's going to be a lot of fun - and a little work thrown in!

Happy Valentine's Day

So it's February 14th with all its attendant fuss about 'lurve' and red roses and chocolate . . .

The Magnet knows that I'm not keen on red roses (I prefer the golden ones I had in my wedding bouquet) and chocolate (I'd swap luxury chocs for a plate of chips/fries anyday!)but it's not those sort of things that count. Not really.

I was stunned this morning to learn that according to some report, the city of Hull is reputed to be the most romantic in the UK. Now Hull is just up the coast from where I live and it has never seemed a very romantic place to me. It seems that that assessment is based purely on sales of roses as Valentine's gifts. But it also seems that most of those bouquets are last-minute gifts - hmm - rushed, cliché gifts perhaps. Or am I being too cynical?

Anyway, whatever you're doing today I hope it's a lovely day for you and in celebration of the day, Harlequin have some gifts for its readers.

The first of these is a free special ebook at www.ebooks.eharlequin.com – A Valentine For Harlequin’s Anniversary. It contains a story “An Evening To Remember” by Catherine Mann, and 60 of the favourite posts by Harlequin authors and readers from the eHarlequin Community on topics like “Why I Write” and “Favourite Harlequin Moments”

Those favourite Harlequin Moments were written because - as I've already mentioned - Harlequin is 60 this year. And as part of those celebrations, and "to thank our many readers for taking us into their hearts and homes for 60 years and making us the world’s leading publisher of romantic fiction, Harlequin is giving every woman in America and Canada a free book. "

In fact, they’re giving away 16 free Books that readers can download.

The titles are available as a PDF and in all eBook formats. There is no drm (digital rights management)
The titles are also available as a Stanza App for the iPhone and iPod Touch
The titles can also be found at all the online retailers like Sony, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Fictionwise.com, eReader.com, etc.
The 16 free books (one for every series) will be available throughout 2009.

So why note head over to HarlequinCelebrates.com and take your pick from the slection of titles - from all the lines Harlequin publishes - to help you celebrate Valentine's Day too.

Finally - Valentine's Day is also the day that my friend Anne McAllister launches the new look on her web site. It has been freshly reworked and revamped by the brilliant Heather Reed from We Write Romance who also looks after my site. And it looks fabulous.

Anne is running a great contest to mark this relaunch so why not visit the site and see if you can win yourself a great prize.

And whatever you're doing - whether you're with someone or enjoying being free and single, I hope you have a lovely and loving day today.

It's taken me a while but I've finally managed to get into Blogger today.

But my real blog is over on I Heart Presents. With the fact that Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I've been musing on the topic of What is Romance. I hope you'll join me and let me know about the most romantic thing that has ever happened to you.

Tomorrow I'll be back here with news of a special Valentine that's on offer from EHarlequin. More about that on the 14th

One other thing if like me you've been horrified and saddened by the appalling devastation caused by the terrible fires in Australia, and you've been wishing you could do something to help, well here's a couple of ways:

There's a Red Cross appeal that has been launched

And if you're a writer then maybe this will be something you'd want to join in on:

Here's a message from Australian Author and member of the Romance Writers of Australia.

Romance Writers of Australia are launching a book appeal. We know that for many affected families, books will not be high ontheir listof necessities for some time to come.But...We also know how valuable books can be in providing time out when reality gets tough.

So…With the aid of some wonderful volunteers, we've put together a Romance Writers of Australia Bushfire Book Appeal.

What we need?FICTION BOOKS! Romance books, children's books, genre books, whatever– either new or in sparkling condition.

Please send them to:

RWA Bushfire Book Appeal

c/- 89 Rennie St

Thornbury

Vic 3071

AUSTRALIA

When to send them? Now! And any time over the next few months.

The books will be boxedand delivered to the appropriate neighbourhood centres/communitycentres/libraries in batches as soon as practicable.Feel free to pop a note inside, or if you're the author, sign the book.

With thanksAnne GracieForwarding this message on behalf of Romance Writers of Australia Inc.

Hunting Bottle tops

. . . and wedding rings. And mascara . . .

For some days now I've been pretending that I'm not married.

Not willingly, but perforce - per Flora force.

You see I was foolish enough to take off my wedding ring at night last week. I had a rush of blood to my manicure brain cells and decided to anoint hands with a cream provided for that purpose. So I took off my wedding ring and placed it on the bedside cabinet.

Then I forgot to put it back on and went to sleep.

Bad mistake.

Flora the Floozie loves to come and sit on my head in the middle of the night. And when she sits on my head she also loves to play with anything that is on the bedside cabinet. She drinks from my glass of water (Luckily I've got wise to that now - I put a lid on it!) and she loves to bat things off the surface of the cabinet and on to the floor. She then chases them about the floor until she loses interest.

This, I assumed was what had happened to my wedding ring. When I went to sleep it was on the cabinet. When I woke up it wasn't.

So I started to hunt for it. I looked in all the usual places. (She has a special cache under the bookcase where she likes to store things). Not there.

Eventually I decided that the only thing left was to move the bed so that I could look underneath it. I found my wedding ring. I also found:

1 mascara wand

two socks (one mine, one the Magnet's)

1 lipstick

1 packet of mints

1 Packet of indigestion tablets

1 Earring (from the top of the bedside cabinet too)

1 bottle of nail varnish (ditto)

1 belt

and a dozen and a half assorted bottle tops

This is because Madame's favourite game downstairs is for me to take the top off a bottle of water or such and throw it on the floor so that she can chase it crazily and noisily about the room. They usually end up under the fridge

Or the settee

And now, I discover, under the bed. Along with half my cosmetics - well a girl has to make herself look beautiful!

And she looks so sweet and innocent. Sometimes.

And the winners are

The results from yesterday's awards lunch are that Julia Gregson won the Romantic Novel of the Year award with East of the Sun



Chair of the judges Alice O'Keeffe, books editor at The Bookseller, said East of the Sun was about "lots of different kinds of love". "There's the true love they're looking for, the love they develop for India the country, and the deep friendships they establish."


And - appropriately enough after that mention of India - the winner of the Romance Prize for 2009 was lovely India Grey with her book Mistress, Hired for The Billionaire's Pleasure.

I'm thrilled for India as she is a dear friend and this book is a great read. USA readers may want to know that Mistress, Hired For The Billionaire's Pleasure is on sales in Presents Extra this month.

The judges said that they were impressed by the "sheer verve and style" of the book which they described as "a model of romance, well-written and memorable with a clever plot featuring a lovely heroine and a gorgeous hero."

Congratulations, India!

And if you want to go and offer India your congratulations personally, you can visit her blog here

No one got both winners right but Jane did pick India's book so Jane if you get in touch with me (kate AT kate-walker.com) I'll send you a little something to celebrate too

Pink Heart Society

I forgot to add to the last post -

Today I'm blogging over at the Pink Heart Society where I'm talking about one of my favourite places in the world

And I'm heading there next week.

So like the little Pink Guy I'm feeling . . . .

Don't forget to leave your suggestions for the winners of the Romantic Novel of the Year and the RNA Romance prize

Romantic Novel of the Year

Tomorrow the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year award given by the Romantic Novelists' Association will be announced at the posh lunch in The Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

This year's short list is

Before the Storm by Judith Lennox (Headline)

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson (Orion)

Sophia's Secret by Susanna Kearsley (Allison & Busby)

Stargazing by Linda Gillard (Little Brown)

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Aherne (Harper Collins)

The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer (Transworld)

At the same event, the special Romance Prize will be awarded to one of these authors:

Mistress, Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure by India Grey (M&B)

Promoted to Wife and Mother by Jessica Hart (M&B)

Saying Yes to The Millionaire by Fiona Harper (M&B)

Sold to the Highest Bidder by Kate Hardy (M&B)

The Wild Card by Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)

What's Love Got to Do With It? by Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress)

Congratulations to all the shortlist nominees and good luck for tomorrow

For the past couple of years I've run a little challenge for people to try and guess who will win - so why should this year be any different.

So pick the winner for each prize - one for the Romantic Novel of the Year and one for the Romance Prize. Post your selections in the comments section before midday (UK time) tomorrow and when I know who has won, I'll give a small prize to whoever got it right.

Just because

more animals

Sexiest Thing on Two Legs

And for once it's not Hugh-in -A-Towel

Here's a Press Release from the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association. This should brighten everyone's Saturday . . . .

Romantic Novelists vote Richard Armitage Sexiest Thing On Two Legs

British actor Richard Armitage has leapt from last year’s 4th place to thisyear topping the ratings in the Romantic Novelists’ Association 2009Valentine’s poll, to take the title of Sexiest Thing on Two Legs, beating top Hollywood stars to the number one spot. Johnny Depp, who topped last year’s poll, was pushed firmly into second place, with Hugh Jackman and George Clooney mere also-rans.


“RichardArmitage took 20% of the vote, more than double the count of any other male on the list,” said the RNA pollster. “He was a clear winner from the off.”



The RNA is not alone in admiration of the actor, as numerous online RichardArmitage fan sites will testify. The ardency began with North and South,grew by leaps and bounds with the leather-clad baddie in Robin Hood, and shows no sign of diminishing as Spooks takes to the airwaves.

‘It’s a coup for Britain,’ said one starstruck writer, ‘not just for sexyRichard.’

According to romantic novelists, the sexiest male celebrities of 2009 are

1 Richard Armitage

2 Johnny Depp

3 Hugh Jackman

4 George Clooney

5 Daniel Craig

6 Sean Bean

7 Alan Rickman

8 David Tennant

9 Pierce Brosnan

10 Gerard Butler

And this makes me smile because, of course, the hero of my September book Kept For Her Baby is called Ricardo and looks like this.

Not that I would want to replace H-I-A-T of coourse - but it's nice to have options.

Now all I have to do is to convince Anne McAllister!

More Celebrations

It seems as if there are 'Harlequin Birthdays' appearing all over the place. Yesterday I got a package of international editions of my books and amongt them was a Japanese edition with the special flash on it for Harlequin Japan's 30th Anniversary.

So with M&B's Centenary, Harlequin USA's Diamond Anniversary and now Japan's 30th, there is sop much evidence of how just long lasting and popular Harlequin Romances are. And who worldwide that popularity is. It's a great feeling to be part of such a major force in popular reading.

And a little scary to think that of those 30 years that Harlequin Japan has been around, I'll soon have been published for 25 of them! December 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of my very first published book. I'm working on celebrations for that myself.

And if there's something that brought this home to me even more, it's the fact that this particular Japanese translation is actually a reprint of one of my earlier books. It's The Groom's Revenge which was originally published in 1997 - 12 years ago! This was first published in Japan in 1997 and now it's being reissued as a 'Classic' in their 30th year.

Which is pretty amazing when I was just talking to someone about my childhood in Yorkshire when no one believed I would ever achieve my ambition of writing a single book for publication, never mind still be writing them 25 years after I first started out.

And that's something that will be very much in my mind when I head for Fishguard and the Writers' and Artists' Weekend two weeks from today. I have an interesting class, the youngest of which is just 16. How great that she - with her mother - is serious enough about her writing to go on a weekend course to learn as much as she can. I would have loved to do that when I was 16.

That's one of the reasons why I enjoy teaching writing when I can fit it in. I can't guarantee anything. My students may never ever be published - or one of them may just be the next JK Rowling - but either way they are putting their energies, time and enthusiasm into learning and trying and I really respect that.

So I'm looking forward to Fishguard. And when you add in the fact that I'll also be meeting up with wonderful friends Anne and Gerry Hobbs who run these weekends as well as the fabulous Caerleon Writers' Holidays (where I'll also be teaching in July) then I just can't wait.

Incidentally, Caerleon Writers' Holidays are celebrating their 25th this year too. Obviously 1984 was a very good year!

Blizzard Thoughts

I wrote this yesterday and tried to post it then but Blogger was having none of it. So let's hope that they've got over their problems now and this posts today.

One of my resolutions for this year has been that, before I BICHOK - Bum in chair, hands on keyboard - every working day, I really should do some BOOC, LIM - Bum out of chair, legs in motion - ie some sort of exercise so that I can 'earn' my hours sitting and working.

And if I don't do that before I start my working day, then I know I'll never get to do it. So I've been 'walking to work' - setting out as if I was heading for an out of the house office and walking . . . Luckily there's a lovely big park nearby and I walk round that before heading back to my desk.

But yesterday there was a heavy, wild snowstorm - a real blizzrd that descended while I was walking. It was a real experience walking through it. I could barely see a few metres ahead of me, and the snow was coming down so heavily that within minutes, it seemed, all the recognisable landmarks disappeared, the paths vanished, and I could barely find my way out of what was a very familiar landscape.

And it was as I was trying to find my way that I started thinking that really the wild winter storm was very like writing romance - in several ways.

For one thing, the route I take on my walk is pretty regular. There are lots and lots of paths through the park so I can take various different ways, but they are all in the park, and they all start from one point and end up at a particular destination - coming home.

Which is very much like writing romance. You start with the meeting, the conflict and work towards the happy ever after ending. There are only so many ways to get there, but if you choose a different combination of approaches and walks then you can end up with what seems like a different journey every time - or one that's different enough not to get bored.

And every day the scenery is very slightly different. Or, as in yesterday's case, totally different. Today after the storm where everything had been 'whited out', prisitine and clean and monochrome, there was a blend of dingy dull grey-brown, of molten ice and swirling water. It was so much the same as when I walked there the day before and yet some very different touches had made it a completely different plpace. Just as when I'm writing a novel, I know that the basic 'journey' is going to be so similar and familliar, but I try to sdd in things that can make it look so very different.

That journey in the wild storm was somethign that i also try to put my hero and heroine through - an emotional storm though, rather than a physical one. One in which the surroundings and liveds they knew suddenly changed because something happened to make them different and dangerous, strange and unfamiliar. The emotional storm means that for a time they lose their way, get blown off course, and have to fight to find their way back to the peace and security they once knew. My winter storm even had a moment of sudden peace - of clear blue skies and dropping wind - just before the real 'black moment' when the clouds closed in again and the snow almost blinded me, so that I felt it worst for having a brief respite.

Finally, my whole journey turned into a metaphor for writing - the way that I an set out on the 'journey' of a book thinking that this is all a familar landscape to me - that I kow where I'm going, what paths I'm choosing this time, what my route and the scenery will be. And then some emotional storm between my characters descends and they and the book get blown off coourse. The lanmdmarks that I thought would see me along my way are almost obliterated and for a while I think I'll never find my way to the end. But I just keep on going, adapting to the new conditons, changing as I need to, and keeping my eye on a few fixed points that I know are important. (In the snow bound park, these were the benches scattered all around the place. They marked the lines of the paths even when the paths were snowed in and no longer visible.)

And I hope that when my readers get to the end of the book they will have enjoyed the storms and emotions that suddenly sprung up. And that they, like me, when I finally got back inside my home and out of the fury of the weather, will feel invigorated and excited by what they've just been through. Happy to be in the peace and quiet again but feeling that they wouldn;t have missed the drama for the world.

That's what I'm aiming for anyway. And I'm thrilled to know that with this latest review of Cordero's Forced Bride, for one reader at least I've succeeded in that.

Here's what Julie Bonello of Cata-Romance has to say about Cordero's Forced Bride which she personally described as - "a gloriously intense and wonderfully romantic story"

Kate Walker’s legion of readers will not be disappointed with her latest tale of torrid passion and heart wrenching emotion: Cordero’s Forced Bride.

. . .when Santos kisses his shy English bride, he is not prepared for the sheer power of his desire for her and when wild passion leads to a love which neither of them can deny, Santos cannot help but wonder whether his convenient bride will ever consent to being his wife for real…

Kate Walker's name is synonymous with unforgettable romantic novels that stay with the reader long after the last page is turned and Cordero’s Forced Bride is the latest in a long line of captivating tales from this most talented of storytellers. Fast-paced, passionate, intensely emotional and gripping from start to finish, high quality romantic fiction does not get any better than this!

Thank you so much Julie! Your review made all that time in the 'blizzard' of emotion of writing Cordero's Forced Bride so worthwhile.

You can read the rest of her great review here on the CataRomance site .

PS And while I was out walking in the blizzard, the sensible ones in the family were curled up safe and snug like this

Tote Bags 'N' Blogs

It's February 1st - the first Sunday of the month. And that is now my new regular blogging date to appear over on Tote Bags 'N' Blogs on Lee Hyat's great site My Tote Bag.

So that's where you'll find me today - talking about bright things to look forward to in dark and cold days.

And there's a chance of a copy of my latest release, Cordero's Forced Bride up for grabs if you come along and post a comment.

Oh - and over on eHarlequin there's a contest to guess which desk belongs to which writer. Check out the photos and see if you can match the desk to the author. Regular readers of this blog will have an advantage in spottting which one is mine.

See you there!