Christmas time

I'm not quite sure how it got to  9th December already -  that means it's only a couple of weeks to the big day!  I'm not at all   ready and  I still have so much to do that I'm running around like crazy and trying to wrap  and post parcels, write cards, send them in the mail.

Tomorrow my dear brother in law is coming to stay for a couple of days so we are having a

n early 'mini Christmas ' to celebrate with him.

While we're doing that, I'll be posting up a little Christmas readers' giveaway  for the 12 days of Christmas - more details of that to come asap (hopefully tomorrow  before the visitor  arrives!)

So while I was planning and trying to get organised with that, I also checked out Amazon  and was delighted to find that they're running a small sale on some of my books  in the last minute Christmas deals. Not sure how long for, but if you're quick and want to grab a kindle edition of these titles, you can get one  for £0.99

 Titles available are:
Kept For Her Baby
The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge
Bedded by the Greek Billionaire
Constantine's Revenge
Wife for a Day
No Holding Back
Flirting with Danger

Oh, and the complete Alcolar Family trilogy (3  books in one)  is available for £1.99

Finally - if you are interested in learning about writing romance, then   Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is on sale  with 11% off the paperback   bringing the price down from  £11.99  to £10.62 - maybe you know someone who'd like to find a copy n their Christmas stocking or under the tree?

Bargain Books

Have you any Kate Walker titles missing from your collection on Kindle? I've just discovered that some books of mine are ON  SALE  on Amazon.co.uk - all just 0.99p right now. 

 If you want to grab some backlist titles, now's your chance:

A Proposal to Secure his Vengeance

Bedded by  The  Greek Billionaire

Constantine's Revenge

Return of The Stranger
No Holding Back
Kept for Her Baby
The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge
Wife For a Day
Flirting with Danger
Rafael's Love-Child

It almost makes me wish I wanted to buy copies at a bargain price!

Grab a Black Friday bargain !

Because of this chest infection I've been locked indoors - mind you there 's nothing much about the weather - freezing winds, snow, now icy rain - that has made me even want to consider   venturing outside.  Charlie (who is full of tuna and other treats  - thank you to everyone who suggested them, he says!  - has been snoozing in his cosy bed all afternoon and Ruby is lying in front of the  (as yet unlit) fi
re,  waiting for the Babe Magnet to  set a match to the kindling.

So I haven't done very much about Black Friday - or  has it been Black Monday - or just Black Week all week?   Anyway, I haven't felt  like going out and hunting for bargains, though I did find some on- line which meant I didn't  have to brave the cold and rain.   And while I was doing that I found some g

reat Black Friday/Week bargains for you.

 I was looking for the details  and UK cover of my January book - more on that  later. (As you know, Harlequin are having a complete makeover with some  new and  very different cover designs . . .)  But while I was looking for A Proposal To Secure His Vengeance, I  came across  a bundle of my backlist titles that are currently  at a reduced price on Kindle.

So if there are any of these that you don't have already - or you'd like an ebook edition for convenience - here's  your chance to catch up with some past titles at

 a bargain price.

All these books are  on sale at just £0.99 on Amazon - and on  the Mills and  Boon web site

Return of the Stranger
Kept   for Her Baby
The Sicilian's Red-Hot  Revenge
Bedded by the Greek Billionaire
No Holding Back
Rafael's Love-Child
The Unexpected Child
A Sicilian Husband
Wife for a Day
 Constantine's Revenge
The Devil and Miss Jones
Flirting With Danger

Not sure how long  they will be on offer -  but  if the weather stays like it is, you might want something to curl up inside in the warmth and read  this weekend - so grab a bargain.

Advent Calendar Day 2 - on Tote Bags 'n' Blogs

Have you joined in the Advent Calendar giveaway yet? Yesterday's first day is still open for comments - at least until I find Charlie and get him to pick a winner!  So you still have a little time to post a comment.

And then there's today's Day 2 posting with another chance to win a book as an extra Christmas gift from me -  but thta's posted somewhere else.

Today is the first Sunday of the month so that means that I'm over on Tote Bags N Blogs with my regular post there.  It also means that today's Advent Calendar givewaway is over on Tote Bags as well.

The prize giveaway today is the 2008 book Bedded By The Greek Billionaire -

Taken for passion. . . or ruthless retribution?

As a naïve teenager, Jessica Marshall fell achingly in love with a gorgeous Greek – Angelos Rousakis.
But her clumsy attempt at attracting his attention cost Angelos everything.
Seven years later, Angelos Rousakis is back. Hard and powerful, he intends to claim what is his – and that includes Jessica. However the once innocent girl now pretends that she feels nothing for him. . . which only inflames his passion for her further. . .
As Jessica falls for the sexy billionaire all over again, she cannot be sure - Is he back for passion . . . or retribution?

If you want a chance to win this title, you'll need to answer over on Tote Bags 'n' Blogs - and come back here for Day 3 of the Advent Calendar tomorrow!

Where did the week go?

Well - there was a birthday - thank you all for your lovely birthday greetings and wishes here and on Facebook - they made me smile all day long.  And what with that and lots of visits/cards/gifts from family and friends I had a wonderful time.
I am now the proud owner of a brand new Kindle which  means my TBR pile will look slightly  smaller - but the list of books I have yet to read will be  every bit as long - just appearing on the kindle, not the shelves! Oh  well, at least that doesn't have to be dusted!  The trouble is that there are still so many 'real' books on my  TBR shelves.  Oh well!

And talking of new books -  May 12th was the publication date for the  In His Bed, a 3 in 1 book that is part of the Greek Affairs collection. This has a reprint of Bedded By The Greek Billionaire  along with two other stories by Anne Mather and Carol Marinelli

I'm going to be busy this week - with a day-long workshop in Nottingham on Saturday  to prepare for and run - there are still just a couple   of places left if you want to come along.

Date: 19th May 2012

Time: 10am - 4pm (including an hour for lunch)

Location:

The Nottingham Mechanics
3 North Sherwood Street
Nottingham
NG1 4EZ

Information on booking here : http://www.nottinghamwritersclub.org.uk/

So - to  fill the blog and give you something to read - plus an extra special giveaway   -  I'll be posting an interview with a friend of mine who has a new release out today.   This  is not a romance  but . . .No you'll have to wait and see,  Come back tomorrow to find out . . .

Busy busy

It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks  so if my blogging is a bit intermittent, that's why
I have  the Valentine's Day workshop in Brigg Lincolnshire  on - well, obviously  on Valentine's Day next week and then straight after that I'm travelling to Wales  for the Fishguard Writers' Weekend to teach Writing Romance for the wonderful residential weekend there. I love this weekend and am so looking forward to it.  We have a lot of fun, discuss writing, do some great writing exercises, drink a little wine . . .

And of course I have the small matter of a book to write myself. Health problems and family crises have interrupted my creative process viciously so I'm fighting to get back on track. I really think that the workshops and talking about writing and discussing the process will help with this so  if I'll be seeing you there, then you'll be  helping me as well as I'll be helping you!


And  - a special message for Maria for her comment  on my Tote Bags 'N' Blogs post on Sunday - you mentioned Girl About Town as the first M&B you found down the back of a sofa in 1975 -  and said you couldn't recall the author. Could  it be this one?

Don't you just love the diesmbodied heads and the 'sophisticated' hero  Sean  lighting up a cigarette - I mentione d that smoking was so much more common in thoese earlier books - I recall one where the hero was driving his sports car along some narrow, windy moutain road in Italy or somewhere  and he lit a cigarette as he drove along. And of course no one was wearing a seat belt then! 

Anyway, Maria if this is the book you remember - there is a single copy available on Amazon right now.

Oh - and  the 'oldie' of mine you mentioned - Bedded By The Greek Billionaire, that came out in 2008 and  sold out on the M&B site but is still available in ebook. It's also being reprinted in a Greek Affairs  collection coming up in May.

Tote Bags 'N' Blogs

Today is the first Sunday of July so  that means that it's my day for blogging over on Tote Bags 'n'Blogs so that's where you'll find me today. I'm talking about why I love July - for several rather special reasons.

And while you're over there, why  not  take a look at  the rest of the My Tote Bag site - over on the contest page, you'll find a chance to win two of my backlist books.

All you have to do is to anwer a simple question - this month the prize is a copy of The Antonakos Marriage and Bedded By the Greek Billionaire.  
You have until July 31st to enter.

Advent Calendar Giveaway Day 9

It's been one of those mornings today - nothing has quite gone the way I planned it. Perhaps that's because the sun is actually shining and I'm really not used to that. We might even find that some of the snow goes away as a result!

Right so Sid has done his duty of picking a name and yesterday's winner of the Her Greek Tycoon trilogy is Michelle Handyside. Michelle says she loves Greek heroes, so this book should please her.

Michelle please send me your postal address - Kate AT kate-walker.com.

Everyone who has sent me their addresses for their prizes has had the books sent out so I hope it won't be too long before the prizes arrive. The snow will slow things down but you should have it soon. A couple of people haven't written to me with addresses so do make sur you're not missing out on a prize by just not sending me the information. Those who haven't won anything yet, do keep coming back - and posting a comment - because you never know how Sid might feel about your name in the future.

Today's book has a Greek theme as well. So many of you said that you liked Greek heroes that I thought I'd offer a great Greek hero as today's giveaway. (Sadly, not the hero himself, but his story!)

So today's book is Bedded By The Greek Billionaire (2008)and just because the sun is shining, I'm giving away 3 copies of this title today.

Taken for passion. . . or ruthless retribution?

As a naïve teenager, Jessica Marshall fell achingly in love with a gorgeous Greek – Angelos Rousakis.
But her clumsy attempt at attracting his attention cost Angelos everything.
Seven years later, Angelos Rousakis is back. Hard and powerful, he intends to claim what is his – and that includes Jessica. However the once innocent girl now pretends that she feels nothing for him. . . which only inflames his passion for her further. . .
As Jessica falls for the sexy billionaire all over again, she cannot be sure - Is he back for passion . . . or retribution?

This book was a Romantic Times Top Pick when it came out in America in November 2008

Today's question is quite simple - just tell me one romance you've read a really enjoyed this year. You can name more than one, and go into details about why you loved it if you like - that'll really make for an interesting post.

And no, you don't have to pick one of my books! And it won't give you a better chance of winning if you do - it'll make me smile but it won't affect Sid! He doesn't care whose books you read. He's only interested in the cat treats!

My First Kate Walker - Sarah Morgan

I'm a bit late with this - OK, a lot late !

As you know, I've been doing an occasional series of My First Kate Walker (or My Top Five Kate Walker books) from my writing friends and readers to mark my 25th anniversary of being published. The lovely Sarah Morgan wrote me a blog on this topic back in July and I've only just got around to posting it.

But I was in the middle of the posts on Conflict at the time - and I'm realy quite glad that I didn;t post this before now because it means that I can post it now and mark not only a special time for me (that 25th anniversary) but also a great moment for Sarah herself.

If you've been visting the I heart Presents blog recently, you'll have seen that as well as the list of Presents authors whose books have appeared on the USA Today bestseller list in the past week, two authors, have had their books hit the Top 50 on that list. Those authors are - Penny Jordan and my guest today - Sarah Morgan with her current Presents title One Night . . . Nine Month Scandal.

So Sarah, many congratulations on your brilliant achievement - and thank you for writing a post to share your first Kate Walker.

My First Kate Walker

It's surprisingly easy to list My First Kate Walker because it has stayed in my head (and on my shelf!) for years. It was called Constantine's Revenge. The heroine was called Grace and the story took place on a Greek island (I love Greece) but what I remember most of all was the intensity of the emotion and passion which sums up the essence of the classic Presents read and also classic Kate Walker, an author who knows exactly how to keep the reader reading long after she should have switched off the lights and gone to sleep. Another book that is firmly on my keeper shelf is Bedded by the Greek Billionaire (clearly I have a 'Greek' thing going on here.......) It was one of those books that makes your stomach swoop because the emotions were so up and down - fantastic.

Kate doesn't just understand her craft, she is able to pass on her skills to others, a quality I really admire because I am completely unable to unravel how I do what I do and the thought of passing on tips about my messy creative process to others makes me want to shrink with embarrassment. My writing process reminds me a bit of my children's attempts at cooking - it's a giant mess at the time and there's a lot of cleaning up required, but it all turns our fine in the end (usually). However there is no getting away from the fact that my best advice to an aspiring author would be 'whatever you do, don't write like me'. Kate, however, is a great teacher, a fact proven by the undying popularity of her book 'The 12 point Guide to Writing Romance'. If you're an aspiring writing and you don't have it, then buy it. If you're a writing who hates her process and would like to change it, you should buy it too.

Thanks for having me here, Kate, to celebrate your 25th anniversary. May you continue to pass on your wisdom and write beautiful stories for another 25 years.

Love Sarah

Sarah also writes Medicals and Dr Zinetti's Snow-Kissed Bride is released in November.

Thank you so much Sarah - and congratulations all over again.

My First/Favourite Kate Walker - Lidia

Today's choice of her first - and Top 5 favourite Kate Walker novels is a rather special reader - Lidia.

Lidia had been reading Harlequin Presents for - well, probably for almost as long as, if not as long as I have been writing them. She has a wide-ranging, encyclopaedic knowledge of the books and the authors and strong opinions on what she likes and dislikes. We may not always agree over her opinions, but what she thinks is never boring and I'm always amazed by just how much she remembers of so many books she's read.

And I'm complimented by the fact that she still regards me as one of her auto-buy authors when she has less time to read and so many authors to choose from. Thank you so much for your choices Lidia.

My first KW book - was probably "Shattered Mirror" (I am not positive -- but pretty sure). The book was very emotional and I felt the pain that both Eve and Kyle felt. In some ways, Kyle's pain was worse -- he remembered the loss of their baby, and knew that his wife didn't remember anything -- just heartbreaking.

As for the Top 5 -- the list keeps changing (it appears that I am fickle). Whenever I re-read a book and it becomes a favorite, the list ends up changing. "A Sicilian Husband" is sitll in the top 5 onloy because I found that Gio really went through a lot emotionally to finally accept the fact that he could love again -- that he wouldn't be betraying his dead wife's memory. That was a fabulous book. My top book is "Kept for Her Baby." You tackled a difficult topic, one that appears to be avoided. It was a book that made one cry as well as be extremely happy for Lucy when everything worked out. Your characters are always very passionate about the things they believe in, the people they love, even if misguided at times. That makes your books stand out.

So the Top 5 listed are:
"Kept for Her Baby" (2009)
"A Sicilian Husband" (2003/4)
"Her Secret Bridegroom" (2000/2001) *
"The 12 Month Mistress" (2004/2005)
"Bedded by the Greek Billionaire" ( 2008) and "The Golden Thief" (1990)

Can't wait to read your next book.

* This is the book that is reprinted in Mistresses Shackled by Rubies.

Thank you again Lidia. I hope you have your copy of The Konstantos Marriage Demand by now and that it meets your exacting standards!

For her contribution, Lidia wins a copy of Bedded By The Greek Billionaire

My First/Favourite Kate Walker - Holly Jacobs - and some lovely news

A while back, I posted Donna Alward's choice of her 5 favourite Kate Walker novels. Today I'm posting my 'Third Twin' lovely Holly Jacobs' special choices.

Third twin? You've never heard of three twins? Believe me, it happens. Holly and I first 'met' over on the eHarlequin message boards. And we became so close so fast that very soon realised that we were obviously twins separated at birth. Meeting up at RWA Denver only confirmed that suspicion.

Then a couple of years ago, again on those message boards, I met Donna Alward, and we met up in person in London when she came over just after having her first book accepted. When Holly, Donna and I connected on the message boards we realised that there were in fact three of us 'twins' and we made a date to meet up all together in Washington. Which is where the photo of the 'Three Twins' (with me in white, Holly in the black jacket and Donna in the middle) was taken.

So naturally when I was planning this series of 'My Top 5' Kate Walkers, I had to ask my twin Holly. and here's what she has to say -

Wow, my first Kate Walker? I'm not sure. I think it was The Sicilian's Wife (2002), but I might be wrong, but even if I am, it's one that stands out for me!

And picking my favorites of KW's books is tough, but I'd have to pick the Alcolars, which makes three. (The Twelve Month Mistress, The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife, Bound By Blackmail)

And of course The Sicilian's Wife--four.

And The Italian's Forced Bride!

Holly's latest book A One-of-A-Kind-Family is out in America in Super Romance on February 9th. And it's a very special read. I should know - it's right beside my bed, tempting me away from the book I'm supposed to be writing. I made the mistake of opening it, just to read the opening page . . . It has Holly's trademark of warm characters and strong emotional storyline. Now if I could just finish this Sicilian and get back to it!

For me, I will always connect Rafael's Love-Child with meeting Holly because it was with that book that I first ventured on to the message boards and Holly was one of the first to welcome me. Thanks so much twin!

You can read more about Holly on her web page or you can find her blogging on eHarlequin.

And I have a special reason for thanking Holly today because she has helped me with my really great news.

The new issue of Romantic Times Book Reviews appeared on the internet yesterday and I was thrilled to discover that my Presents EXTRA title The Konstantos Marriage Demand had been awarded 4.5 stars - and was one of the series Top Picks for March.

I'm really thrilled by this - I spent 20 + years of my 25 published ones without a single RT Top Pick and now in just over a year, I have two of them. The other was for Bedded By The Greek Billionaire. There must be something about those Greeks!

Thanks to Holly, who could get it from the RT web site, I can also bring you the review - and it's fabulous!

THE KONSTANTOS MARRIAGE DEMAND (4.5) by Kate Walker: As far as Nikos Konstantos is concerned, Sadie used him, humiliated him and then walked out on him -- on what was to be their wedding day no less. Five years later, the tables have been turned. A penniless Sadie has her work cut out for when she approaches Nikos to save her family home. Nikos intends to exact retribution against the woman he still lusts after, but where does his mysterious new bride fit into his plans? Misunderstandings and family betrayals propel this terrifically well-paced and fiery romance to its very rewarding conclusion. —Sabrina Madan

So I'm starting today with a very big smile on my face

Tweaked Greeks

Well, the intensive concentration on tweaking Zarek Michaelis last week had the desired effect. Yesterday I heard from my lovely editor and the book is bought and will be published in July 2010.


Yes - July - that's why there was that tight turnaround necessary.



Two interesting things about this book that make it a bit different from the usual -


1. It's the special project I was asked to do where four authors - myself, Lucy Gordon, Robyn Donald and I think Catherine George (need to check on that one) - were asked to write books that updated one of the Greek Myths. The story I chose was Odysseus and parts of his story form the background and some elements of Zarek's story. I've even stolen the name of his wife - Penelope - for my heroine.

2. This is my first book to have been given a title under the new policy for creating titles - so instead of - what? Maybe The Greek Tycoon's Something Wife? I have - A Good Greek Wife?



So what do you think? I think it's about time the plethora of Italian/Greek/Billionaires etc etc came to an end and some more interesting and imaginative titles were used and it looks like this is starting to happen.

Any comments? Thoughts? Would that make you buy the book more? Or intrigue you? Or not?

I'm off out into the rain and wind. I'm going to York because now that Zarek and his Good Greek Wife are dealt with there's somehting called Christmas looming on the horizon and I have a list of gifts I need to buy.

Then tomorrow my editor and I will be discussing a new 'exciting project' that they'd like me to be involved in. More when I can tell you.

Oh yes- and the count of countries visiting this blog has hit the magical 150 mark - with a visitor from Jersey! Funny, I never actually thought the 150th would be so close to home. I've spent some fabulous weeks in Jersay and have some wonderful memories of the beuatiful island. I love islands and this one of my favourites.

Welcome Jersey! What took you so long?

Looking Forward - 2009

So it's a different year. It's 2009.

Yesterday was spent with calendars . Making sure that all the important upcoming dates are listed so that I don't forget anything. I love brand new stationery - pristine notebooks, fresh calendars, new diaries, so that was a real pleasure for me.

And there are already plenty of dates and events to note down for this new year even though it Ihas only just dawned. So today I'm looking forward at what's coming up with a whole new sense of anticipation.

I'm sure there will be more to add to the calendar later in the year but for now - here's what 2009 has planned for me . . .

So we'll start in January -

Coming up very soon is the now traditional (well, we've been running it for 3 years!) joint contest - Here Come The Grooms - that Anne McAllister, Liz Fielding and I run every year around this time. It's been in February before but Anne's book is out in January so we're starting early this year. More details very soon.



In February I am teaching a residential weekend course on the Writers' and Artists' Workshop Weekend at Fishguard in Wales. I am teaching The Novel - not specifically Romance writing but writing a novel in general. Obviously plenty of what I have to say will apply to Romance but this course, (like the 12 Point Guide actually) will be suitable for anyone who wants to write any sort of fiction.

And if anyone out there wants to write poetry - or knows someone who does, then the Babe Magnet will be running the Poetry course on the same weekend.

The dates for this event are 20th February - 22nd February 2009 and the cost is an all-inclusive (accomodation, food, classes) £199. That's for six one hour sessions of talks, one to one assessments and assignments.

(If you want to join me there, then if you add my name after yours on the application form, that will save you an extra £10 on the cost of the weekend)

Talking of courses I'm teaching, I will be back in Wales in July when I am teaching the Writing Romance course at Writers' Holiday at Caerleon. This is a very special event as it is the 25th Summer Writers' Holiday. I had to miss last year's event as I was in San Francisco so I'm really looking forward to being back at Caerleon this year.

The dates for this are 26th July - 31st July 2009 And the cost (again all-inclusive) is £399. There are 14 courses in total to choose from and some wonderful main speakers lined up for this event.

Details for both the Fishguard Weekend and Caerleon can be found on the official website here where you can also book online and save money.

Summer of course will be the Conference season and I shall be rushing from one end of the country to another - and overseas, I hope - in July when there will be the RNA Conference in Penrith (10-12th July) and the 29th Annual National Conference in Washington, D.C.July 15 - 18, 2009. And then heading for Caerleon! I might just find time to breathe!

Of course I will also have some new books coming out and the first of these is Cordero's Forced Bride which officially published on February 1st as a Presents edition. And then it's out in March as a Mills & Boon Modern Romance. But I was thrilled to see that even before 2009 had dawned, the ebook version of this book was already on pre-order on eHarlequin and since then it has been riding high in their ebook charts - arriving at #2 today. (And as that's #2 to Lynne Graham's #1 I'm not complaining!) It's also now listed on eHarlequin's Top Ten Bestsellers right now. So it's off to a very good start.

My next romance out in 2009 will be Kept For Her Baby which has a M&B Modern publication date of September 2009. This is out in the same month as my friend Michelle Reid's next book too so I expect that we will be repeating our Super September Contest like the one we ran last year.

Oh, and before that book in September I have a reprint out in May. That's when At The Sheikh's Command appears in Sold to the Sheikh with books by Miranda Lee and Emma Darcy. I haven't yet found out if this is a UK release or an Australian release but I'll let you know just as soon as I can.




Finally, if you're in America and you missed out on getting an ebook copy of my June '08 release Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife - then that is on sale in a special BEST OF 2008 - Best of the Billionaires - sale over on eHarlequin here.

What else? Well, I'll be continuing my blogging as a Pink Heart Society Columnist - my first blog of 2009 is to pick next Monday's Male on Monday so watch out for that. (I've been doing some serious research forthis one!) I'll also be guestblogging on Tote Bags and Blogs on the first Sunday of every month and with We Write Romance whenever they need me! And of course I'll be blogging here too.

And finally, 2009 is a very important year for Harlequin and for me. For two different reasons.

This year Harlequin is celebrating it's Diamond Anniversary - that's 60 years of publishing the brilliant romances we all know and love. So there will be special celebrations all thgouth the year and a special Spotlight on each line in turn, staring with Desire. Presents will have its turn in July, just in time for the RWA Nationals.

My own anniversary will arrive in December 2009 when I will be celebrating 25 years as a published author! 25 years! I can't quite believe it myself. I'm not sure quite what I'll be doing to mark this occasion - but I will be doing something so watch out for that.

And with Bedded By The Greek Billionaire now officially shortlisted for that Best Presents from Romantic Times, it's shaping up to be an exciting year ahead. Now all I have to do is to write the next book and get my publications for the next new year ready and lining up.

Finally, I'm signed up to take part in the eHarlequin Book Challenge 2009 where for every book I read and review Harlequin will be donating a book to the National Center for Family Literacy to benefit their literacy programs - why don't you come and join in too. All you have to do is read and you were going to do that anyway - right?

I hope you'll enjoy the books I have coming up in the next year, come and visit my blog often in 2009 and maybe I'll meet up with some of you at one or other of the events or workshops there are planned for this year.

2008 Looking Back

Well that was quite a year. It had to be really, when it was the year that Mills & Boon celebrated their centenary, with all the fuss and interest that came with it.The celebrations started off in February and from then onwards things didn't seem to slow down much for the rest of the year.

Interviews, TV programmes (about the company, not me)Book Festivals, Library events . .. and that was before we hit the conference season. I seem to have been here there and everywhere this year, snatching a breath as and when I can, and really there was just a bit too much crammed in there.

London, Lincoln, Manchester, Hale, Chichester, San Francisco, Guildford, London again . . . I'm not sure I want to reckon up how many miles I travelled to do workshops. give talks. It was great fun, but I wouldn't want to do it all again - not all in one year anyway! The best part of the public appearences was the oppportunity they gave me to meet people - readers and would-be writers who came to the workshops. That's always a delight and to everyone who came to one of these and stayed to chat or wrote to me afterwards - my thanks. It's always so special to meet readers face to face - and that includes the readers who say that my 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance has helped them.

Because of course 2008 was also the year in which the 2nd (revised and expanded) edition of the 12 Point Guide was published and I was really thrilled about that. I've been delighted and honoured by the way that I keep meeting people - or getting emails from readsers - or reading reviews on Amazon - that have nothing but praise for this book. Not being a teacher, I'm thrilled to find that I can communicate my love of the romance genre and the skills needed to write it - and that those of you who have bought this guide find it helps. And when those people end up with their very first published books in their hands and my 12 Point Guide has played apart in it, that's an even deeper sense of satisfaction for me.

Of course, the travelling of 2008 was also wonderful for the way that it gave me extra opportunities to meet up with friends from the writing world - and I do mean the world. Being in London and San Francisco meant that I could spend time with Michelle Reid, Anne McAllister (who later came to stay her and visit Sid of course) Trish Morey, Abby Green, Sandra Marton, Holly Jacobs, Susan Stephens, India Grey . . . So many friends from eHarlequin too. I also got to meet new authors Jennie Lucas and Sabrina Philips and - new to me anyway - Ellen Hartman. And in a 'before she was famous' moment there was also the Instant Seduction winner Lynn Raye Harris. The RNA Conference gave me a bit more time to catch up with wonderful writers I don't see enough of - and some lovely friends grabbed at the opportunities of the workshops etc when they brought me nearer to them. None of it was ever quite long enough but it was so valuable.

2008 was The Year of Flora - as I've already noted. At first I think Sidney the Cat of Superior Breeding felt that his handsome nose was a little put out - but how could I let that happen? And his fans are still there, ardent as ever (he thanks the two beautiful ladies Josephina and Theodora for their messages on my last post and of course as he helps himself to Greenies from his Christmas package, his dear Lady Across the Pond, Anne McAllister is in his mind too) Of course, there is one important job that Sid has always carried out and that is picking the winners of my contests - Flora is way too flighty to handle anything so important. And while there is a a crunchie that needs choosing, then Sid will always have the Upper Paw.

There were also a few books published in 2008 - some new and some reprints. Two of which I'm particularly pleased about - the publication of The Duke's Secret Wife as part of the special Centenary Collection of shorter novellas - and the reprinting of The Alcolar Family trilogy as a complete collection in book form in the UK and then as an ebook Bundle available on eHarlequin. And thinking about these other forms of publishing that seemed to take such a leap forward in 2008 - there was the use of my Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife as the free book to launch and highlight Harlequin's links with Daily Lit's publication of books in instalments by email.

There were the new books too - that Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife and then Bedded By The Greek Billionaire which gave me my first Romantic Times Top Pick - with 4.5 stars too. This book has also ended my year of a real thrill because it has been shortlisted for the Best Presents of 2008 by Romantic Times too. I've been smiling and Snoopy dancing quite a bit over that particular book!

And now we're into the last hours of 2008. It's time to stop looking back and start looking forward. I'm not one for resolutions, certainly not for great assessments of what I did right or wrong achived or didn't achieve last year. To me that seems to have too much of 'shoulds' and 'musts' that end up being just more sticks to beat ourselves when the inevitable realisation that being human means not being perfect kicks in. As the Jewish proverb says - only God ever created perfection. So I'm not listing any 'I resolve to . . . ' here.

Instead I'm looking forward to plenty in 2009 and hoping to make it an emotionally satisfying, personally satisfying, career-wise satisfying year with lots going on ( that's pretty much certain already) but also lots of balance and quality - because quantity, in achievements, in experiences, in love - is NOT the same thing as quality - not at all.

And I'll be back to tell you more about what's coming up but first I just want to say before midnight sounds anywhere in the world of my readers -

HAPPY NEW YEAR and I hope that 2009 and is a very special time for you. One that leaves you with some wonderful memories - of all sorts of things - when it comes to an end and you're looking back on it on December 31st next year.

Reminiscing, Reviews and more Rain

I'm blogging over on the I (heart) Presents blog today -talking about Bedded by The Greek Billionaire, but also chatting over old favourite books that you remember and that are worth re-reading. Why not come by and join in the conversation?

And talking of great books. If you visit here you obviously read and enjoy romance. So would you like to share that enjoyment with others and write about the books too? The Pink Heart Society is looking for regular, enthusiastic reviewers who would like to join them and write about the new releases.


They are looking for reviewers for every line and they would really like to see more of the American lines represented as well as the ones edited from the UK. So if you're interested, why not email the Pink Heart Society, tell them a bit about yourself and maybe you can join the team. You'd get the new books too - that has to be a bonus!

Rain - well that's self-explanatory isn't it? Yes, it's another wet day. Though yesterday did brighten up later in the morning so I shall still hope . . .