Unfortunately my course in Swanwick this weekend has had to be cancelled - though that means that I have a wonderful free weekend to spend with a special friend (carefully not saying 'old' though we've been friends for 40+ years!) The Writer's Repair Shop course is hopefully just postponed until  a different date - if you're interested contact Relax and Write for new details.

My next teaching date is at the RNA Conference in Lancaster in July but that is just an hour or s...o - the same month I'll be heading for the wonderful Writers Holiday  in Fishguard for a week where I'll be teaching the Complete Romance Writing Course - so looking forward to being back in Wales with so many very special friends . If you're interested check out Writers Holiday  - bed, almost a week's full board, writing tuition (or just time to write- or sleep!) making new friends . . . all for just £499. It's great value (and I know because before I started teaching there most summers, I paid it!)

The Complete ROMANCE Writing Course  

This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular romance genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc. will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction.

After that, the next weekend coming up is  at Swanwick: 

'Writing Romantic Fiction' with Kate Walker - A RETREAT. Restricted numbers

 

The RETREAT weekends are ideal for those with work in progress.  The group is kept small so that you benefit from constructive feedback on your work, which must be prepared and sent to Kate in advance, so that she can make notes to cover details with you at your one-to-one. This is a chance for you to discuss your work with a professional, get an objective assessment or would you prefer time to reflect on your novel and write? This is a perfect opportunity to take your writing to the next level. A synopsis and two chapters to be sent six weeks before the date of the course via Lois. 

(As  numbers are limited on this retreat - so that I can have one-to-ones with students and discuss  their work with them etc please make sure you have expressed your interest - and put down a deposit   with Lois so that you don't miss out.)

A special gift from a past student.

I’ve been busy sorting out my office. This room gets so messy when other things in life are going on – and even worse when the ‘other things’ are writing the next book.

Or planning a course that I’m teaching.

So today has had a bit of both – I’m mapping out the next  novel I’m writing  - and the one that goes with it. This book is planned as a duet, part of two linked books – because my editor asked for that. So really I have two stories to work on and plan out.  Two heroes, two heroines, two stories – ones that are connected and interlinked.

Good thing then that the course I’m currently planning out is  - Beginning Middle and End - Planning Your Novel

(This one takes place on 15 - 17 APRIL 2016 at THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY CIRENCESTER)

I’ll be looking at things like  beginning well, ending so that the reader wants to pick up another of your stories, avoiding the sagging middle!

So hopefully that will get me started well  as I plan out the sessions for the workshops. And then if I get into a muddle and find that I have hit a wall, or , worse, writer’s block , or all my confidence has seeped away, driven away by those dangerous enemies to writers The Crows of Doubt,  then hopefully my workshops for the next course - The Writer's Repair Shop (at Swanwick in Derbyshire )– will give me some help and boosts to my confidence to put things right.

(It's a course for those with work in progress. We've all been there - getting that nasty feeling that some things are not quite right with the book we're working on - but what's the caused it? And even more important, how to fix it? Problems that we will look at: Where to begin your story. Writers' Block and ways to break through it. Characters who don't come alive - how to sustain them as 3 dimensional beings. The sagging middle. Letting your story slip away from you/ lack of belief in what you're writing. Tropes or Clichés - it's all been written before)

So it’s been a busy and concentrated time.  But today I received a package that reminded me of just why I love  running these courses so much. Apart from the enjoyment of meeting up with students, some of whom have now become close friends and some are newcomers, hopefully destined to join that group in the future, there are the moments when discovering that one of my students is now a past-pupil and has achieved her dream of becoming a published author and is launched on her own  successful writing career.

One of these successes is Rachael Thomas who, as most of you will know, was a regular at my Fishguard Bay courses for some years and who had her first book A Deal Before the Altar was published in  published in  October 2014. Since then there have been  four more  with several lined up to appear on the bookshop shelves very soon.

Which brings me back to the package that arrived today. The Sheikh’s Last Mistress will be Rachael’s newest title – published in May this year and I’ve been lucky enough to be sent an advanced copy.  So, I have to acknowledge that this book isn’t new to me.  I first read the opening of it when Rachael brought it for a one-to-one at Fishguard  and then I read the early version of the full story in 2012. So I recognise it and the essential elements of it very well.  But those earlier versions didn’t  succeed and, wisely Rachael put the book away until she could look at it with clearer and more objective eyes.  (One of the things I often recommend when a writer gets really stuck and just can’t see where the book is going wrong.) Then, when your head is clearer, you can take it out and look at it afresh.  (Yes – that will be one of the points I’ll make in the  Swanwick course.)

Another point I always make is not to throw anything away – what doesn’t work now can always be reworked  when you know more, have a clearer idea of where you’re going and what editors want. So I’m extra delighted to get my hands on an advance copy of The Sheikh’s Last Mistress. I’m so looking forward to reading about Rachael’s heroine Destiny and the hero Sheikh Zafir in these new reincarnations, reworked, revised – but built on the same foundations as that first version I read in 2012.

It’s so great that my courses and my advice have helped  other writers move from student to published author – and to read their works  as printed  books  rather than in manuscript. 

So guess what my weekend reading will be -  a lovely relaxation  after the work on the next couple of courses coming up.  
And hopefully Rachael’s never give up approach will  inspire my next group of students . .and he next.

Thank you so much for the copy if Destiny and Zafir’s story, Rachael – I’m so looking forward to reading it.

Coming soon . . .

I'm back from a fabulous  week at Fishguard for the Writers Holiday summer week. I can't believe I've been back  for some days now and still haven't caught up with all the emails, posts and other jobs I have to deal with.

And already people are asking about  courses coming up. Like the Focus on Writing Romantic Fiction Retreat with Relax and Write  in Swanwick in October.  (last I heard this was almost full)

The Advanced Romance Writing Course in Fishguard in February 2016. (Latest information is just 2 places left)

Planning The Romantic Novel - Beginning, Middle and End in  Royal Agricultural College in April 2016 (That's with Relax and Write too)

. . . even to booking for the  summer  Complete Writing Romance course  for the summer  Writers' Holiday  next year.

And in the meantime I have a deadline looming and too much book to write!


Oh well, I should be used to planning ahead - that's part of the game in the publishing world. For example, I just got a copy of the cover for my next book  - the American Harlequin  Presents edition - and that's not out until December!

But it's a great cover so I wanted to share it with you - and the blurb  to whet your appetite.  So here's the first preview of Destined For The Desert King.   

There's no doubt that their marriage is one of convenience and political maneuvering. But shy beauty Aziza El Afarim secretly hopes that her husband—the boy she once idolized—remembers something of the closeness they shared as children.

Except Sheikh Nabil Al Sharifa is far from the boy he used to be. The weight of loss and power has changed him beyond recognition. Where once there was warmth and generosity, now only a ruthless passion burns. He'll give Aziza everything…except his love.

But as pressure to produce an heir mounts, could there be more than duty in the marriage bed?

Courses coming up this year

Well, I promised that I would let people know about the new courses I have coming up this year - but it seems I've delayed  a bit too long and while I did so, one of these courses has already sold out. 

But just to keep you up to date - I'll give that a brief mention as it is one of two courses I run with the wonderful people from Writers' Holiday at Fishguard Bay in Pembrokeshire.
So:

February 2015

Fishguard Writer's Weekend
By popular demand I’ll be back in Fishguard  again in 2015 to run the Advanced Romance Writing Course  again -

• Date:  Friday 13^th  February – Sunday 15^th February  2015
• Location: Fishguard Bay Hotel, Fishguard Pembrokeshire
• Course: ADVANCED Contemporary Romance Workshop

A series of six advanced novel workshop sessions led by Kate Walker. This course is open to previous Fishguard workshop or Caerleon Romance course participants or those who have been on Kate’s basic Romance courses or Kate's workshops elsewhere. It is not for beginners. Designed especially for Fishguard to move you on, the whole weekend will be concentrated on this workshop - without other distractions. Guests are encouraged to complete work with Kate prior to the weekend commencement.
Strictly Limited to first 15 bookings
This course sells out very fast so please enquire about bookings as soon as possible. If the course is already booked up, we will run a waiting list on a first come first served basis.
Further details and booking forms can be found here: http://www.writersholiday.net/

This is the course that it already sold out -   but don't worry, there are some other courses coming up  later in the year.  Basic Writing Romance  course , Writing Retreats,  Planning Your Novel . . .

What I'll do is stick with the Writers' Holiday  courses  in this post and come back to the others in another post.

So - also at Fishguard Bay is the fabulous week-long  Writer's Holiday in the summer.

JULY 2013

WRITERS’ HOLIDAY
In the summer, I’ll be going back to one of my favourite events and taking part in the Writers’ Holiday at Fishguard 2014. This is one of the highlights of my year, with a warm and friendly welcome from Anne and Gerry, fantastic food, lively conversation – and lots of fun.  Every year I look forward to going back again.
Summer Writers' Holiday

• Dates: Monday 27th July - Saturday 1st Aug 2015
• Cost: Still only £499
• Course: A Complete Introduction to Writing Contemporary Romance
• Website: http://www.writersholiday.net
• This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular romance genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotion
  
  al punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction.

You can choose to follow ONE course from 1-4 and ONE course from 5-8.
Other Courses:

• The Road to Success in Children's Writing Anita Loughrey (www.anitaloughrey.com)
• Be a Travel Writer – Live Your Dreams - Sell Your Features Solange Hando (www.travelwriters.co.uk/solangehando)
• The Complete Poetry Course James Nash (www.jamesnash.co.uk)
• The Complete Contemporary Romance Course Kate Walker (www.kate-walker.com)
• Painting and Drawing Andrew Earney
• Photography for Writers – Using Photos to Sell More of your Words Simon Whaley (www.simonwhaley.co.uk)
• Writing the Historical Novel Marina Oliver (www.marina-oliver.net)
• The Complete Crime Writing Course Lesley Horton (www.lesleyhorton.co.uk)
• Your Short Story – How to Write a Winner – A Practical Course Della Galton (www.dellagalton.co.uk)
• In the Mind’s Eye: Writing the Psychological Perspective Carol Fenlon (www.carolfenlon.com)
• Painting and Drawing Andrew Earney

There are also 'after tea' sessions with different writers, different topis - and on several evenings there's a 'Main Lecture' - always on some fascinating topic on writing or the bookworld. And of course there is the very special evening with the  Cwmbach Male Voice Choir. 
Book through the web site: http://www.writersholiday.net/index.htm


Last I heard,  the summer Writers' Holiday had just 10 places left for the whole week this summer - so  if you're interested,  send an inquiry now.

So those are the Writers' Holiday events - coming up, more course - with Relax and Write staring with a Writing Retreat in March.

Further details for all my courses are on my Events page

Well I did warn you . . .

Just to say that  after I posted about The Advanced Romance Writing Course in  Fishguard in February,   someone who read the blog  has now booked one of the two remaining  places for Feb 2013.

So there is now only one place left on the course coming up. After that, it's fully booked up.

 If you want to book here's where you'll find the details.

If you don't get  your booking in in time for this space,  you can still leave your name and email and if anyone drops out between now and February, then any spaces will be offered  on a first come first served basis.

So looking forward to seeing everyone  in February.

Another course . . .

The day workshop in Nottingham on May 19th  is filling up fast - I just heard from the organisers that more people have  booked so if you're imterested, you need to contact them as soon as possible.

And if you';re thinking about a course and can spare more than a day - if you fancy a week in glorious Tuscany  then don't forget there is the Beyond The Harts and Flowers Course at The Watermill in Italy in October.

You can read more about this fabulous course here at the blog for the Watermill.   There are places left on this course too so you can sign up in good time for October.  You can even add on  3 days in Florence.

Where was I?

Or perhaps that should be where am I?  All I know is that I'm trying to catch up - again!
I had a great time at the workshop in Brigg - many thanks to everyone who came  there. It was a fun afternoon.

Then I had a long journey to Wales - made even longer by a 2 hour delay as a result of some road works that meant we crawled through the later stage of our journey at Monmouth.   But it was worth it when we finally reached Fishguard, and had some time to enjoy being by the sea  - and in the sunshine!  - as we settled in.  The sunshine didn't last but the enjoyment did - as it always does  - with great friends Anne and Gerry at the Fishguard Bay hotel.

We were also joined by  the other tutosr  - Alison Chisolm (Poetry) Della Galton (short stories) and Elizabtehr Hawksley (novels)

I had a wonderful time in the workshop sessions for my course.  I've always enjoyed the intense and focussed way that the Writing Weekend runs and this time  there was a really great group who all gelled together so well that we shared  a lot of learning, had a lot of fun, drank a little wine . . . and I hope everyone learned a lot too. I know   I found that some of the discussions  and topics revitalised my own thinking,   made me look at things afresh and sparked off new ideas - so it was great for me too!

Thank you to Rachael, Marie, Jo , Jenny, Judy, Susan, Karen, Ann  for making it all so much fun.

Oh  - and for those of you who have asked about my treaching in Wales in the summer - , I also had a talk with Gerry about the upcoming Caerleon  in July - the programme on the web site hasn't included Writing Romance  as yet, but  we've discussed it and  by popular demand I will be running a  course in July.

Details to follow.

And I'll be back in Fishguard in February 2013

Since we got home, life has been - well, chaotic -  I think I mentioned that we've been having some  building work done  on the house - improvements - well, they will be improvements when they're finished. Right now, they're a mess.  

We came back to no heating,  no water at one point . . .muddle, confusion, dirt . . . It's been hard to get to my computer because of a. the obstacle course to reach it, b. the lack of electricity at times, c. the mess . ..

Well, they say  a picture is better than a thousand words - so  try these. . . .

Charlie has been  busy inspecting everything and making sure it all works to his satisfaction .  

Hopefully I'll manage to get back and chat with you  at some point next week!

But don't forget the Here Come The Grooms contest is still running - you have until February 29th to get your entries in and be in with a chance of winning 3 great books.  So don't forget to send in your answers.

Another event coming up

Doing anything Saturday May 19th?

I know where I'll be that afternoon - from 12 - 4pm

Borders bookshop 122 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0JR

Last summer, at the Caerleon Writers' Holiday in Wales, another of the speakers, Jane Wenham-Jones asked me if I'd answer a set of questions for her as part of her research for a book she was working on about writing and the writing life. I was happy to help, the questions arrived a few weeks later - and now the book is out. Wannabe a Writer was published on May 1st.

Wannabe A Writer ? is described like this:

This hilarious, informative guide to getting into print, is a must-have for
anyone who's ever thought they've got a book in them. Where do you start? How do you finish? And will anyone ever publish it when you have? Drawing on her own experiences as a novelist and journalist, "Writing Magazine's" agony aunt Jane Wenham-Jones takes you through the minefield of the writing process, giving advice on everything from how to avoid writer's bottom to what to wear to your
launch party. Including hot tips from authors, agents and publishers at the
sharp end of the industry, "Wannabe a Writer?" tells you everything you ever
wanted to know about the book world - and a few things you didn't...

And knowing Jane it will be written in her own inimitable and funny style. (I just wish I'd had the info on how to avoid writer's bottom before it set in for life). This book certainly has contributions from many authors, agents and publishers - the list of contributors read like a Who's Who in publishing - writers Katie Fforde, Frederick Forsyth, Ian Rankin, Jilly Cooper, Jill Mansell, Publishers Hodder Headline, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Agents Simon Trewin, Jonathan Lloyd and Jane Judd, Journalists Miles Kington, Michael Bywater, Robert Crampton . . .and me.

The official book launch is on Saturday May 19th. Everyone who contributed is invited to go along, celebrate, meet readers and would be writers - and, Jane being Jane, "hopefully have the odd glass of wine!"

So if you're in London that day and have nothing better to do, why not come along and join in the fun? I'll have (hopefully) copies of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance to sign. I'll also be the one with a slightly shell-shocked look as I'm having an author/editor lunch the previous day to map out my 'career path' and the new contract for the next couple of years. (Basically that will involve me saying 'You want me to write how many books?'). I'll be enjoying an afternoon off before I head back home and get my nose back on the grindstone with the editor's whip cracking over me. (She does it very nicely - honest - but she does crack the whip!)

So maybe I'll see you there?

Or if you can't make it and you'd like a more hands-on writing approach then both Jane and I will be at the wonderful Caerleon Writers' Holiday again this summer.

I'm not running a full course this year - maybe next time . And that means that I shall probably be doing my own writing rather than holidaying some of the time. But I'll also join in some of the other novel writing courses as and when the course tutors ask me to. Jane is teaching 'Novel Writing - Where Do I start?' and I'll be doing a talk as one of the main lectures during the week. I'm saving myself for the weekend-long, intensive - and wonderful fun - Novel Weekend in Fishguard later in the year. (If you're in the RNA there will be a write-up of last year's course in the issue of Romance Matters coming out soon)

Hmm - so that's the course in Leicester, one in Fishguard - Writers' Holiday - this book launch . . . Oh and I'm doing a talk at Doncaster library in July . . . yes, I'm going to have to keep my nose very much to that grindstone the rest of the time. But if you come to any one of these events, please come up and say hello.

Full details of all the events will go up on my web site on - naturally enough - the Events page. just as soon as I have all the details of times dates etc. The Novel Writing weekend at Fishguard is up there now - everything else should go up this week.

Writing Romance Course in July

WORKSHOPS AND COURSES

I promised to pass on the information about this course that I'm teaching, together with Julie Cohen, in Leicester in August , as soon as I had more details - so here's the info that I have now.

Arts Training Central presents residential Write Away Courses for Summer 2007

Beyond the Hearts and Flowers:
Writing Romantic FictionFriday 17- Sunday 19 August, 2007

Romantic fiction writing is big business, making up almost half the paperback fiction sold and generating billions in sales worldwide. This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write it, from initial research to the final submission of the typescript. With advice and exercises, you will be guided through creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. If you’re just starting out writing romance, or you’ve written a manuscript or two but are not yet published and are interested in honing your skills, this course is for you.

Tutors:

Kate Walker has been writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon Modern Romance since 1984. During that time she has had 50 novels published, many of them best-sellers, with three new titles contracted for 2007/8. She is also the author of the award-winning 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance (Studymates 2004). Kate has an MA in English from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and worked as a Children’s Librarian before concentrating on writing full-time. She is an experienced tutor, and a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Romance Writers of America.

Julie Cohen writes sexy, emotional, romantic comedy. She writes romantic comedies for Headline's Little Black Dress imprint, and novels for Harlequin Mills & Boon Modern Extra. Julie studied English at Brown University in the USA and Cambridge University in the UK. She has an M.Phil. in English literature (University of Reading) and has taught secondary school English in the UK and US for ten years. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association, and her 2005 workshop on ‘Writing the Sexy Bits’ was aired on the BBC's Page Turners programme.

In association with Literature Network

Courses are £170 for the weekend, which includes all meals, tutoring, catering and accommodation.
There are a limited number of bursaries for writers on low income.

To reserve a place, request a full brochure or for more information, contact Arts Training Central on 0116 242 5202 or email them at info@artstrainingcentral.co.uk

Time challenged

It’s snowing. Outside my window as I write this there is a layer of white covering the garden and the street. My crocuses and snowdrops are covered in it, the polyanthus flowers (polyanthuses? Polyanthi??) and just showing their bright and brave colours in spite of it. This is why I love these little flowers so much. The bitter wind is howling, the snow is whirling, the ice is forming – and they just glow brilliantly and take it. So much for March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb – it’s the middle of the month and the ice lion is very much in evidence.

Though in this there’s a bit of a comfort for me in that it also reminds me that the year isn’t slipping away quite as quickly as I’d thought. We’re still quite early in 2007. And that’s a relief. You see, in this particular sort of writing fiction, when you’re balancing dates and dreadlines and publication schedules - in the UK and the USA and maybe Australia as well then sometimes the actual date and month you’re living in can get away from you. I was thinking about this yesterday when I was looking at the big year planner we have on the wall in our kitchen. We were talking about another trip to Ireland – just a mini one as the BM has people to meet, things to discuss. But – the question was when. Hmmm. We’re deep in plans for June, I’ve just been asked to run another weekend course teaching Writing Romance in Leicester. Can I do July? Er – no - RNA Conference, Caerleon Writers' Holidays . . .August/Sept? Yes – but only early Sept . . .and somewhere in here I have to fit in more dreadlines, more books.Along with dates and places we have to be there are also book publication dates on the calendar – and when you consider that the BM has 3 new books coming out in the next 6 months – and 3 reprints – and I have 3 new novels, reprints of one how to write book (The Straightforward Guide) , possibly another (12 Point Guide) and a book on writing we’ve worked on together, then the calendar gets a bit busier – add in projected books coming in America, those dreadlines and . . .the brain cell overloads.

When I first started writing romances, the books, once bought, could take 18 months or more to appear on the shelves in the UK – some, I remember took 2 years. I’d almost forgotten about them by the time they appeared as printed editions. Now, I feel almost like someone working on a magazine, planning articles for 6 months ahead – ignoring the seasons outside and writing about summer clothes in winter, the new winter coats in the heat of summer.

It makes me feel very promiscuous – moving from hero to hero in the space of a few short weeks. This year is only 3 months – not quite 3 months old and already I’ve had to think about – and hand my blog over to - Domenico from The Italian’s Forced Bride when it came out in America. This month, it’s Guido in Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride in the UK – next month will be Guido’s too when his book appears in America. And the it’s Vito’s turn – and Vito will get a lot of attention with The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge being such a special book for me. And I’ve only just (or so it feels) left behind Andreas when I handed in his page proofs – his book will be here in November. And of course right now I’m heavily involved with Raul . . . His book is planned for - eek - sometime like March 08!

But at least at the same time as the books seem to come thick and fast and the timetables speed up even more there are other ways in which the availability of the books is no longer quite the ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ one month on the shelves and then gone. On line bookshops like Amazon and B&N and the eHarlequin site itself now have the titles available for months. Last year’s At The Sheikh’s Command is still available and the USA edition of Domenico’s story seems to be selling well on Amazon UK –so readers are getting a chance to pick up books they might have missed first time around.

But sometimes it all gets a bit frantic and I have to draw breath and think – which book, which hero, which country . . . And that’s when I’m glad of a reminder that it’s still only March - not yet 3 months since I delivered the last book, and yes, I am on track – just.

So today it’s Raul – and I’ve promised him a love scene – so I think he’ll be glad to concentrate on that. And so will I - I don’t think I’ve anything else I should be thinking about!