Quick reminders

Locked in the writing cave (can you get locked in a cave?) with a brooding Italian - no you can't mention the dreadline!

But I just thought I'd better remind you that August ends this weekend ( and that's why you definitely can't mention this dreadline!) and so . . .

If you want to get your hands (or your email) on a free copy of Spanish Billionaire Innocent Wife delivered by email then tomorrow is the last day it will be on offer from DailyLit.com to download for free. When September dawns this offer closes - so if you want to take advantage of it, then grab it now.

Apparently, DailyLit is celebrating the delivery of its 250,000th read to one of their 125,855 dedicated readers. That's a lot of reading in this new way of getting books electronically.

And don't forget the Super September Contest that I'm running jointly with the fabulous Michelle Reid - details are on my contest page .

There are two great prizes of a signed copy of Bedded By The Greek Billionaire and The De Santis Marriage together with a copy of the By Request 3 in 1 volume Her Passionate Italian which contains my A Sicilian Husband and Michelle's The Passion Bargain.

You have until September 5th to enter this.

Finally, the change around from August to September means that the books I have on sale also change - so this weekend is probably your last chance to grab a copy of The Alcolar Family Trilogy in one volume (By Request) - though the trilogy will still be available in the ebook bundle form over on eHarlequin.com - or the special Centenary novella, The Duke's Secret Wife.

But as those are taken off the shelves, my new title will be added as it comes out next week - and that, of course, is Bedded By The Greek Billionaire.

So hopefully that wil be plenty to keep you happy reading while I go back into the cave with Ricardo and hope to get him to his personal happy ending before too long . . .

. . . .just don't mention the D word!

Cat Days of summer

Yes, I know it's supposed to be the Dog Days, but as I'm back to having a six cat household, I think Cat Days are much more appropriate. The Offspring and his lovely partner are having their house rewired and new central heating put in so while the place is a wreck and the floorboards are up, exposing lots of interesting places where an inquisitive cat might get lost, the Grandkits, Meg, Mozzie and Stumpy are back with me - and Flora is not best pleased!

Sid doesn't mind so much - he has taken quite a fancy to Moz and they even touched noses yesterday. But then Moz looks very much like a smaller feminine version of Sid so he's bound to think she's goodlooking.

I made an unexpected discovery yesterday about the Harlequin ebook bundle version of The Alcolar Family Trilogy. The bundle is supposed to contain all the Alcolar books - That's The 12 Month Mistress, The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife, Bound By Blackmail and the on-line read that started off the whole thing - Wife For Real which is Alex Alcolar's story. The bundle is specially advertised as being unique in having this:

And as a very special free bonus, also included in this bundle is Wife for Real, the original online read that inspired Kate Walker to create the Alcolar family trilogy, available now for the first time ever.

But over on eHarlequin, I was chatting with Deb who had bought the Alcolar Family Trilogy and downloaded it onto her Kindle. I was puzzled because she had reviewed a book about two characters called Jordan and Katherine under the title of Wife For Real. Now the hero and heroine in my story are called Alex and Louise and the plot of this read is nothing like the summary Deb posted.

So I have no idea what has happened here. And I don't know whether it has just happened to Deb's download , the Kindle downloads, or all the ebook bundles. I'm just glad that I found out about this mistake before the bundle had been on sale for too long. I've been making enquiries about the problem in the hope of finding out what's going on. Just as soon as I learn anything about it and have any information, I'll pass it on to you.

But in the meantime, if you have bought the ebook bundle version of The Alcolar Family and there is the story of Jordan and Katherine included in it instead of the story of Alex Alcolar and Louise, then please contact Customer Care on eHarlequin and let them know about the problem.

Next month will see the publication of the print version of The Alcolar Family in the UK in the By request series. (Though it's already available over on the Mills and Boon website). This edition has the three main stories in it. And if you want to read Alex's story then just a reminder that it's included in the on-line read library on the M&B site - or you can buy it as an ebook (for just $0.99) on eHarlequin

Oh - and talking about ebooks, if you haven't already taken up the offer then don't forget that my June release Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife is still available to download for free on the DailyLit site. You can either download Raul and Alannah's story in 56 daily instalments or click to have it downloaded immediately.

This offer is available for the rest of July and August.

Good News 2

It seems it could be good news week - lots of nice things happening.

So first - it's a very special day for my dear friend - one of the ones I'm 'Cyber Mum' to - And that's Anna Louise Lucia.

Today is the official publication day for her very first book Run Among Thorns. Congratulations Anna!

I'm lucky enough to have my hands on a copy of the book. I've started it and I'm hooked. I just don't want to put it down and it kept me from sleeping for a l-0-n-g time last night. Great stuff. (and it got a 4 1/2 star review from Romantic Times). Anna's having a blog party to celebrate - so why not go over there and congratulate her?

Second - my own good news. The official announcement isn't up on I Heart Presents yet, but as June 1st was the official launch date, I can announce it here now -

Here's the Press Release for this - a very special link between Harlequin and Daily Lit - a company that sends books out in instalments - by email.

DailyLit Offers Free Harlequin Novel

Innovative Publisher Sends Complimentary Popular Romance Novel via E-Mail Instalments for Summer Promotion

Mamaroneck, New York – June 1, 2008 – DailyLit (http://www.dailylit.com/), the leading digital publisher and service that allows entire books to be read via short email/RSS instalments, has released a front list Harlequin title that is part of one of their most popular series, at no charge, for a limited time only.

Newly released SPANISH BILLIONAIRE, INNOCENT WIFE, part of the successful Harlequin Presents series, is now available for free via DailyLit and was written by popular Harlequin author, Kate Walker. In this summer promotion, the book will be free until August 31, 2008. Over 200 Harlequin titles are currently available for purchase from DailyLit.com.

“Our readers are having a love affair with digital, and DailyLit is an excellent alternative format for our books to reach the public” said Brent Lewis, V.P. Digital & Internet at Harlequin Enterprises. “Reading Harlequin books in installments on any device is easy and accessible to busy readers everywhere. This is a great opportunity for promotion of a popular title and DailyLit itself.”

“We have had a wonderful response from Harlequin fans using DailyLit to receive these novels, and we wanted to give them something back in return,” said Susan Danziger, President and Publisher of DailyLit. “We thought what better way than to offer them a brand new title by one of their most popular authors.”

-more-

ABOUT HARLEQUIN
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 29 languages and sold in 107 international markets. The company produces 120 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,200 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit http://www.eharlequin/ or press.eHarlequin.com.

ABOUT DAILYLIT
DailyLit (http://www.dailylit.com/) is the leading publisher of serialized books in digital form. DailyLit currently features over 900 classic and contemporary books available for free or on a Pay-Per-Read basis. Short book installments are sent via e-mail/RSS feeds and arrive in a reader’s Inbox—which can be read on an iPhone, Blackberry or other Smartphone—according to the schedule set by each reader (e.g. 7:00am every weekday). Installments can be read in less than 5 minutes, and additional installments are available on demand. DailyLit’s titles include bestselling and award winning titles, from literary fiction and romance to language learning and science fiction. Co-founded by a team of publishing professionals and technology experts, DailyLit is headquartered in Mamaroneck, New York.

On a personal level, I'm so excited to be part of this new initiative and for my book to be headlining this innovative approach to delivering romance to readers. And I'm honoured that Harlequin and Daily Lit chose my book to headline this special enterprise. I hope it's a brilliant success.

Finally - for today - as it's now June, the ebook Bundle of Kate Walker's Alcolar Family is now published and on sale here on eHarlequin. It's already the top-selling bundle download for this month.

I'm just happy that it's the full collection of Alcolar stories - with all 3 books and

the on-line read as well.

Four fiery Latin lovers, with money and sex appeal galore...four sexy, spirited women who want marriage, but on their own terms. Put them together and you have a recipe for stormy conflict, tempestuous misunderstandings...and searing desire. Top selling Harlequin Presents author Kate Walker’s Alcolar Family series will stir your emotions and stoke your imagination with its breathtaking passion and heartstopping romance. Bundle includes Twelve-Month Mistress, The Spaniard’s Inconvenient Wife and Bound by Blackmail. And as a very special free bonus, also included in this bundle is Wife for Real, the original online read that inspired Kate Walker to create the Alcolar family trilogy, available now for the first time ever.

Oh - and I'm also blogging over with Lucy Monroe today to celebrate - and I'm talking about being Swamped by Spaniards.