New author - familiar name!

Last year I was disappointed when one of the best editors I've ever had left Harlequin to work on her own writing. Now I get to welcome her back - but as a fellow author this time! Congratulations, Pippa!

Flo Nicoll

February 27 at 12:06pm ·

Twitter

We've bought a fab new #HarlequinPresents author... and it's our very own @PippaRoscoe! So much excitement! 🍾🎉@HarlequinBooks

Spotlight on Harlequin Presents

Do you  love the Harlequin Presents line ? Well, as you're reading my blog, I'm sort of expecting that you do!

So you might like to know that there is a special Spotlight on Harlequin Presents over on the eHarlequin web site this week.

There are authors to chat with and ask questions of - and fellow readers  there to talk about your favourite books  and writers.

Maybe I'll see you there?

Aaaachoo!

Yes, definitely the girl flu - because of course it can't possibly be as bad as the Man Flu that's afflicting the Babe Magnet - can it? Well, he's totally lost his voice, so at least he can't complain quite so much!

Thank you all for your get well wishes, I really appreciate them - or I will when I can think straight.

So, while I'm not up to blogging much - here's something not to be sneezed at (sorry - I couldn't help it!)

Want to win five - that's right 5 - of my backlist books?

Well that's the prize in the contest I'm running with My Tote Bag to celebrate the publication of Kept For Her Baby in America in October. (Special thanks to Summer for her lovely comment about it yesterday. That really brightened a non too bright day. I'm getting some wonderful letters about this one - it seems to be touching a lot of hearts.)

So head over to My Tote Bag's Contest page and answer the easy question you'll find there. You'll find the answer on my web site.

And don't forget that this book is out in the Extra Presents line up - The Presents EXTRA Collection that is out on October 13th.

Aaaachhhooo!

PS Flora and Dylan kindly cleared up the pigeon on the lawn for me - I won't go into details but they were both burping late into the evening and all that was left was a lot a feathers blowing in the breeze!

Presents Competition Chat

Remember that today, Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 11am EDT / 4pm GMT / 8am PDT is eHarlequin's live editor chat with Harlequin Presents editor Joanne Grant about the Harlequin Presents Writing Competition.

Joanne will be taking questions and telling you everything she's looking for in the line. You could join the ranks of previous winners Lynn Raye Harris whose debut novel, SPANISH MAGNATE, RED-HOT REVENGE, is coming out in 2009 from Harlequin Presents and Lucy King who sold her novel Damsel in Distress to Modern Heat.

This will be a live event held in the eHarlequin.com Community chat room — click here to get there when the time comes!

Bring your questions (just remember it’s a protocol chat — you alert the moderator that you have a question and she will tell you when it’s our turn to ask) or just follow along! Jayne from eHarlequin will be live-blogging on Harlequin Twitter using the hash tag #presentschat as well and will post the transcript sometime on our Community pages afterwards.

Presents and Presents Extra

When I asked abut the new covers and scheduling, Jill made what I think is a very good and interesting point in her comment. She said:

I also think that Harlequin could do a lot more to distinguish Presents and
Presents Extra in North America. They have very different "feels" and that is
not reflected in the covers or the titles.

Well, basically, Jill, my response is ‘Me too’ - but it’s the main Presents schedule that I wish Marketing would get to grips with and make a lot clearer. I understand that some sort of changes are in the pipeline. And not before time in my opinion – there are a lot of readers out there who have been confused and puzzled by the way some books have been published in Presents over the past year or so. It’s a situation that has had meant that some people have bought books they weren’t truly happy with. Books that didn’t give them what they wanted. And has left others not really know which books to buy to get the sort of read they’re looking for.


It’s also sometimes meant that some people have found new authors they’ve fallen in love with, authors they want to read more of – which is the good side of this and I suspect that might have been the original plan behind the new way of publishing Presents Extra. But it’s a bit more complicated than the thought that the main Presents run at the beginning of the month have stayed exactly the same, while the Presents Extra are the ‘different’ ones. And as I have a book coming out in Presents Extra in October I’ll take this opportunity to explain things as they stand now. And thank you Jill for asking the question to lead me to doing this.



OK, so all the Presents/Presents Extra books are originally bought by the London UK editorial offices – that is, they are read, edited and acquired by Harlequin Mills & Boon UK. They are published in the UK first and then, either the same month, or later in the year, they are published in America. The books that are published in the Presents line-up in USA used to be acquired solely from one line in the UK - the Modern Romance line. (The books with the blue covers that you see in my sidebar etc.) But these days, the books that are put out with a Presents cover are acquired from two different lines. (With some exceptions but I’ll come to that in a minute.) So now the Presents/Extra books are acquired from the Modern Romance Line and the Modern Heat line.

And the first complication starts to come in because the Modern Heat used to be called the Modern Extra and the name of the line was changed in 2008.

So in the UK and in Australia, these books are brought out under a separate line title – in Australia they are sold as Sexy Sensation, with a distinctly different cover design. In the UK you have to look a little harder for that ‘Heat’ addition to the cover but it’s there. Personally, I think this is a very good – and necessary distinction. Because the editorial content of these books is very different in tone and in execution from the classic Modern/Presents style editorial. You’ve only got to look at the writing guidelines for each line – specially the checklists for the type of alpha hero they are looking for - to see this:


Mills & Boon Modern Romance®

Commanding: he’s always in control and calling the shots – except when the heroine finally tames him…
Demanding: he’s come a long way since his emotionally or financially impoverished childhood; he wants it done, and he wants it done now!
Arrogant: he believes in himself and the reach of his influence, totally – until the battle with his feelings for the heroine begins…
Passionate: sensual and sexy, he uses his charm and power to get what he wants, though his need for the heroine may ultimately prove stronger
Status: impossibly wealthy, probably self-made; often has celebrity status in the media. The ruler of all he surveys, be it a company or a country

Mills & Boon Modern Heat®

Young: he’s aged between 25 and 35 and has yet to settle down
Confident: he knows what he wants and has a good idea of how he’ll get it; he knows he’s attractive and relishes challenges – he might have a extreme hobby
Easy-going: he plays as hard as he works, knowing how and when to have a good time. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff…
Accessible: he’s very approachable, but his physical presence and his confidence and charm make him stand out from the crowd
Status: he hails from all walks of life and can have any level of success and wealth


For me the difference between the two is more than this - it’s a difference of mood and intensity – and very definitely of conflict. To me the hallmark of the classic Presents is that high-octane, white heat of emotional intensity that some people love and others hate and its one of the reasons why Modern/Presents has been so successful and why the line often sparks off so many debates about the books and the heroes. If you want to know more about what I think are the differences between these two lines, I wrote about it here:


So, to my way of thinking, it’s important to indicate which type of read a book is. This has been done in the UK and in Australia. In America, the Modern Heat editorial was originally published in the Presents Extra line-up, which marked them out as slightly different and so readers knew what they were getting – but all that has been changed. Just when everyone thought they knew that Extras were different, they aren’t any more! The Modern Heat books have been put in with the main run of the Presents titles at the beginning of the month, and the Presents Extras are precisely that –extra Presents out in the middle of the month. Presents/Modern-style stories written by Presents authors and put together in themed collections. (My Kept For Her Baby is out under the heading ‘Dark Nights with the Billionaire’ which, I’ll be honest, I don’t quite understand – but that’s marketing for you!)

The exception to this is when the Presents Extra line up is used to bring out some Medical titles and then the name of the series – Posh Docs, Mediterranean Doctors etc - will usually reveal that this is what has happened.

So it’s all a bit confusing to readers at the moment. I understand that in the near future there are plans to indicate on the covers what sort of story each book is but I don’t know quite what or when that’s going to happen. Speaking personally, it can’t come soon enough because if I was buying a Presents title I’d want to know that I was going to get the reading experience I was looking for. And if I wanted a Modern Heat style story I’d want to know where to look for that too. So I hope all this will soon be sorted out to make it clearer.

Until then, what can you do to check which sort of story a book is? Well, the obvious thing is to go by the author – authors you know have written classic Presents style books before will be the ones who will give you the same sort of read, no matter whether they come out in Presents or Presents Extra – Kept For Her Baby is a classic example. And the other titles in Extra that month are by Carole Mortimer, Lee Wilkinson and Janette Kenny – classic Presents authors.

In the main Presents line up at the beginning of the month, authors like Heidi Rice, Kate Hardy, Trish Wylie, Nicola Marsh . . .have all be published in Modern Heat first. You can check out the Modern Heat books on the Mills & Boon web site if you want to. They’re in with the Modern titles but they have that read ‘Heat’ on the front cover to indicate their style. Or putting Modern Heat into the search box on Amazon.co.uk will show you the authors who write for this line. Then you can make your choice.

So does this help – or confuse you even more? I think it just goes to show that, as Jill says, it’s time there was some way of showing that a book started out as a Modern Romance or a Modern Heat because they do have that different ‘feel’ and some readers prefer one and not the other .

Of course, now that I’ve explained all this, things will probably change all over again and nothing will be clear.
But the one thing I can promise you is that Kept For Her Baby is a classic Presents story – but you need to look for it in the Presents Extra line up that’s out on October 13th.

Just look for that fabulous cover and you’ll find it.

More good news for USA writers - and readers

Thank you to everyone who commented on the new covers/new scheduling in the UK.

I tend to agree with you - Julie, Jan, Jill and Ellen - that I'm not keen on the 2 in 1 format for the Romance books - and some others. I often buy romance titles but only by very specific authors and I'm afraid that the inclusion of an author I'm not keen on in the bok - at a higher price than a single title - would make me think more than twice about buying that book. However much I wanted it. I will be considering buying the USA editions as long as they continue to offer me just the author I want to read.

And I'm not a big fan of that washed-out cover look, either Jan. To me it looks way too much the way that people used to think - and some still do - of an M&B Romance- washed out, 'pink and fluffy' and totally unrealistic. Didn't any of the designers read Liz Fielding or Marion Lennox before they planned a design? (No - don't answer that. I have a nasty feeling that the answer is they didn't read very much at all. These covers are just too insipid for me. The new design doesn't work so badly on the Intrigue books though - because the cover images aren't as insipid. I don't actually mind the new layout of the covers - just those pallid images.

Interestingly, the Modern Romance line doesn't have new covers - and as far as I know there are no plans for the new designs for this line or the Historical line either. This creates a rather strange effect on the bokshop shelves where the books now tend to look as if they are from different publishers - is that a good or a bad thing? I don't know.

Jill, you mentioned Harlequin Presents and Harlequin Presents Extra - and you've raised an interesting and rather complicated pint - so I'll talk about that in more detail in my next post tomorrow.

For a while now I've been singing the praises of The Book Depository as a place to get hold of books that are not easily available elsewhere or where postage costs are prohibitive for delivery.

Well, I just learned this morning that The Book Depository is now opening up in America, still with free delivery - and some very good prices for books that are more expensive elsewhere. I checked out the USA edition of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance in their stock and found it here at $16.26 - and that's with free shipping. It's a great deal.

And the winners are . . .

It took along time for me to get Sid to cooperate in picking the winners of the Tote Bag Presents Special Contest. He was sulking because I'd abandoned him again while I was in Wales.

But the appeal of some extra crunchies always wins out and so I'm a happy to be able to announce that the winners of those wonderful tote bags stuffed with books are:

Caroline Storer from Wales

and

Elaine Seymour from Ontario Canada

Congratulations Caroline and Elaine - your prizes will be on their way to you just as soon as I get them packed up and in the mail

But once I got Sid started on the crunchies, there was no stopping him. And as everyone worked so hard to find the right answers for all of those 15 questions, I've added a few extra smaller prizes because after all we are celebrating wonderful Presents books and Harlequin's 60th anniversary - so a few other prizes are a great way to do that.

So Sid's Special Extra Prizes of a signed copy of one of my backlist books go to:

Lacey D

Gems

and

Angie T

and the winners of my special Newsletter group prizes are:

Lois M from NJ

Amanda G

and

Carol W also from NJ

Congratulations to all the winners. I'll be contacting you to find out which book you'd like so watch for the email.

Thank you to everyone who joined in and spent time chasing the answers all over the internet. I hope you found the other authors' sites interesting and learned lots about some great books.

I'm back . . .

Or at least I think I am. We got home yesterday evening but I've been rushing around catching up - and falling asleep! We had so many late nights (wonderful nights but l-a-t-e) that I have more car-lag today than I had jet lag after coming back from Washington.

So I'll tell you more about how fabulous Caerleon was when I've drawn breath. For today, I just want to remind you that the Tote Bag of Books Contest ends at midnight tomorrow -whenever the latest midnight for 2nd August chimes in wherever is the last time zone.

Monday 3rd August is when I get Sir Sidney to pick two winners for this contest.

So here's a final recap of what you need to know to enter:

Answer all 15 questions:

I asked - What is the title of my next book - out in September in Mills and Boon Modern and in October in Presents Extra ?

Abby Green's question - Who is the well known author running a summer competition on her blogs, giving away lots of prizes to lucky readers?

Susan Stephens' question: What is the family name of the two sheikh brothers in the duo of which Sheikh Boss, Desert Nights is the first book

Melanie Milburne's question: What was the title of Melanie's first Presents novel?

Christina Hollis's question: What is the name of my JULY release under the ‘Presents’ banner.

Sabrina Philips's question is: What is the name of the Presents Extra mini-series The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride will be part of?

Anne McAllister asked: What is the title of PJ's book -- the one that was the RITA finalist last week?

Margaret Mayo's question was : What 'landmark' book is Margaret celebrating with her next UK release?

Natalie Rivers asked: What was the title of Natalie's previous book, published in December 2008/Presents November 2008

Lynn Raye Harris's question was: what does Rebecca Layton do that shocks Alejandro de Ramirez once he’s told her he’ll demolish her favorite hotel before ever selling it back to her ? (And don't forget that Lynn's very first book is out in the shops now!)

Jennie Lucas asked: What is the handsome stranger wearing when he surprises Lia in the garden?

Robyn Donald asked: How does Robyn describe the place where she lives?

Annie West's question was: What is the title of Annie's current UK release?

Michelle Reid asked: What is the title of the book that Michelle Reid wrote as part of the Ramirez Brides Trilogy?

And finally Trish Morey's question was: What book preceding The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess, introduced us to the Principality of Montvelatte?

That's all the questions - don't forget to collect up the answers, and then when you have all 15 answers, send them to me with Tote Bag Presents Special in the subject line.

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Trish Morey

And so here's the final Presents author to round off this list of fabulous contributors to the Tote Bag Presents Special.

Today;s author is Australian Trish Morey. In her blog, Tirsh talks about the day we first met, when she had just had her very first book accepted - back in 2003. That's one of my favourite memories of Trish - and of RWA. And the Presents authors dinner a day or so later, when Trish and I sat together and shared a few glasses of wine - and talked and talked - is another one.

So I'm delighted to welcome Trish to the blog today.

Celebrating Harlequin Presents

Many thanks, Kate, for welcoming me here on your blog! Not that being welcomed by Kate is any surprise. I'm sure I've mentioned it before (if not here) that when I turned up at the RWA Nationals literacy signing event in New York in 2003, one short month after selling to Harlequin Presents, that it was Kate Walker who wrapped me, a total stranger, in her arms and welcomed me into the Harlequin Presents author fold with a heartfelt, "welcome, to the best club in the world."

And truly it is! It's so special, being able to write for Presents. For where else do you get to meet writers warm and wonderful and of the calibre of Kate Walker? And where else do you get to create the fantasy characters that we, as Presents readers love to read? Where else do you get to explore conflict in all its many forms and in all its angsty detail, with a resolution at the end that is all the more satisfying for all that has gone before? And all with the perfect alpha male, impossibly sexy, arrogant and who thinks he knows exactly what he wants from the world. Until he meets his perfect heroine of course and his perfect world goes pear shaped:-))

Of course, Harlequin Presents stories are set in some of the most glamorous locations in the world, Paris, New York, London, Monaco, etc, but I think the fun sometimes starts when you are able to make up your own fantasy realm. This is Harlequin Presents after all, the line that offers the very best in contemporary fantasy romance.

Which is where the fictional Principality of Montvelatte came from. A ruggedly beautiful Mediterranean island with air scented of salt and thyme and a thousand wildflowers, an island rich in history and legend. Here one Prince has already found his match.

And it is here, on Montvelatte, that a Princess meets her match, in my latest release, The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess. I hope you enjoy revisiting the island of Montvelatte and reading Princess Marietta's story as much as I enjoyed writing it!


Your question, what book preceding The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess, introduced us to the Principality of Montvelatte?

You'll find the answer on my website

Trish's Book - The Ruthless Greek's Virgin Princess is out on August 11th in the Presents Extra line up.

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Michelle Reid

It's no secret that today's Presents author is a very special friend of mine. I've loved her books from the moment I first started reading them and Michelle Reid has been an important part of my life since I met her at a Mills & Boon Author Day about 15 years ago.

That's something I've noticed about romance writers - if I love their books then usually I like the authors too.

So welcome back to my blog Michelle.

What would I do without Presents...?

No, I don’t mean chocolates or flowers or diamonds (though yes please if you’re offering!) I mean of course, the wonderful Presents novels I’ve been buying up by the handful and reading for – well – forever.

Writing a Presents novel is like starting off on a long and fascinating journey filled with eye popping exotic places and exciting larger than life people I would otherwise never get to see or to meet. My job is to guide my hero and heroine through their high charged emotional conflicts and bring them together in peace by the close of the book. Curling up in a chair with a Presents novel written by someone else is kind of the same thing, only I get to be swept away by their fabulous journey into different highly charged emotional conflicts.

I suppose you could say I’m in love with Presents, deliciously totally and forever.

Michelle Reid

The book Michelle has donated to the Tote Bag of Books is The Markonos Bride.

The Greek island of Aristos holds bittersweet memories for Louisa: here she met gorgeous Greek playboy Andreas Markonos – the man who changed her life. After a whirlwind romance they married, and Louisa gave Andreas a precious son. But when tragedy struck Louisa was compelled to leave her handsome husband, and the beautiful Aegean island she’d come to call home…
Now, five years later, Andreas can’t believe that his runaway wife has dared show her face on Aristos again! But seeing Louisa once more makes him realise how much he desires her still. Their separation has lasted long enough! Andreas will reclaim his wife with the one thing that they continue to share…intense physical passion!

Michelle's question that you need to answer in order to enter the Tote Bag Contest is this:

What is the title of the book that Michelle Reid wrote as part of the Ramirez Brides Trilogy?

You will find the answer on Michelle's web site here - where you will also soon find details of her upcoming book Marchese Forgotten Bride which is out on 21st August.

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Annie West

It’s Harlequin’s 60th birthday in 2009 and July has been designated Presents month. What a grand reason for a celebration! It’s my birthday this month too, so I’m in party mode.
Today's author is one of the great Australian authors who write for Presents. Up to a couple of weeks ago I might have said she was one of the newest Aussie authors but I've learned of a new Australian author whose book will be appearing very soon.


Annie has donated copies of her book The Greek's Convenient Mistress (a June release ) to the Tote Bag.


Welcome Annie -



Harlequin books have played an enormous part in my life. When I was a teenager I discovered the joys of romance between the covers of love stories set in exotic places all around the world. I’ve been a Presents reader for years, but I’ve also devoured Temptation, Desire, Intimate Moments, Intrigue and Romance.

I love a touch of glamour in my romances and a hero who can sweep a woman off her feet. Sigh. Is it any reason I’m addicted to these love stories? It’s wonderful writing them and such a thrill too to get to know other Harlequin writers who create just the sort of stories I love.

As we’re talking about birthday celebrations I thought I’m mention a few that stick in my mind. We’re planning a birthday weekend trip to the beautiful vineyards of the Hunter Valley (Australia) this month which should be lovely: gorgeous scenery, great company and total relaxation. Recently I was speaking to someone who celebrated a significant birthday in Venice with her husband. As she lives in Sydney, that’s no mean feat! One of my all time favourite birthday memories was of a sunny winter’s day in Canberra when I wasn’t long married. We couldn’t afford to go out to a fancy restaurant, much less go away. Instead we sat on the verandah of our newly acquired home (which at that stage didn’t have floor coverings or proper curtains) and had a lovely romantic picnic, watching the kangaroos grazing on the top of the hill opposite. It felt so special, celebrating with my husband in our very own home.

What birthday celebration stands out in your memory? Is it a treasured childhood recollection or something more recent? If you haven’t got special birthday memories, is there something you’d like to do mark the occasion in the future?




Costas Palamidis is a desperate man - desperate to save his daughter. He seeks out the only person in the world who can help her: Sophie Paterson. But their meeting is an explosive confrontation between two people shattered by grief. Costas comes face to face with a woman who embodies every haunted memory of his past yet presents an inescapable temptation. Can he trust her to help him, and trust himself to resist her?


When a furious Greek tycoon bursts into her home, Sophie’s anguish turns to outrage. She wants nothing to do with any man as callous and hard as this one. Yet she discovers a reluctant bond of understanding with this arrogant stranger. To help him she must return to Greece, face the family that disowned her and lay herself open to the shattering attraction between her and Costas. She can’t walk away, but will she survive the experience?

Annie's question for the contest is:

What is the title of Annie's current UK release?

You can find the answer on Annie's web site here

Important Post re Tote Bag Contest

Can I please just remind you that this contest is not one where the answers to the questions should be posted in the comments to the blog each day when the visiting author has posted their blog and asked a question.

The way to enter the contest is to collect up the answers to all 15 questions and then send them all in an email to me - kate AT kate-walker.com - with the heading Tote Bag Presents Special in the subject line of your email.

Please do NOT answer the questions in the comments as this gives the answers to everyone joining in without them going to the appropriate web site and looking for it themselves. It may also be the wrong answer. Several people have posted the answers in the blog comments and I have had to remove these to fit with the rules of the contest.

If you need any more details, please check the Contest page of my web site.

Thanks!

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Robyn Donald

It's a real thrill for me to introduce today's Presents author who has donated copies of her books to the Tote Bag of Books.

Way back before I was ever published, when I was reading Mills & Boon books both for pleasure and to learn how to write these very special stories, one author that I always looked out for was Robyn Donald. I always knew that I would enjoy her books as I had done right from the moment I first read them - and that I would learn such a lot about the intensity of writing a true Presents book.

I have so many Robyn Donald titles on my 'keeper' shelf that I couldn't quite believe it when I found that I was actually published alongside her. In 2004 I had the great thrill to meet Robyn herself - and her lovely husband - when I attended the Romance Writers of Bew Zealand Conference in Auckland. That was a real dream come true moment - one that was compounded by the fact that actually told me that she enjoyed my books!

So I'm really honoured to think that Robyn has joined in my contest and has donated two copies of her next book - Rich Ruthless and Secretly Royal - to the prize collection.

Welcome Robyn! I'm so glad to have you here.

Robyn says:

When I first began reading the romances published by Mills & Boon – oh, back in the Dark Ages – I fell instantly for their focus on an intense relationship between two people who had to fight for their happy ending. I adored the strong authoritative men and the women they loved, and I was fascinated by the settings – in Africa, or the Caribbean, or exotic places in Asia. I also loved the fact that one of their authors was Essie Summers, a New Zealander who wrote beautifully about the high country in the Southern Alps and the tough men who live there.

I wanted to write them too. When my first book was accepted, I felt as though I’d come home, and after 78 books I still feel that way. The internet has opened up a community linking readers and writers that is heartwarming and exciting, and it’s a great pleasure to donate copies of my 79th book book Rich, Ruthless and Secretly Royal, published in the United Kingdom in September.
Best wishes to you all,
Robyn Donald

Nights of royal passion . . .and pleasure . . .

Prince Kelt, Duke of Vamili, knows the weight of responsibility a title brings. So the brooding royal keeps his privileged birth well hidden. Until one glance at mysteriously alluring Hannah Court threatens to shatter his defences . . .

Exotic beauty Hani has never known a man who excites her as quickly as Kelt. He's achingly persuasive and thrillingly powerful. But the chiselled god who pleaures her at night is holding a secret . . . one almost as dark as her own!

Robyn's scavenger hunt question is -

How does Robyn describe the place where she lives?

Visit Robyn's web site to find out.

A quick wave from me!

I finally managed to snatch a few moments from dashing around - catching up with everything, unpacking from DC, washing laundry and repacking for Wales to come in here and say Hi .

It's been chaotic but I'm getting there and I think (hope) I'll be ready to leave on Sunday for Wales - and with the course prepared ready to teach.

But I just wanted to say a great big thank you to all the wonderful authors so far who have helped me keep this blog warm while I've been away - you've all been fabulous. And there are still more great posts to come.

And don't forget to collect up all those answers to the questions ready to get in your entries for the Tote Bag of Presents Books contest at the end of the month. Let's recap on the questions

so far:

I asked - What is the title of my next book - out in September in Mills and Boon Modern and in October in Presents Extra ?

Abby Green's question - Who is the well known author running a summer competition on her blogs, giving away lots of prizes to lucky readers?

Susan Stephens' question: What is the family name of the two sheikh brothers in the duo of which Sheikh Boss, Desert Nights is the first book

Melanie Milburne's question: What was the title of Melanie's first Presents novel?

Christina Hollis's question: What is the name of my JULY release under the ‘Presents’ banner.

Sabrina Philips's question is: What is the name of the Presents Extra mini-series The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride will be part of?

Anne McAllister asked: What is the title of PJ's book -- the one that was the RITA finalist last week?

Margaret Mayo's question was : What 'landmark' book is Margaret celebrating with her next UK release?

Natalie Rivers asked: What was the title of Natalie's previous book, published in December 2008/Presents November 2008

Lynn Raye Harris's question was: what does Rebecca Layton do that shocks Alejandro de Ramirez once he’s told her he’ll demolish her favorite hotel before ever selling it back to her ? (And don't forget that Lynn's very first book is out in the shops now!)

Jennie Lucas asked: What is the handsome stranger wearing when he surprises Lia in the garden?

That's 11 of the questions - don't forget to collect up the answers, keep them safe and then when you have all 15 answers, send them to me with Tote Bag Presents Special in the subject line.

And there are four more wonderful authors coming up with their books and their questions, so keep visiting the blog to find those.

And with luck I might be able to visit a little bit now, when I have a moment in Wales!

PS don't forget that anyone - from anywhere in the world can enter this contest. I may be crazy when I think about postage costs but I'm only going to run the very special Tote Bag Contest once! So get your answers in for a chance to win!

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Jennie Lucas

Today I'm delighted to welcome Jennie Lucas to guest blog here. Jennie's first Presents title was published in 2007 and the book she has donated to the Tote Bag prize is her 5th title, Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child.

Jennie's often said she wishes she could join in one of my writing courses - and that's the topic of her blog today:

Kate, thanks so much for inviting to your blog today!

I’m sitting here dreaming about your upcoming weeklong class in Writers Holiday in Wales and wishing I could go! (It’s unfortunately back-to-back against the Romance Writers of America’s national conference in Washington DC.)

Last year, I attended a similar type of program taught by Sharon Kendrick in Posara, Italy It was the most fun I’ve ever had while pretending to “work”! The roses and medieval buildings of Tuscany, along with the experience of the class, really inspired my next book, which came out last month in the UK and will be out in September in the U.S.—The Innocent’s Dark Seduction.

So here’s the scavenger hunt question:

What is the handsome stranger wearing when he surprises Lia in the garden?

To find the answer, read the excerpt here:
Good luck everyone!

And for anyone who’s going to Kate Walker’s romance-writing class in Wales the last week of July, I’m so jealous! Who knows what kind of fabulous dreamy stories you’ll be inspired to write….?

With warmest wishes,

Jennie
http://www.jennielucas.com/

Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child

Kidnapped from her wedding by her sexy Brazilian boss

She's pregnant—and he'll take what is rightfully his!

In the sultry heat of Rio and its Carnaval, Ellie succumbs to her dangerously charismatic boss Diogo Serrador. But having taken her virginity, the Brazilian billionaire wants nothing more to do with her—until he discovers she's pregnant!

Diogo will accept nothing less than taking Ellie as his bride. Their marriage is passionate by night but forced and hollow by day. Ellie realizes she's in an impossible situation: Diogo's dark past has frozen his heart, but she's fallen in love with her husband...

PS to Jennie's post from Kate.

I should let everyone know that the summer Caerleon course is totally sold out. But if anyone is interested in the residential courses I'm doing next year - then the details are on my Events page or here:

Fishguard Bay Hotel 19th - 21st February 2010

Residential Training (Southampton) 24th/25th April 2010

And I'll add any more if they crop up.

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Lynn Raye Harris

Today's Tote Bag author is a brand-new signing to the line. Last year Lynn Raye Harris won the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest and this year her very first book Spanish Magnate Red Hot Revenge is out in the shops in August.

Welcome to Presents - and to the blog, Lynn.

I am so thrilled to be a new Harlequin Presents author. I just can’t describe to you the feelings when I knew my book would be published. Not only because an editor wanted to buy my book, but also because Harlequin Presents were THE books to read when I was a teen. I loved them so much, and I never imagined that my life would turn out like this. That I, a kid from the southern United States, would grow up to write the most elegant, gorgeous, glamorous books imaginable. I still have to pinch myself!

When I sat down to write this blog post for the awesome Kate Walker (and I’m still hyperventilating over the fact she invited me to do so!), I was thinking hard about my next book and wondering what the characters really wanted. See, I have a situation, but I have no idea WHY this thing has happened.

I often begin books this way. In fact, Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge began in my head with a simple picture of a woman in a hotel room, receiving very bad news about her company over the telephone. Then I had to think why this happened, why the hero was the one taking her company away, and what they each wanted from the situation. Sometimes, I know right away. Other times, I have to dig really hard before the characters tell me their reasons.

But that’s all part of the fun. Discovering who these people are and what they want is a journey that never gets tiring (though it can be frustrating when the answers don’t come easily). I am so lucky to be a part of this wonderful line that features the most dynamic, complex, and sexy men on the planet. Add in a courageous heroine who refuses to accept the hero’s way of thinking or his plans for her, and you’ve got a fabulous adventure that gallops across the (too short) pages. As a reader, each time I close a Presents, I’m sorry it’s over – but I know there will be more fabulous stories to read very soon.

I hope you will enjoy my debut novel, and I hope it gives you that same feeling of satisfaction that I get every time I read a Harlequin Presents. While the story is my own, I was very aware of the hefty weight of tradition and the standards of excellence that I had to live up to if I wanted to see my book published. I hope I succeeded.

Lynn's Question:

For a little bit of fun, and the chance to win a signed book from me, what does Rebecca Layton do that shocks Alejandro de Ramirez once he’s told her he’ll demolish her favorite hotel before ever selling it back to her? You can find the answer on my website.

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Natalie Rivers

Today's contribution to the tote bag full of books comes from Natalie Rivers.

Unfortunately Natalie has been struggling with a deadline and much needed family time so hasn't been able to write a separate blog - but I want you all to know about the book she has donated to the wonderful prize collection - so here's the blurb:




A Diakos heir will never go unclaimed!

Kerry Martin wants a different childhood for her unborn baby from the one she had. Foolishly she thought Theo Diakos would provide the love and protection she’d searched so long for. How wrong she was!

Before she can share her news, a scandalous incident makes her vow never to reveal her child’s true heritage. Now Theo has found out about his secret son, and he’ll force Kerry to make another vow – to have and to hold, till death do us part!

The Diakos Baby Scandal was published in June 2009 and will be coming in Presents in November.

Natalie doesn't have a web site I can send you to look at - but the answer to her question can easily be found on Amazon or the Mills & Boon web site if you search under Natalie's name

What was the title of Natalie's previous book, published in December 2008/Presents November 2008

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special - Margaret Mayo

Today's author is another of those writers whose books I used to read when I was trying to learn how to write for Presents. Margaret Mayo's first book Destiny Paradise was published in 1976 and since then she has published . . .Oh - no I can't tell you that. You'll have to find out the answer for yourself so that you can answer her question as part of the Tote Bag Contest.




Welcome to my blog Margaret.





Where would we be without our monthly dose of Presents? It actually gives me as much pleasure to write these stories as it does to read them. We know what to expect when we pick up a Presents – strong alpha heroes to die for, spirited heroines and an intriguing, page-turning plot

Although each author has a different style each book has the same core ingredients that we’ve come to expect, and it is this that makes them such a joy to read. They pack a punch like no other line and we all have our favourite authors - me included.

I feel lucky and privileged to write these stories, to create new characters each time, to dream up believable plots. And I intend doing it for as long as I am able.





The book Margaret has donated to the Tote Bag is Bought For Marriage which appears in the Presents Extra schedule this month.

Bought bride, pregnant wife!
Dione Keristari will do anything to help her sick father when her family's business is on the rocks. But begging gorgeous Greek billionaire Theo Tsardikos for cash is more than she bargained for! Now he's demanding a marriage contract in return for the money!

She has no choice but to agree to wed the arrogant Greek. However, the sparks of attraction between them are hard for inexperienced Dione to handle, and she vows not to share Theo's bed.

But Theo's a master in the ways of loving, and soon he has his temporary bride at his bidding...and pregnant...

And the question you need to answer for a chance of the wonderful Tote Bag prize is this:

What 'landmark' book is Margaret celebrating with her next UK release

As always you can find the answer on Margaret's web site which you can find here

And don't forget - collect up all the answers to all the questions and send them to me with Tote Bag Presents Special in the subject line of your email.

Tote Bag of Blogs Presents Special Anne McAllister

Today's contributor to the Tote Bag of Books is struggling to fit everything around the arrival of a brand-new grandchild. The second this year.

This important event means that she has to miss the RWA nationals which is a great pity for two reasons

1. That I won't get to see her there this year

and

2. She has a very special reason for being there if she could. But I'll let her tell you about that.

I am of course talking about Anne McAllister who has donated one of her backlist books to the Tote Bag - The Antonides Marriage Deal. I'll let Anne tell you more about that.

Following the Story

As someone who has just finished writing her 63rd (I think; I've kind of lost track, sacrilege though it may seem) book, I sometimes blink when people tell me they've just read their first Anne McAllister -- and it's my most recent book.

I'm delighted, naturally (if they liked it, at least) and happy that I can point them toward a long back-list if they are interested. But I think, oh dear, at the same time because I worry that I have so little impact on the Presents line (I've been writing for Presents since 1985, so I'm not a newbie).

But then I realize that I wouldn't have a career at all if I hadn't done what I've been doing for the past 25 years -- and that is simply 'following the story.'


Other writers seem to be able to focus their attention on characters whose stories fit into the criteria that editorial and/or marketing has determined for a single or at most a couple of lines. And more power to them. Lucky them, I say, because their readers know where to find them.

Mine, if they are so inclined, have had to follow me all over the map.


My first book, which was the second one published, came out as a Harlequin Romance called Dare To Trust. The second one, which came out first, was a Harlequin American called Starstruck. The third one, which I sold at the same time I sold the first, was a Harlequin Presents called Lightning Storm. The fourth and fifth were Harlequin Americans. All five of them came out that first year. The sixth was a Presents. the seventh an American . . . and, well, you see what I mean: who knew where I was going to turn up next? Not even I knew.


The characters did what they did. I just followed them around and took notes. Editors on both sides of the Atlantic despaired.


And then, just when they thought they had me sorted out, I plunged deep into my well of inspiration -- and my own background -- in the early 1990s and I came up with A Cowboy For Christmas (a Harlequin American). That in short order led me to a bunch of books for Silhouette (both Desire and Special Editions, naturally, as well as a couple of single titles -- all related to each other in a series of my own called Code of the West ) that had to do with cowboys. The last one I snuck in as a Presents last year -- One-Night Love Child. Don't tell.


This detour was basically because Presents wasn't doing cowboy heroes unless, as my then-editor told me, "They owned multi-national corporations on the side."


"Does he, Anne?" he asked me. Well, gosh, no, he didn't own much more than his saddle. He was a "died with his boots on," sort of cowboy, as my long-suffering editor sighed. Imagine that.


Whatever Tanner was, he wouldn't change for editorial, so I followed his story -- Cowboys Don't Cry -- to Silhouette, had a lovely time there, and wrote many books of my heart for them by following a lot of cowboy heroes as they told me their stories.


But all the while I was also still writing Presents because some of my stories belonged there.


There was one here, one there. One in any particular year, then another a couple of years after that. Not precisely designed to build readership, my editor pointed out, er, pointedly. But the characters did what they did and I just wrote. The alternative was staring at the blank screen. Not a good idea. Not lucrative, for one thing. Not as much fun as writing, for another.


But now I write mostly for Presents because, other than cowboys, Presents pretty much lets me write about what I want.



They let me write about men who may or may not be billionaires -- or even millionaires. They don't care that I don't want to write sheikhs. Or if they care, they're polite enough not to tell me so. They let me write McAllister heroes (as long as they don't wear spurs -- though I admit I'm working on that) and they trust that when the time comes a McAllister hero will be able to handle whatever life -- and the heroine - throws at him, which is sometimes quite a lot.


Over the past years, bless their hearts, they have let me have heroes who are architects and surfers and racing sailors. They have welcomed injured soccer goalkeepers, children's book illustrators doubling as recurrent lifeguards, professional beach volleyball players, investigative journalists, New York fashion photographers, oil rig firemen, scuba diving archaeologists, and ex-Navy pilots running their own island transport business.



Last autumn they even asked for a book about my Savas brother physicist, George (this could be part of the "give her enough rope and she'll hang herself" approach to publishing me in Presents, but we won't look too closely at that). Whatever the reason, George is next.


He would be next no matter where his story took him because that's the only reason I can write at all. But I'm delighted that he's in contract for Presents. The expectations of editorial -- and readers -- are bound to make George pull his socks up, get out of the lab and do something heroic. I hope.


I'm equally delighted that my surfer hero, PJ, is a RITA finalist this week which means that at least five people liked him and his story. I'm grateful for editors who see that there is more to 'alpha' that the stereotype and more to success and competence and being a great hero than a big bank balance.



The next one in the publishing schedule is a lawyer (kill me now before I ever suggest writing another lawyer hero), Christo Savas, who has his life very neatly on track and there's no room on that track for a wife. Natalie remembers Christo all too well -- and frankly, she wouldn't have him on a plate. So when she ends up working with him, it's going to be purely business -- they hope.


It's called One-Night Mistress, Convenient Marriage and is coming out in November both as a Modern in UK and a Presents in the US. I hope you'll look for it.



Kate says we are to ask a question that will send you to our blogs. So mine is:

What is the title of PJ's book -- the one that is the RITA finalist this week?

You can find the answer on my blog as I'll be mentioning him this week.

Tote Bag of Books Presents Special Sabrina Philips

Today's author is new Presents writer, Sabrina Philips who has donated copies of her second book The Desert King's Bejewelled Bride which is a July release in the UK to the tote bag.

First of all I’d like to say a huge thank you to Kate for inviting me to join this Presents party – what a treat!

When Kate emailed me to ask if I’d like to write a short blog in celebration of the line, it was probably just as well she specified the length, because quite frankly I could go on for several thousand words about how much I love the alpha heroes, feisty heroines, exotic destinations, emotional roller-coaster plots and heart swelling happy-ever-afters that define the line I’ve always loved to read, and which I’m now lucky enough to write for. Oh, who am I kidding, I could go on for several hundred thousand words.

But given that she did, I’ve decided to be restrained and celebrate just one element of Presents, and since the signed book that I’ve donated to Kate’s fabulous bundle of prizes is my brand new release, The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride, I thought I’d spend a few minutes waxing lyrical about sheikhs (I know, what a hardship!)

Of course Presents stories are by no means the only books which feature sheikh heroes, but for me, there’s no other place they fit quite so well. They immediately demand an exotic location, they’re rich, they’re royal, and their passionate intensity epitomises the Presents promise. In short, a sheikh is the ultimate alpha male. However, as pointed out in Kate’s great alpha blog earlier in the year, there’s more to being alpha than that. It also means having noble principles, integrity and a natural ability to lead – well for me, a sheikh epitomises those qualities above all. He commands his desert kingdom with a fierce loyalty to his people, to his ancestors before him and to the unforgiving landscape itself. And what I find so appealing is the knowledge that when the heroine ‘tames’ him, that unshakeable loyalty and passion will be directed at her forever.

Whilst sheikhs are often criticised for being too repressive and domineering when it comes to women (lately I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re a bit like marmite - you either love them or hate them), I adore them precisely those elements of his character promise such a juicy story. A sheikh hero requires a heroine daring enough to challenge his views, and there is nothing so delicious as watching him – a man usually so in control and rigid in his way of thinking – being forced to question himself because of the uncontrollable feelings he has for this one woman. Although every heroine forces her hero to re-evaluate his view of the world, sheikh heroes have to undergo such a massive internal shift in order to win the woman they love, that for me it gives that love added depth.

I don’t know whether it’s for this reason, or whether it’s because when I wrote this story I was on the verge of being a bride myself, (or because when I sent it to my editor she uttered those magical words ‘no revisions’ - certain never to be repeated!), but I have to confess, The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride has been my favourite story to write so far. And just in case you’re the wrong side of the marmite argument, it also features a glamorous modelling assignment, an erotic fruit scene, a spontaneous game of tennis, a royal visit to a dazzling French island and an ancient law which changes everything….

The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride is out in the UK now, and will be released as part of a delectable Presents Extra mini-series this August.

My question for Kate’s contest is: What is the name of the Presents Extra mini-series The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride will be part of?

Hint: Visit my web site and check out the books page!