Another craft post

So - special thanks go to Nas Dean who has  found me places to chat with readers  and fellow writers.

Again, to mark the publication of the new paperback  edition of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance -  here is another craft post on the Revising and Editing Site

This time I'm talking about training yourself as a plotter  - a different sort of answer to those 'where do you get your ideas from' sort of questions. Here's how I get - and work through - some of my ideas.

Ideas are all around you if you just look.

Oh - and there's a giveaway of Olivero's Outrageous Proposal as well.

Spotlight on A Question of Honor

I've had problems getting my time zones sorted out for this extra  blog - dealing with days away from my desk, plus thunderstorms, plus visitors - but I'm here now to let you know about the special Spotlight on A Question of Honor over on  Romance Book Paradise.

With special thanks to Nas Dean for organising this as part of the mini book tour to celebrate the publication of my latest book.

More on the blog tour

I'm still trying to catch up on things  - this always happens when  a book goes off to my ed. Because I've concentrated totally on the book, focusing all my attention on that, and  ignoring a lot of things for 'when the Book is done'  (affectionately  know in this house as WTBBID!) then I have  so much to do when I have a moment to breathe.

And this time of course, when I wasn't focusing on the book then I was dealing with admin for the course for Relax and Write at Weetwood Hall!  So  my house/office/life is in a bit of chaos  right now.

Anyway - talking of courses  and teaching and such. Today's post on the mini blog tour to celebrate the publication of A Question of Honor is a craft post written specially for this blog tour.  It's also to mark the republication of the revised ebook of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance which is selling wonderfully - my thanks to everyone who has bought a copy !

 You can find it over on Revising  and Editing and  in  this post  I'm talking about How To Handle Transitions between Scenes  - or Chapters. 

If you're trying to get published and are interested in learning more about the craft, I hope you'll find it useful.

Feature on A Question of Honor

The official publication date for A Question of Honour  in the UK is June 1st  - though that ~1 place on the M&B site bestseller list means it's already selling well there - but in America it is now already out on the bookshop shelves.

So the lovely and helpful Nas Dean has organised a mini book tour for me to celebrate - Thanks Nas!
As a result I will have some posts about the book -- and me - and some craft posts  on several different blogs coming up  in the next few days.

The first of these is a feature on  me and A Question of Honor  ( these 2 different spellings are getting  confusing! I just keep alternating them - so one will be right for someone!)  and that's over on
 Romance Book Haven today - here's where you can find it.

Thanks Nas!

I see we have more rain today . . .  obviously the warm weekend I spent at Weetwood Hall was summer!  And then I was teaching . . .!

Catching up again

It's hard to believe that this time last week I was starting the first workshop of my Writing Romantic Fiction course at Weetwood Hall in Leeds. . . .and it was a day of  wonderful warm sunshine.

Now I'm back home, catching up with everything  (or trying to), all on my own in my office  - well apart from a very sleepy ginger Maine Coon cat - and it's raining  - and raining - and raining . .

Oh well, I have great memories of the Relax and Write course  at Weetwood. What a great group of writers joined me in the very comfortable hotel  to learn about writing romantic fiction.  It was great to see how well everyone got on from the start. It always helps a  course go really well if everyone jells  from the start  - and this time people did just that.  So my thanks to Helen, Kim, Penny, Andrea, Luzanne,  Marie, Vasiliki, Ingrid and April for  a great weekend. And thanks  too to Lois Maddox of Relax and Write who organised everything. The food was great too!  I didn't get much sleep - but that didn't matter.

Back home, I had a box of international  editions of various books - and on Kindle there is a cool  English Manga version of The Return of The Stranger.  I've had Japanese Mangas before now but this one  I could actually read and enjoy  - it was fascinating seeing the  illustrations created from my characters, though the hero, Heath, is nothing like the guy on the cover of the UK edition!

 I focused on getting my book  to my editor   so that kept me occupied  - and now it's on the ed's desk  aA Question of Honor  which is out - officially 1st June but in USA  is available from this weekend.  So I need to write some blogs for that!
nd I can .  . . relax - no, not  if the number of things on my to do list is anything to go by!  I have a mini blog tour (thank you Nas Dean!) to mark the publication of the new book -

And thanks to Romance Book Haven  - and Desere , Nas and Janie for the great reviews of A Questiuon of Honor on your Contemporary Romance pages:


The heroine in this book was remarkable, one of those woman you know is strong and no matter what comes her way she will face it, because let's be honest no woman really wants to marry some man she has been "engaged" to since the age of 13. We all deserve to meet and fall in love with someone we chose and not whom our parents think we do, but unfortunately this practice does happen in some countries and I have always felt so sad for these woman that is breaks my heart, but thankfully the author took it to the next level and let's fate intervene, giving us a heroine that stands up for what her heart believes in.

The hero in this book was superb! I loved him from start to finish, his upholding honor personality was terrific especially because he has been through so much and here comes the woman of his dreams and tempts him into very sexy thoughts and he has to sit there and force himself to remember she belongs to another, that shows some serious levels of willpower.

Through both characters the author showed that there is a will and a way to find what you seek,

but you have to be willing to go with the flow so to speak, because fate can always have a different plan lurking in the background ready to unfold when you least expect it. Don't give up hope, keep believing that it will all work out and never ever keep your feelings in your heart, stand up and shout it out to the world you never know by making your feelings known you might just save yourself from heartache.

I recommend this read for all Kate Walker fans, the author has taken a unique 'give us a story with a bang combined with emotional and heartwarming passion' trait and created a stunning romance of love finally found when no one was looking. 

Desere

A Question of Honor by Kate Walker 4 out of 5 stars. This is a quick and easy read if you're looking for something to take with you on Summer vacation. 

Clemmentine was promised into marriage by her father. She knows that she must do her duty for the family honor but runs away to have one last chance for freedom and to spend time with someone who is very close to her heart. She knows that once she is bound by her marriage that she may never see this person again. Karim has promised to bring Clemmentine "Clemmie" to her fiance. It is a sense of honor to his family that he is doing this for her betrothed Nabil. She would be Queen but she doesn't want the title. 

A freak storm strands them together overnight before they are able to make their way to her new home. The sexual tension between Clemmie and Karim becomes apparent to them both. Bound by honor Karim doesn't allow himself but a brief moment and vows to take her safely to Nabil. When Nabil finds out that she spent time alone with Karim he doesn't believe that nothing happened between them and he sends her away.

Karim follows her back home and knows that he can now, and with a clear conscience pursue her. Does their story have a happy ending? You'll need to find out for yourself. You'll also find out why she ran away in the first place and just who this person is that is close to her heart.


Janie

A QUESTION OF HONOR is a spellbinding romance. It is a story that will stay with a reader long time after she closes the book. It has that momentous impact by all the emotion depicted in this romance. Another shimmering and mesmerizing romance full of breathtaking sensuality from author Kate Walker.

Highly recommended for all readers of romance.

Nas Dean


Thank you all, ladies!

Spotlight and giveaway

I've been so busy that I've neglected to blog for days.    I'm not quite sure where the time has gone but at least today I have a blog for you - if not quite here!

Because A Throne For The Taking is out very soon - tomorrow in fact, in  Harlequin Presents in America and   June 7th in  M&B Modern in  UK  - I'vebeen asked to do some blogs - and interviews here there and everywhere (well it seems that way!)

So today the first of those is published - with a special Spotlight Interview over on  Romance Book Paradise.  Lovely Nas Dean asked me a set of probing questions and now the interview is posted on the site.  There's also a giveaway of a signed copy of A Throne For The Taking for someone who posts a comment.

So maybe I'll see you there  - and there are other guest blogs and posts coming up in the next few weeks.  There will be more giveaways too.

It's May. . .

Happy May Day!   It seems that May has got off to a good start - the sun is actually shining, now if we could just get rid of that sneaky cold wind  it  would be gorgeous.

Reasons  to like May - I have a birthday coming up. So does my sister. Sadly she's in Tasmania so we won't be getting together to celebrate .

The Brenda Novak Auction for The Cure of Diabetes is now officially open.  Why take a look at some of the amazing lots - and maybe place a bid?  As I said earlier, I have the Reader and Writers' Basket  and the  10 Signed Novels lots on offer - and I'm delighted to see that there are already some bid on these. Thank you to anyone who has put in a bid.

Other reasons to like May -  A Throne for The Taking is now available on the UK's Mills and  Boon web site  and the Harlequin Presents edition will be released  on May 21st in USA.

Oh yes - and  A Throne For The Taking has  these great reviews over on  Romance Book Paradise.


The author lets her characters truly speak , as reader I was very glad to see that the author let me in


on just what each one of the characters were thinking, as I often find that I want to know what she or he is thinking and not knowing drives me insane, and in the case of Ria and Alexei it would have infuriated me, so thank you Kate!

I particularly liked the message this read gave me, not all secrets are as deadly as one may think, sometimes revealing the truth can save you, opening up the road to recovery.

I highly recommend this read for lovers of royal romances with intense secrets and all Kate Walker fans!   
Desere


A THRONE FOR THE TAKING is a very different, intriguing and thrilling story. It is full of conspiracy, scheming and plotting against the kingdom amidst the mesmerizing romance between Ria and Alexei. Author Kate Walker has yet again stunned her readers with a unique twist to her romance. She skillfully penned another gripping and compelling tale that would hook a reader in until the very last page.
Nas

Thank you both Desere and Nas

You can read the full reviews here.

So May has got off to a great start. Let's hope it continues that way.

PS Just discovered that A Throne For The Taking is already at #3  in the Harlequin ebook Bestsellers list today - another reason to like May!

Discussing the Devil

The Jubilee Weekend  - a double Bank  Holiday here in the UK - has meant that I have been busy with family and friends and have barely been anywhere near my computer . I have also eaten too much cake and sipped a little wine!

If you wanted to know  how I spent the  Diamond Jubilee Sunday, which was also the first Sunday in the Month,  then that was in my post for  Tote Bags 'n' Blogs   and you'll find it here.

My favourite bit of the weekend? The light show projected onto Buckingham Palace during the concert last night - followed by the  firework display. I  loved it.

And the Devil ? Well over at Romance Book Haven, three passionate and articulate readers - Nas Dean, Desere Steenberg and Maria Perry Mohan have all read  my novel The Devil and Miss Jones and they have cometogether in their virtual book club to discuss it and givbe their personal opinions on the book.

You can find the discussion here.  Thank you ladies!  (Now I must go and see what they have to say - I've posted this before I had a chance to read it through!)

Guestblogging and a chance to win

So today, officially, I'm blogging over at Romance Book Paradise.  I say officially because all the time  zones have conspired against me and it's the  morning of December 12th here  - but evening of December 12th the other side of the world.

So I'm heading over there to catch up with everyone who has commented on my post which is about the vexed subject of sagging middles - and I'm not talking about the after effects of the Christmas feasting but  the point in the middle of a book when you know it's s-l-o-w-i-n-g  down and starting to sag

And  as I said, today starts my Countdown To Christmas  when I'm  hoping to find out more about you - and chat with you and there will be some giveaways each day on the 12 Days of Christmas.  Today is the special launch day  and you have a chance to win a signed copy of my 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance.  There will be more giveaways on my blog  from now on.

But first I'm off to Fiji  (I wish I was  really going there and not just virtually)  and Romance Book Paradise  - see you there!

Gifts for Writers

Tuesday?
My last post was on Tuesday?
Where did the week go?

Well - there was shopping, and planning, and wrapping, and writing cards,  and posting . . . . You see, I suddenly realised that it's December  11th - and there's only  14 days left till Christmas.  So I've been  rushing around like a mad thing, trying to knock things of my To Do list.

What about you? Have you got things organised, or are you still trying hard to get everythig done? Bought all your presents - or  are you still  desperately looking for ideas?  Well, if you're  wanting to find something to give to a writer friend - or a would-be writer, I may have a few ideas for you.

A couple of weeks ago,  the very lovely - and very talented (you should see all the prises she won in her exams!)   Riya, daughter   of Nas Dean who so efficiently organised the Big Blog Tour I've just finished,  asked me to guest on her blog Romance Reader .  The Blog Tour was officially over, but I was happy to contribute a guest post - and she came up with a great suggestion for the topic-  Christmas (or any other time) gifts for writers.   That was easy! I just had to think of all the things I'd love to find in my stocking or under the tree this Christmas . . . .
So my suggestions list is posted over on Riya's  blog today - I hope it'll provide some inspiration for you if you're still wondering what to buy for a writer in your life.

Today it's Riya's blog, tomorrow  I'm back visiting Nas at Romance Book Paradise - and  with a post about the craft of writing. There will be a  very special giveaway with this post - one that launches my  special  Countdown to Christmas  12 Days Of Christmas  giveaways on my blog. 

So if you've read the list on Romance Reader's Blog and decided that a copy of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is going on your wish list for Santa - then come over to  Romance Book Paradise and chat and see if you can win yourself a signed copy.

See you there!

Big Blog Tour - Round Up and Winner

So    - it took  almost 3 months
There were about 32 posts - 33 if you count this one
It visited blogs in America, Australia, Fiji,  UK, Canada  . . .
There were about 337 different  commentors -  that's new commentors - many of you can back again and again and chatted with me - thank you!
And I gave away over 35 books!

Charlie had plenty of cat treats to snarf down as he picked the names of winners- and even Flora joined in sometimes to help
.
So I think you can count the Big Blog Tour as as great success ( But I'm pretty relieved not to have to think of extra blog posts - and  replies to comments  for a while now.)

And Charlie has just done his last  blog tour duty  - picking  4 extra winners from my Newsletter list  to celebrate coming to the end of the tour - so

Judith  R from Israel
Sarah H  from UK
Gladys from Houston
Tessa B

Are all winners too -  please email me (see bottom of Home Page)  with your postal address and choice of  a backlist title from this list:

The Greek Tycoon’s Unwilling Wife

Bedded By The Greek Billionaire

Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride

The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge

The Good Greek Wife?

Kept for Her Baby

The Konstantos Marriage Demand

Cordero’s Forced Bride

Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife

The Proud Wife




And finally  - the big winner -  picked from the special list or people who stayed with me and 'stalked' me along the blog tour, is most of the places I stopped - or at least as many as they could manage ..  .
And the winner is:
SUSIE MEDWELL

Susie - you win a signed copy of The Return of The Stranger and  your choice of three other backlist books from the list above. Please email me with your choices

Finally a great big thank you to Nas Dean  from Romance Book Paradise whose contacts, enthusiasm and calm efficiency made this all possible. keep an eye on Nas's site for news of other authors who are running blog tours so you can join in and maybe win a book or two. And don't forget that over on my author page    that Nas has set up,  there will be news of other  blog visits I will be making in the future so you can visit them as well. 

THANK  YOU Nas!

And coming up on Romance Book Paradise on December 12th is a chance to win a signed copy of the 12 Point Guide just in time for Christmas  -  so look out for that.

Normal service will now be resumed - except when I see you out and about!

Big Blog Tour - the last stop

Well  it's been  a l-o-n-g tour, - I started way back on September 11th and I feel as if I've been all over the internet in the time since then.  I've had blogs in America, Australia,  Fiji  . . .  I've talked of all sorts of things - reading writing, cats, school days, The Brontes .. . and of course, the book  that was the reason for this  major tour in the first place - the celebration of the publication  of The Return of the Stranger.

I've met lots of great people - readers and writers. I've chatted with  you all through your comments  on the  posts and I've given away books all over the place. I've sent out copies of The Return of the Stranger, backlist titles  and even a couple of copies of The 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.  And I've made some special friends along the way - people I know I will keep in touch with in the future, and I'll be going back to visit their blogs  either as a reader or a guest blogger if they invite me. (Some of these have already been planned.)

But today is the last stop on this official big blog tour this time around.   After today the tour comes to a halt, apart from the round up party and final giveaway of the main prize which will be on December 1st. So today's last stop is over on Romance University. 

As the name implies, Romance University is a great site  which declares as it's aim: "Dedicated to helping writers establish and advance their careers, introducing readers to a variety of authors, and delving into the ever-inscrutable male mind."  So obviously my post there is with my 'teaching hat' on  - I'm talking about the tight focus and word  count that goes into a category romance  and the need to 'Cut for Pace'.  So maybe I'll see you there.

After today that will be the end of this actual tour - but don't lose sight of the Author Page  that Nas Dean of Romance Book Paradise has set up. Nas has been my help and support  and kept me organised - just - through the whole of this tour. And She has already listed some of the upcoming blogs where I'll be posting in the not too distant future. So if you keep an eye on her listings, you'll know where to find me.

A great big thank you to Nas for keeping me on track over the past months - without her I would never have been able to organise this tour, or to take you to so many fatastic sites.

Great Big Blog Tour Stop 12

Today's stop on the blog tour is  one of my regular blogs over on the Pink Heart Society Blog this morning.

In A Date With Kate I'm talking about  the New Voices  contest again - and why a couple of animal stories/songs  have kept me going in the past when I've felt low  - and convinced I would never write again. After the publication of The Chalk Line in 1984, I was convinced I would be a one book  wonder and had to keep going and trying again before Game of Hazard appeared in 1986.

And on a sort of opposite extreme, I'm giving away a copy of my award-winning bok The Konstantos Marriage Demand which won Best Presents Extra 2010.

See you over there.

And talking of my Big Blog Tour, some of you will remember that I was hosted by lovely Michelle Fayard  on her Birds'Eye View Blog on  October 4th. Well, since then Michelle has read  her copy of The Return of The Stranger and has posted me a wonderful review over on Good Reads and Amazon  - Thank you so much Michelle!

With her latest release, THE RETURN OF THE STRANGER, veteran romance author Kate Walker takes the classic tale found in Wuthering Heights and lets it inspire her to create a modern take on the powerful story.

STRANGER is part of a series, The Powerful and The Pure. In this title, Heath Montanha left England as an orphaned gypsy and made a new life for himself in Brazil. Now he's rich and powerful, but he's missing something. He thinks it's revenge on the two men who kept him poor and powerless. What he's soon to learn is it's love in the form of the one woman who always believed in him, Lady Katherine, sister to one of Heath's former tormenters, widow to the other.

STRANGER might be inspired by a classic, but rest assured that Walker has taken the characters and atmosphere and brought them into the 21st century to make the story her own with high-voltage intensity. If this book could be described in only one word, it would be "chemistry."

Oh and if you're interested in how this Big Blog Tour thing works - and you'd  like to learn  more, then Nas Dean  from Romance Book Paradise    has written a great post on Michelle's blog all about the way she plans and runs these.

Big Blog Tour Day 6 - Romance Book Paradise

I  meant to write this the minute I got up - but then  the cats needed feeding, the window cleaner appeared - at 7.30am!  - there was banking to do (the tax man needs to be paid) emails to answer . . . .

So I've been up for ages - though I'm not dressed  yet! - and I still haven't told you the important news of the day - like where you can find me today!

Today the Big Blog tour moves on from Talli Roland's blog   to another  and one that's really rather special - because this one is the blog of the lovely,  energetic lady who is helping me run this  Blog Tour and keeping me up to date, delivering blogs  on time - and believe me she had her work cut out as I'm  zooming here there and everywhere, dealing with all sorts of home situations - and meanwhile Nas goes on quietly making sure my blogs are where they should be . . . and I know where to look to chat with everyone.

A great big THANK YOU! to Nas without whom I'd be totally lost!

And today, you want to visit her fabulous blog -Romance Book Paradise - not just because I'm there today - but because Nas always has lots of interest for the romance reader - and I regularly visit her blog to see what's going  on.

So why not join me over there? - And there are extra goodies to win in the giveaway this time.
people.

Oh, and I'm still using the fabulous UK cover of The Return of the Stranger to illustrate this - but sadly the UK edition's time on the shelves here in the UK is almost up - so readers in America and Australia need to start looking for it in your shops, on eHarleuin or Amazon.   And that means that  from the end of this week, I'll need to start using the USA/Aus cover - which is fine . . .  but it's just not the handsome hunk of the UK one - I'm going to miss him!

Blog Tour starts today

September 2nd was actually the official publication date of The Return of The Stranger here in the UK. But I was away in London last week,  meeting my editor for lunch, together with the Senior Editor for the Modern/Romance line.   I also had a really great time at a special lunch organised for  fabulous Australian authors and friends Trish Morey and Annie West.   About a dozen authors were there together - Trish, Annie, Sara Craven,  Sharon Kendrick, Abby Green, Sarah Morgan, Natalie Rivers, India Grey, Heidi Rice, Christina Hollis  - and me.  Here is a great photo of everyone emerging from the restaurant in Charlotte Street - with thanks to the passing gentleman who was comandeered into taking photos for everyone as he headed on his way to work.

Now I'm back jome and I'm about to celebrate the publcation of this special book in the UK , Australia, India, USA  . . . . over the next couple of months.   So to mark this occasion, I'#m launching a great big Blog Tour all over the internet for the next few weeks. There are  27 different visits between now and the end of the tour,  27 different places where I'll  be visiting and posting abo0ut different topics.
These posts will also introduce you to lots of interesting blogs all over the internet. Some you'll have seen before - The Pink Heart Society, Tote Bags 'N' Blog,  We Write Romance,  I heart Presents  - others will be new to you.  And I hope to have some sort of a give away of a book or so at each stop along the way.

The  you can 'stalk' me along my journey and end up with 4 signed books as a special prize just in  time for Christmas.  - So  tomorrow this all starts off.

You can find the full blog itinerary over on  the great Author Page that Nas Dean from Romance Paradise who has been helping me with this has set up for me. There's the list of all the blogs I'll be visiting - and there may be a few more yet along the way!   I hope you'll join me as I travel all over the blog universe! I so glad to be announcing that The Return of The Stranger is finally published and to be able to chat about it with you that I think this is really something worth celebrating.

And you can see Nas's own lovely  review of this book on that page too :

Author Kate Walker’s own unique take on the classic story of Wuthering Heights makes this into a happily ever after love story. It is a gripping tale of past secrets, scandal, and is full of sizzle and mesmerizing emotion.

A wonderfully written and richly layered love story from one of Harlequin Presents’ most popular authors, THE RETURN OF THE STRANGER is another keeper from the always fabulous Kate Walker!

I hope you'll join me on this tour and visit all these different blogs as I talk about The Return of The Stranger - and lots of other things too.

 

One other thing - if you're on GoodReads - with the help of lovely  Leena Hyat  I have organised a special Book Giveaway on Goodreads for this month only.  To mark the pre-publication of The Return of The Stranger in America,  I am offering five copies as a Giveaway on  Good Reads between now and September 24th - full details can be found here:   But be warned - it's proving  pretty popular . . .So That's the big news for today and tomorrow the Big Blog Tour starts for real  - beginning with . . . .

But no, you'll have to wait and see who 's the first to host my guest blog this time. (Unless you've already sneaked a peek on the Author Page)