Grab a Black Friday bargain !

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

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

reat Black Friday/Week bargains for you.

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

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

 a bargain price.

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

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

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

Happy Eclipse Day

As I write this, here in the UK the eclipse of the sun is just beginning.  Luckily the sky was clear and bright and the sun vivid in the sky when I woke up so  the growing silence and a slight lessening of that brilliance is  already creeping over the world outside. And the birds are growing quieter too, after singing a wild dawn chorus earlier.

I remember that when there last was an eclipse of the sun,  I was up early because I was writing and I really wanted to get my book finished before the eclipse happened. I managed it -  just!  That book was the one that ended up being titled  Rafael’s Love-Child.

Yesterday I had a delivery of a box of books  - always a happy event  - but this one was something slightly different. For some time  now, since I  revised and put out the new Kindle ebook edition of  the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance,  I've had people write and ask about a new paperback edition.  Yes, they say, the Kindle version is cheap and easy to get hold of  but  an actual  print copy is something  else.   You can mark it up, scribble in the margins, go to town with a highlighter to show the Important bits for you. And you can easily flip  back and forth to find what you need.

So, by popular request, I’ve  organised a new and updated  paperback edition of the 12 Point Guide  - and this is out now.  Please note, there isn't new material in  this book. It’s brought up to date with the names  and existence of some of the lines, etc by  changing names or removing the  details of the lines altogether but that’s all.   Oh, and I've managed to make sure that this new edition  is  a bit cheaper than the last edition –  so it’s  £9.99 instead of £10.99 – and it should be available more easily in America.   The details are up on  Amazon UK  and Amazon.com. Hopefully B&N  and others will follow. And if it’s on the Book Depository it will be delivered free.  

Oh, and this edition has the great new cover – so that’s  the new one, like the Kindle.

As I’ve always said, this book is to help everyone who’s keen to learn about writing romance  but who can’t manage to get to one of my  workshops  here in the UK.  Which, reminds  me, I’ll have some more details about the workshops coming up  for the rest of the year. After the fabulous time I had at the Focus on Writing Romance Writing Retreat I enjoyed  last weekend, I’m really looking forward to those – Coming up,  Wales (Fishguard) Cirencester,  Derbyshire . . .  And some of those are already at least half booked up!

But for now I’m going to watch the eclipse – but without looking straight at it!

Coming up . . . .

It's April so that means that my American Presents Extra edition of The Proud Wife will soon be in the shops. The official publication date is  - er well,  when is it in the shops?  Amazon has April 5th but I think the official date is April 12th. 

But the again  many bookshops put them out early anyway. So keep your eyes open  - look for this cover and you'll find it!   The Proud Wife is also out in Australia in the M&B Sexy line and I really love that full-length version of the cover.

I said that I would share the Romantic Times  review with it as soon as I'd found it. Well, thanks to the lovely  Abby Green, I've now got my hands on a copy of that review -   Thanks Abby!

THE PROUD WIFE (4.5) by Kate Walker: Pietro D’Inzeo summons his estranged wife Marina to Sicily to discuss their divorce. Marina, not happy about returning to the place where her dreams for a happy future were shattered, arms herself with a plan to refuse to accept a single penny from her arrogant soon-to-be ex. But she’s caught off guard when Pietro demands an immediate renegotiation … starting with a kiss. This is an emotionally charged page-turner with plenty of tension and passion.

Oh and while I'm talking about reviews - here's a great one from Joanna of the Romance Angels Network. Thank you so much for this Joanna - it's a fabulous  review becaiuse it's so understanding of what I was trying to do in the book

The fire burning beneath the ashes.
When Pietro officially ‘summons’ Marina back to Sicily with the excuse of discussing the terms of their divorce, she attends, only to have the satisfaction to tell him she wants nothing from him, but to send their short marriage into oblivion. None of them imagine the attraction that brought them together is still there. And the passion is burning hotter than ever. Unexpectedly, they are facing each other and their painful past.


A past where everything happened so fast and it was so painful that they didn’t have time to develop a relationship. The Proud Wife by Kate Walker is about finding closure for the painful experiences shared and connecting as a real couple.

My favorite part is when they finally talk about the death of their baby. The biggest misunderstanding in their relationship. Marina breaks down, Pietro gives her the sympathy and soothing he couldn’t before, and somehow they find closure. However, Pietro and Marina still have too many pending issues. Pietro’s idea of intimacy is making love. He thinks he is doing what she wants, but Marina needs much more. He has been emotionally unavailable in the past. While Marina was feeling used as a breeder to produce an heir, never truly loved and inadequate as a princess.

 

The Proud Wife is one of the books that I’d read where the characters’ emotions convey to the page the best. Kate Walker did a great job channeling their adversities, the emotional portion of the story is deeply touching, there were moments I was teary-eyed.

And in extra good news, there's another couple of my books that are being republished and brought out as ebooks - these were  published  on April 1st so they are available now from the eHarlequin site  and they are:

Fiancée By Mistake - orignally published   December 2000

Driving home for Christmas, Leah's car landed in a snow-filled ditch—and she was rescued by Sean Gallagher, who took her to his home to recover.
Leah couldn't believe it! Sean was convinced that Leah had got engaged to his brother, then run away. It was as if he hated her...and desired her. As the burning need between them grew more intense, Leah fought to resist: Sean seemed determined to prove she was a wanton...by seducing her into his bed...

And

Rafael's Love-Child  Originally published   February 2001

When Serena wakes up in hospital with amnesia, her only visitors are Rafael Cordoba and his baby son, Tonio. Following docotr's orders. Rafeal tells her nothing except that she had an accident in his car - but that he doesn't know her.
Rafael insists Serena recuperates at his home and, already having strong feelings for the sexy Spaniard, and adoring his son, she accepts. But what is Rafael not telling her - and where is his baby's mother?


His baby - he's sexy, he's successful . . . And he's facing up to fatherhood.

It's great to see these older books coming back with a new lease of life as ebooks.

My Favourite Kate Walker - Anna Adams

I still have some friends and fellow authors who wanted to tell me their first and Top Five Kate Walker novels, so while I'm away teaching in Wales, here's one more of my friends' posts for the blog in case I don't have time to log on today.

Anna Adams is another author I 'met' on eHarlequin. Sadly, we've never yet met in person - we were supposed to meet at RWA in Denver and Anna broke her ankle. Then we were both at RWA Washington . . .and kept missing ieach other. One day we will have coffee/lunch/dinner together, Anna - New York 2011?

Anna writes for SuperRomance and I just love the emotion she gets into her books. She has one out in the UK right now - Her Reason To Stay. This is packed for my trip to Wales incase I get a moment or two to myself to read. (Judging from past courses, that's probably not that likely but well, I can hope.

Here's Anna:

Hmmmmm. I can’t remember which book was the first Kate Walker I read,
and which is my favorite Kate Walker? That’s a tough question!

There’s Fiancee by Mistake, in which poor Sean tries to prove lovely,
but misjudged Leah was a bit of a bad girl--but finds he likes when
she’s bad with him. (I love heroes coming upon snow-stuck cars). And then,
The Hostage Bride, which involved a lovely bit of romantic kidnapping.
A wounded man’s got issues to resolve!

My next two are favorites for special reasons. This past summer, my
girls were in a wedding in Kerrville, Texas. Not exactly a teeming
metropolis. While the girls were getting hair and makeup done, I ran
into a used book store across the way to see if they had copies of
some of my own first books. While browsing, I discovered they had
shelves of older Harlequin Romances and Presents, and as I was
scooping armloads, I ran into a friend’s name. I don’t think I knew
Kate had ever written for Romance, but I latched onto The Golden
Thief, a beautiful story of trust, and honor.


Next is Rafael’s Love Child. Serena wakes up, not knowing she’s the
mother of the baby she soon falls in love with, and Rafael was a hero
I thought could never be equaled. (Kate writes a hero, pushed to his
limits, who may make human choices, but always makes an honorable
decision.) I read Rafael and Serena’s story during the early days of
eHarlequin.com and posted about how much I’d enjoyed it, just in
passing. To my surprise, Kate responded to my post, and our
friendship, which I treasure, was born. So, Rafael, was for years, my
favorite, and he would have been even if he didn’t hold a special
place in my heart for also introducing me to Kate.


Then, Andreas Petrakos truly didn’t want to love The Greek Tycoon’s
Unwilling Wife, and I truly loved him. He took wounded hero to lengths
I hadn’t imagined. He could be harsh, but Kate is such a magical
writer, I never forgot the true-to-life, empathetic reasons for his
emotions. I’m a sucker for an amnesia story (Hello, Rafael’s Serena),
and I ached for Andreas--and for his love, Becca, who has a heart that
keeps stretching for those who need her.

I was supposed to choose five, and maybe you’ve noticed I haven’t said
“my favorite is.” That’s because I read Kept for Her Baby, and I’m
torn between these last two books. Kept for Her Baby was Kate’s recent
Presents Extra, which must mean extra amazing, special, emotional
story. I was hooked from the moment Lucy climbed out of that boat on
Ricardo’s island. Kate writes a book that’s layered with emotion and
drama, and always filled with heroes and heroines you cannot help
loving. That’s why I have a hard time choosing a favorite, and when I
try, I think, but the next one might be...


Thanks, Kate, for all those great books. You’re writing the next one
right now, aren’t you?

Of course I am Anna - when I'm not teaching/travelling! And I think you'll enjoy The Konstantos Marriage Demand next month.

You can find out more about Anna and her books on her web site and blog

Great Big Blog Party 15 - Julie Bonello

For today's guest, we're going travelling again - this time to a lovely Mediterranean Island where I set my book Calypso's Enchantment.

Last Thursday when I quoted from a wonderful review of The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge, I mentioned that you'd be seeing more of the lady who wrote that review - and today is the day. Today's Guest Blogger is a very special reviewer for me. I wanted to include Julie Bonello in my guests because she has been reviewing my books for years - but before that, she wrote to me as a reader and a fan and we've become cyber friends as a result.

Julie lives on the beautiful island of Malta and so she and I share a love of this wonderful place which I visited with my family some years ago and would love to get back to visit if I can. One thing I envy this lady for is the amount of reading she manages and the number of books she gets through! As a reviewer for CataRomance.com, Julie is always prompt and efficient in delivering her reviews - and I always hold my breath just a little when I send a new book to her. When someone has enjoyed your work as much as she has over so many years, I would hate to disappoint her. Luckily I never have!

So here's Julie -

I began my love affair with Mills and Boon romances as a fourteen year old schoolgirl when I stole one from my mother’s shelf and I got swept away by a gorgeous hero, an independent heroine and descriptive and passionate writing which thrilled my teenage heart and began my addiction to all things romantic.

Now, many years later, I’m still in love with the genre. Mills and Boons have been with me through the good times and the bad. Whenever I am ill or feeling run down, a Mills and Boon romance is absolutely essential and when six or seven years ago, I had an awful bout of flu and had absolutely nothing to read, I sent my daughter off to the library to get me a couple of romantic novels and she returned with a novel by an M&B writer whose books I had never read, but who was to become one of my favourites – Kate Walker.

As soon as I read the first page of Rafael’s Love Child, I was absolutely hooked. I loved her gorgeous Alpha hero, admired her resolute heroine and just loved the novel’s blend of potent sensuality and intense dramatic emotion. I devoured Rafael’s Love Child in a single sitting and every single book of Kate’s I’ve read is on my keeper shelf and for me, one of the greatest pleasures in life is curling up with one of her novels in a comfy chair with a cup of tea by my side and escaping into the wonderful world she evokes – a world of passion, romance, emotion and drama which sucks me in from the very first page and which I always find impossible to put down.


I adore Kate Walker’s novels, but I also admire her as a woman for she is kind, generous, smart and a passionate advocate of the romance genre. Her books are a wonderful example of how well-written and intelligent romantic fiction truly is, so raise your glasses to a remarkable novelist and a wonderful woman and here’s looking forward to fifty more spellbinding novels!

GIVEAWAY:

Julie has very kindly offered to give away a couple of goodies from Malta as a prize to a lucky winner. (Makes me wish I could enter!)

QUESTION:

Julie says:
I’d like to ask everyone what was their first Kate Walker novel as I mentioned that mine was Rafael’s Love Child. Which was the very firts book by Kate Walker that you ever read?

As always answers in the comments please. Julie will be dropping by to join in the dicussion when she can. And I'll be intrigued to see who comes up with the oldest of my books and when you read it.