Publication day

It's publication day for A Question of Honour - or  A Question of Honor depending on where you live - you take your pick!

Well, it's the official publication date - but I'm not really sure whether anyone sticks to the official date any more!  For a start  this book has been on sale on the Mills & Boon  website for the past month - and it's been at #1 on the bestseller list there for over a week.  But them M&B have the books out a month early anyway.

Amazon etc deliver the book from the 20th May (USA ) of 1st June (UK)  but I've seen physical copies of the book  one sale in UK shops for almost a week now - including special 2 in 1 editions in Tesco/Asda  where A Question of Honour is sold together with   Kim Lawrence's The Heartbreaker Prince.   Unfortunately this means it doesn't have the grea

t cover that's on the UK edition -  I really like this one.

There are some great reviews coming out for  A Question of Honour -  you can see some of them on the Mills & Boon site - and there are another selection  here - at Romance Book Haven's Reviews section

But on checking out Amazon to find out  A Question of Honour, I also found some good news of another publication date -  an edition I didn't know anything about. So I'm celeb rating that too. Remember the English Manga edition of The Return of The Stranger  - the 'Harlequin Comics version?  Well there's now another of my books brought out in this unique format.

This is the English manga version of The Hostage Bride.  I mentioned this some time back  when I talked about the Japanese version - now there's this really great version in English as well.

So there's a lot to celebrate - Oh and I should have said that I now  have a brand new Author Page over on Facebook - so if you're on Facebook, please come along and join me there - maybe 'like' the page. That's where I'll be posting the news and  daily events if I don;t get time to blog about everything.

You can find my Facebook page here. 

And  talking of up to date news -  when I opened this page, I talk about celebrating with a book giveaway so  I'm going to do just that - and seeing as I have  a lot to celebrate, let's make it a great giveaway.

So - I have 10  signed books to give away

4 copies of A Question of Honour to mark its publication day - and  6 books from my backlist.
To be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is to send me an email with A Question of Honour/Facebook in the subject line, and I'll get Charlie on to the task of picking 10 winners.

(For email see the link below - or Kate (AT) kate-walker (DOT) com)

 If you already have A Question of Honour do let me know and I'll put you in the draw for the backlist books.

This giveaway is only for today to mark the publication of A Question of Honour  - but I'll keep the entries open for 24 hours (from now - 10 am UK time - to 10 am UK time tomorrow) so that everyone has a chance to read this and find out how to enter.

But you only have 24 hours
So - ready  - steady - Go!

Manga Magic

The Easter weekend has meant that there has been no post arriving at the house for several days but with the end of the holidays, the post man has resumed his deliveries and yesterday there was a rush of new  editions of my books. 

There was a Norwegian edition of 12 Month Mistress,    a Spanish translation of The Return Of The Stranger,  two Japanese editions -  one of The Devil and Miss Jones, the second  one of my favourite things - a manga reworking of one of my much earlier titles - The Hostage Bride which was originally published in 2001.
The Manga editions are always intriguing - it's interesting to see key scenes from my past books  taken and reworked  in this specialised form.  This page here shows

a  moment where  my hero Ricardo Valeron - who has kidnapped  the heroine from her wedding -  first shows a gentler side. After watching the heroine, Fliss struggle to remove the innumerable pins that hold her wedding veil in place, he comes to her aid.

But I think my favourite image is the one where Rico 'casually tossed the bunch of keys up into the air, catching them one-handed as they fell  back down. '

In the Manga edition, Rico is twirling a set of keys  that look as if they would have  secured a dungeon rather than a bedroom door in a modern house!

But perhaps the most intresring difference is in the portrayal of the characters - the hero and heroine. With their huge eyes, pointed chins and high cheekbones, the image is very different  from the tall, dark and powerful hero on the Presents edition cover of  The Hostage Bride . 

This has always been one of my favourite covers.

It's always a thrill to see  much older books  -  it's  now 12 years since this was first published -  being revived and reprinted.  And it's a special thrill to  see them reproduced in this very differnt, specialised  and really rather magic format.

Backlist Titles

I've just learned that a couple more of my backlist titles are going to be rereleased in eHarlequin's ebook programme. It's great to see the books being given a new lease of life in this way.

So if you missed these the first time round then these new editions will be rereleased in November 1st.

The Sicilian's Wife
He gave her marriage - but not his love!

Marriage to Cesare Santorino is all Megan has ever wanted, although never like this! She's in deep trouble and, with no other choice, agrees to Cesare's offer of a mutually beneficial. convenient marriage.

Cesare makes no secret of his desire for her. But what about love? Megan can only hope that her proud Sicilian Husband might eventually come to see his young wife with more than just passion . . .
The story of The Sicilian's Wife is linked to A Sicilian Husband which is the story of Cesare's half-brother Gio.

(Anyone who prefers their books in print - this is reprinted in the 3 in 1 Claimed by the Sicilian which is still on sale in the UK)

And

The Hostage Bride (2001)

To hold and to have!

Fliss's father has been embezzling from Argentine billionaire Ricardo Valeron. She knows Rico is ruthless in his business dealings and will stop at nothing to ruin her father if he should uncover the truth. To save her father, Fliss agrees to marry an old friend - and in return, he'll pay her father's debt.
But before the ceremony takes place, Rico arrives and whisks Fliss away. Has he discovered the missing money. Is he out for revenge? Just what are Rico's intentions toward his hostage bride?

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

My First Kate Walker - Abby Green

As part of the celebrations for my 25th anniversary of being published, I asked some of my writing friends - and others - to let me know which was the first of my books they read - if they could remember .

The first one to reply was Irish author for Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents Abby Green

To be perfectly honest I'm not sure I can remember my very first Kate Walker - I think she sunk into my brain and thought processes by osmosis and suddenly I couldn't ever remember not having read Kate Walker..! But the one that sticks in my memory in particular is probably 'Fiancee by Mistake'.(1998) It was such a modern take on a traditional romance and I love the bit where Leah, the heroine first meets the hero at the side of an icy road where their passion for each other pretty much melts the snow around them! And then they're stuck in a house together, and all that passion is building and ooohh it's delicious. Plus the hero has a great and very Irish sounding name - Sean Gallagher.


My top five Kate Walker reads are:
The Hostage Bride;
The Hired Husband;
The Sicilian's Wife;
The Twelve Month Mistress;
Desert Affair

I have a couple of memories about Fiancée By Mistake - it was unusual for me in two ways. One, it was a Christmas book and secondly it was the first one I ever wrote where I added the hero's point of view . And yes, Sean Gallagher was meant to be partly Irish!

I understand that it was partly reading the tango scene in The Hostage Bride that sparked off Abby's personal interest in dancing the tango.

Abby's latest Modern Romance Ruthless Greek Boss; Secretary Mistress is out now in the UK and in America, Ruthlessly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded is also on sale. So you can treat yourself to a brand-new Abby Green book to read over Christmas.

You can read more about her latest news and her books on her web site

Great Big Blog Party 54 - Lee Hyat

Today's guest blogger is a very special cyber friend - sadly, I've never yet me Lee Hyat in person. But we've known each other for . . .Oh, since Constantine's Revenge was published - and that came out in 2000 so that makes it seven years.

My first 'meeting' with Lee was through a message in a guestbook that I had on my very first web site. She visited, signed her name, and left me a lovely message. I responded and thanked her for dropping by.I'm so glad that I did because we've been together - working on web sites etc at first and later as friends - ever since.

Lee has been involved in romance writing and reading all the time I've known her and she's one of the most active and busy people on the internet that I've ever known. I've lost count of the number of web sites she's worked with, the reviews she's written, the message boards she's moderated. I do remember that one of them was called The Best Reviews - and that just about summed it up. Lee's read so many romances, so she always has a knowledgeable opinion on what she reads - and if she loves something she says so. It's an honour to get a positive review from her because she knows so much and has read so much.

Over the years, she's done interviews with me too and she always asks great questions - the sort of thing I'd want to ask an author myself if I was interviewing someone. Lee's worked on lots of web sites but now she's reached a point where she's set up her own set of sites and she manages those. If you're interested in Romance and want to read more about it - check out My Tote Bag - and if you'd like to get some freebies from authors and collect them, check out Leena's Goodie Room too. You can get your hands on Kate Walker bookmarks and pens that way if you do.

Because that's the other reason Lee's so valuable in my life. She's always there as a friend to chat about books and writers and life in general - but she's also a great back-up to me as an author. Living in the UK, I used to have problems getting things like bookmarks designed, printed - and distributed in America - it took time I didn't have and I am not skilled in design or anything like. But through her company Author Sound Relations, Lee comes to my rescue there. She designs and organises what I need, she distributes them to conferences etc - and I could never have managed to Great Big 50th title Contest that I mentioned in my last post without Lee's help. Just check out the wonderful Spotlight page she made for me - and then she deals with the entries, posts prizes out to the winners . . . and leaves me free to do what I'm supposed to be doing - writing.

Thank you for everything Lee - for your brilliant assistance with my publicity, for your friendship over the years, and for the love of my books that rbought us together. I hope one day we'll finally meet face to face and no longer been just cyber friends.

So here's Lee Hyat

Thank you, Kate, for inviting me to blog on your site. I’m delighted to be a part of your 50th book celebrations! I’m sure everyone’s been enjoying the celebrations with you and you’ve probably been looking back on your marvellous journey, feeling quite satisfied with this great achievement.

The word FIFTY takes on a bigger, more colourful dimension when one looks over all 50 gorgeous covers for Kate’s books, don’t you all agree? It’s like having all the colours of a beautiful rainbow on your bookshelf… delighting the senses and stirring the emotions. I’ve spent quite some time at Kate’s website this past month, reading all the summaries and making a list of the still-elusive Kate Walker books I need to get my hands on.

I know Kate’s mentioned it before in one of her posts but I’m going to repeat it anyway… Kate and I met several years ago when we both happened to discover, quite by chance, each other’s websites on the same day, at almost the same time. We had a good laugh over the coincidence later but it was sort of weird at the time. Like one of those wonderful incidents that hits home with a sense of déjà vu. I think we both knew that day we were destined to get to know each other better. And we did.

Her warmth, fantastic talent and caring attitude has been a great source of inspiration over the years. I think what I respect and admire most about Kate – aside from the fantastic novels she writes…. CONSTANTINE’S REVENGE being one of my all time favorites! – is that she takes the time to inspire aspiring writers and supports them in their achievements so enthusiastically. She always gives back 150% of what she gets. I don’t know quite how she finds the time to do all that she does but she’s brilliant at it.

Kate’s had several exciting events happening lately and I know, like me, lots of people have been checking out the books and summaries on her website. I’d love to know which cover(s) from Kate’s books are your favorites. I’m personally leaning towards all the older UK covers because they’re the colorful ones (before they all became blue), reminding me of the rainbow and in terms of titles, I adore the cover for HOSTAGE BRIDE and … of course…. CONSTANTINE’S REVENGE! So please, if you read this, let me know which cover(s) appeal to you. We all know the stories are fantastic and it’s more difficult to decide with those so I’m making it easy --- just mention the titles featuring the best covers. I’m going to ask Kate to let the marvelous Sid pick a winner from the comments and I’ll send the winner a goodie package with a few good Harlequin Presents novels.

Kate, I’ve enjoyed so many of your books and I’m absolutely thrilled to see you celebrate the 50th one! My heartiest congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading many many more from you in the years ahead!

Lee

GIVEAWAY QUESTION:

Which boks of Kate's do you think have your favourite covers? Which ones do you like the best?

GIVEAWAY PRIZE:

A My Tote Bag goodie package with some great Harlequin Presents novels.

PS From Kate - What a great idea, Lee - I'm so looking forward to the answers to this one. I'd love to know which of my covers you all like best.

For my self, I'd have to agree with Lee that the coer of Constantine's Revenge is wonderful - and I love Vito and Emily on The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge - and I think a lot of you do too.

Which gives me an idea - when Sid's picked a winner (that cat is going to be so busy!) I'll collect up some of the titles and the favourite covers and post then in a separate blog - I might also do one on the covers I like least.