Are you an RNA Conference Virgin?

 

I  still remember how it felt to head for my very first conference back in 2000. I was so nervous. But I soon got settled and this year I’m back for my 12^th or 13^th – how did that happen?

In 2002, I helped introduce some ‘newbies’ (aka Conference Virgins) to the Conference experience and then for the next 2 years I ran the first timers’ welcome scheme and newsletter – something that’s now an established part of the conference. So when I was asked to write a post for the RNA blog about the things a first-timer should pack, I just had to go back over my past newsletters to collect up my list. 

So here is the Virgin’s/First Timer's Packing List.   Hope it helps!

• Clothes you can  live in for a day of  workshops/sitting on chairs/taking notes/taking part/drinking tea or coffee/eating lunch/talking/meeting people.  Be comfortable  - dress code is pretty casual.

• Layers – this is England - you never know what the temperature will be. In Sheffield we baked in the heat  - other days - well, see below!

• Rain protection – umbrella/ jacket to run from accommodation to workshops etc

• Shoes you can walk in from bedroom to workshop to coffee to workshop to lunch to queue for lunch in to workshops to tea to your room . . .

• Glitz  for the celebration dinner – this is the time to wear shoes to flaunt  and have photographed for the blog . Some people dress up to the nines, other just  up to five – use it as an excuse to glam up if you want.

• Notebook File Pens – you may be provided with some of these  – but it’s amazing how many people forget that they will need to take notes  etc The goody bag usually has paper in it but if you have a preference for a particular sort of notebook or a pen  bring one.

• A bag to carry them around in and collect up handouts from workshops  papers will slip and slide in your hands. Straps long enough to go over your shoulder help – specially when trying to drink tea/coffee/eat bacon rolls etc. There is always a goody bag given by RNA - but you want to make sure you have something suitable for all the stuff you need to tote around.

• It can be useful to have a small fold-up/cotton bag (or that 'goody bag' )  to go inside your other bag to carry the books you inevitably buy from the bookshop

• Don’t bring book(s) to read – your goody bag will provide some and there is always the bookshop

• Small bottle of water to carry round  - specially in workshops etc if it gets warm and have water  in your  room to avoid hangover  see below!

• Cash for  books, drinks, extras

• Tissues

• Alarm clock or one on  your phone  - you don’t want to miss anything. Use your phone to plan your day as well. 

• Paracetamol  for ‘overload’ headache

• And/or   hangover cure – water/paracetamol/milk thistle. Every year the bar staff are warned the Romantic Novelists can shift a little wine. Every year they don’t quite believe it – until they have to send for fresh supplies!

• Ear plugs if noise bothers you – it’s a place you’re not used to and people do gather and chat in the kitchens etc.

• Toiletries shampoo etc

• Hairdryer if needed

• Minimum makeup stuff – do you really think you’ll have time for a full glam up for the evening?

• Pyjamas or similar for wandering from room to kitchen/staying and chatting in kitchen

• List of books you want to get hold of/authors you hope to meet

• Laptop/ipad/blackberry/whatever if you really can’t live without email

• A pack of disposable plastic tumblers are a good idea – wine drinking back in the digs can be difficult with no glasses....  (Thanks to Anna Louise Lucia – one of the original ‘virgins’  who reminded me about this one!)

• Anna also says:” I bring a note of my workshop choices, so I don’t have to double check.”

• And  you might want to bring extra tea bags  specially if there's one brand you love - or you go for green/white/fruit teas.

Other points you might want to consider:

Pace yourself 

The RNA is quite a small conference, particularly when compared to America’s RWA – but it doesn’t always seem that way when it’s your first time and you don’t know many people. You don’t have to do everything and even if you attended all the workshops you wanted you probably won't take everything in if you're rushing frantically from A to Z. One of the important benefits of a conference is meeting and talking with fellow writers - people who actually get what this is all about.  Balance this with the workshop benefits and take time out when you need it. It's so easy to get swept away in the hype, the networking, the fun but taking a moment to regroup your thoughts/grab a water/caffeine boost can set you up for the rest of the conference. If you give yourself some "break" time, it'll stop you feeling overwhelmed and give you a chance to absorb what you've heard.

Meeting authors and others

Remember that published writers are only human - this means that they  will  usually be easily approachable and happy to talk - if you approach them at the right time.  Specially if you want to ask them to sign a book! But published authors can get as overwhelmed as new writers. When an author is talking with an agent/senior editor - any editor is not the best time to approach. But if they are looking a bit lonely or in a queue for lunch  that's a good time to stop and say Hi.

This is the case with people giving talks or workshops - if you have questions that there wasn't time for in the talk most people will be happy to answer - but make sure that they're not on their way to another talk/a meeting/ coffee with someone/a meal. You can always come back later.

Smile and say hello to people.  Introduce yourself. You never know who you might end up standing/sitting next to

Above everything else, have fun  and enjoy yourself.  If you have a problem  or feel lost – ask. There will always be someone who’ll know the answer or if they don’t they can find someone who will help.

See you there

Kate

PS I'm  giving a talk on Emotion on Sunday afternoon if you're there for the whole conference and not leaving at lunch time.

Pink Heart Blog Day

Today has just slipped away from me - so much to do  - that I nearly forgot that today is my Pink Heart  Society Blogging day.

But I remembered just in time!  And got my post up while it was still today.

So that's where I am today

Writers' Holiday in Wales

I recently had some enquiries about  any courses I have coming up  so I thought I’d just remind you that as it’s July  I’ll be spending my usual wonderful week by the sea in Fishguard in Wales  with the fabulous Writers’ Holiday.

I’ll be  teaching  The Complete Romance Writing Course

 This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular romance genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc. will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction.

So looking forward to the week by the sea, meeting old friends , making new ones. A week  of enjoying the company of other writers – eating good food (lots of it!)  sharing laughter and  lots of interesting ‘main’ talks.

Oh – and I almost forgot the very special  Friday Night  Welsh Night – how could I forget that?

  Friday evening only, after dinner, gives delegates the opportunity of sampling a little of the singing reserved normally for the communities of Wales. This private concert will start at 8.00pm and the excellent Cwmbach Male Voice Choir will also adjourn to the bar after - an evening not to be missed.

I’m only sorry that I can’t do all of the other courses on offer . . .perhaps if I snuck out and  joined one of them, no one would notice?

FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK:

1 IDEAS ON YOUR DOORSTEP: FIND THEM, WRITE THEM – AND PROFIT FROM THEM

  STEPHEN WADE

2 SHORT STORY MAGIC - HOW TO WRITE EMOTION

DELLA GALTON

3  THE COMPLETE  ROMANCE WRITING COURSE

KATE WALKER  

4    POETRY FOR ALL!    

ALISON CHISHOLM

5   Painting and Drawing  

SUSAN ALISON

SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK:

  6    WHAT'S YOUR DREAM?   MAKE IT HAPPEN NOW!

 SOLANGE HANDO     

7   WRITE A NON-FICTION BEST-SELLER

SIMON WHALEY

 8    E&P-I-Y YOUR BOOK – LEAVE OUT THE MIDDLE MAN AND KEEP ALL THE PROFIT!

 MALCOLM CHISHOLM

 9   THE SERENDIPITOUS WRITER   

CAROL FENLON

  10   Painting and Drawing

   SUSAN ALISON

Or you can just stare at the sea

 And all for only £499    - for that you get two 8 session writing courses as well.

Partners welcome any time. 

If you’re with the family, or staying somewhere else nearby, you can always become a Day Delegate

  DAY DELEGATE RATE INCLUDES EVERYTHING except a bed! For just £299

Full English breakfast, all morning coffees/lunches/afternoon teas/dinners

together with all courses/workshops from breakfast until late evening each day.

Full details  from Writers' Holiday

I can't wait!

Weekend cats

Oh Ruby - what are you looking at  so intently?



- I'm looking at Charlie in the tree and wondering just how he got up there.

I was far more worried that he wouldn't get down and we'd have to call the fire brigade - but luckily he managed it fine.

Trouble is - Ruby is now trying to reach his perch in the crab apple tree!

 

What a difference a cover makes!

You might remember my last book - Destined for The Desert King. I loved the UK and USA cover of that . it was very suitable for the book, gorgeous colours  and had so many touches of luxury and  portrayed the characters so well.

But then yesterday I got a package of new foreign translations, and there was a Dutch translation of Destined for the Desert King  - same book, same characters - but - what a different mood, style and image for the cover.  Same characters but at a different point in the story  and . . . well, see for yourself. . .

They're both fine for the story, and my hero and heroine. The hero has lost his beard in the Dutch one - but then he does shave that off in the middle of the story.  It's such a different mood though  - but it's the same book.

Personally I'm all for  different types  of images on the covers . I don't mind a sexy passionate bedroom scene, or a more subtle, perhaps more tender scene. I think that the Harlequin  Presents  line indicates a mixture of both.  And, let's face it, 8 books with 8 covers of 8 heroes and 8 heroines in bed together - er - 4 couples separately, not all 8 in one bed!!) will inevitably  look rather 'samey' and uninteresting. And while that image might be suitable for one scene in a book - or perhaps a lot of another! - it doesn't actually represent the whole development of the story.  But then what cover can.

Which one do you like best?   What sort of cover art would make you want to pick up  a romance novel?

Father's Day Weekend

Lovely Lola

This  Sunday being Father's Day, we  enjoyed the company of The Offspring and his Lovely Fiancée.

And the beautiful  grand-dog, Lola  the golden retriever.   Lola was a very cute puppy,  and she has grown into a very beautiful  nine month old dog.   She is one of those very pale golden dogs - more a blonde, and at times almost white.  (Though not when she has been to the beach or the woods because then she is really mainly mud!)

Thanks to the Lovely Fiancée, she is also a very well-behaved creature, so she's a delight to have around.

And what about our cats? How did they cope? Well, Lola lives with six cats so she is used to felines, and she is very sensible and well-behaved around them. She's also (even more sensibly) very respectful to Charlie, recognising that he is the Alpha Cat in the household. This was her third visit to stay overnight and it seems that Charlie has just about come to accept her. No great friendship there, but he'll tolerate her.

Almost there!

So long as everyone accepts that he is the most beautiful creature in the house.  Which of course he is.

And Ruby? She's taking a bit longer to come round - but then she's only half the size of Charlie, so Lola must seem very imposing to her.  It'll take another couple of visits I think - but she'll get there.

Lola likes cats so much, she'll wait.

Tote Bags Day

Today's the 12 June which makes it my day for blogging over at Tote Bags 'N' Blogs. ( A little late as the heavy thundery weather left me with a migraine - but I made it in the end!)

As  here in the UK there have been major celebrations for the Queen's 90th birthday, I thought I'd take the opportunity to look back at the past 90 years of romance novels and some of their amazing covers.    So if you want to see some of 'The Art of Romance'  -  take a look over there.

The trouble with Maine Coons

As you will have noticed, Charlie is a Maine Coon - which means that he is  very much a long-haired cat.  A beautiful long-haired cat, as many people have been kind enough to say about him.  (I'm keeping that bit quiet as the admiration he's already had has gone to his head far enough already.

  Long-haired cats obviously need a lot of grooming - regular grooming - or they don't  stay beautiful for very long.  Charlie is not a fan of being groomed. Particularly not when he has a just-healed sore spot on his neck, and lower down from a just-healed nasty abscess.  So I have had a struggle to do any serious grooming this past week if I wanted to keep my hands. And as they are rather useful to me, I have had to do a basic minimum of the grooming thing or I would  have been able to write this post.

The other thing about Maine Coons is that when they shed their winter coat (which is a long, heavy coat)  they don't just shed like ordinary cats ie a few threads of fur here and there - that can be hoovered up quite easily.  Maine  Coon's winter fur gathers together into a clump and that clump is what sheds.   This is what I try to groom off him.

But with the sore neck etc problem I haven't been able to do a full thorough  grooming session. As a result, we knew that there was a large clump of fur that had gathered together and we were waiting - trying a bit more each day - to get it away from his neck and lower down his back so we could  remove it  - at least trimming off most of it.  But yesterday he went out - messy clump attached  - and came back without messy clump.

Fine, it had fallen off on its own. But  this morning the lovely lady who lives along the road and her handsome Border Collie Dylan   (who is way bigger than but frightened of Charlie!) knocked on our door in some concern.  (Well the lady did - I know Border Collies are bright, but not that bright!)

'Is your cat all right ?' she asked, worried  has he been in a fight or something . . ' She was afraid he might have met the local fox or perhaps a car.  She held out the clump of fur that Dylan had

found by the roadside.   A very large clump of fur.   As you'll see from the picture.

Luckily I was able to reassure here that this was simply Charlie shedding - but  even I have to admit that if I'd spotted that lying in the middle of the road, I might well have feared that a small kitten had had a terrible accident - or that a cat had had a large chunk torn out of him.   Either way, I really appreciated her taking the time and trouble to come and check that the big ginger guy was all right.  Thank you so much kind neighbour - and Dylan.

It just shows what a couple of days missing grooming can do!

And, on a serious point, if  you have a long-haired cat and don't groom it in the spring shedding season particularly - that lump of fur is what can end up  being tongue-groomed - and swallowed and can end up blocking the cat's stomach.   As you can see, Charlie has a lot more where that came from!

Welcome return visitor

They haven't been seen for a while, and  to tell the truth we were getting a little worried that perhaps the residents of Hedgehog Towers (aka the Hecks) had packed up and moved on - or worse. Particularly when a poor ex-hedgehog was squashed on the road last week.

But  the food we had put out for them was being eaten by someone -  though that could be the stray cats/squirrels/magpies or even the rook that comes down to the bird table. (He takes a whole suet ball for himself and retires to the garage roof to eat in peace!)

But last week the neighbours said that they'd seen Ruby the black and white cat  playing jump over the hedgehog in their garden so we hoped we could relax- and last night the warm weather and light evening meant that at least we could get our first clear view of a foraging hedgehog snuffling about the lawn.

We're glad to see him/her back again - hopefully it's not the only one.

Pink Hearts Day

For anyone who wants an update on Charlie - he is so much better he's eating like a pig, and now has gone out to chase magpies off his lawn!

Today is the 3rd of the month which means that it's my day to blog at the Pink Hearts Society - where I'm looking forward to the events coming up - RNA - Writers Holiday - Relax and Write and all the fun I'll have there.

Have a great weekend. I know Charlie will!

New cover reveal.

So after 48 hours of antibiotics, regular bathing of his neck good food, and a l-o-n-g sleep Charlie Rumpusscat (his full name!) is feeling so much better. He's celebrated getting rid of the cone of shame by running out of the house and up a crab apple tree. singing a song of joy as he goes. :-)



Or perhaps he's celebrating the fact that I've just been sent the image of the cover of my new book - Indebted to Moreno - which is coming at the end of September. Would you like to see it? It seems to have pleased Charlie.

A Day in The Life of . . .2

Charlie the Maine Coon would like to thank everyone who paid him compliments and said he was beautiful - which he is - but he would also like everyone to know that his life is not always  one long round of snoozes and snacks.

It is sometimes, but there are other days on which that enjoyable and comfortable life  is disrupted by things of a disastrous type - ie  visits to the vet disasters.

He has had one of those days today,  after appearing at the door with a rather nasty mess on his neck which turned out to be the result of an abscess under his fur which had burst. After a trip to the vert for a clean up - plus some eye wateringly expensive antibiotics and painkillers, he is now back home safe and almost sound. But he is not happy as you can see.
The dreaded cone is round his neck to stop him from scratching at the wound  and he is to stay inside  for a while - which he is not best pleased about.

His song of protest is loud and from the heart, specially as  - if you look  at this picture - you will see a pair of black and white legs that belong to his sister Ruby who is allowed out into the garden, much to his disgust.

However, if the thunder and rain forecast for the evening appear, perhaps that will make him feel better about staying inside. It's already cold enough to  mean that if he did go outside, then he'd soon be back in again.

But at the moment he is singing a song of heartfelt protest in a fine, high tenor voice!

A Day in the Life Of . . .

I've had a really busy day.  As I think I mentioned, we've had the bedroom completely redecorated and revamped. The result is wonderful - better than I could have hoped for but  now that the job is done (phew!)  I have  to  reorganise everything - bringing all the stuff/clothes etc that I'd moved out of the room back into the bedroom, putting them away,  finding places for everything . . .

It's all been worth it, but it's taken time, and I think I've walked more than those 10.000 steps you're supposed to  count up in order to keep healthy.

So that's my day.  And while I've been doing this, Charlie the Maine Coon has had his own sort of day. Cats are supposed to be 'active mammals' - well, in that case 'active'  doesn't mean what I normally thin it means.  And as I've had a few enquiries from readers who've missed seeing Charlie and Ruby  and what they've been up to, well here is -

A day in the life of Charlie Rumpuss - the Maine Coon.
First of all he woke up and had a little something to eat . . .

And then he had a snooze

 After a while  he woke up - briefly - and had a wash and grooming session

Which tired him out, so that he went back to sleep . . .

 Until it was time for a little snack





 After which, he  needed a grooming session, to make sure his paws and whiskers were all clean .

Which took rather  a lot of effort - . so he crashed out and is now fast asleep again.

Sometimes I wish I was a cat!

That cake again!

Just in case you feel inspired enough (or crazy enough! ) to want to make an Imperial State Crown Cake then here is the perpetrator - ahem - inventor - himself - Keef Piethagoras Williamson of Keef Cooks showing just how he went about it!


 I'm even more honoured that he did now I've seen this - though it was certainly a challenge to try to eat the result. 


 But it was definitely a cake and a half - and another half . . .Delicious.


Thank you again, Keef!

A Special Weekend

There are friends and there are friends.

Facebook makes it seem as if ‘friendship’ is as simple as clicking on a name and – that’s that!  Friends for life-  or at least until another click ‘unfriends’ someone. 

I’m happy to see my Facebook friends making comments or liking a post and some of them are real friends  - friends in the outside world,  people I’ve met in person – or through long correspondence or emails.  People who might  be separated sometimes by life taking them many  thousands of miles away but who, when you meet up again, fit like a comfortable sock,  falling straight back into place in your life and reminding you of just how much you missed them.

We spent this weekend with friends like that -  their life  has often taken them miles  away,  to different countries, different experiences, but  just recently they came back  to live in UK – just down the road in fact (well, in contrast to past times!). Close enough for us to go and visit  easily – and hopefully much more often.

So this weekend I was able to fulfil a l-o-n-g held promise to show my friend around Haworth and to visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum together.  It was a slightly unusual  trip to Haworth for two reasons – one that the sun  was shining  so ‘Wuthering Heights’ it was not! And two, we hadn’t realised that we’d be sharing our latest reunion with  the crowds who had come to enjoy the annual  Haworth 1940s weekend.   So the narrow Main Street, the  park behind the Parsonage and  every one of the cafés  were crowded with soldiers in uniform, land girls, RAF officers – and  the general public  dressed up to the nines in  costumes that ranged in accuracy from downright perfect to a passing nod to the idea of 40’s fashion.   Great fun – if a little wearing as you tried to make your way anywhere in the bustling crowds.

The highlight for us – and I’m sure for many people there – was the flypast of the Spitfire plane, circling low enough over the street to be seen clearly.

After that we all went  back to our friends’ new home for the evening sharing in the  - er ‘delights’ of the Eurovision song contest  ( you need to be friends to do that!)  There was also an extra surprise  for me -  extending my birthday celebrations with the  most magnificent cake I have ever been served.   Blending my birthday  with the 90^th celebrations of HM The Queen,  Keef  had created the Imperial State Crown  of a cake decorated with incredible accuracy (we’d been looking at a replica of the actual crown only that afternoon.)

But the actual crown couldn’t have tasted as delicious as this light fruit cake version.  It was wonderful (well it should be when created by the Cook himself from Keef Cooks )– if something of a challenge! The cake itself weighed  a ton.  We could only manage a smallish portion each – and the rest of the cake will need to be shared amongst friends  who I’m sure will enjoy it every bit as much as we did.

But at least we managed to walk off some of the calories the next morning when we went  down to  Rodley Nature Reserve  where as well as   the delights of watching a proud mother sw

an carry all of her 8 cygnets across the water on her back  we were able to watch oyster catchers and the handsome, elegant herons from pretty close up.

A fabulous  weekend  -  I send special thanks to my friends  - and the great thing is that now they live so much closer, we can repeat this  again pretty soon.

Unfortunately my course in Swanwick this weekend has had to be cancelled - though that means that I have a wonderful free weekend to spend with a special friend (carefully not saying 'old' though we've been friends for 40+ years!) The Writer's Repair Shop course is hopefully just postponed until  a different date - if you're interested contact Relax and Write for new details.

My next teaching date is at the RNA Conference in Lancaster in July but that is just an hour or s...o - the same month I'll be heading for the wonderful Writers Holiday  in Fishguard for a week where I'll be teaching the Complete Romance Writing Course - so looking forward to being back in Wales with so many very special friends . If you're interested check out Writers Holiday  - bed, almost a week's full board, writing tuition (or just time to write- or sleep!) making new friends . . . all for just £499. It's great value (and I know because before I started teaching there most summers, I paid it!)

The Complete ROMANCE Writing Course  

This course is intended to provide information and advice for anyone who wants to learn how to write a popular romance genre novel. It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. While the focus may be on romance novels, the techniques – dialogue, characters, tension, pacing, settings, hooks etc. will also be relevant to all forms of popular fiction.

After that, the next weekend coming up is  at Swanwick: 

'Writing Romantic Fiction' with Kate Walker - A RETREAT. Restricted numbers

 

The RETREAT weekends are ideal for those with work in progress.  The group is kept small so that you benefit from constructive feedback on your work, which must be prepared and sent to Kate in advance, so that she can make notes to cover details with you at your one-to-one. This is a chance for you to discuss your work with a professional, get an objective assessment or would you prefer time to reflect on your novel and write? This is a perfect opportunity to take your writing to the next level. A synopsis and two chapters to be sent six weeks before the date of the course via Lois. 

(As  numbers are limited on this retreat - so that I can have one-to-ones with students and discuss  their work with them etc please make sure you have expressed your interest - and put down a deposit   with Lois so that you don't miss out.)

All roads lead to Haworth . . .

I missed Charlotte Bronte's 100th birthday yesterday because I've been flattened since I got back from teaching at Cirencester - sore throat, swollen glands,no voice. . . . I have my suspicions who passed on their germs to me!

So I'm specially grateful to Marie  Frances who shared the article in the Guardian  about her childhood writings  and those of her sisters, Emily and Anne,  because this is exactly what I wrote about in my MA thesis ('Fantasy and Prophecy') all those years ago, just before I got married. ...It seems to be the time to have started sharing that with my friends recently - yes, Sallyann Halstead? (Hope you're finding it interesting) And I'm planing on meeting  my friend Noelle  in Haworth very soon. All roads lead to Bronteland?

I have wonderful memories of speaking in the school house where Charlotte Bronte taught - as part of the Festival of Women's writing in Haworth in 2011. But my proudest moment was knowing that the archivist at the Parsonage Museum had asked for a copy of my Modern Romance reworking of Wuthering Heights - The Return of The Stranger - for the collection in the Museum.
Interesting then, that when I was at Hampshire Writers Society last week, one of their members when asked to review one of my books, chose Return of The Stranger to write up - and read the review on the night. Thank you Teresa.

 And thanks again to the Hampshire Writers for their warm welcome.

But it still seems that right now, all roads lead to Haworth . . . .

Tote Bags Day

It's been a crazy week, and it's going to get crazier.

Tomorrow I'm heading for Winchester  where I'm going to talk to  the Hampshire Writers'  Society. Then from there I'm heading for Oxford where I'm meeting a lovely writer friend, Julie Cohen and catching up after way too long.

On Friday I'll be at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester where I'm teaching  a weekend course on Beginning, Middle and End, planning your romance novel.  (I'll have a book - or two - of my own to plan too, so this will  be really helpful for me as well!)

And today, being the 12th on the month is the day that I'm over on Tote Bags and Blogs - so that's where I am today!

I'll be away the rest of the week, so I'll catch up again when I'm back

Catching up and looking ahead

I'm still not entirely sure how it got to April.  But I'm enjoying the longer days and the brighter sunshine that April brings (well, it has done today anyway!). I had hoped to do some  spring cleaning, with new wardrobes built in the bedroom, but  they're not ready yet so the clothes are still stored in all the wrong places and  the bedroom has one bed and a table lamp in it!

So this weekend was  crammed with work instead. The proofs of the latest title arrived rather late after a  mix up in delivery so I had to do a rush job on those to get them back to my Editor by this morning.  But I managed then and Indebted to Moreno is now in process, ready for publication in October this year.  The next delight ( I hope!) is seeing what the cover looks like.

Today has been spent looking at and planning the next course with Relax and Write.  This will be at a new venue for me - the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. I've never been to Cirencester so I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like.  I've heard good reports.

The course - Beginning, Middle and End, Planning your Novel  runs for the weekend of 15th  - 17th  April.  It's getting well booked up now, but I can still squeeze in some more students if you've been thinking about  coming but haven't booked yet.

Was your New Year resolution to 'write that novel'? Did you start out hopefully, wanting to write the story that was burning in your head ... only to find that now you've slowed down. Come and join a group and gain new inspiration. This course will teach you how to plan out your novel so that you have a much better idea of where you're going and how to create the best read possible. All inclusive fee £245 includes Sunday Lunch. 

I always have so much fun on the weekend courses - as well as getting a lot of writing done!  - so I'm looking forward to this a lot.   And as I've just signed a contract for two new books, I'm  going to find it really helpful for planning out my own new stories along with all my students.

Details can be found on the Relax and Write web site  here.

I've been asked for the details of courses following  the April  one - so  just to let you know that there is another course running in May in Swanwick.
. So here are the details:

13 - 15 MAY 2016 at THE HAYES CONFERENCE CENTRE SWANWICK DERBYSHIRE

All inclusive fee £249.

'The Writer's Repair Shop'  with Kate Walker

A course for those with work in progress. 

We've all been there - getting that nasty feeling that some things are not quite right with the book we're working on - but what's the caused it? And even more important, how to fix it? Problems that Kate will look at: Where to begin your story. Writers' Block and ways to break through it. Characters who don't come alive - how to sustain them as 3 dimensional beings. The sagging middle. Letting your story slip away from you/ lack of belief in what you're writing. Tropes or Cliches - it's all been written before. Individual voice.  An excellent course.

  

I'm joined by the Babe Magnet in Swanwick (and in Cirencester too)  so this is the course he's running:

Writing Non-Fiction' with Stephen Wade

Stephen Wade is a multi-published freelance writer, author of 70 books on true crime (modern and historical), genealogy, military history, biography and poetry.  He has taught English and Creative Writing for over 25 years and currently lectures part-time at Hull University. He has contributed to Writing magazine, most Family history magazines and many other journals.

 The aim of this weekend course is to work on producing a synopsis and sample chapter.  Here, Stephen Wade will offer guidance in writing your synopsis for the non-fictional work you are developing.  The course includes examples and case studies from Stephen's own writing.

After these two courses, I have a moment to breathe  (and write!)  before I head for Writers' Holiday in Fishguard in July.

But before then I have a dreadline . . . help!

Long weekend memories

I hope everyone who celebrated Easter had a wonderful time, lots of chocolate (if you wanted it!) and a relaxing time adjusting to the time change as the clocks went forward.

We had family  to stay - The Offspring and his lovely fiancée and the grand-dog  Lola  came to visit and stayed overnight. This was the first time that Lola had stayed and the cats were pretty indignant at having a d-o-g invade their space.  It was funny to see Ruby (who is about the size of a little bit dropped off  Lola)  fluffing herself up - with the fur on the back of her spine standing on edge to show she was no pushover. Charlie gave some fierce deep growls to warn the intruder that this

was his house  and she'd better watch her step.  But Lola has grown up with 6 cats so she knows the ways of felines and then  after  a few hours they   all settled down and  kept  a safe distance so that peace could be established.,

Most of the weekend,  I spent a fascinating  and nostalgic time watching the ceremonies carried out in Dublin to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising of 1916.  It was an important  Centenary for Ireland and it re-awoke some personal memories of my own.

One hundred years ago my mother was just a baby of seven weeks,  and my father was  14 months old, both  born in Ireland  but obviously totally unaware of the major events in Dublin that week.  My grandfather though was only too well aware of what was going on. He had been friends with Eamonn De Valera  who taught in 2 of the colleges where my grandfather had held the position just before him.

Fifty years later, I was in Ireland at the time of the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising. My grandfather had just died and left behind his collection of technical and complex  mathematics text books. (He had gained a degree in Mathematics and Classics) These were not the sort of thing that any of his granddaughters were at all interested in.The only person my mother could think of who might be interested in those books was the man who had once sent my grandfather messages in complicated codes with mathematical problems - Eamon DeValera who was then  President of Ireland.  He and my grandfather had  broken off contact and ended their friendship  as a result of  'the Troubles'  and  it was only when she wrote to tell him that he learned of my grandfather's death.  As a result, he then invited my family to afternoon tea at his official residence Áras an Uachtaráin in Dublin. I remember a very tall, almost blind old man (though he hid that most of the time, only admitting any problem when he asked my mother to pour the tea instead of going it himself) who admitted that he when he was asked to sing at school picnics,  always sang The Minstrel Boy to the tune of The Harp That Once Through Tara's Hall. He was thrilled to receive the mathematical tomes, though I doubt that he was able to read them with any ease.   No mention was made of any of the events of Easter 1916, or afterwards,  even though it was the year of the 50th anniversary.

The generation of my family who lived in Ireland at the time of the Easter Rising are now  all dead, but later this year, the Babe Magnet and I hope to revisit the country of their birth to mark this centenary  and to visit  and the family landmarks  - the house where my mother was born in Clones, the church she was married in in Limerick,  my grandfather's house in Dublin.  That will bring full circle the memories   that this 100th anniversary  has sparked off.

A special gift from a past student.

I’ve been busy sorting out my office. This room gets so messy when other things in life are going on – and even worse when the ‘other things’ are writing the next book.

Or planning a course that I’m teaching.

So today has had a bit of both – I’m mapping out the next  novel I’m writing  - and the one that goes with it. This book is planned as a duet, part of two linked books – because my editor asked for that. So really I have two stories to work on and plan out.  Two heroes, two heroines, two stories – ones that are connected and interlinked.

Good thing then that the course I’m currently planning out is  - Beginning Middle and End - Planning Your Novel

(This one takes place on 15 - 17 APRIL 2016 at THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY CIRENCESTER)

I’ll be looking at things like  beginning well, ending so that the reader wants to pick up another of your stories, avoiding the sagging middle!

So hopefully that will get me started well  as I plan out the sessions for the workshops. And then if I get into a muddle and find that I have hit a wall, or , worse, writer’s block , or all my confidence has seeped away, driven away by those dangerous enemies to writers The Crows of Doubt,  then hopefully my workshops for the next course - The Writer's Repair Shop (at Swanwick in Derbyshire )– will give me some help and boosts to my confidence to put things right.

(It's a course for those with work in progress. We've all been there - getting that nasty feeling that some things are not quite right with the book we're working on - but what's the caused it? And even more important, how to fix it? Problems that we will look at: Where to begin your story. Writers' Block and ways to break through it. Characters who don't come alive - how to sustain them as 3 dimensional beings. The sagging middle. Letting your story slip away from you/ lack of belief in what you're writing. Tropes or Clichés - it's all been written before)

So it’s been a busy and concentrated time.  But today I received a package that reminded me of just why I love  running these courses so much. Apart from the enjoyment of meeting up with students, some of whom have now become close friends and some are newcomers, hopefully destined to join that group in the future, there are the moments when discovering that one of my students is now a past-pupil and has achieved her dream of becoming a published author and is launched on her own  successful writing career.

One of these successes is Rachael Thomas who, as most of you will know, was a regular at my Fishguard Bay courses for some years and who had her first book A Deal Before the Altar was published in  published in  October 2014. Since then there have been  four more  with several lined up to appear on the bookshop shelves very soon.

Which brings me back to the package that arrived today. The Sheikh’s Last Mistress will be Rachael’s newest title – published in May this year and I’ve been lucky enough to be sent an advanced copy.  So, I have to acknowledge that this book isn’t new to me.  I first read the opening of it when Rachael brought it for a one-to-one at Fishguard  and then I read the early version of the full story in 2012. So I recognise it and the essential elements of it very well.  But those earlier versions didn’t  succeed and, wisely Rachael put the book away until she could look at it with clearer and more objective eyes.  (One of the things I often recommend when a writer gets really stuck and just can’t see where the book is going wrong.) Then, when your head is clearer, you can take it out and look at it afresh.  (Yes – that will be one of the points I’ll make in the  Swanwick course.)

Another point I always make is not to throw anything away – what doesn’t work now can always be reworked  when you know more, have a clearer idea of where you’re going and what editors want. So I’m extra delighted to get my hands on an advance copy of The Sheikh’s Last Mistress. I’m so looking forward to reading about Rachael’s heroine Destiny and the hero Sheikh Zafir in these new reincarnations, reworked, revised – but built on the same foundations as that first version I read in 2012.

It’s so great that my courses and my advice have helped  other writers move from student to published author – and to read their works  as printed  books  rather than in manuscript. 

So guess what my weekend reading will be -  a lovely relaxation  after the work on the next couple of courses coming up.  
And hopefully Rachael’s never give up approach will  inspire my next group of students . .and he next.

Thank you so much for the copy if Destiny and Zafir’s story, Rachael – I’m so looking forward to reading it.

International giveaway

So - I  promised anyone who might read my books in a language other than English, that I'd have a special treat for them  - and here you are -
it's an International  Translations Giveaway

I've had a lot of deliveries of  foreign translations of my books and  before I send any to the language library I support, I thought I'd ask if there are any readers out there who'd like to win a giveaway of  the titles I have available.

It's quite simple - all you have to do is to email me  and let me know which book in which language you'd like to win.
A few simple conditions - 
1. One book only per person
2. Books on a first come first served basis. Once they;re gone, they're gone
3. Please  give me one title and a second choice in case I've run out of copies of the book yo

u first selected. Of course if there's just one book in one language then I'm afraid once they're gone, they're gone.

The books you can choose from are:
 1. Italian translations 
Olivero's Outrageous Proposal - Un Intrigante Proposta
The Good Greek Wife  in Scintilla Greca   -  4 in 1 with Sarah Morgan Caitlin Crews Abby Green
The Konstantos Marriage Demand   in Matrimonio Greco   4 in 1 with Diana Hamilton, Margaret Mayo, Helen Bianchin

2. Thailand:
Olivero's Outrageous Proposal

3. Poland
Bound By Blackmail (by Kate Walkerova!)  Spanelskanhra

4. Holland
Olivero's Outrageous Proposal  - Perfect Wraak?

5 German
The Temptation Game in  3 in 1 Traummanner with Julia James  and Catherine George
Cordero's Forced Bride in 3 in 1 Mittelmeertraume  - with  Susan Napier and Melanie Milburne

6. French
A Question of Honour - Pour L'honneur du Cheikh

7. Japanese - MANGA editions  of
Kept For Her Baby
Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Wife


THIS OFFER ENDS MONDAY MARCH 14th!

Next Course coming up:

First of all - huge congratulations to  my friend Iona  Grey whose novel Letters To The Lost won  the RNA's Romantic Novel of The Year last week,  I'm only sorry I couldn't be there to congratulate her in person. 

I spent the weekend away in Halifax, where I grew up. Meeting with my family - husband, son, about-to-

be daughter in law sisters, brother in law, niece . . . we all got together to celebrate what would have been my Mother's 100th birthday!  We had a wonderful reunion and a fun, nostalgic time.

Now I'm back  and trying to organise the next few weeks  and there seems to be a lot  to do,.

New contract to sign - check!

New book (s) to plan . . .working on that

New wardrobes to plan for the bedroom - semi-check. . .we've planned and organised that  - now all we need is for the  wardrobes to be  built in - and then  I'll have  to move everything from one room to another and (hopefully) organise it fully.

Web site to update . . .  still working on that

And  - next course(s) to plan and organise for April and May

So - as I promised to let people know just what was coming up for me in my teaching schedule - here are the details of the next course coming up in April . There are still some places available on this one so if you'vre interested please contact Relax and Write for details or to book.

15 - 17 APRIL 2016 at THE ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY CIRENCESTER

 Beginning Middle and End with Kate Walker

This weekend course will introduce you to writing that novel you have always wanted to see in print.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?  Do you plan out your book to the last detail or ‘set out hopefully into the mist’?

You could easily find your original plan is too rigid to work - or  lose your way as you write.   There are some things you need to think out even before you start.

 Did you start out hopefully, wanting to write the story that was burning in your head ... only to find that now you've slowed down. This course will teach you how to plan out your novel so that you have a much better idea of where you're going and how to create the best read possible.

Topics to be covered:

Starting  well

Opening hooks

Sustain conflict

Pace your story and  avoid the ‘sagging middle’

Write a satisfying end – making the reader want more from you

Come and join a group and gain new inspiration.

All inclusive fee £245 includes Sunday Lunch.

Also at the same venue, that weekend:

 Writing the Past with Stephen Wade

This course is intended to help both fiction and non-fiction writers at all stages of their writing lives. The aim is to provide help and guidance in all areas of writing which is concerned with the past. The course topics include the full range of writing and research skills you need to write in any category about the past. All inclusive fee £245 and includes Sunday Lunch.


Oh -  and  do you read my books in a language other than English? To celebrate the acceptance of my 65th title, I'll have some foreign language translations on offer for a give away just as soon as I get organised . . . watch this space.

Pink Hearts Day

Today is my day for blogging over on the Pink Hearts Society site.

With Mother's Day coming up this weekend (here in the UK at least) it's natural that mothers are in my thoughts - in romance and in reality.  Today would have been my own mother's 100th birthday and my sisters and I are getting together at the weekend to mark the date.

My post on the topic is on the PHS site here  and as Mills and Book is getting together with Gransnet to mark Mother's Day, you might find some interesting posts by authors there.

Some of my own personal memories of my mother have been posted on the Mills and Boon website here

Happy Leap Year Day

Yes, I know that was yesterday  but I was too busy enjoying it to  write my post then.

And it was a happy Leap Year Day for me with the news from my editor that the revisions I'd worked on for the latest book  had worked really well and she was accepting and buying the book - and would I like another contract? Yes please!

This book has been bedevilled  by slow progress, health setbacks and such so I was really happy to know that it was successful and done and already scheduled to be published  in October.  My working title was Scarlet and Black  but some writer called Stendhal already has  a book under that title - so  this one will now be titled Indebted to Moreno -  Moreno being my brooding Spanish hero Nairo Moreno and Rose is the heroine who's deeply indebted to him .  . . But they share a past with some dark memories in it.

I'm particularly thrilled to know that this one is  accepted and bought as I believe it will be my 65th title!  So that was a good reason to break out the delicious fizz that my lovely students gave me as a thank you at Fishguard this time. Thank you to all of my students - that was a wonderful way to be able to celebrate a rather special book.


Now I need to get writing on the next book for that next contract. So perhaps it's just as well that March is doing its 'coming in like a lion' thing outside today.  Though first I do have to go and choose and organise new wardrobes for the bedroom. But my head will be busy with new ideas - I hope!