More covers - but not mine this time!

It seems to be the month for new books/cover designs arriving here. As  you know, the Babe Magnet is a writer too. His books are mostly non-fiction.  Past titles have been about local history/ true crime  that sort of thing, but recently he's written  some biography  - and a new venture into fiction.

So the books that have been delivered have some very different sort of covers to the romance novels I've had.  It's always fascinating to see what other publishers' designers come up with.  The newest ones are these:

A Victorian Somebody - 
This is a new biography of the star of Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy Operas when they first took the Victorian theatrical world by storm.
He was also perhaps more famous generally for his writing the classic work of English humour, The Diary of a Nobody.



And that fiction  book is Uncle Albert -

Everyone has an Uncle Albert somewhere in their family tree and he's usually the one having a quick smoke around the back while trying to think up a new get-rich-quick scheme that doesn't actually involve work. The sort of uncle who is wonderful to talk about unless he actually turns up on your doorstep carrying a still-moving sack and wearing a furtive look.

Uncle Albert is a nostalgic look at life in a small Yorkshire village when Tetley's Yorkshire Bitter was still made in Yorkshire and a pie and a pint with ketchup was at least two of your five-a-day.


As  the Babe Magnet says:    These tales are light and entertaining, going back to my Yorkshire roots. 

One thing about Uncle Albert that made me smile is that because  some of the language is is broad Yorkshire dialect,  there had  to be a glossary to make sure that everyone understands some of Albert's  sayings!

It's certainly been a month for special book deliveries  at this house - and I still haven't received the UK copies of  Olivero's Outrageus Proposal so I'll be looking out for them.

But I'm finding it fascinating how different covers can be.

UK Cover

At last I've found a copy of the UK cover for my April book - Olivero's Outrageous Proposal.

 It was up on Amazon today - so I thought I'd share with you -  and here it is:

What do you think? I'm sort of Hmmmm   about this one. 

Tall dark handsome hero - check

Villa in Italy - check  

Not at all sure  that Dario is the type to furnish his home with a  grandfather clock . . . But maybe it's the heroine's parents' house  where it would be more appropriate!

Heroine . .  .  err - "So this was Alyse Gregory. . . .She was tall, blonde, beautiful'"

Oh well!

At least the USA cover gets the colouring right!

So which do you prefer?

Book delivery

It's a thrill that never gets old - even after the 63rd new book delivery!

More courses for 2015

So I've talked about the courses I run for Writers' Holidays  - but perhaps Fishguard  in Pembrokeshire isn't easy for you  to get to.   I love  being there  and the courses are  such fun - but  there are others at different times of the year and different venues - also perhaps a different approach might suit you.

So  for those courses, there's Relax and Write  -  short courses ( covering a weekend)  with again lots of fun  - and lots of learning!

MARCH 2015

For Relax and Write I run a different sort of event - a Writing Retreat. I just started this  approach for the first time last year  and it was so popular I've been asked to run another one soon. I was happy to say yes as I enjoyed the first retreat experience I had.  So here's the first one - possibly the first of two for this year.

Focus on Writing Romantic Fiction — a Retreat with Kate Walker

• Date: 13 - 15 March 2015
• Course & Venue: A Retreat at Weetwood Hall Leeds.
• Cost: £240 all in

This is for people who are already embarked on writing a romantic novel and would like a weekend of concentrated focus, writing, discussions and one to one advice.

Focus on Writing Romantic Fiction is a guided writing retreat for people who have been on a course before or who need to do exactly as it says on the tin – Focus on their writing. Where you’ll have time and space away from the real world to write and reflect on your novel. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with me to discuss the novel, work through problems, brainstorm new ideas, and get it ready for submission. There will be some relaxed group sessions designed to make you think deeply about your writing, and during the weekend there will be scheduled for one-to-one time where you can ask all the questions that have been bothering you. This retreat is designed for people who have already started work on a novel and who want time to focus on that - and not have to worry about anything else.

On a Focus retreat, all rooms booked are single rooms which gives you comfort and privacy and the time to yourself, with all food provided. To get away from family and home chores – to concentrate on writing – and have professional advice/input/discussion. Meeting like-minded people who love writing/popular fiction/romantic novels is always something my students say they value. So there will be plenty of opportunity to do that.

Places on this retreat are strictly limited – and many are already booked up – so if you’d like a place or further information contact:

Email: Lois Bird-Maddox, ‘Relax & Write’ Course Organiser  
Website: http://www.malagaworkshops.co.uk/

Also on this weekend:

• 'Write the Past' with Stephen Wade
• 'Write a Mini-Memoir in a Weekend' with Alison Chisholm
• 'How to Self-Publish Your Writing' with Malcolm Chisholm

JUNE 2015

In June there's a new course in a new venue. I haven't actually been to this venue, but it looks lovely and I can't wait to  enjoy a weekend there.

The course  in June will be :

Beginning, Middle and End — Planning your Novel

• Date: 19 - 21 June 2015
• Location: Royal Agricultural University Cirencester
• Website: http://www.rau.ac.uk/conferences-events
• Cost : only £240

   

Beginning Middle and End – How to plan your novel for success.
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, lost the plot, lost your way, become bogged down in a ‘sagging middle’ Could you do with a route map – some guidelines to help you find your way?

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. It will show you how to:

• Start well
• Use opening hooks
• Use a synopsis to keep yourself - and your characters - on track
• Avoid the ‘sagging middle’
• Maintain pace to keep the reader turning pages
• Create a satisfying end – making the reader want more from you

Also available on this weekend:
Getting into Print - for all Writers. Working Towards Success as a Freelance Writer with Stephen Wade (http://www.stephen-wade.com/)
For further information Contact Lois Bird-Maddox ‘Relax & Write’ Course Organizer at http://www.malagaworkshops.co.uk/ 

There will also be another course one weekend in October 2015 - details to be finalized. At  the moment,  the suggestion is that I run  another retreat at the beautiful Gladstone's Library near Chester. 

As soon as I have the full details I'll let you know.  I'm so looking forward to these great weekends - I get a lot out of them and I've made so many friends among my students.  I always come home buzzing and looking forward to writing myself.    It's also been wonderful to see so many of my students go on to be published authors. The latest of course was Rachael Thomas who has her 2nd book  Claimed By The Sheikh coming in February.

To book any course, or for or more details check out the web sites Writers’ Holiday and Relax and Write  and of course the details on the Events page on my web site.


PS And don't forget that if you can't make it to any of my courses so I can meet you in person -   there is always  Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance which is on sale on Kindle for just   $4.38  - or   £2,86

One last point . . .

OK so I thought I'd brought you up to date with the Writers' Holiday courses  but then just last night  I got a message asking me to run the Advanced   Romance Writing Course again in  . . . 2016!

So if you want to start saving up for it - or grab a place before everyone  on this years's course rebooks for next year . . .  The dates are:

Friday 19th - Sunday 21st February 2016.

The Advanced Romance Writing course is always different - never a 'one size fits all'  course because I read the  submissions by every student and work to plan this course to fit what  my students really need.  And then of course there's the important - and very special 'family feeling' that I just love about  being at any Writers' Holiday event.

Remember that if you want to come on the Advanced Course you need to have attended one of my  basic Writing Romance Course either at Writer's Holiday in Fishguard or anywhere else I run one.

So that's Writers' Holiday courses till  February next year.  Further details on  the Writers' Holiday web site.

Next up - details of the Relax and Write courses and retreats  in some lovely new venues.

And if you want to now what past students think about the courses they've been on - check out their comments on my Events page. 

Courses coming up this year

Well, I promised that I would let people know about the new courses I have coming up this year - but it seems I've delayed  a bit too long and while I did so, one of these courses has already sold out. 

But just to keep you up to date - I'll give that a brief mention as it is one of two courses I run with the wonderful people from Writers' Holiday at Fishguard Bay in Pembrokeshire.
So:

February 2015

Fishguard Writer's Weekend
By popular demand I’ll be back in Fishguard  again in 2015 to run the Advanced Romance Writing Course  again -

• Date:  Friday 13^th  February – Sunday 15^th February  2015
• Location: Fishguard Bay Hotel, Fishguard Pembrokeshire
• Course: ADVANCED Contemporary Romance Workshop

A series of six advanced novel workshop sessions led by Kate Walker. This course is open to previous Fishguard workshop or Caerleon Romance course participants or those who have been on Kate’s basic Romance courses or Kate's workshops elsewhere. It is not for beginners. Designed especially for Fishguard to move you on, the whole weekend will be concentrated on this workshop - without other distractions. Guests are encouraged to complete work with Kate prior to the weekend commencement.
Strictly Limited to first 15 bookings
This course sells out very fast so please enquire about bookings as soon as possible. If the course is already booked up, we will run a waiting list on a first come first served basis.
Further details and booking forms can be found here: http://www.writersholiday.net/

This is the course that it already sold out -   but don't worry, there are some other courses coming up  later in the year.  Basic Writing Romance  course , Writing Retreats,  Planning Your Novel . . .

What I'll do is stick with the Writers' Holiday  courses  in this post and come back to the others in another post.

So - also at Fishguard Bay is the fabulous week-long  Writer's Holiday in the summer.

JULY 2013

WRITERS’ HOLIDAY
In the summer, I’ll be going back to one of my favourite events and taking part in the Writers’ Holiday at Fishguard 2014. This is one of the highlights of my year, with a warm and friendly welcome from Anne and Gerry, fantastic food, lively conversation – and lots of fun.  Every year I look forward to going back again.
Summer Writers' Holiday

• Dates: Monday 27th July - Saturday 1st Aug 2015
• Cost: Still only £499
• Course: A Complete Introduction to Writing Contemporary Romance
• Website: http://www.writersholiday.net
• 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 emotion
  
  al 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.

You can choose to follow ONE course from 1-4 and ONE course from 5-8.
Other Courses:

• The Road to Success in Children's Writing Anita Loughrey (www.anitaloughrey.com)
• Be a Travel Writer – Live Your Dreams - Sell Your Features Solange Hando (www.travelwriters.co.uk/solangehando)
• The Complete Poetry Course James Nash (www.jamesnash.co.uk)
• The Complete Contemporary Romance Course Kate Walker (www.kate-walker.com)
• Painting and Drawing Andrew Earney
• Photography for Writers – Using Photos to Sell More of your Words Simon Whaley (www.simonwhaley.co.uk)
• Writing the Historical Novel Marina Oliver (www.marina-oliver.net)
• The Complete Crime Writing Course Lesley Horton (www.lesleyhorton.co.uk)
• Your Short Story – How to Write a Winner – A Practical Course Della Galton (www.dellagalton.co.uk)
• In the Mind’s Eye: Writing the Psychological Perspective Carol Fenlon (www.carolfenlon.com)
• Painting and Drawing Andrew Earney

There are also 'after tea' sessions with different writers, different topis - and on several evenings there's a 'Main Lecture' - always on some fascinating topic on writing or the bookworld. And of course there is the very special evening with the  Cwmbach Male Voice Choir. 
Book through the web site: http://www.writersholiday.net/index.htm


Last I heard,  the summer Writers' Holiday had just 10 places left for the whole week this summer - so  if you're interested,  send an inquiry now.

So those are the Writers' Holiday events - coming up, more course - with Relax and Write staring with a Writing Retreat in March.

Further details for all my courses are on my Events page

Life lessons from a cat!

Today is the 12th of January (remind me again how it got to be almost halfway through the first month of 2015!)  And the 12th of the month is the day I post my regular blog over on
Tote Bags 'n'  Blogs.
If you read my blog on the Pink Heart Society, you'll have read how I just don't believe in resolutions - at least not New Year ones. So some people have wondered what do I put in their place?   The answer is one word - what word? Well you'll have to read the blog to find out.

And the cat? Well, I'm taking life lessons from my black and white kitten Ruby and resolving to live life more as she does - she certainly seems very happy on it.

Pink Heart Day

I'm busy with the WIP - focusing on getting my  now grown up sheikh (he was only 19 in A Question of Honour ) and his bride of convenience towards their HEA - they're not feeling it right now!

So the blog's a bit sparse - sorry about that. But today is my day for posting over at  The Pink Heart Society  so that's where you'll find me.

I've been asked to  give details of courses coming up soon so I'll hope to  let you know about those if you're interested - and put the details on my Events page  but basically these are planned so far:

Advanced Romance Writing Course 

- Fishguard Feb 13-15th (sold out)

Focus on Writing Romantic Fiction

- Retreat - Weetwood Hall Leeds March 13-15th  (almost booked up. A couple of places left if you're interested.)

Beginning, Middle and End - Planning your  novel -  Royal Agricultural University Cirencester  19-21 June

Writing Romantic Fiction - Writers’ Holiday at Fishguard July 27th - 1st August 

Oh - and I've just been asked to run another Focus on Writing Romantic Fiction  Retreat at Gladstone's Library   Hawarden  Flintshire  in October 

Fuller details to follow - you can check out  Writers' Holiday   and Relax and Write  web sites for details too. 

Belated but meant . .

I feel like the White Rabbit - I'm late . . . I'm late for a very important date! How can I be late to wish everyone a Happy New Year? Well, even if it's a bit late it's no less heartfelt - I hope that the New Year was lovely and that 2015 brings lots of wonderful, happy, loving days to create some truly special memories to look back on when the next new year rolls around.

I know that 2014 has been a tough year for some people so I wish you all a much happier and more peaceful time in 2015. May some dreams come true along the way. Looking forward to sharing this year with you.

Love Kate

Tote Bags day

Today's the 12th of the month - and as always time is rushing away with me.  I have gifts bought - some of them wrapped and the ones that need to be posted  have been taken to the Post Office and are now on their way to  be delivered to the people I chose them for.

Half the cards are done and on their way too - the rest will be in the mail tonight.  So  the Christmas preparations are  fairly well in hand,

Not so much the blog posting  -  I have a book to write as well, so that means that I have very little time left over for writing anything else like blog posts and such.

But today, as I said, is the 12th of December - so it's my day for my regular  posting over on Tote Bags 'N' Blogs, and that's where you'll find me today.

Of course, as this is the 30th anniversary of my  very first publication, that anniversary is very much in my mind . . .

See you there

Another anniversary - Ruby's this time

Ruby at 8 weeks

 Remember this?

This was one of the first photos I shared with you when Ruby the kitten came home to us from the Cats Protection rescue shelter  in December last year.

Exactly a year ago, to be precise.  We had seen her on the Sunday  and fallen in love - and Ruby had flung herself into my arms and  made it clear that she thought I was hers and that was that!

Ruby and Charlie when she first arrived

We had to wait a few days for the formalities and checks to be completed, but it was quite obvious that the rescue organiser  agreed with Ruby, and knew that we had been chosen.  No one really had any choice - apart from one little black and white cat who knew exactly where she wanted to be.

So a year ago today, we went back to the shelter to collect her. She was yelling her head off as we approached but that stopped as soon as I picked her up and she was where she wanted to be.  She came back home with us and settled in straight away, no hesitation, no doubt. She  soon had  Charlie wrapped round her  little paws  - where he's stayed ever since. Though they do occasionally have mad chases all around the house  - it sounds like a major storm  as the result of Charlie's size. And if he catches her and jumps on her, from the hissing and spitting and yelling she puts out, you'd think she was being murdered when the truth is that all he wants to do is to lick her face.

She likes to be up high and in the garden she climbs as high as she can in the apple trees and then stays there. looking down on Charlie who is not a climber, being such a big boy.

Ruby one year on

She's still not a very big cat - but then any normal cat would look small compared with Charlie and his Maine Coon build.  She is affectionately known as 'Keg' by my son and his fiancee  because she  has a little rounded barrel-shaped tummy that comes from being able to persuade the Babe Magnet ( someone else she has wrapped round her paws) that she really is wasting away and needs treats - now.  The only problem with that is that he feeds her some tasty sticks of fish or meat flavours and instead of eating them she has to hunt them  and 'kill' them before they get eaten.  Quite often they get away from her and we have found stashes of  uneaten sticks under chairs of the settee when we move it to clean.

Ruby today

She as real 'lap cat' and spends long happy hours curled up on my lap, or across my knees on a blanket when I'm watching TV or reading.  And then when bedtime arrives, she knows that we go upstairs for 'snuggles' and curls up on my feet for most of the night.  In fact she has quite a good vocabulary  for a cat - knowing  just what outside. teatime, blankie (for the blanket),  treats  and snuggles.

We're so glad she came to live here, helping to fill the large empty hole where poor beautiful Flora had been, and even Charlie is quite  happy to have his adopted 'sister' in his life.  But then, Ruby would say that of course  that's how it was always meant to be - and it's why she chose me to give her her forever home.

Happy anniversary Ruby!

The Other Writer in The Family

As many of you already know, my husband  Stephen  - the Babe Magnet -  is also a writer.

Most of the time he is a writer of facts, of history, local history, the history of crime, but just lately he has branched out into fiction and has had a couple of historical crime novels published - A Thief in the Night and A Killer Between the Lines.

He's also recently had a book called The Girl Who Lived on Air published (if you remember that's why we headed for Wales for him  to  talk about this book at the Penfro book festival,   And this week there is his biography of George Grossmith  - who wrote The Diary of a Nobody, but was also a friend of and a star in Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy Operas - A Victorian Somebody.

People often ask me - as they ask me, too - where he gets his ideas from.  Well, last week was a perfect example.

  He was teaching at the university where he lectures part time,   and talking about writing from primary sources - letters, notebooks etc - one of his students said a friend of her was looking  for some one who might be able to use a  collection that she had.  This lady had helped  to an old lady  for years and when old lady had died there was all this stuff - photographs,  postcards, reports,  personal letters  etc etc

DH  said he would love to see what was what - he was thinking that there might be a box or so -  there were boxes and  boxes, and  three suitcases!!  We opened one the first night we brought this home   and ended up  with our minds whirling at what there is - she never destroyed a thing. There are passports dating back to 1930s -  she was in the WRVS and travelled to Singapore, Tobruk - other places I can't recall.  There are letters from  the House of Commons -  she'd  written to MPs  on topics like whaling, Rwanada,  exporting live animals reports of the planning for clubs and societies -  and games nights in the NAFFI. There is even  a small old card and a tiny bit of old, grubby material with HL loves BB  embroidered very roughly on it. There must be a story behind that. 

Now the Babe Magnet can get an idea for a  story that needs investigating from one small newspaper report, a photograph or an old postcard picked up in an antiques shop of a bundle of junk. So how much can he get out of this huge archive?  We have  barely scratched the surface  of what's in there!  I'll have  to wait and see just what he decides on and which stories emerge from this elderly, dusty (and frankly rather smelly)  collection of  papers.  One intriguing  thing - this lady was born on the same date as my own birthday - but  many years before.  

A Special Anniversary

December 2014 marks a very special anniversary for me.    It's  exactly 30 years since my very first book - The Chalk Line  - was published in 1984!  So this is the very first cover of my book I ever saw.

Snow scene - check! Heroine with auburn hair -  There's only one problem with it - my hero - Leon Dane Vincent - was supposed to have jet black hair . . . .

And just yesterday I got the first sighting of my  brand new cover for the Presents edition next book coming up in April. That's Olivero's Outrageous Proposal - so I'm  sharing this   cover with you too. It's a rather better portrayal of my sexy Italian hero.
But no - before you ask -  because people have asked!  - he does not have a  beard!   He is meant to be  rather unconventional and  at the ball where my heroine Alyse meets him he has tugged his bow tie loose  at his throat as if the formal dress is stifling him. This scene is after the ball - so I suppose  heavy stubble is meant to do the same job as bow tugged loose!

As today is my day for blogging over on the Pink  Hearts Society blog  I'm over there today - talking about the past 30 years! How did it ever get to 30 years since that first book!

Cover changes

I'm always intrigued by new covers.   I always look forward to seeing the brand new  coves for each new book. (I don;t have any cover yet for Olivero's Outrageous Proposal but I'll share just as soon as I do)  But perhaps the most interesting  look at covers is when an older book is reprinted and reissued  - perhaps in  a 3 in 1 collection and then it gets a brand new cover which is totally unlike the previous one.

I have two reissues at the moment - one out now and one coming up and so I thought I'd share the covers with you - and the original covers these books had.

So the first one is out now  The book of mine that is in this reprint  is Kept For Her Baby  which was originally published in   2009.

Then the cover looked like this  -


So now it's reprinted in a  3 in 1  - Secret Love-Child  (with other books by Catherine Spencer and Tina Duncan)   It's  on  the shelves now.  And  this new edition looks like this.

Incidentally, Kept For Her Baby isn't really a 'secret love-child' story - both the hero and the heroine know exactly who the baby is  - but that's the name of the collection.

 The second reprint coming up is a republication of The Konstantos  Marriage Demand That's a book from  2010 - and it won the Romantic Times Best Presents Extra in that year.

When this book was originally published it had a cover that looked like this:
And now that it's reprinted it has a brand new cover that you can see at the top of this post - for the 3 in 1  Collection His Revenge Seduction  (with other titles by Melanie Milburne and Elizabeth Power.)

The two covers (for each book) are very different - just shows how things have changed in  a round  4 or 5 five years.

What do you think? Do you prefer the original covers ?  (You can see the Mills & Boon editions on the books' pages on my web site if you want to.)

Do you like the 3 in 1 collections that come out regularly\- the ones that are  called 'By Request' ?
Do you find it a good way to catch up on books you've missed - or get a copy of an old favorite?

Spooky stories

The Babe Magnet and I just spent a special  two days in York. I love this city with its ancient walls, the minster and the river.  We did some Christmas shopping  - how did it get to November? - and  on Thursday night we went to a production of The Woman in  Black  at the Theatre Royal.

Have you read  The Woman in Black? Or seen the film?  I've done both - and I couldn't begin to think of how someone could produce a stage performance of the book - like the film - but with only 2 actors!   I also didn't think that, having read the book and seen the film, it could scare me any more.

I was wrong. What a production. And it was all the more fascinating because it showed  the real power of the imagination in a way that  all the special effects/horror films can never create.  A bleak, almost bare stage, occasional light effects or sounds. . . .   2 men who changed costumes/characters with a different accent or a change of jacket. We were there on the night that a party of school children came to the theater. They must regularly see real horror films or video games - but  when the play worked on their imaginations they were more scared by what they couldn't see  than  what they could.

It was a real way of showing how powerful our imaginations are - which made me think of when people read my books and what are really just words on the page build up pictures in their thoughts and they grow stronger and clearer so that the story really takes off.  And probably no one quite see exactly the same thing whoever reads those words.  Isn't the imagination amazing?

It was also a great way of showing that there is no one way to tell a story - those 3 versions  of the original book have been so varied, different. But each one tells the story their way  - bringing it to life in their own special way.

We had a great night - and the walk back  through the dark, winding, cobbled streets of York had an extra thrill  as we looked at any dark figure of shadowy corner with a new and rather nervous  attitude.

Courses for 2015

I've been getting enquiries about possible courses I have coming  up  for 2015. I haven't been able to get round to updating my Events page on my web site yet as all the dates haven't been finalised but  I thought  I'd post what I do know and then if you're interested you can start to plan ahead - maybe save up. Or perhaps you can ask Father Christmas for the cost of a course  as a present?

Also - courses are booking up fast so  I'd better let you know what's still available and what isn't.

OK -

With Writers' Holiday.

Writers' and Artists Winter Workshop Weekend
13th - 15th February 2015

My Advanced Romance Writing Course is FULLY BOOKED
You can ask to be put on a waiting list in case anyone backs out.

There are other courses running  that weekend
Poetry
Short Stories
Novel Writing
Painting and Drawing

The Writers' Holiday site says there are just ten places for the whole weekend still available  at a price of £299


For the Summer Writers' Holiday
There are also only 10 places left  - but you can still get on my Complete Contemporary  Romance course
Dates: July 27th - 1st August 2015
Cost: £499  all inclusive  (accommodation/tuition/meals)
For details of all the courses and events, check out the Writers' Holiday web site.

With Relax and Write

13-15 March at Weetwood Hall Leeds all inclusive fee £249
This is my Focus on Writing Romantic Fiction Retreat 

'Write Romantic Fiction' Retreat with Kate Walker
An ideal course to get your writing moving ahead. This course will help you edit and polish your synopsis and first three chapters.  For those of you who have been working on your novel, your work in hand will receive constructive feedback. There are a limited number of places on this Retreat, so it is essential you book early, in order to send Kate your work in advance for comment and arrange a one-to-one.
Places on this retreat are already limited - with  half the places booked already  so let Relax and Write know if you are interested.  You need to be able to provide three chapters and a synopsis for me to read and discuss with you.,
 Other courses available that weekend:
 'Self-Publishing' with Malcolm Chisholm

'Create a Mini-Memoir' with Alison Chisholm

'Writing the Past' with Stephen Wade

We are still at the stage of planning and organising further courses with Relax and Write - and need to finalise dates and venues but plan to have coming up :
Beginning, Middle and End - Planning Your Novel
and
Writing Romantic Fiction.

More news when I have it myself.
. 
You can find details of courses and other events on my Events page on my web site  and you will also find comments and reviews from students who have been on my courses  in the past here .

Maybe I'll see you somewhere in 2015.

Pink Hearts Day

Today's my day for posting over on the Pink Heart Society blog - so that's where you'll find me now.

I'm thinking back over the fun conversations  being a writer has brought me.

Some of the international editions of my books are still up for grabs  - so check out the list below in case one of them might be fore you.

Busy.. . busy





 I've been  so busy, I haven't had time to post or even think of something to write for an age -  but some of you might benefit as a result.  You see, I've been sorting things out - collating and filing all my teaching notes    so now they're ail filed  correctly and I should be able to find anything at any time - for any course.  The next one starts in  so it's in good time . . .
And as result of tidying, sorting, filing and organising,  I've also found that I have a small deluge of  foreign editions that haver arrived in the past weeks -  and this is where my international readers get a  chance to share in a giveaway.

I've done quite a lot of giveaways, but most of the time it's English language copies that I send out - so this time is different - I want to share some of the foreign language editions with some  readers to whom these languages aren't foreign. Usually these go to libraries for foreign language sections, but they're getting the large print copies  so I can share these books with you - if you speak/read the language.

So here's the details   - I have 12 books to giveaway and if you would like one then email me  kate at kate-walker.com to let me know which book you'd like and what language it's in.

The giveaway is only on a first come, first served basis - one book only  per person.  Or you can apply for a friend in their language if you prefer. Once they're gone - that's it - till the next time!
 

What I have on offer are these books:

JAPAN:

               The 12 Month Mistress

               Shattered Mirror

FRANCE:
              Bound By Blackmail
             Their Secret Baby |(in a 3 in 1 with books by Anne McAllister and Linda Conrad
             The Italian's Forced Bride  (With another novel by Michelle Condor.

BRAZIL:
                The Konstantos Marriage Demand (+  book by Michelle Reid)
                 A Question of Honor (+ book by Kimberly Lang)

ITALY:
              Bedded By The Greek Billionaire  ( 4 in 1)
              With books by Chantelle Shaw, Kate Hewitt, Michelle Reid)
              The Devil and Miss Jones

CZECH:
               The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife  ( + novel by Metsy Hingle)

SWEDEN:
                  Rafael's Love Child (+ Caitlin Crews)
                  Her Secret Bridegroom  (+ Lynne Graham)

Catching Up

I made  a mistake this week - I decided to tidy up and sort out my office . . . . That will leave me ready to focus totally on the book I'm writing - once I've organised my teaching notes (and  prepared the hand-outs for the Relax and Write course on  Before You Submit Your Novel - The Practicalities  at Weetwood Hall next weekend. )  But organising my teaching notes led to organising every  last file of hand-outs, course notes, writing exercises . . .

OK, it was a great excuse to buy some new stationary and lovely coloured files   . . . but it still took up too much time and - well, do you know that time when things get worse before they get better? That's the way things look this morning! The Babe Magnet is also preparing for a course on Writing  About Your Life - so he has hand-outs to organise as well.

But there's one thing about being busy in a practical sense - it leaves my mind free to think and plan the new story (working title currently  The Wrong Bride ) so I'm also scribbling down notes and making plans as I put papers in  files and plan work on synopsis, first chapters, opening lines  . .etc for the 24th- 26th.  And the story is growing as a result.

Other book news -  I was looking on Amazon  last week and discovered this cover. It's for a 3 in 1 By Request collection of past titles reprinted in one volume. This one - Secret Love-Child  - is coming out at the end of October. The title of mine that's in it is Kept For Her Baby.  Not exactly a 'secret love-child' story.  But definitely a novel in which the love of a baby is very important!
The other two novels in this volume are by Catherine Spencer and Tina Duncan

I also spotted another 3 in 1 volume coming out in January: His Revenge Seduction -   this time my novel The Konstantos Marriage Demand (the book that was awarded Best Presents Extra by Romantic Times in 2010) is I  the collection with books by Melanie Milburne  and Elizabeth Power.  I don't have a cover to share with you yet  -0 but I'll post it when I see it.

If you haven't already noticed, there is now a brand new Facebook page for all the Harlequin  Presents Authors. Lots of news,messages, and interest for anyone who loves reading Harlequin  Presents (Mills and  Boon Modern)

. Why not come along and 'like'  it - and join in all the fun.

Tote Bags 'n' Blogs Day

Today is the 12th of October so it's my regular day for posting over on the Tote Bags 'N' Blogs  site.

So that's where you'll find my post about writing about connected characters  - meeting up with characters from past books and seeing what's happened to them in the time since I last 'met' them.

Do you like stories where a character from a previous book reappears and gets their owns story?  Are you interested in seeing how other people from past stories have been living and getting on since the end of their own story?

That's what I'm looking at today and I'm thinking about one of the minor characters from A Question of Honor.