Crazy July - by Kate Walker

I've known all year that July was going to be a crazy month for me but now that it's here it's actually even more hectic and crammed with events than I had planned.

I'm writing this just before I set off halfway across thre country to a Writers' Day where I'm giving a workshop on writing romance - and that's just the start of things.

And then I'm going to America in two different ways -

One is that in just over a week from today I'll be getting on a plane and flying from the UK to Washington to be at the RWA National Conference there. I can't wait to meet up with all my friends, writers, readers and of course hosties from eHarlequin. I'll be signing my books at the literacy signing. If you're going to DC and you're coing to the event I hope you'll come up and say Hi.

And second - I have some exciting news that my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is going to be in America too.

For ages now - ever since the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance was first published, I have hoped that one day I would be able to tell my American readers and would-be writers that they could buy the book direct in USA. I know that it's been available on Amazon.com, but not everyone likes to buy on-line, and some of you have had difficulty getting hold of it 'over the pond'.

The good news is that I heard today from the publisher that the first copies of an American edition, printed and published in Chicago, are being printed this week - and that means that you can easily order the book from any book shop and hopefully get a copy very quickly. That's the idea anyway

This news means that there is also the hope that the book will now be on sale at the RWA Conference in Washington - if it isn't, it won't be for want of trying! But I'm really thrilled to know there will be an American edition at last.

If you've been wanting to get hold of a copy of this book - and I know that a lot of you have - then the details you'll need to order it are:

Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance

ISBN: 978-1842851319

Price : $27.50

printed and published in Chicago by:
Studymates Publishing
Chicago Distribution Center
11030 S. Langley Ave.
Chicago, IL 60628
Phone: 773-702-7000
Fax 773-702-7212

And then when I get back from Washington I have just five days to unpack, do my laundry, repack my bag and head out again - this time for Caerleon in Wales where again I'm teaching the Writing Romance course at Writers' Holidays.

But I'll not be neglecting the readers of my blog while I'm away - I have a lots of activity and a great contest all planned out to keep you reading when I'm not there.

Every year I run a special summer contest to win a Tote Bag Full of Books – one of my special tote bags crammed full of fabulous summer reading. And this year I’m running the contest again – but this time it’s a really special competition.

Because this year marks the 60th anniversary of Harlequin, and because July is the month when the Harlequin Spotlight is on the wonderful Presents line, I have planned this year’s Tote Bag Contest as a Presents Special. Every book in the tote bag has been donated by one of my fellow Presents authors.

So you have a chance to win 15 – that’s right - 15 fabulous Presents titles, many of them signed, from some of your favourite authors.

Right now the prize list looks like this:

Cordero's Forced Bride by Kate Walker

The Italian Boss's Mistress of Revenge OR Forced Wife, Royal Love-Child by Trish Morey

Mistresses By Blackmail (3 in1 ) by Melanie Milburne

Ruthlessly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded by Abby Green

The Antonides Marriage Deal by Anne McAllister

The Markonos Bride by Michelle Reid

Rich, Ruthless and Secretly Royal by Robyn Donald

The Tuscan Tycoon's Pregnant Housekeeper by Christina Hollis

Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child by Jennie Lucas

The Greek's Convenient Mistress by Annie West

Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge by Lynn Raye Harris

The Desert King's Bejewelled Bride by Sabrina Philips

The Diakos Baby Scandal by Natalie Rivers

Desert King, Pregnant Mistress OR Housekeeper at his Beck and Call by Susan Stephens.

Bought for Marriage by Margaret Mayo

What do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this great prize? Well this year, the contest is in the form of a Scavenger Hunt where you find one answer from each author involved by visiting their web sites or blogs.

All through July – starting July 7th - the Presents authors will be guest blogging on my blog and each one of them will end their post with a question.

Visit the blog regularly, and just answer the question of the day.
Keep that answer safely.

Collect up all the answers and at the end of the blogs send the 15 answers you have via email to me with Tote Bag Presents Special in the subject line.

The contest closes on August 1st. By then I will be back from teaching in Wales and after that, Sid will pick two winners who will both receive a tote bag filled with all this fabulous holiday reading.

These details will be up on my Contests Page just as soon as the wonderful Heather from We Write Romance gets the updates on my site done.

There will be other news of books, events and teaching courses up there too - so keep a look out for those.

And good luck with the contest

And I'll be back in August, by which time my hectic July will be over and things will have calmed down again . . . apart from the deadline for the next book!