Sitting still by Kate Walker

There's a song going round and round in my head at the moment. It's that famous one sung by Frank Sinatra all about the fun of going trav'ling - you know the one . . .

Its very nice to go travling

To paris london and rome

Its oh so nice to go travling

But its so much nicer, yes its so much nicer, to come home

This song is in my brain because at last, after a long July of being here there and everywhere. I'm finally home - and I'm staying for long enough to unpack properly and not just in order to wash my knickers and turn round and repack for a different destination.

I started last month with a couple of library events in different parts of the country. Then there was a fantastic trip to Washington and the RWA national conference. That was a lot of fun! I got to meet up with so many of my writer friends, make new ones with people I met. I talked with readrs - always such an important part of my trip to , had lunch and dinner with editors and other Presents authors, and I explored Washington by trolley car and on foot. I had a wonderful time.

I finally flew back to the UK with just five days in which to unpack, turn round, repack and head for Wales where I was teaching the Writing Romantic Fiction course at Caerleon Writers' Holidays in Newport. Again that was a fantastic week - in spite of the rain that poured down in such torrents that I seriously started to wonder if I should think about building an ark! This was the 25th Writers' Holiday so there were some celebrations to mark this very special event - one of which was my own secret gift to the organisers Anne and Gerry Hobbs. I had dedicated my next book - Kept for Her Baby - to them and luckily my author editions had arrived in time for me to take a copy with me to give to them.

So now I'm home again. The cases are unpacked for at least - oh - six weeks! - I'm sleeping in my own bed, wandering round my own garden and it feels great. The cats have even started to think about forgiving me for abandoning them - though there was some heavy duty sulking before they made up their minds.

And at last I can get back to work! All the time I was travelling I had these two new ideas buzzing around in my head and not enough time to really write them down or develop them into a full proposal for a couple of new books. But now all that is going to change. I have a special project to start with - a for a brand new mini series sugested by my editor. That story has a fabulous sexy Greek hero at the centre of it. And then after that I have a handsome Sicilian waiting impatiently for me to start his story.

And I can't wait to get to meet them.

So although I'm sad that my wonderful travelling month is over, I'm looking forward to staying in one place for a month or two. And I'm anticipating some long, enjoyable days with these new heroes and their stories that I'm just itching to write.

What about you? Are you travelling anywhere interesting this month or have you had yur holidays and like me are finding it's 'oh so nice to come back'?

It's very nice to go travling

But it's oh so nice to come home

Kate's next title for Harlequin Presents is Kept For her Baby which will be published in Harlequin Extra in October.

You can find out more about her and her books on her website and her blog.