May delights with Kate Walker

I don’t know about you, but for me May has always been one of my favourite months. It’s the time

when at long last winter really does seem to have been left behind. The  cold, dark days – and here in the UK, the rain and the snow that could still linger even in April, have gone, the sun has started to shine and the leaves are turning green on the trees.  In our garden the  magnolia has beautiful blossoms on the branches, the primroses and pansies   are making a glorious display of colour in the flower beds, and the birds are singing in the trees. They still  come down to the bird table to grab some of the suet balls and seeds that I leave out which shows that they have families to feed as the eggs hatch in their nests.

For me, one of the real signs of spring arriving is the appearance of the family of hedgehogs – nicknamed ‘The Hecks’ by Anne McAllister – who live at the bottom of  my garden. The cute little creatures hibernate in compost heaps, under fallen leaves or – in our garden – in  the specially  provided little wooden houses we have put in the shady, hidden part of the garden. In spring they come out when the weather is warming up and got snuffling about the place looking for food.  They’ll eat up the old cat meat that  Flora and Charlie don’t eat – or, if we’re lucky, clear the flower beds of snails and slugs. The cats sometimes play  with them, risking getting their noses  pricked on the spikes that cover the hedgehogs’ backs. The Hecks don’t appear until it’s warm enough  - so to

see them appear in the evenings (they’re nocturnal creatures) is to know that summer’s on its way.

There’s a long weekend  this week – the May Day  Bank Holiday gives everyone and extra day off to enjoy the sunshine, and just relax. And if you don’t mind fighting your way through the heavy traffic then there is the opportunity to go away for a few days – perhaps head for the coast or the countryside. Personally I prefer just to stay at home and I’ve had a wonderful couple of days spending time with my family,  sharing special meals and reading a lot – while my husband and son watch a football match and cheer on their team.

May is also  an important month for birthdays.  My  special friend  and wonderful romance writer Michelle Reid has just had her birthday , my own birthday is coming up next week, and my eldest sister has her special day towards the end of the month.  So there’s plenty to celebrate and to help make May even nicer then.

So for me it’s a special delight to know that I also have one more thing to celebrate this particular May.  My newest title – A Throne For The Taking  - will be published this month . It’s officially a July title – but the  actual publishing  date is May 21^st so it fits perfectly into my favourite month.  After a complicated and difficult year, I’m thrilled to have a new book out on the shelves  and selling on line. And I’m even more delighted to  have seen that A Throne For The Taking is already up there in the bestseller list   for both ebooks and print copies over on eHarlequin  where it’s already available to order.  This is my first ever Royal Romance so I hope you enjoy it when you read it.

So what about you? Is May a month you love or do you have other months of the year that you think are really special? And do you have anything really nice to celebrate this month? I think everyone will be really glad to hear about good news – so do share your celebrations if you have them.

Kate’s royal hero is Alexei Sarova, the black sheep prince who has to face up to a new and unexpected destiny with his heroine Honoria Escalona (Ria), the woman he wants as his queen.

A kingdom's safety...
Betrayed by those she loves, Honoria Escalona must now face the only man capable of bringing stability to the Mediterranean kingdom of Mecjoria. A cold, hard man who once called her his friend... Alexei Sarova-the true

King of Mecjoria.

In exchange for her happiness

But Alexei's tortuous past has changed him into someone she hardly knows. He blames Ria's family for his bitterness, and his help-when he offers it-comes with a price: he'll take his rightful place as King with Ria as his wife, until she produces a true-blood heir...
A Throne For the Taking will be published in the Royal and Ruthless miniseries in both Harlequin Presents and Mills & Boon Modern in June.

Other up to date news and details of all Kate’s books can be found on her web site and in her blog.