Between Books by Kate Walker

I have a confession to make.

I very nearly forgot about this blog.   I barely registered the fact that May had become June and that it was my day to blog.   And I've been so very tired this weekend that if I sat down I fell asleep! My over-worked brain cell just wasn't rememebering things I had to do.

That's because I just finished my latest book -  my title for it is The Devil and Miss Jones, but I'm sure that once my editor gets her hands on it that will change.  But I pressed 'send' on Friday and as this book has been written in amongst a lot of stress, family bereavement, ill health (again family, not me!) . . . you name it and it seemed the world was throwing it at me !  - I'm really glad to have actually finished this novel and sent it off to my editor. I've been focussing totally on getting words on the page (or, rather, on the computer) so that I feel that I've hardly looked up from the keyboard in days.   

But now at last I have  few moments to breathe - and relax . . .er , well . . . being between books always sounds so great - but I just wrote a 'To Do' list  - and there's rather a lot that I've let build up  while I was focusing on Diablo and Martha so there are the accounts, updating my web site, 1001 emails to answer (well, that's what it seems like) piles of laundry( did most of that today)  seeing family, seeing friends, cleaning and re-organising my office (you can always tell if I've been concent5rating on a book, by the piles and piles of paper so you just can't see the floor) a course I'm teaching in the summer (Writers' Holidays) a new course I'll be teaching next year  (more of that on my web site soon)  - both need preparing.   I need to get back on my daily walks - even that  got neglected when I was fighting a screaming dealine . . . .

But most of all,k what I want to do is READ. I haven't made a decnet dent in my TBR pile for months - too many deamdns on my time, and I didn't want to distract myself from my characters by reading about anyone elses.   So this week at least (I think it will take  more than that before my editor gets back to me) I'm going to concentrate on readiong as much as I can.

I've already made a start - I've been  gulping down the Bad Blood collection  - I think this one is called The Notorious Wolfes in America. I started the series before I had to focus on my book and then had to leave them so  now I'm finishing off the set. I have just one last book to read -   Lone Wolf  by Kate Hewitt.  I don't think this is out in America for a while.  I also have another Kate Hewitt on my TBR list -  Mister and Mischief  (The Matchmaker Bride  in USA ) . I'm reading this one because it's in the same miniseries as my next book - The Return of The Stranger. These books are  in the mini series The Powerful and The Pure where the  4 books are inspired by classics of romantic fiction . So there are books based on Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Emma  and my book is inspired by Wuthering Heights.

But I have such a huge TBR pile that I 'll also be looking at lots of books that aren't romances - I have 2  novels by Jodi Picoult I haven't opened yet, a collection of my latest discovery Diane Chamberlain,  the latest detective novels by Elizabeth George, and Sophie Hannah.  And as I had a birthday in May, there are books I was given then that I haven't managed to even peep into - One Day in May by Catherine Alliott, and a thriller  called Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson that looks so good . . .

My problem is going to be where to start. . .

And I'm going to complicate things even further by asking you for recommendations - I'm always on the lookout  for great books.

One of the things I did  this weekend  once I'd pressed 'send'  - and after I'd had some sleep!  was  to sort through the books I have for prizes etc. And I have more than I expected of the latest 3 in 1  where one of my books is reprinted. This is  One Night in Madrid - and the novel of mine that's reprinted is Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife.

So tell me - what are you reading now?  What's new and great in your TBR pile? Have you discovered a new author? Or a new book by an old favourite?  Let me know in the Comments and  I'll get Sid the Cat to pick out a couple of names who'll win a copy of one Night in Madrid.

Oh yes- and if you'd like to win a couple of my backlist books - check out the great My Tote Bag  contest where this month the titles  on offer are  The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife  (I think at the moment it says The Spainiard's Convenient Wife but that's just a typo!) and  Spanish Billionaire,Innocent Wife  - so you have two chances to win that one!

You can read all about these books  - including my latest Presents title The Proud Wife  - over on my web site .

Or get the most up todate info on what I'm doing on my blog.

And the winner is . . .
Well, there are two - because when Sid was choosing a winner, Charlie the kitten came up and snaffled a cat treat as well - so the winners are Jo's Daughter and Marybelle!

Please email me kate AT kate-walker .com with your postal addresses and I'll send your books on to you