Out and about with Kate Walker

Sometimes the life of a writer is a quiet, solitary one.  It needs  a lot of tine sitting in silence, alone, at the keyboard.

Then there are other times when it’s all   being out and about – meeting fellow writers, editors, learning all the news and interest from  visitors from Harlequin in America.   This week  York – and now I’m heading for London for the heavy-duty stuff.

has been a bit like that – I’ve done the first half – in

First of all was last weekend -

The heatwave may have been a happy memory - replaced by low temperatures and heavy rain but nothing dampened the spirits of everyone who was at the fabulous Romantic Novelists' Association afternoon  Saturday - fantastic venue, fabulous food and service . And a wonderful opportunity to meet up with everyone and share a chat in a beautiful room - which was so warm and welcoming after the rainy trek across the city. A wonderful occasion.

tea in York on

 Many many thanks to you, Lynda Stacey for the great job you did planning and organising everything. This was the best one yet.  And saga writer Jean Fullerton was a great guest speaker - I know so many people were nodding along with the points she made.

Today I head for London, for editorial meetings and the annual Association of Mills and Boon Authors’  lunch. Ruby knows that I am  going away  - she has seen the case being packed and she does not approve. This is her silent 'I will not be moved' protest on my lap!

You can read more about me and my books on my web site and my blog -  and catch up with me too on my Facebook page

Summer Holidays? Kate Walker

It’s still supposed to be summer. At least that’s what the calendar says.  August  - is part of summer isn’t it?  Though I have to admit that, listening to the rai lashing against the windows as I write this, it doesn’t seem that way, It feels a lot  more like autumn – sorry, Fall – with a nip in the air and a

wind whistling round the chimney. 

In the UK the  schools are still closed and the children on holiday so everywhere is busier than normal.  If we go out, travel anywhere by train or bus, the seats are full of boys and girls, all glad to be out of the classrooms and enjoying their free time. So right now, for me, it’s a good time to be staying at home and writing.  It’s cool enough to work, damp enough to want to stay indoors, and I can get the peace and quiet I want sitting at ,y desk and enjoying the company of my characters.

So as far as I’m concerned, August can stay like this for a while. I’m glad to pause and take a breath. 

  You see,  July is always a pretty hectic time for me and my DH. We have the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association Conference  which this year was held in  Telford, Shropshire. That was  a fun get together of so many romantic fiction writers-  or would-be romantic fiction writers – lots of great workshops, discussions, debates,  excellent meals and a little bit of wine drinking.  Oh, and a quiz – our team (myself, DH and  4 friends) won the quiz, if only by half a mark!

We had time to come home, do some laundry, arrange for a changeover of cat-sitters, and then we set off again – for Wales this time.  As always we headed for Fishguard and the wonderful Writers’ Holiday.   More workshops, more talking, more discussion, more eating – the food in Fishguard is always good and plentiful. Another quiz – which our team won again,  this time by 5 points!  Oh yes, and the usual wonderful ending to the holiday listening to the fabulous sound of a Welsh Male Voice Choir.  We were all in tears by then at the thought that so sadly  this was the last summer Writers’ Holiday. (But we will be back again for February!)

After we arrived home, we had to set out again – this time for my DH to appear and do a signing in a bookshop in York – August 1^st is Yorkshire Day – so as a Yorkshireman  born and bred, his books on Yorkshire history and crime were very popular. I’m always happy to visit this wonderful city so  I didn’t even mind when the rain started – there were plenty of shops to visit!

So that was July. And I’m sure you can understand why I feel glad to snatch a break and stay inside at home and actually do some writing! I have a book to finish and send in to my editor before September – because in September it all starts again – There’s a trip to London  for the Association of Mills and Boon Authors lunch. A Conference in Liverpool  (DH is speaking there so hopefully I can find it a bit of a break ) . . . another writing weekend to plan and teach.

Funny thing is, DH and I are supposed to be retired!  But then I suppose writers never really retire.  Certainly my husband never did – he’s written more since he left his fulltime job than he ever did before.

So – summer holidays?  Er, no – we plan (fingers crossed ) for a short break later in the year. I won’t mind where or what the weather’s going to be like because I have a pile of books to be read that

would challenge the Eiffel Tower in height.

And of course, by then I will have hopefully finished off the revisions on this book and maybe even started on another . . .

What’s that they say about no peace for the wicked? Well, all I can think is that I must have been very

very bad – but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I hope your summer is fun – whatever the weather.

I've been slow writing this year so there isn't a new title out until January - which I'll tell you about just as soon as I get the full title and cover details - but until then you can keep up to date with all my news on my web site blog page  or my Facebook page   where you can find out when I have new books appearing in the shops.

Tessa Shapcott: Let Them Eat Cake!

I’ve just returned from attending the RNA’s annual summer conference, which this year took place at Lancaster University.  This is the UK’s equivalent of RWA.

The word from attending publishers and agents was that, in the UK romance fiction market, the overall trend continues to be escapism, so think city girl goes cosy—country cottages, seaside idylls, sewing bees and tearooms.  There must be touches of luxury, glamour and material comfort too.  The writers who succeed are those who can pick up and run with these themes and give them a fresh spin and a unique voice.  This ‘cupcake’ genre has a healthy pick-up overseas; one author, Alexandra Brown, showed how she had scored great success in North America with a series based around a knitting circle, and also in Indonesia with books set in an old-fashioned department store.

Cupcakes have dominated the romance market since around 2008-9 and show no sign of waning.  This doesn’t surprise me.  It feels like the world has been very unstable since then.  Recession, terrorism, war and mass migration surround us. No wonder women seek comfort in intensely feminine themes and dreams, tinged with nostalgia.  But I do sometimes wonder if this wanting to have our cake and eat it over and over again is leading agents and publishers to narrow their acquisition strategies and not take so many chances on talented new writers aiming at other romance genres.

Contact me at http://www.tessashapcottbookeditor.com

Christina Hollis - Creative Writing, Chapter and....Prose

Hard at Work...(with biscuits)

Last year, the Romantic Novelists' Association awarded each of its local chapters £100 (around $168) to be spent on a constructive writing project of their choice. I'm a member of the RNA's Marcher Chapter, which covers the border country between England and Wales. We put our heads together, and decided to use our windfall to fund a day-long, fully catered creative writing workshop for our members.

We held Be A Fool For Love For A Day on the day closest to April Fool's Day that we could book at our favourite venue, the slick Hereford Courtyard arts venue.  The photo shows (clockwise, from bottom left) Fay Wentworth, Georgia Hill, Christina Courtenay, Joanna Maitland, Marilyn Rodwell and organizer, Ann Ankers, in mid-session.

My Current Release

A month in advance, we each submitted up to ten pages of a current project to our organizer, Ann Ankers. You can read part of my extract on my blog, by clicking here. Ann collated the entries into one document, removing our names and giving each entry a unique identifier. Members then read and critiqued every entry (including their own) before reading out their thoughts on each piece in turn during the day of the workshop. We then discussed them individually, in depth. This system worked really well, especially as everyone stuck to the ratio of three stars to one strike. That means, three good points were highlighted for every piece of constructive criticism given. The whole day was a really positive experience, and everyone went away full of ideas.

Last Tuesday, 10th June, we had a follow-up meeting. Everyone's made great progress with their projects and several (including me!) had completed their featured projects and submitted them to publishers.  Our first workshop proved such a success we're now planning a second one, to be held later this year. That's given us all a big incentive to start work on new projects.

Are you a member of a critique group? What's the most useful piece of advice you've been given?

Christina Hollis writes both contemporary and historical fiction - when she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping. You can catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, on Twitter and Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at http://www.christinahollis.com

What I'm Doing On My 'Holidays' by Kate Walker

We used to get the essay topic every time – did you? On the first week back after the school holidays, usually around the end of August,  we used to have to write on the topic of ‘What I did on my holidays.’    It was supposed to be an easy subject, something we would all be Able to find something to say about.  Except that I didn’t.

As one of five daughters in a single parent family,  I  very rarely had anything to say about ‘what I did on my holidays’. There wasn’t the money to go anywhere.  We didn’t even have a car so outings were rare. I can’t say I minded  that much – I was perfectly happy  with a trip to the local library to select something I wanted to read,  and then a chance to sit and enjoy my books – in the garden if there was sunshine or curled up in a chair if it was raining.  But it did means that there wasn’t much I could write about when I got back to school:

Monday – I went to the library and  then  when I came home I read my books

Tuesday  - I went to the library and then  when I came home  I read my  books.

Wednesday . . .

It’s funny, looking back, because now that I’m a published writer, I often think of those long, lazy summer days – and all those books – and wish I could have them back again.  Specially now it’s the 1^st of July and the ‘holiday’ period has begun for me.

Most of the year I’m working-  and working means writing – and that means staying at home, at my desk, and creating new stories. But July –August is the time that I get out and about and travel  and meet people.   For a start, July is the Conference season. The  Romantic Novelists’ Association has their conference from  July 13th to 16^th. I’m going to be there, and I’m running a workshop on putting the emotion into  your romance novel.   Romance Writers of America have theirs July 25^th – 28^th. In the past, I’ve managed to do both, but this year I’d find that impossible. Because the other thing I  always have to do in July is to travel to  South  Wales – to Caerleon  near Newport  where I spend a week at the wonderful Writers’ Holiday there.   But Caerleon takes place  2^nd – 27^th July. So after the RNA Conference I’m home with just enough time to  do the laundry, dry it (well – I can hope. The way the weather has been this ‘summer’ it’s more likely to get drenched all over again while out on the line.) And then I’ll set off again. Most times I teach a course – this year it’s  A Complete Introduction to Writing Romance -  but that’s only for half the week (five one hour sessions). The rest of my time I can go to other  given by so many fascinating writers my DH is giving on this year) , talk about writing,  or even attend one of the other courses.   

Then it’s home -  do the laundry again!  My husband has a book signing for Yorkshire Day  and then we’ll snatch a breath before travelling to the seaside. But this still isn’t a holiday, I’m doing another workshop in Bridlington at the beginning of August. But at least I’ll get a moment or two to see the sea – I  love to watch the waves and feel deprived if I don’t get to see them.

Phew! After that, I think I manage to stay at home for a couple of weeks -  and by then it will be time to get back to my desk again.  It’s no wonder  I feel nostalgic for those ‘and when I came home, I read my books’  days.  I’d love to grab a week or two to do nothing but read.

Still, this hectic time  in July is always a lot of fun – and I get to meet up with so many friends, make new ones, and to talk about writing  (and the fantastic food at Caerleon helps a bit too!)

So that’s what’s going to be happening to me between now and the next time I post  on the first Sunday in August. What about you?  Do you have any interesting plans for your holidays? Are you going anywhere exciting  - or do you just plan to stay at home and read? (Guess which one I envy you for most!)

As I know that  people love to have new books to take with them on holiday (or to read at home) I’m offering a giveaway of one of my books – my most recent title The Devil and Miss Jones which is still for sale in paperback or ebooks. Or something from my back list if you've already read this one.   Just tell me what you’re up to this summer, and I’ll get Charlie the Maine Coon to pick the name of  a winner – when he comes in from the garden. It’s actually stopped raining today so he’s outside enjoying the sunshine.

And I’ll be back in August , when I’ll be glad to stay still for a while!

You can keep up with all my news on my web site  or the most up to date details are on my blog 

And the winner is Michele!
Michele please email kate AT kate-walker.com  with your postal address and I'll get your prize in the mail to you.  I'd email you direct but I can't find an address for you

The RNA Romance Prize Shortlist - Michelle Styles

It is that time of the year again when the short list or finalists for the different awards begin to be listed.
Last Friday, the finalists for the Romantic Novelists Association Romance Prize were announced.
The Romantic Novelists Association or RNA is the British equivalent of the RWA. It was founded in the early 1960s and its members list reads like a who is who of British women's fiction. Every year, it awards two main prizes -- the Romantic Novel of the Year for single title books and the Romance Prize for category novels. The Romance Prize includes the Betty Neels Rose Bowl. Betty Neels of course was a long time and well respected member of the RNA who wrote wonderful feel good romance. When the Romance Prize was started a few years ago, Mills & Boon decided to honour her achievement by donating a rose bowl in her memory. Past winners include -- Jessica Hart, Anne Herries, Liz Fielding and Nell Dixon.
This year, the shortlist is particularly strong and luckily for North American readers includes several books that will be released in the US in the next few months. The books are split between the Romance line and the Modern Extra/Heat (Promotional Presents) line this year and so they are all contemporary romances.
The finalists are Breakfast at Giovanni's by Kate Hardy (to be released in the US as In Bed with Her Italian Boss April 08), Driving Him Wild by Julie Cohen ( February 08 US release as His for the Taking), The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella by Liz Fielding, The Mediterranean Rebel's Bride by Lucy Gordon, and two books by Fiona Harper -- Her Parenthood Assignment, and English Lord, Ordinary Lady (a February 08 release in the US). It is a very strong field this year and having read the books, I do not envy the judges because basically I would not be able to choose. The award will be presented a very glamorous lunch on February 4th.
I sure some one will do a report for Tote Bags.
However, I am not going to be there this year. On 7 February, Mills & Boon are having a cocktail party to celebrate their 100th centenary and I am going there instead. Again, I am positive that it will be covered at Tote Bags. It promises to be another glamorous event and has already been mentioned in at least one literary gossip column. There is a rumour of Butlers In the Buff appearing, but one can never trust the gossip columns. I do know that there will be party bags as the back of the invitation listed the sponsors.
For US readers, Harlequin/Silhouette have teamed up to produce a special Valentine's Day site. It features free online reads, postcards and a chance to read the 2008 Romance Report. All of the February US books have the special treat heart on the front cover.

The RNA award lunch

Last Friday was the glamour event of the British romance publishing -- the annual presentation of the Romantic Novel of the Year and the Romance Prize at the Savoy.

If you have ever seen the film Notting Hill, you will know how splendid the Savoy is. Among other things, it is the only place in Britain where they drive on wrong side of the road.

Mod X and Little Black Dress author, Julie Cohen and I arrived in a cab. Julie as befits her website was wearing a black top and orange skirt. I was in a teal blue Monsoon outfit.

The lunch begins with a champagne reception. As it is very much an industry function, editors and agents are there. Mills and Boon editor Joanne Carr lived up to reputation and wore a splendid pair of shoes. My daughter whispered to me that she looked just like a model. Anne Herries and Catherine George, two of the finalists were there -- both with huge smiles on their faces.

We were then summoned to lunch. On the tables, were programmes of the day's events. The cover was a cartoon by Bestie, highlighting the joys of reading romance on public transportation. The top table came in last.

The food was delicious -- goat cheese and onion tart for starters, chicken with vagatables (my daughter was not overly fond of the potatoes and almond combo), and a treacle tart with raspberries and vanilla ice cream for pudding. The vanilla ice cream was made with a vanilla pod and tasted fantastic.

Then came the awards -- Rosie Thomas won the Romantic Novel of the year for Iris & Ruby. And Nell Dixon won The Romance Prize for Marrying Max. Nell was flabbergasted, and I had to pull her up from her chair and gently shove her towards the podium. As I had insisted that Nell enter the book, I felt like a very proud fairy godmother.

Modern/Presents Author Sharon Kenderick managed colour coordinate her cast with her purple outfit. New presents author India Grey was there looking stunning in black. She is a warm and lovely person. Kate Walker also looked great in her white top and dark skirt combo. And the shoes these women wear were -- well stunning.

It was a wonderful event, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Michelle Styles

The Romantic Novelist Association's Romance Prize 2007

The short list for the Romantic Novelist Association's Romance prize has been officially announced.

The prize which includes the Betty Neels Rosebowl is given for the best catagory romance novel of the year. The award will be presented at the Savoy Hotel in London on 27 April, at the same as the Romantic Novel of the year is announced. Previous winners of the Romance Prize include Liz Fielding, Anne Herries and Jessica Hart.

It is a major honour to make the short list, and I am very pleased to say that my novel, The Gladiator's Honour is there. Other nominees include Nicola Cornick for Lord Greville's Captive, Jessica Hart for Her Ready Made Family, Anne Herries for An Improper Companion, Natasha Oakley for Accepting the Boss's Proposal, Nell Dixon for Marrying Max and Catherine George for The Millionaire's Runaway Bride.