Ring in the new? with Kate Walker

 

Happy new year!

Is it too late to wish you all that?  I don’t think so  - but then I’ve never been one  for celebrating the official

New Year very much.  After all, it’s really just a change of a set of  numbers – 2013 to 2014  -  and not really actually that, seeing as the dates of months and years are  ones that have been arbitrarily forced on to our lives in order to measure it. 

And I’ve never really thought that the middle of a cold, bleak winter(if you live on this side the world anyway)  is the time for resolutions and to decide to  change your life – to get  rid of the ‘old’  and  bring in the ‘new’.  Not totally sure that ‘new ‘ is always better, really. But the whole ‘New Year’ thing does make me rather restless and unsure, with all the celebrations, the fireworks, the resolutions. I feel I should make resolutions – but I don’t.  I quite like the prospect of having new calendars, of writing in the dates of birthdays, of things planned, into diaries  - but that’s because I love any excuse for new stationery! And I like to feel organised.

So when Lee suggested that I write my blog for the 12^th of every month this year, instead of the first Sunday of every month I was really rather happy about it. Especially for this month’s post. It meant I didn’t have to write a real ‘new year ‘ or a ‘resolution’ post. 2014 would be well settled in before I was here chatting with you.

But I do have one small ceremony that the Babe Magnet and I carry out as the ‘old’ year turns into the ‘new’. We each take 2 pieces of paper and write down  the things we disliked about the past year – the days we’d rather not  remember  - and on the other go the  days we’d never want to forget. Then we burn the ‘bad’ ones in a red candle and light a fresh candle for the year to begin – keeping tight hold of all the good memories.

That’s in my desk drawer as I write this blog. I thought  about sharing it with  you but then, thinking about this old and ‘new’ thing – I thought I’d rather share some things I’m looking forward to  - the good things coming up in 2014.  So here  - well, here is the ‘In with the New’ in my world:

1.     .   

I have a new kitten  - one of the bad things about 2013 was that we lost our beautiful Maine Coon female to cancer. I didn’t think I was ready for a new cat, but just before Christmas I was adopted by a little homeless black and white 8 week old kitten. People think we adopted her – but she knows different. Ruby – that’s here name – picked us. Very definitely. (If you want to read the story of how she came into our lives – it’s over on my personal blog  here.)

2        I have a new book coming out in June 2014 – that’s A Question of Honour with a very sexy sheikh hero - Karin Al Khalifa  - who is sent on an important mission that demands he lives by his code of honour, only to find that  meeting Clementina Saveneski   tests that honour to the utmost.

3.      This book has a rather more personal connection with my own family than most of the others. I’ll be explaining and talking about that in May.


4.       I’m busy with a new book that I’m really enjoying. After a difficult year for my writing  in 2013 (guess what else was burned up in that candle flame?) I’m back to enjoying so much more and I’m hoping to get this one scheduled just as soon as I can.  I also have planes for a book that will be closely connected to A Question of Honour.  Do you enjoy linked stories? I hope you do.


5.       Oh – and while we’re talking about books – if you missed the publication of  Good Greek Wife?  bac

k in  2010, this book is being reissued as the lead title in a 3 in 1 reprint   Eligible Greeks – Sizzling Affairs in April this year.


6.       At the moment, one of the things I’m most looking forward to is the Advanced Romance Writing course that I shall be running in Fishguard in Wales in February (always hoping that the violent storms, high winds and torrential rains don’t prevent us getting there!)  That one is already booked up but if I’m talking about ‘new’ things, then there are  two new courses I’ll be running  - Writing Romantic Fiction (May) and Before you submit your Novel - The Practicalities (October). Both of these courses will be organised by Malaga Writing Workshops  Relax and Write weekends.  at a 4 star venue, Weetwood Hall, in Leeds.  I always enjoy running courses and meeting other writers – so these will be great.  I'll be posting details about these on my web site Events page just as soon as I get organised.


7.       Oh yes – and thinking about teaching writing – this year marks a while new beginning for the 12 Point

Guide to Writing Romance. I’m going to be publishing this myself and making sure that it is more easily available in ebook formats in the future. I need to tweak a couple of sections to bring it right up to date – but the new edition will be ready just as soon as I can manage it.

Well – I think that’s enough ‘new’ to be going on with! Unless of course I mention the huge selection of new books I was given as Christmas presents. One of my gifts to myself is going to be time to spend curled up in an armchair, with one or other – or both  - of the cats on my lap as I read my way through the wonderful titles I have to look forward to.

So yes, I’m looking forward to the new things coming up.  But I’m also going to be holding on tight to some of the very precious ‘old’ things – there’s my DH for one thing, my son and his lovely fiancee – and we still have Charlie the Maine Coon. The Babe Magnet and I are still enjoying celebrating out Ruby wedding year (guess where Ruby’s name comes from!) .

Oh, and come December I will be celebrating the 30^th anniversary of my very first book The Chalk Line

 being published. I’m not sure if that’s an ‘old’ or a ‘new’ but look out for some special celebrations coming up.

Well, that’s my look ahead at 2014 – I hope you all have some lovely things to look forward to in this New Year.  

Do you have something new that you’re looking forward to? I’d love to know.

And once again – Happy 2014 to all of you. I hope it’s a wonderful time, filled with happiness and joys so that when you reach this time next year you have some wonderful memories to look back on.

A Tale of Two Covers - Kate Walker

This week I've enjoyed one of the best things about being a published writer of romance-. That's the experience of seeing my brand new book (The Proud Wife) in the book shops for the first time. It's always a thrill, a feeling of excitement  and achievement that never goes away even though this is the  58th title I've had published ( the 60th, if you count my  how to books The 12 Point Guide and A Straightforward Guide to Writing Romance.)

This was also a different sort of first for me as here in the UK this was the first book I've had published since Harlequin Mills and Boon  changed to covers and put out the new designs for all the different romance lines. I was at an event in a bookshop last night - to celebrate World Book Night   - and the books they'd got hold of for me to sign really showed this  change to strong effect. 

You see, my last book  looked like this  in the UK  ---->

And my new title  looks like this

<----

I like both of them, they're both attractive, appealing covers.  But the cover of The Good  Greek Wife  is much more representative of the story in the book that I wrote.  And I suppose, as an author that is important to me.

But the cover of The Proud Wife is a beautiful cover - don't you think? Lots of people commented on it last night, and other people have said how much impact it has had when they've seen it.   It is beautifu l - but  it's not my heroine, Marina . She doesn't appear in an elegant silvery silk dress,  she's been  working, earning her living, since she separated from her husvband - not reclining elegantly on an ornamental couch, looking like she hasn't done a day's work in her life.   And she's also a feisty readhead, with green eyes - and a voluptuous figure.

In fact, she looks a lot more like the Marina who appears on the American, Presents Extra edition of The Proud Wife  which is coming to the shops in April. That's it's cover here ----> 

That's much more like the Marina I saw in my head as aI wrote her story - and I like the fact that this cover has the husband  she's separated from in this picture too. (Yes, I know  they don;t look very separarated - but this scene isn't from the beginning of the story. Things move quite quickly from the moment they first meet up again. If you want to know what happens - read that book!)  After all, this both Marina and Pietro's story so I like seeing them together.

But if I'm honest, I have to admit that the UK cover of The Proud Wife is the one that would make me reach for the book if I saw it on a shelf.  It looks intriguing - and it is very attractive.  But I can't help wondering if it makes Marina look calm and controlled . . . or cold and distant. 

At least it seems to be selling very well. Over on the Mills &Boon site, this book has been a #1 in their best selling list for a couple of weeks now!  I don't know yet how the USA cov er will attract readers - the book isn't out until April       . Over on the eHarlequin site, the ebook version is selling well, but that  doesn't need the cover to draw people in.

I suppose the answer is that, no matter how hard the art department works, they must rarely,m if ever, produce a cover that matches up to the image  of the characters that an author has in her head when she's writing.  We just have to be grateful if we don't really hate it!

So what do you think? Do you like the new style Mills & Boon covers? Or  love the  long-established and so familiar Presents version?    Do you think the USA covers need a makeover like  the UK ones - or would you  prefer it if they stayed the same?

You can read more about The Proud Wife  over on my web site  and you can learn all about my news and get all the really up to date stuff on my blog.  I have some really great news that I'd love to be able to share with you there - but I can't quite yet. Maybe next month.

Writing a book is like preparing for Christmas by Kate Walker

Being a writer is a lot like preparing for Christmas. Well, writing a book is very similar.

You spend ages just thinking about it. Thinking and planning. If you're like me, you make a list, or rather lists, and check them more than twice.

A list of characters and their backgrounds, their families and friends. Christmas is always about familes and friends. The ones you love and want to see a lot of - like your hero and heroine. And the ones who always cause trouble and start arguments, maybe drink a little too much - the villain or the 'other woman' - but you have to invite them anyway.

A list of conflicts and problems that you are going to throw in their way. There are always problems and hitches in the run up to Christmas. The special toys that the little ones want but the shop has run out of them already. The awkward brother who you just don't know what to buy for him.

A list of settings, houses, countries, perhpas even, in Presents novels, a palace and a penthouse. You have to know who is going to be where and when so that you can get everyone together if you want to - or, alternatively, arrange for some much needed private time so that you/your characters can . ..er . . . spend a little quality time together!

A list of all the nice little things that will also happen. After all your hero and heroine are going to fall in love so there has to be some reasons why this is going to happen. Some special meals togther with really nice food and drink.And all this involves planning and scheming, organsing and thinking, to make sure it happens.

Once your lists are written, all the planning done, then you start to work through them. And this is where the fun often starts. You often find that you have to keep changing things and adjusting, altering as you go along. Your heroine has decided - without telling you - that she's going to have a different job, a new name, that she won't go here or there . . and you have to make different arrangement to make sure she does even meet up with her hero.

The plot you've decided on doesn't quite 'fit' and you have to go looking for something different to fill the empty spaces, all in good time for the deadline when you have to have everything ready.

The setting - that wonderful palace you were going to make that everyone met in, has been overbooked - everyone's been using that setting recently - so you're looking for somewhere else. Somewhere warm and lovely that can fit all the characters you want to collect together.

And all the time the Big Day ( your deadline ) is getting closer and closer. You find yourself thinking about nothing else all day long. You work on your preparations/your writing all day, every day it seems. You get up early, go to bed late, but no matter how hard you try, you still find yourself wrapping or cooking - or slamming out words - in a rush on the very last day.

But at last, finally, somehow it all gets done. You get to Christmas day/the end of your deadline and all you have to do is to cook the dinner (or press 'SEND' on the email of your manuscript) and sit back and relax. You can have a glass of wine - or two - forget about work and word coubnts etc for a while. And you can look around and think how great it is that everything turned out well in the end.

Or at least you hope you can until your editor gets back to you with her 'tweaks' and revisions - which is rather like finding that the brand new gadget you were given doesn't work right or the underwear was in the wrong size and you have to take it back to the shop . . .

But hopefully these will only be minor hitches and you'll soon be able to say when anyone asks, 'Oh yes, I had a wonderful time - it was such fun!' (You always soon forget the stress and hassle when you look back at your memories)

So with the similarities betwen writng a novel and Christmas in mind, it's not really surprising is it that I chose a Christmas giveaway this year based on the Advent Calendar as we count down to December 25th. Over on my blog I'll be giving away a book a day - some old, some newer, some single novels, some 3 in 1 collections. And all you have to do is to come on over and chat, leaving a message in the Comments section.

But today you don 't even have to visit my blog. Today, the giveaway comes here to Tote Bags. Today's giveaway is one of those 3 in 1 collections. Mistresses Shackled with Rubies is a collection that came out at the start of 2010. It has stories by Lucy Monroe and Lee Wilkinson together with my own Her Secret Bridegroom which was originally published back in 2000.

Bride by deception!
After a whirlwind wedding in Venice, Amy discovered that her brand-new husband had only married her to gain a priceless old ring. Fleeing Italy, Amy never told anyone of her marriage to ruthless billionaire Vincenzo Ravenelli.
Four years later, while Amy knew she'd never really love another man as she loved Vincenzo, she needed to be free of the past. The time had come to return to Venice and confront her secret bridegroom . . .

And today's question is- m

Are you a planner or a dasherwhen it comes to Christmas?

One of my sisters will have bought all her presents - and wrapped them - by now. My brother in law will leave everything to the last minute and then dash around like crazy trying to find what he wants. Which sort are you? Calm, collected and prepared ? Or wouldn't it be Christmas unless you went out into all the crowds and the excitement in the last week or so?

Post your answers in the comments and Sid the Cat will get to work to pick a winner - he loves this Advent Calendar idea. He gets to have extra cat crunchies every day for 25 days! As far as he's concerned his Christmas has come already.

And for me my Christmas came early when I learned that my March Presents Extra title The Konstantos Marriage Demand has been short-listed for the Best Presents Extra award by Romantic Times. That really was a special joy.


I know it's a little early but I want to wish each and every one of you all the joys and happiness of the Festive Seasons, no matter what you're celebrating. I hope you all have a wonderful time with family, friends and those you loveclose to you - and hopefully a little something extra special and beautiful like the rubies in the title of this giveaway wrapped and put under the tree for you. Have a lovely time and I'll be back at the very beginning of the New Year to see you all again.

Happy Christmas!

Kate Walker's latest Presents title - The Good Greek Wife? - was out in Presents Extra in October and is still available now on Amazon, eHarlequin etc. You can get all her news and read the latest updates over on her web site or her blog.

Sid has chosen the winner and the name he picked out is EV - so Ev please email me kate AT kate-walker.com to let me know your postal address and I'll put your prize in the mail to you.

Just to remind everyone that you can still keep entering my Advent Calendar Giveaway over on my blog every day up to Christmas,

Brightening November by Kate Walker

I usually find November to be one of the most miserable months. The weather has changed from anything that could be described as autumnal and is rapidly turning into winter. The temperatures have dropped, the sun seems to have disappeared from the sky, the clocks have changed so that the nights draw in dark and fast - and it all seems very - well Novemberish.

But this year things have been happening that had brightened up my November so that in many ways it's turning into one of my favourite months so far. For one thing I've just reached the end of the celebrations of 25 years as a published author. I've just rounded off the celebrations by giving away 25 prizes to readers who entered my contest in October. I love sending out prizes so this has been extra-special. Although this year has been fun and I've had a fabulous time celebrating, it has been rather a 'looking back' time and now I'm ready to be looking forward. So when December dawns, I can plan ahead and start finding new things to celebrate for my 26th year.

One of those things will be the publication of the third edition of my award-winning 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance. This means that this book has now sold out twice since it was first published in 2004. I just got my first author copies yesterday and I'm thrilled to have them in my hands.

Another thing I'm celebrating is the fact that the Romantic Times Book Review reviwers' choice awards were announced. And my book The Konstantos Marriage Demand was one of the five novels short-lised as Best Presents Extra 2010. I'm pretty sure that I celebrated on here when The Konstantos Marriage Demand was chosen as an RT Top Pick for March - now I'm celebrating again. I'm in really good company - the other books short-listed are:

WEDDING NIGHT WITH A STRANGER (Aug.)Anna Cleary

RICH, RUTHLESS AND SECRETLY ROYAL (Apr.) Robyn Donald

THE TWELVE NIGHTS OFCHRISTMAS (Nov.) Sarah Morgan

ITALIAN MARRIAGE: IN NAME ONLY (Apr.) Kathryn Ross

THE KONSTANTOS MARRIAGE DEMAND(Mar.)Kate Walker

And now . . . they say that good things come in threes so what's the third one? That's a very special, gorgeous Christmas present that my lovely DH has chosen for me. What? Yes, I do know about it because I had to go and choose it. You see this is the sort of a gift that can't really come as a suprise.

I'll bet you're all wondering what I'm talking about - but I'm afraid you'er going to have to wait just a little while. As soon as I can I'll tell more about this extra special (to me) gift over on my own blog.

But I can tell you that lookig forward to that and all of these little celebrations have really broghtened up my November - and it's still only the 7th .

So as you know I like to share when I'm celebrating, I'm m offering a giveaway copy of my short-listed title The Konstantos Marriage Demand to someone who posts a comment here today. Just let me know which Presents novel you've read you think should be awards Best Presents or Best Presents Extra for 2010.

(Or if you don't read Presents then tell me about some really special present someone gave you - or you gave some one. That will still be the Best Present!)

The Konstantos Marriage Demand is still available on Amazon or eHarlequin, But of course my latest Presents title is The Good Greek Wife? which is out in Harlequin Presents Extra in shops right now or again on Amazon or eHarlequin. This is the book that sold out here on the UK and it's been appearing on all the bestseller charts now it's out in America.

If you want to know more about The Good Greek Wife? you can find out on my web site or my blog where all the most up to date news and contests appear.

And the winner is - Linda Henderson. Linda please email me kate AT kate-walker .com with your postal address and I'll get your book in the post to you

Autumn's here! by Kate Walker

The summer has definitely gone. Outside my window as I write this here in the UK the skies are grey and the rain is coming down - again. It seems to have been raining all week. There were a few bright hours one morning and again early yesterday. All the water barrels are filled, the garden is soaked, the cats are huddled inside and if they do venture outside they stay for five minutes or so and then they're at the door, begging to be let in. It's too cold and miserable to be outside.

But I don't mind at all. In fact I welcome it. I'm glad to see the summer temperatures fade and the nights draw in. My husband has started to light a real coal fire in the grate in the evenings and I really don't feel like going outside too much. And that makes this sort of weather perfect writing weather. And I need to get some concentrated writing done.

I've been so busy over the summer, with the conference season and then with the teaching I've had to do. And teaching means travelling all over. I've been to London, York, Caerleon in Wales, Durham, London again - all wonderful places to visit. It was fantastic to meet up with everyone who was on the course on writing romance that I was teaching. We had a lot of fun. One of my favourite memories is of teaching a workshop on How To Write a Sex Scene on a Sunday morning in Durham with a mixed group of men and women of different ages and backgrounds. We had such a laugh. You see, when I teach this workshop and I get the students to write, each one of them has to have a 'sex change.' The women have to write as men and the men as women - it creates some really interesting moments. And sitting around talking about writing, discussing how to build characters, how to target your writing, is always fascianting and enjoyable. When I visited London it was for the Romantic Novelists' Association Conference and then again, last month, for the annual lunch of the Association of Mils & Boon Novelists. Meeting up with so many wonderful romance writers - ofd courese we talked about books and writing again.

But I'm ready to stop talking and really get down to the real thing. I've had a book that has been waiting to be finished for too long, put off as I prepare classes, organise handouts etc. I'm also ready to stay still for a while. I love travelling. I love visiting new places - or revisiting them as is the case with York, Wales and Durham. But I'm tired of living out of a suitcase. I'm looking forward to having my own things around me. Sleeping in my own bed, having a chance to read the books I've collected up on my travels. It's at time like this that I think of that song sung by Frank Sinatra -

It's oh so nice to go trav'ling

But it's oh so nice to come home.

So I'm looking forward to the Autumn - the Fall - and I'm looking forward to settling down and doing some concentrated writing. To getting this story off my desk and onto my editor's desk. And then to writing the next story with the next set of characters who are beginning to grow, their story developing inside my head. Prehaps it's because I spent to long with September/October meaning new school/college year, new term and all those lovely new notebooks, pens, and other stationary that came with the start of school.

And because of the cooler weather it's even more fun to daydream of far off places, of hot sunshine and foreign countries. Countries like Spain, Italy, Greece, where the stories of my novels are set. As you'll be tell from the title - The Good Greek Wife? - my very next book is set in Greece. On the island of Ithaca to be exact. And for me there's a whole pleasure in being able to curl up with a book and be transported to the glorious Greek sunshine, the sea and the sand, while outside - like now - the rain is pouring down. This book has just had this really great review from Romance Junkies:

THE GOOD GREEK WIFE? is definitely high on passion and Greek intensity! The story takes place in a very condensed time but it works well for the shock and awe that comes with seeing Zarek again after assuming he is dead. Kate Walker has these two going at each other with hurt, love and anger from the get-go, but it is in preparation for the true reveal of their feelings. The emotions are so heightened in this story that it adds a lot of intensity and spirit to Zarek's and Penny's reunion. And even with the presence of the evil family in the background, Zarek was able to show Penny that he had more in mind for their reunion than a divorce.

I don't know about you but that's just the sort of story I'd want to curl up by the fire and lose myself in another world.

What about you? Do you have something that you're really looking forward to now that the summer's over? Or do you hate the way that the evenings are closing in and the mornings are darker? I have a signed copy of The Good Greek Wife? to give away to someone who posts in the comments section. This book is already sold out in the UK so you'll want to grab a copy while you can.

Oh, and talking of giveaways and prizes, as you know I've been celebrating 25 years of being published as a romance writer, and to round of the year of celebrations I'm running a special great big contest over on my web site. I have 25 prizes of a book from my backlist and a Kate Walker tote bag - one for each year I'm published on offer. So check out my Contest Page to find out what to do. Answer 4 easy questions and you could be in with a chance of winning.

Kate Walker's new book The Good Greek Wife? is released in the Presents EXTRA line up on October 12th.

If you want to enter the 25th anniversary Contest then check out the Contest page of her web site. That's where you'll find all the details. And the most up to date news is always available on her blog.

AND THE WINNER IS - ALISON

Alison please contact me kate AT kate-0walker.com and I will arrange to send your copy of The Good Greek Wife on to you. Everyone else - why not have a go at the 25th anniversary contest?

Coming soon . . . .by Kate Walker

I’m not quite sure how it got to be August. I’m sure it was only a day or so ago – a week at most that I was writing my blog for July. Then I was looking forward to the publication of the UK edition of my latest book, The Good Greek Wife? Coming up was Romantic Novelists’ Association conference at Greenwich Naval College in London, and then at the end of the month there was the fabulous Caerleon Writers’ Holiday in Wales.


Now both events are over and The Good Greek Wife? is off the shelves in the UK, except of course for Amazon and the Book Depository. Even the RWA national conference is finished and the RITAs awarded for this year.


So what’s there to look forward to next? I expect it’s because of so many new terms, that I always start to see September with its new academic year as a time of excitement and fresh starts. And here in the UK Harlequin Mills & Boon seem to have the same ideas. There are some changes coming up in the publication line up, with new and exciting differences in the books coming up.


In October, I'll have my next Presents EXTRA title out - that's the USA edition of The Good Greek Wife?, and if you're looking at Presents Extra titles you'll find that they now indicate the classic Presents story (as opposed to those published originally in Modern Heat in the UK) with a marking of CLASSIC on the backs of the books. That way you'll be able to see more easily which titles are the sort of story you are looking for.



That month will also see a new reprint of my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance - I'm thrilled to say that it has sold out its currrent edition again and the third editin is now in production, this time published by Aber Press instead of Studymates.


There will be new-look covers, new names for some old lines, new titles. Yes, new titles. The Presents titles that you recognise, the ones that started out as buzzwords and became rather laughable, working in combinations of Greeks and Spaniards, Billionaires and Virgins, are all going to change. There will be new, hopefully more appealing, more dramatic titles. Titles like The Bride Thief, The Society Wife, Reckless in Paradise, Giselle’s Choice, The Undoing of de Luca, The Man Behind the Mask, The Disgraced Princess, The Master of Bella Terra. My own new book coming in March 2011 will be called The Proud Wife.(My editor seems to be on something of a 'Wife' theme!)



So things are changing – nothing ever stands still for long in publishing, And if you want to learn more about the new look etc then you can check out here for details



Keep your eyes out for the new covers and new titles that are coming, here in the UK at least. The new titles should start filtering in to the Presents editions in America soon too. So what do you think of these changes? Will you be glad to see the back of the Billionaires, the end of the Mistresses and Revenge and similar titles? I know I will - how about you?

Something Old, Something New . . . with Kate Walker

July is a special month for me.

July 14th sees the anniversary of the day when I married my husband, more years ago than I care to admit to. No – actually, I don’t mind telling you – it was 37 years ago. I know that, as romance readers and writers, you’ll be almost as happy as I am to know that our marriage lasted and that we’re still celebrating those anniversaries. After all, that’s what we all read and write romance for, isn’t it? To assert the value of a happy ever after for our characters. And it’s what we’d probably all dream of for ourselves.

When I married all those years ago, I never dreamed that by the time I was celebrating my 37th anniversary, I’d be where I am now. That as well as those 37 years with my DH, I’d also have 25 years of being published behind me. 25 years, 59 books (57 romances and two ‘How To’ writing romance guides), it’s something even I don’t quite believe when I look at it. But it crept up on me quietly – one year at a time for my marriage, and one book at a time for my publishing career. So naturally at this time of the year, I think of that old saying about the ‘good luck charms’ you have on your wedding day. ‘Something old, something new. . .’ And that saying also applies to my writing career this month, You see I have something new in the shape of my latest book being published, and something old which is the re-issue of some books from my past – one from almost way back at the beginning of my career.

The new one first. In the UK this week there is the publication date of my newest Mills & Boon Modern Romance, The Good Greek Wife? Just this afternoon I saw it in the bookshop – that’s always so exciting even after all this time. It’s one of the real of this job, and one I never grow tired of. Just seeing my book there on the shelves, newly printed and published waiting for readers to come along and buy it, is a real joy.

But it’s also exciting when the older books come round again and are reprinted, or re-issued in different forms. This week I received some foreign editions, translations of my books, and one of them was a Korean edition of Game of Hazard, the second book I had published, way back in 1986 – and the first title that ever went to America. And then I was told that some of my older titles have been put into ebook so that they are easily available in this format all over again. It’s like seeing old friends come back into my life as I found that The Married Mistress and Their Secret Baby are on sale all over again. They brought back memories for me too – memories when those books were first on sale and what I was doing back then.

On the 14th I’ll be recalling memories too, of course. Memories of that July day when I started out on my own Happy Ever After. My husband and I will look back at our younger selves and smile at how far we’ve come – and hope that there will still be lots of ‘somethings new’ ahead of us for us to enjoy.

I hope that’s how it will be for you too – something old and something new. And a happy ever after in real life as well as in the books you read.

Have you got a special ‘something old’ that you want to remember? Or ‘something new’ that you’re really happy about? As I’m celebrating both the publication of my new book and my anniversary – and when I celebrate I love to share – I have a signed copy of The Good Greek Wife? to give away to someone who comments.

Kate Walker's current release for Mills & Boon Modern Romance is a little bit unusual. The Good Greek Wife? is part of a four book mini-series that retells classic Greek myths updating and 'modernising' them into a romance form. The mini-series is labelled The Greek Tycoons - Legends are Made of Men like These! The Good Greek Wife? is a retelling of the story of Odysseus and is out on July 2nd.

The Good Greek Wife? will not be published in The Greek Tycoons collection in Presents Extra until October but Kate's last Presents title The Konstantos Marriage Demand, with another sexy Greek hero is still available .

You can read how Kate approached this challenge of writing The Good Greek Wife? on her web site . And you'll find all her most up to date news on her blog.

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT:

Sid the cat was up early this morning and ready to go at the cat treats and pick a name for the winner
And the winner is Practimom!
Practimom please send me your name and postal address to kate AT Kate walker.com and I'll organise your prize.

Revisions, Reprints, Revivals and Renewals by Kate Wallker

For those of you who celebrate it, Happy Easter!

I always think that Easter is a lovely festival to celebrate as it comes with such promises of Spring and a whole new sense of revitalisation and renewal. Perhaps it’s because of the reason we originally celebrate Easter in the first place – with the story of the resurrection coming after Good Friday and Jesus’ death. Or perhaps it’s because this particular festival still manages to be that bit simpler and less commercialised than ‘big one’ of Christmas with its emphasis on gifts and food and spending. Or perhaps it’s the time of year, with Spring coming at last and the flowers beginning to appear, the trees breaking into fresh green leaves, lambs in the field etc that emphasises the revitalisation and new growth in everything.

This is one of my favourite times of the year. A time that says that, no matter how dull and dreary things have become, how dark and cold the times have been, we can hope to look forward to renewal and refreshment. So perhaps it’s a good time for me to pause and look backwards and then forwards with my books as at the moment I’m sort of ‘in between’ with past present and future all coming together at one time.

The present ( or should I say Presents?) is that my current book The Konstantos Marriage Demand is still on the bookshop shelves in its Presents EXTRA edition for the next week or so. The Presents EXTRA publication schedule means that even when the main run of the Presents titles change, the EXTRA books stay around until the middle of the month. But the way that publishing works means that when each now novel appears for my readers, the book is already ‘past’ for me as I will have written it up to 18 months ago.

The Konstantos Marriage Demand for example was bought by my editor in April last year., and I’ve already written another couple of books since then. One of which I’m revising now. That’s the current book for me – one that will be scheduled and published, probably early in 2011. This means that I always have something to look forward to – which is wonderful!

And the ‘past’ is there in the way that older books get reprinted and come back to have a second chance of publication when they are reprinted because they have been bestsellers in the past. I have one of those published in the UK this month (16th April) when a Mills & Boon By Request brings out 3 of my sexy Sicilian heroes in a reprint collection called Claimed by The Sicilian. Unusually, all 3 stories in this book are my novels, normally the By Request books have stories by 3 different authors so I’m really honoured that the titles here are all mine. (If you want to know which ones they are Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Wife – The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge – and The Sicilian’s Wife.)

This collection also has one of the new designs of covers that have been brought in for the Mills and Boon editions and I really love it. I’ll post a pic of it so you can see - I’d love to know what you think. New covers, new style titles are coming up and there are more changes planned for the Harlequin Mills & Boon novels in the future as the books get a whole new look – though the one thing that will remain the same is that there will be great stories to read every month.

So renewal and refreshment is in the atmosphere and it’s a great mood that combines with the arrival of Spring to lift the spirits and make me want to look to the future. And it seems to be happening all around – here in the UK, last night was the launch of the brand new season of Dr Who with a brand new Doctor and brand new scripts created by a new team of writers. I watched the first episode last night and was excited by this new ‘relaunch’ of an old favourite. I’ve loved the ‘old’ Doctor Whos (some more than others) but what I love most of all is the way that this long-established series keep reviving and revitalising itself, renewing the ‘mixture as before’ and taking the familiar elements, stirring them up, putting them into new patterns, new versions and so creating something fresh and exciting and entertaining.

It’s a bit like romance writing really – and that’s what I’ve been doing with my books over the past 25 years. My next book out The Good Greek Wife (there's one of those new-style titles ) is like that – and the next project I have on my writing list is going to be even more that way– but I can’t tell you about that just yet. I’ll be able to say more in another couple of months – looking to the future again! So it seems really appropriate that I can celebrate Easter and its sense of renewal with my revivals and revisions. Spring seems like a much better time to think of ‘New Year’ than in the dark, dreary dull days of January! I even had a brand-new publicity photo taken to mark the new season - hope you like it.

So to celebrate Easter and this sense of renewal, I have a giveaway copy of Claimed by The Sicilian which isn’t available out side the UK (though you can get it through the Book Depository with free international postage if you wants to). Just come and chat with me in the comments, tell me what’s new in your world – are you spring cleaning or redecorating? Have you changed your job or maybe even moved house? Or what about your reading lists? Have you discovered a brand-new (to you) author whose books you just love? Please share with me. (When I finish ‘tweaking’ this Sicilian I’m going to have a little more time to read, I hope!) Or let me know what you think about those new covers, new-style titles like the Good Greek Wife. Just come and chat and I’ll get Sid the Cat pick a winner of a copy of Claimed By The Sicilian. (of you can have a copy of The Konstantos Marriage Demand if you’d prefer.)

And I hope you have a wonderful Easter holiday weekend - with lots of chocolate!

You can find out ore about what's new and exciting in my books and my life over on my web site and the really up to date stuff is on my blog.

Sid has chosen a winner and the name he picked is DENISE - so Denise you win a copy of Claimed By The Sicilian. If you email me your postal address (to kate AT kate-walker.com ) I'll get your prize in the mail to you