Losing track of time

I'm sorry - I forgot   about this blog I wriote earlier.  I lost tack of time and forgot that MIchelel Fayard has asked me some questions about my recent Big Blog Tour,

The post actually went up on  26th January  but I've had a nasty cold, and  been out and about and  have only just got caught up enough to remember and link to it.

Sorry Michelle! I'm doing that now - you can find the blog post here.

I amost forgot . . .

Oops, I've only just realised the date! (Yes I am that confuzzled at the moment!)

It's the 6th of December and that means that following on from the Big Blog Tour,  several people asked me to come back and do an extra blog or two with them in the run up to Christmas (and beyond). The first of these was the lovely Michelle Fayard who  won a  copy of the 12 Point Guide way back at the beginning of the tour, then hosted me as a guest blogger a bit later.   She so  appreciated the  12 Point Guide that she asked me to do a special interview with her about the book and how it came to be written and the result is posted over on her blog today.

Lots of hints for writers there too.
And if you're hoping to drop a hint to Santa to put a copy of the 12 Point Guide in your  stocking at Christmas, there is news of another chance to win a copy of this guide coming up soon.

See you there!

And if you're in the UK and either a member or hoping to be a member of the  RNA's New Writers' Scheme - then there's a series of blogs on the scheme and how it works, what writers have got out of it on the RNA blog now.

Big Blog Tour - Round Up and Winner

So    - it took  almost 3 months
There were about 32 posts - 33 if you count this one
It visited blogs in America, Australia, Fiji,  UK, Canada  . . .
There were about 337 different  commentors -  that's new commentors - many of you can back again and again and chatted with me - thank you!
And I gave away over 35 books!

Charlie had plenty of cat treats to snarf down as he picked the names of winners- and even Flora joined in sometimes to help
.
So I think you can count the Big Blog Tour as as great success ( But I'm pretty relieved not to have to think of extra blog posts - and  replies to comments  for a while now.)

And Charlie has just done his last  blog tour duty  - picking  4 extra winners from my Newsletter list  to celebrate coming to the end of the tour - so

Judith  R from Israel
Sarah H  from UK
Gladys from Houston
Tessa B

Are all winners too -  please email me (see bottom of Home Page)  with your postal address and choice of  a backlist title from this list:

The Greek Tycoon’s Unwilling Wife

Bedded By The Greek Billionaire

Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride

The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge

The Good Greek Wife?

Kept for Her Baby

The Konstantos Marriage Demand

Cordero’s Forced Bride

Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife

The Proud Wife




And finally  - the big winner -  picked from the special list or people who stayed with me and 'stalked' me along the blog tour, is most of the places I stopped - or at least as many as they could manage ..  .
And the winner is:
SUSIE MEDWELL

Susie - you win a signed copy of The Return of The Stranger and  your choice of three other backlist books from the list above. Please email me with your choices

Finally a great big thank you to Nas Dean  from Romance Book Paradise whose contacts, enthusiasm and calm efficiency made this all possible. keep an eye on Nas's site for news of other authors who are running blog tours so you can join in and maybe win a book or two. And don't forget that over on my author page    that Nas has set up,  there will be news of other  blog visits I will be making in the future so you can visit them as well. 

THANK  YOU Nas!

And coming up on Romance Book Paradise on December 12th is a chance to win a signed copy of the 12 Point Guide just in time for Christmas  -  so look out for that.

Normal service will now be resumed - except when I see you out and about!

Big Blog Tour - the last stop

Well  it's been  a l-o-n-g tour, - I started way back on September 11th and I feel as if I've been all over the internet in the time since then.  I've had blogs in America, Australia,  Fiji  . . .  I've talked of all sorts of things - reading writing, cats, school days, The Brontes .. . and of course, the book  that was the reason for this  major tour in the first place - the celebration of the publication  of The Return of the Stranger.

I've met lots of great people - readers and writers. I've chatted with  you all through your comments  on the  posts and I've given away books all over the place. I've sent out copies of The Return of the Stranger, backlist titles  and even a couple of copies of The 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.  And I've made some special friends along the way - people I know I will keep in touch with in the future, and I'll be going back to visit their blogs  either as a reader or a guest blogger if they invite me. (Some of these have already been planned.)

But today is the last stop on this official big blog tour this time around.   After today the tour comes to a halt, apart from the round up party and final giveaway of the main prize which will be on December 1st. So today's last stop is over on Romance University. 

As the name implies, Romance University is a great site  which declares as it's aim: "Dedicated to helping writers establish and advance their careers, introducing readers to a variety of authors, and delving into the ever-inscrutable male mind."  So obviously my post there is with my 'teaching hat' on  - I'm talking about the tight focus and word  count that goes into a category romance  and the need to 'Cut for Pace'.  So maybe I'll see you there.

After today that will be the end of this actual tour - but don't lose sight of the Author Page  that Nas Dean of Romance Book Paradise has set up. Nas has been my help and support  and kept me organised - just - through the whole of this tour. And She has already listed some of the upcoming blogs where I'll be posting in the not too distant future. So if you keep an eye on her listings, you'll know where to find me.

A great big thank you to Nas for keeping me on track over the past months - without her I would never have been able to organise this tour, or to take you to so many fatastic sites.

Blog Tour - reader or writer?

Today, by accident, I have two posts on the Big Blog Tour.  I was originally booked to post at The Book Bordello  with Xandra James - so that's where my post my readers can be found - and I'm givig away a signed copy of one of my backlist books there.

But then the lovely Serena Tatti who has a special blog in her Story Editor role asked me if I would write a guest post on some aspect of  the writing craft for her - and they've both ended up coming out on the same day - and - guess what - there's a backlist book giveaway there too!  But if you're a writer  then this is where my post on writing can be found.

So whether you're a reader or a writer, there is a post for you to read - or maybe you'll try both? If you do then please post a comment - so that Charlie will be so very happy as there  will be lots of names for him to pick a winner - two winners, one from each site -  from which means lots of cat treats to snarf.

More on the Blog Tour

Another stop on the Big Blog Tour today - we getting close to the end of the tour now and I've really enjoyed meeting everyone and chatting with them. It's been a challenge to think of topics to write about  along the way, though - specially when some people have wanted craft posts, others have wanted interviews . . .others have wanted just 'any post'!

And Seekerville was SO busy - it took me two days to keep up with all the posts

So today I am over at Fresh Fiction  where I'm giving away a copy of my latest novel - which is of course The Return of the Stranger.  My blog is about the challenge of writing this book.

And that reminds me  - I have some winners to announce so that people can collect their prizes -

Seven Sassy Sisters winner  was   Veronica Scott
Pink Hearts  Society Winner was Kaelee
We Write Romance  winner was Denise
Seekerville -   Jenna V   won a copy of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance

Winners please email me with your choice from this list of backlist books:

The Greek Tycoon’s Unwilling Wife

Bedded By The Greek Billionaire

Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride

The Sicilian’s Red-Hot Revenge

The Good Greek Wife?

Kept for Her Baby

The Konstantos Marriage Demand

Cordero’s Forced Bride

Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife

The Proud Wife

There bwill be a few more posts coming up this week and with them there will  be chances to win backlist books.

2 Stops on the Blog Tour - A Date With Kate and SEEKERVILLE

This counts as part of the Big Blog Tour  but today is one of my regular guest blogs anyway -
A Date With Kate    is over on the Pink Heart Society  blog  as it always is on the third Friday of each month,

The third Friday of November? How did it get to that?  When I next do my Date With Kate post Christmas will almost be here . . . which is really what inspired today's post.

As it's part of the blog tour there is a giveaway - always supposing I can find Charlie! He owes me the pick of several prize winner names. These young apprentices, they're not quite so reliable  . . . .

And today I'm double booked because there is another Big Blog Tour Stop  over on a great blog site - Seekerville - this is a brand new blog to me so I'm looking forward to meeting lots of people here.  And I'm looking forward to seeing what I'm blogging about! I've written so  many posts in the last few days that I've forgotten which one is up there right now . . .I'm just going to see. . . and I need to sort out my time zones on this one.

PS Don't forget that the Big Blog Tour  - which is organised to celebrate the publication of The Return of The Stranger - still has a few more stops, a few more giveaways . . . and you can either start to join in the fun - or continue 'stalking' me to be in with a chance of a final prize at the end.

All the details are here on the Blog Tour Author Page - and some new dates and stops have been added coming up soon!   I'm not not sure how many stops there will have been in the end  - but I  think I've given away over 25 books!

Another extra . . .

Last week I did an extra post when I visited Romantic Friday Writers with a guest post to encourage them in their Nano writing.  I talked about why I write romance.

It must have been a popular post because L'Aussis invited me back and asked me to write aniother post with some hints about writing in it.

So that's where I am today -wth a post on Training Yourself as  a Plotter.  Hope to see you there.

Thanks for inviting me back Denise!

Another stop on the blog tour - 5 Reasons to be Cheerful

I think this is . . .18? But really I've lost count!
Anyway, today I have another stop on the Blog Tour and a visit to one of my regular Guest Blog spots - over on We Write Romance where I'm at my  Kate's Corner slot for the 15th of the month.

Today I'm writing about 5 reasons to be cheerful - a post inspired by something I saw this morning that really made me smile.

And I'd love to know your reasons to smile too - so why not come along and tell me - and you can make Charlie the Maine Coon really cheerful as he gets to pick out the name of someone who posts as the winner of the giveaway at this stop.

See you there?

Big Blog Tour - Stop some-number-or-other

OK so it's official  - I really can't count!

On October 26th I had Blog Tour Stop 14 - then a bit of a quiet spell - then November 6th was Stop 15 - fine
November 7th - see - Stop  - err  - Stop 15 again! 
And then there was the extra stop - over at  Romantic Friday Writers' Blog . . .
So officially I'm at stop . . .16  - 17?

It doesn't matter - it's an amazing blog tour and I'm really enjoying meeting so many new people and chatting with them.  And today I have another official stop on the tour -

So today I'm over with the Seven Sassy Sisters - who I think actually have eight sassy sisters now in the group  .. .  so it seems I'm not the only one who can't count!

Anyway, they sent a great interview with  some interesting quesions - so I hope you find the answers equally interesting!

PS I maybe didn't say when I sent the answers in - being forgetful as well as unable to count!  - but I will offer a giveaway there to someone who comments and as usual Charlie will pick out the winning  post  - once he comes in from chasing pigeons in the rain!

Big Blog Tour - an extra stop!

This Blog Tour is taking me all over the place - right now I seem to be spending time down under - and unexpectedly I was invited along to an extra guest post -
L'Aussie asked me along to talk on her blog while everyone is so busy with NaNoMo for November - she wanted me to talk about writing romance, how I got started and how I feel about it.

Now I've always felt that romance does not equal fluff and pink marshamallow and chocolate box images- for me romance is about real people dealin with real problems and . ..

Well, that's what I'm talking about over on  Romantic Friday Writers blog - why not come over and join us . . .  I'll tempt you with another giveaway.

Great Big Blog Tour Stop 15

 . .  .  And here's one I did earlier.

Luckily I prepared some posts for the Big Blog Tour ahead of time  and this one was easy - a great interview with interesting questions - so  today I'm visiting LoveCats Downunder - Charlie and Flora are coming along too.

And of course there's a giveaway  - both  Flora and Charlie are picking winners.
 See you there!

Great Big Blog Tour, Stop 15

I'd hoped to post today before any one got worried about my absence   - but I see that Kaelee  got in before me and has already asked how I'd doing - thank you for your concern Kaelee - that's so kind of you.

I've had a bit of an enforced break from writing, working on the keyboard, looking at the screen, just recently. It wasn't what I wanted but it's been necessary and I hope it will be doing me some good. A few health problems have meant that I'm having to follow doctor's orders to 'pace myself' and one of the things I'm supposed to 'pace' - or in this case 'ration' is my time at the computer screen. A series of bad headaches that have a nasty tendency to turn into flashing migraines if I over do it means that I need to restricrt the time I spend at the computer and do other things. Hopefully the new medication will work on this but if my posts are a bit hit and miss for a while - that's the reason.

Anyway, today I needed to blog because my regular post is due over and Tote Bags 'n' Blogs - so that's where you'll find me.   It's another stop on my Big Blog Tour (yes that's still going on!)  and  there's also a giveaway again.

This time it's  a special giveaway because when I could put the screen on and read emails, I got some  very good news this week -

The Proud Wife is nominated for the Best Presents Extra 2011 Reviewers' Choice Award over  at Romantic Times. 

You may remember that The Konstantos Marriage Demand won Best Presents Extra 2010 so I was really thrilled and honoured to be nominated again this year.

And if you'd like a chance to win a copy of The Proud Wife, perhaps you'd  like to join me over on Tote Bags 'N' Blogs.

There will be a few more stops on the blog tour coming up this week  and a few more giveaways.

So I hope I'll see you more often!

Great Big Blog Tour Stop14

Today I'm travelling again -  both  as a blogger and in reality.

I'm heading for London for the annual Association of Mills & Boon Authors lunch and the meeting with the Harlequin Mills & Boon  editors and managers afterwards.  I will also be meeting up with lots  of great friends who write for all the different  Mills & Boon lines. Some of them - like Jane Porter, Lynn Raye Harris, Jennie Lucas have come across from America.

We will be having  afternoon tea (at the Ritz!) together, a Presents authors' get together for dinner on Thursday night,   and then the main lunch of Friday when we will all cathc up and talk - and talk - and talk . . . . There will be  reception organised by Mills & Boon that evening too. Phew! we'll do little but eat, drink - and talk!

And seeing as I'm afraid I can't bring you all with me, I'll try to take some photos and show them to you afterwards. And to keep you entertained while I'm away, there's another stop on my  Big Blog Tour  to celebrate the publication of The Return of the Stranger today - over on The Writing Playground. It's the first time I've ever visited these ladies so I hope you'll come over and visit.

And Charlie will be glad to see you too - the more visitors who comment, the more chance he'll have to have lots of cat treats to help him pick the winner's name.

And although I'll be travelling I plan on calling in to chat with everyone too - so I'll see you there!

And I'll be back  home at the weekend to tell you all about it!

Great Big Blog Tour Stop 13

13 may be unlucky for some but for me it's totally lucky because today my Big Blog Tour   takes me to visit some of my most favourite people ever -  The Romance Bandits.

I've visited their site several times before and always had a wonderful, warm and fun reception so I'm hoping that today will be no different.

Well, actually, yes it will be different - because the Bandits' blog and site is different - and brand new - you can find it here  with lots of great information about the Banditas and their books  and all that's happening. They've taken the Golden Rooster with them - and their favourite masseur Sven - and they nare running special launch Trick or Treat prizes - so there's lots to see.

They also have a brand new blog which you can find here - and that's where I'll be visiting today.  I'll be talking about my brand new book  - which is of course The Return of The Stranger - and how this story has really been brewing in my thoughts and my imagination ever since I was eleven . . . . that's. . .Oh . . . . 20 years ago! (And  bit more!)

I have a  copy of The Return of the Stranger to give away - and to celebrate the launch of the new site, I'm adding in a Kate Walker tote bag as an extra prize for one commentor - chose by  Charlie of course (He's getting a lot of practice at this so he's getting good!)

See you there!

Great Big Blog Tour Stop 12

Today's stop on the blog tour is  one of my regular blogs over on the Pink Heart Society Blog this morning.

In A Date With Kate I'm talking about  the New Voices  contest again - and why a couple of animal stories/songs  have kept me going in the past when I've felt low  - and convinced I would never write again. After the publication of The Chalk Line in 1984, I was convinced I would be a one book  wonder and had to keep going and trying again before Game of Hazard appeared in 1986.

And on a sort of opposite extreme, I'm giving away a copy of my award-winning bok The Konstantos Marriage Demand which won Best Presents Extra 2010.

See you over there.

And talking of my Big Blog Tour, some of you will remember that I was hosted by lovely Michelle Fayard  on her Birds'Eye View Blog on  October 4th. Well, since then Michelle has read  her copy of The Return of The Stranger and has posted me a wonderful review over on Good Reads and Amazon  - Thank you so much Michelle!

With her latest release, THE RETURN OF THE STRANGER, veteran romance author Kate Walker takes the classic tale found in Wuthering Heights and lets it inspire her to create a modern take on the powerful story.

STRANGER is part of a series, The Powerful and The Pure. In this title, Heath Montanha left England as an orphaned gypsy and made a new life for himself in Brazil. Now he's rich and powerful, but he's missing something. He thinks it's revenge on the two men who kept him poor and powerless. What he's soon to learn is it's love in the form of the one woman who always believed in him, Lady Katherine, sister to one of Heath's former tormenters, widow to the other.

STRANGER might be inspired by a classic, but rest assured that Walker has taken the characters and atmosphere and brought them into the 21st century to make the story her own with high-voltage intensity. If this book could be described in only one word, it would be "chemistry."

Oh and if you're interested in how this Big Blog Tour thing works - and you'd  like to learn  more, then Nas Dean  from Romance Book Paradise    has written a great post on Michelle's blog all about the way she plans and runs these.

Big Blog Tour Stop 11

Today is another stop on my Great Big Blog Tour - it's one of my regular  guest blogs, over on We Write Romance  where on the 15th of every month I write Kate's Corner. And this month, following on the big announcement  about the Top Twenty One selected in  Mills & Boon New Voices, I'm talking about what those of you who weren't selected do next - where do you go from here?

And as this is part of my Great Big Blog Tour Stop 11 - with today's giveaway I hope to give you encouragement to keep on keeping on - so today I'm giving away a copy of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance.

All you have to do is to post a comment on today's blog - and Charlie will be  practising his prizewinner picking skills to see who will win a copy of this book to encourage you not to give up - and to keep on going!

So come on over and chat and maybe you'll be in with a chance to win!

And talking of winning  - the contest to win my special souvenirs from Haworth where I was talking about The Return Of The Stranger  closes at midnight tomorrow. You have just one more day to comment and entere - and then Charlie will get to work to pick a winner - he can't wait!

A Hectic week - Big Blog Day Something, Haworth and a contest

It's been a hectic and dfifficult week - migraines were bad enough but a bad rection to the tablets that were supposed to help made things worse So  before I forget there area couple of other posys here and there today, part of the Big Blog tour with giveaways and posts to read and such . . . so here's where you'll find some of them -

Love Cats Down Under Sunday Smooch has - as the title gives away  - a red-hot smooch from The Return of the Stranger to get you in the mood for this passionate, heart wrenching romance - so visit  if ypou want to read that. I had a lot of trouble postign responses to the commentators on the blog but I eventually got there !

Also in Australia is the Australian Romance Readers Association where I have a nother guest blog (did I say it's been hectic this week! )  I'm chattring over there too and talking about  - guess what - The Return of The Stranger (everyone wants to know about my take on reworking Wuthering Heights!

So you can find the post, the discussion and the giveway over  at ARR

Finally  - finally – I have managed to collect together some pictures of my trip to Haworth  , now that I’ve got them off my camera so I thought I’d share some with you. There is the big building which is the old Baptist Centre where the workshop was held  - I always think it should be appearing in Jane Eyre. And outside was a big post with my name on it!

There were also posters all over the town – specially on the Bronte Parsonage Museum  gates and doors – that was  a real thrill. I’ve also included a photo  of the Old Schoolhouse where I gave my talk about working on Wuthering Heights and turning it into a Modern/Presents Romance – this was another real thrill as, as you can see from the inscription, the school says ‘Charlotte Bronte taught here’  - and now  so have I!

The Babe Magnet took some pictures of my talking to people who had attended the talk and who wanted copies of Return of The Strange signed afterwards. And one fo the saddest things In Haworth h I always think is the carved plaque on a pillar marking the spot above the crypt where all the Brontes  - except Anne who is buried in Scarborough are buried.

I’ve also included a photo of some bits and pieces I picked up at the Bronte Parsonage shop – a notepad, a pen, bookmark, key ring – and I’m offering these as a special prize to mark the publication in America of The Return of the  Stranger.

All you have to do is to leave a comment in the comments section telling  me which famous author’s house you would love to visit and why  - and you’ll be entered into the prize draw. I’ll get Charlie the Maine Coon on the job of picking a winner in a couple of days. And the winner will get the Bronte souvenirs.

Big Blog Tour Stop 10

I'm struggling with  migraines this week - they just don't seem to clear so it's time to be thankful for the fact that I have  a  'here's one I wrote earlier'  blog already prepared as part of the Big Blog Tour.

So today, you can read the Q&A that I did for The Minxes of Romance over on their blog - and I'll hope to see you over there  when - well, when I can see properly myself!

Thanks to the Minxes for inviting me over - and I'm hoping to visit and chat soon!

Big Blog Tour Stop 9

I'm off touring again - celebrating the publication of The Return of The Stranger  which will be out in America  at the end of the week.  

Today I'm visiting Michelle Fayard's Bird's-Eye View.  Michelle asked me to talk about marketing and creating a buzz about a book. I'm no expert, I'm still learning so much! But there is one important thing that I have learned and that I always stick to when I'm promoting my books - want to know what that is?
Read my blog.

And there is a book giveaway too - see you over there.