WWR: Kate, having just finished reading your Alcolar Family trilogy, I had to tell you I enjoyed reading about the Alcolars. The heroes of these books were strong, sexy men used to getting what they want. The heroines were all determined women, with spirit and charm. The Alcolar family was fascinating and I would've loved to have had more of an opportunity to get to know some of these characters' stories more in-depth.
I hope you're ready for a gaggle of questions as I satisfy my curiosity!
The Twelve-Month Mistress
Kate Walker
Harlequin Presents
September 2005
Kate: I'm ready, Terescia - this is the first time I've done an interview specially on a mini-series of linked books that I've created. I'm intrigued to see what questions you want to ask.
WWR: I know the tale of Alex, one of the Alcolar illegitimate sons, was an online read titled Wife for Real at the Mills & Boon website (eHarlequin's European counterpart). I haven't had a chance to read that story, but I did find the bits of Alex's story as mentioned in Bound by Blackmail to be very interesting! I'd love to read how Alex worked for the Alcolars before he told them he was part of the family. And Mercedes' unknowing crush on her brother when she was seventeen... you wove in a very interesting backstory for each member of the Alcolar family. Did you feel cheated by the short length of your books from telling as much about the family as you might have liked? (I know I would liked to have read much more of some of the stuff that had happened before the stories' openings!)
Kate: First a little information on Alex's story - Wife for Real. Back in December 2002, my editor asked if I would write an online read for eHarlequin. I wrote a story called Wife for Real that went up on the site at the beginning of 2003. The hero in that story was Alex Alcolar - the illegitimate son of a Spanish aristocrat. Towards the end of the story, Alex took the heroine, Louise, back to Spain where she met his father, two brothers, Joaquin and Ramon, and his younger sister, Mercedes. At that point, they were just characters who appeared in one scene. Mercedes had a slightly more important role because she said something to Louise that helped bring about the happy ending to this story.
The response on the message boards as each chapter was posted was enthusiastic - and when Alex's family appeared. Everyone wanted to know more about them - so, naturally, I decided to write their stories too and give each of the three other Alcolars their own stories.
The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife
Kate Walker
Harlequin Presents
October 2005
The first thing I had to decide was just why Juan Alcolar - the father of all four children had behaved as he did. Joaquin and Mercedes were his legitimate family - born to Juan and his wife. But Alex and Ramon had totally different mothers - one (Alex's mother) was an English woman who had been the housekeeper in Louise's home, and Ramon's mother had been married to someone else - Reuben Dario - when Ramon was conceived. So there was a complicated family situation to consider - and that gave me plenty to go on, with all the children's reactions to their father's behaviour and to each other to consider. I wanted the stories of each one to develop from their personal situations and how they felt about relationships as a result of what they had found out about their own background.
And The Alcolar Family trilogy was the result. The Twelve Month Mistress is Joaquin's story Ramon's story is in The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife And Mercedes meets her match in Bound by Blackmail
The time I felt really frustrated was when I wrote Alex's story. The online reads for eHarlequin are only 10,000 words long. So you don't have much space to develop your characters or the plot. It has to be based on one simple conflict that can be resolved in 10,000 words! I think this was why the whole Alcolar Family mini series came into existence. I had only just got to know Alex and his family and I wanted to write more about them. Like you, I wanted to now more about them, specially when Joaquin, Ramon and Mercedes appeared. And I wanted to know just how Juan Alcolar had ended up having those illegitimate children as well as his legitimate ones!
Once I started writing the three separate books, the frustration eased a bit. I was able to explore the characters of each of the Alcolars more deeply. I could show what had happened to their father and why he had behaved as he did, and I could explore the way that each of the children had a different relationship with Juan as a result. In a way, the trilogy ended up as a long book but divided into three volumes. The only thing I didn't get a chance to do was to explore that interesting backstory. If I'd been writing a single title, I could have put in more detail about the time that Alex came to find his father and worked for him in Spain. About Mercedes' crush on the man she didn't know was her brother (which comes into Wife for Real just a bit too). Other things I would have liked to explore more deeply were Ramon's arrival into the family when he discovered the truth about his background (don't want to give too much away here!) and Joaquin's feelings when this happened.
But a romance has to centre on the relationship between the two central characters, so I had to concentrate on that and just sketch in the background to explain their motivations. So yes, in some ways, I wished I could have written fuller and more rounded stories - perhaps in one big book - but that's the nature of Romance writing and it was an absorbing challenge just as it was.
WWR: You've said before that you've never written a series of interconnected books before. Do you think it's something you'll do again?
Bound by Blackmail
Kate Walker
Harlequin Presents
November 2005
Kate: I'd love to do it again! It was a wonderful experience. There were challenging aspects - like realizing halfway through the third book that I wished I'd planned things more fully and slightly differently, because whatever I'd written in Book One just couldn't be changed to fit a story in Book Three. I loved having more time to spend with my characters and being able to show them both at earlier stages of their existences - in the books before their own stories - or later, as when Ramon and Alex and Louise appeared in The Twelve Month Mistress , or Joaquin, Alex and Mercedes are in The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife. It was more like writing a bigger book, weaving the threads all together and building a whole family from my cast of characters and yet at the same time following the traditional Romance writing scheme and concentrating on the main hero and heroine in each story.
And of course, I got to thread Juan Alcolar - the father's - story through all of the books and explain why he did what he did.
WWR: Did you start the first Alcolar story with the intention of writing a series?
Kate: No, it never even crossed my mind! It was only when I was partway through Alex's story and suddenly his two brothers and sister appeared that I realized this might be possible. To tell you the truth, until then I didn't even know that Alex had those two brothers and a sister! I know he had family in Spain that he'd never known a bout until he's set off to find his father, but I never realized they would develop into this series of books.
And the response on the message boards as each chapter was posted was so enthusiastic - and when Alex's family appeared, everyone wanted to know more about them - so, naturally, I decided to write their stories too and give each of the three other Alcolars their own books.
The first thing I had to decide was just why Juan Alcolar - the father of all four children had behaved as he did. Joaquin and Mercedes were his legitimate family - born to Juan and his wife. But Alex and Ramon had totally different mothers - one (Alex's mother) was an English woman who had been the housekeeper in Louise's home, and Ramon's mother had been married to someone else - Reuben Dario - when Ramon was conceived. So there was a complicated family situation to consider - and that gave me plenty to go on, with all the children's reactions to their father's behaviour and to each other to consider. I wanted the stories of each one to develop from their personal situations and how they felt about relationships as a result of what they had found out about their own background.
Perhaps I should tell readers where they can find that first story - Wife for Real. It was up on the eHarlequin site, but at the moment, since the reorganisation of eHarlequin, a lot of the older on line reads have been removed and unfortunately Wife for Real was one of them. But don't worry - if you want to read this first instalment of The Alcolar Family, you will still be able to. I understand that it will be posted as a Featured Read in the online reads section in September - so you'll get a chance to read it then. Or, if you can't wait or if you should miss it then, the story is still in the online read library on the Mills & Boon site and this link should take you straight there:
Link to Wife for Real at Mills & Boon website
If you have any trouble with the link - then http://www.millsandboon.co.uk will take you to the main Home Page of the M&B site and you can click on the Free Online Reads link at the top of the page - then on 'Read past serials in our online serial library' and scroll down until you find Wife for Real. Or you can check out the eHarlequin site in September.
WWR: I certainly had a favorite book out of the series. The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife sizzled. I especially liked that it dealt with a heroine who'd been involved in a scandal with a married man. The twist at the end of the book caught me completely by surprise. You handled Estrella's creation well, I thought, and I liked her from the first, not despite her apparent past but because of it. It was a great contrast to a totally innocent heroine (such as Mercedes in Bound by Blackmail). Did you have concerns about writing a heroine such as Estrella?
Kate: Now that's interesting. I've been conducting a small personal survey about which of the books is people's favourite and readers are divided - some love The Twelve Month Mistress and some vote for The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife. It's almost equally divided. Bound by Blackmail has only recently come out in the UK, but now that it has, Jake, the hero in that book, is winning a lot of fans too.
But it was a special challenge writing about Estrella and making sure that she was sympathetic and believable. I really hoped that readers would say they liked her for exactly the reasons you give - "not despite her apparent past but because of it."
A lot of people have some real illusions about romance novels - they think that we can only write about sweet, innocent, virginal heroines and so this makes the books unrealistic. There are plenty of authors who do write innocent heroine - as I do sometimes, for example, with Mercedes, but I want to write romances that are realistic and relevant to today. I am , after all, writing books for the line that is called 'Modern Romance; in the UK, so I don't want to write anything that's old-fashioned and out of date. Estrella made some mistakes in the past - but then we all do - and it doesn't make her any less of a heroine.
The real character of Estrella fell into place when I thought of the wedding scene (I'm not going to say why - people will have to read the book to find out!) As soon as I knew about that, then she was easy to write. And the best bit was creating for her a hero who could match her but not crush her. I think they are two wounded people who hide behind emotional 'armour' because of what has happened to them. But they bring out the best in each other and they give each other strength and warmth that eases their prickly natures.
WWR: Cassie in The Twelve-Month Mistress suffers a great deal as she tries to get away from Joaquin Alcolar before he can dump her. You write very emotionally charged stories that fit perfectly within the Harlequin Presents (Modern Romance) line. Do you find yourself drawn to write these kinds of stories? Do you have plans to write outside the Harlequin Presents line in the future?
Kate: I love writing emotion. I love reading emotion. Okay - I admit it, I am a very emotional person! I have always loved reading stories where the stakes are high, the hero and heroine are passionate and strong, the conflict fierce , and the emotions intense.
As a child, I grew up near the village of Haworth where the Bronte sisters lived and I knew the stories of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights very well as a result. Those stories and other like them gave me my love of strong passions in romance. And I found those strong emotions in the Harlequin (the lines weren't split then in the UK as they are now) Presents (M&B Modern line). But I'll tell you a secret - I didn't always write like this. In fact, when I was first published some of my stories went in to the Harlequin Romance line. This wasn't really because I had two different styles of writing - but because when I write, I follow the characters so much. So in my earlier career, some of those characters had very intense stories and some had more gentle ones. But when the lines were split along the Presents/Romance lines in the UK, I wanted to concentrate on those intense stories that had always been my favourites.
Writing outside Harlequin Presents? Hmm - that's one of those never say never questions. At the moment, I'm very happy, fulfilled - and still challenged by writing for Presents. What I like about writing for this line is the fact that I can tackle some very powerful emotions - passion, jealousy, revenge, even hatred - and of course love. I can write about some very adult themes, and I can create some fascinating characters. Who wouldn't want to write those sort of stories? At the same time, I have built up a strong reader base. I have readers who are waiting for my next book all over the world. And I am contracted to Harlequin to write at least three titles a year. That keeps me pretty busy. I'm buzzing with ideas for new stories and I love creating new characters and new situations.
But I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say that there's always the thought of a bigger book at the back of my mind. I have some ideas and some characters but at the moment I'd find it difficult to find the time to write it. But I suspect that one day there will be a story with a plot and characters that I can't just fit into the shorter form of a Presents novel and then I won't be able to stop writing it.
Whenever that happens, I can guarantee that whatever I write it will be full of those intense emotions, those passionate characters and strong conflicts that I love to write about now.
WWR: Do you have a favorite book from the trilogy? If so, which one and why? Also, what's one of your favorite scenes from the books?
Kate: You should never ask an author for her favourite book! It's like asking a mother which is her favourite child. :) But I will admit that I really enjoyed writing The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife. As you've already said, the character of Estrella was fascinating, and I found Ramon a very intriguing hero too. I have always been fascinated by outsiders and Ramon is part of the Alcolar family, and yet slightly on the outside too because of his background. But then, The Twelve Month Mistress was such fun to write, with the sudden change in the middle when Joaquin has his accident - and in Bound by Blackmail Jake and Mercedes have to deal with the feud between their two families as well as their own relationship... You see - I just can't choose!
Choosing one of my favourite scenes is easier. I loved writing the wedding scene in The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife. I could just see that scene in my head. It was there before I ever needed it and I knew I was working towards it with every word that I wrote before that. But then I also had Joaquin's accident in my head when I began the book. I remember that I made my friends laugh when I said that my Spanish hero was not cooperating and that I was going to push him down the stairs. I don't think they realized that I meant I was actually going to do it.
WWR: Just for fun, can you answer the following questions and give us a hint of the futures we can expect for the Alcolars?
Joaquin and Cassie seemed to love the pool--and I won't give away why! Are there any other places just as special to them?
Kate: Hmm - yes they do love the pool - it's even on the cover of the book! :) :) But the whole of Joaquin's estate is where they love to be. As you'll see in The Twelve Month Mistress, Joaquin is a man who likes to follow his own path through life. He hasn't become part of the Alcolar media empire like his brothers. Instead he lives in the countryside and owns hugs and successful vineyards. So he and Cassie can have the best of both worlds. They can visit the sophisticated city of Barcelona when they want to, but they can escape to the countryside and the beautiful finca as well.
WWR: What about Ramon and Estrella--what's the wildest thing they did on their month-long honeymoon? (We know Estrella is one spunky lady after that wedding stunt :), and I'm certain the honeymoon had to be interesting indeed!)
Kate: From what I know of Ramon and Estrella's relationship - and it's a very passionate relationship! - I'd be surprised if they came out of the bedroom for very long! But one thing I know that Ramon would have wanted to do - he would have taken Estrella to some of the most famous designers in Spain and had clothes created specially for her. He would have wanted to give her clothes that were very different from the rather severe ones she had been wearing while living with her father and dress her in outfits that showed off her beauty, He would be very very proud to have this special lady as his wife - and he would want her to face anyone who had been critical of her in the past, and hold her head high - and I know Estrella would have done just that.
WWR: If Estrella's father was to ever get what was coming to him, what would it be?
Kate: Really, I think he got what was coming to him already - by the time he realized that he loved the women who mattered to him he had lost them permanently. So he has to live with the fact that he only learned about love too late - and he won't know the truth of it as his children, luckily for them, have learned to do. He will have to watch his children's happiness, and later, watch his grandchildren grow, while knowing that he has no one special to share these things with. He will always have that loneliness and know that he wasted his chances for love.
WWR: What did Jake's mother say to the bride on her wedding day--if anything ;-)?
Kate: That she hoped they could all learn from the mistakes of the past and start again. (She'd already said she was sorry - she's an intelligent lady - she ahs to be to be Jakes Mother! - and she realized that it wasn't Mercedes' fault the way her father behaved.) And like any good mother, what would matter to her in her daughter in law would be that Mercedes made her son happy. And Mercedes would make Jake very happy!
I think the person who wouldn't be welcome at the family gatherings in the future would be Estrella's father. Ramon would not find it easy to forgive the way that Alfredo had behaved.
WWR: Okay, I just have to know. When she was seventeen, did Mercedes try to kiss Alex, before she found out he was her brother? (And I'm already giggling just thinking about it... I know, I know, it would have been a very serious moment for Mercedes. I'm sorry!)
Kate: Oh yes she did! She just couldn't understand why he held back from her so much when it was obvious that he liked her (though not in the way she thought of course!) So she flung herself at him - and it panicked Alex desperately. So much so that that was when he had to blurt out that he was her brother - just when he didn't want to let anyone know. And of course then later Alex told her that he had already met the only woman he wanted to marry - but if you want to know more about that you'll have to read Alex's story.
WWR: Kate, I want to thank you for answering my questions (even the silly ones)! I look forward to reading your next releases. Your Alcolars were wonderful!
Kate: Thank you for the interview Terescia. I enjoyed answering your questions - they were different - not just the same questions I get asked over and over again. They made me think - and some of them made me laugh. But most of all they made me specially happy because the questions showed that you'd read and really enjoyed The Alcolar Family books. And that's what every author wants most.
Thanks again
Kate
- The Twelve-Month Mistress - September 2005
- The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife - October 2005
- Bound by Blackmail - November 2005
