WWR: I'd like to start by congratulating you again on reaching the wonderful milestone of 50 titles! Wow! So, I'd say the way to start off this interview by asking about your publishing schedule for 2008. How many titles do you have being released in 2008, and can you share any of the titles yet?
Kate: Thank you so much for the congratulations. I can hardly believe I've reached such a milestone - especially as so many people told me not to fantasies about becoming a writer because they were sure I'd never succeed! Well I showed them that they were wrong. ; 0 ) And in fact my 51st title was published in November - that was The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife and I'm thrilled to say that like all my books in 2007 this one spent a couple of weeks on the Waldenbooks bestseller list.
As to what's coming up - I've just been checking through my schedule and discussing it with my brand new editor and this is what we've come up with:
March 2008 UK/June 2008 Presents - Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife
Raul and Alannah were lovers but she left him when she realised the truth about why he wanted to marry her. Now tragedy has brought them back together again and the proud Spanish aristocrat will see that she pays for walking out on him.
August 2008 - UK only The Duke's Secret Wife - Mills & Boon 100th Birthday Collection.
This is a reprint of the novella I had published in Society Weddings in 2002 and it's being republished as part of the special collection of shorter novels to celebrate Mills & Boon's centenary year in 2008.
Also in August, all three books in The Alcolar Family trilogy are going to be reprinted as a collection in the By Request series in the UK. The collection will be in the shops in August this year.
For those who don't know about The Alcolar Family or missed it the first time around, the Alcolars are two brothers, (well - half brothers - they have the same father - Juan Alcolar - but different mothers) and a sister, from a complicated aristocratic Spanish family and each book tells the story of one of them and their personal journey to their happy ever after.
The original books came out in 2004/2005 and they were a great success in both the UK and USA. One of the reasons I'm so thrilled about this collection reprint is that I keep getting emails from readers who have read one or other of The Alcolar Family titles (The Twelve-Month Mistress, The Spaniard's Inconvenient Wife, and Bound By Blackmail) and are now looking for the rest of them and haven't been able find them. At least in August they will have a chance to get the complete trilogy all in one volume. The only disappointment is that the internet short story won’t be in it - but that is still available as an on-line read on the Mills and Boon site or as a Harlequin Mini ebook (Wife for Real) at eharlequin.com. It was also published in print form in the 2008 Mills and Boon Annual and there are still some copies of that available on Amazon.co.uk.
September 2008 UK/October 2008 Presents - Bedded By The Greek Billionaire
Seven years ago, Jessica knew Angelos Rousakis as just a groom in her stepfather's stables and the adolescent crush she had on him led to one of the most humiliating and devastating nights of her life. Now Angelos, the Black Angel is back - and he's determined to take everything she thought was hers.
WWR: Though I can't imagine anyone not knowing you {big grin}, for those who might be new to your work, can you give us a brief rundown of your career? When did it start? What was "THE CALL" like and who called? What was the title of your first release?
Kate: Well, although I find it hard to believe it now, my very first romance ever was published back in 1984. That was The Chalk Line. It was the third manuscript I had submitted to Mills & Boon UK. The first one was rejected with just a form rejection - and looking at it now, I'm not at all surprised. It was embarrassingly bad and I keep a copy of it to remind me of how bad it was. The second book was also rejected but it went as far as being read by a Senior Editor called Jacqui Bianchi who was one of the great editors and later became the first Executive Editor. She told me that my work lacked the necessary emotional punch - a very common mistake and advised me to read more and try again. I took that 'try again as an instruction not a rejection and settled down to write The Chalk Line. I got the idea for this book when I had the flu and a temperature of 102 - so perhaps I was delirious when I came up with the idea. ;-) It was about a couple who had once been lovers and split up and now had to share a bungalow so the heroine drew a chalk line down the centre of the house to divide it in two - but of course they didn't keep to their own sides!
Way back in 1983, the editors didn't make The Call as they do now - sadly. Instead, I got a letter. I came home from shopping and found a big white envelope with a red rose on one side on the mat. I remember that I dropped my shopping bags and just stared at it. My husband and son were with me and they had to stop me from shaking before I could open it. The letter was from an editor called Mary Stannard who now no longer works for M&B. She said that she had really enjoyed The Chalk Line and would I consider going to London to meet her to talk about publication. It took me an hour or more to get together enough composure to ring the offices! That was in July. Mary Stannard wanted a few small revisions to the book, I submitted those and a few months later she bought the book. It was a bittersweet time for me as I had just learned that my mother had terminal cancer. Sadly she died before I was able to put the book into her hands, but at least she knew that I had had it accepted and that it was going to be published.
WWR: Though I'm sure you've been asked a thousand times, we'd love to know if how you structure your time when you're working on a book. Has the way you work today changed from the way you did things when you first started out?
Kate: I'm an 'all or nothing' writer really. When I'm working I write almost all day everyday. I can get up at 6am or so and write until late evening - or even sometimes 10pm if it's going well. But before I do that, I've also done a lot of thinking and planning and working out the story in my head - getting to know the characters and understanding them and their motivations and seeing why things have happened and will happen in the plot. While I'm doing this thinking and planning then I will do the 'office work' things I need to do for my job - accounts, filing, planning contests or packaging up parcels and taking them to the Post Office. Or revising and updating my web site - that sort of thing. I'll also do teaching courses etc because when I'm teaching and talking about how to write I can think about how I want the new book to go as I talk about plot - or create characters as I tell students how I plan characters.
This is perhaps one of the things that has changed most since I first started being published. Then I was a full time stay at home Mum with a young son and I would write around my commitments to him and his schooling. Then I would write when he was at school and I'd have to stop when he came home from school. But that gave me a lot of thinking time - I could think of the next stage in the plot or the characters while we played or walked in the park. When I started writing really full time I missed those times when I was free just to think. If I sat down at my desk I felt that I needed to be writing all the time. Now I realize that thinking, or reading etc were important and valuable times to fill up my 'imagination banks' ready for the next book. And then when I start writing it's that all or nothing sensation and I concentrate wholly on what I'm writing until it's done. I have a contract for at least 3 books a year so I have to work to that.
I've tried to work in a more disciplined way, writing a bit every day and building up to the total of a book gradually but it just doesn't seem to work for me. So I work as suits me - perhaps I write with such intensity and emotion that it has to be done in this concentrated way to keep the impetus going and create the emotion. It works for me anyway.
WWR: With such a large backlist, can you share any secrets on how to keep your character names and plots organized? How do you keep everything fresh so that the reader who read book 26 doesn't say it's similar to book 51?
Kate: Hmm - no system. Not for remembering the names and plots. I just remember them. Maybe that's because I work so much from characters. My characters are what matter to me, first and foremost, start to finish - before anything else and beyond anything else. I don't think in terms of a plot and add characters. I think in terms of characters and the plot flows out of them - it's because of who they are and what they are - what makes them and what motivates them - and then I add the tiny seed of a plot and the rest of the story works from that. It moves in the only direction it can because it flows from the motivations and the personalities of my characters. So that even if the plot might be slightly similar, in some small ways, it is never the same because the characters are totally different people.
It's an obvious fact that there are very few original and different plots in romances. Readers see the same plots over and over again - but what makes them different are the people in the stories. Because, if they're written well, then, as in real life, no two people are ever really the same. And it's those touches of individuality that make things different in the books.
I was talking about this with my editor when we were working on my latest book out - this has partial amnesia as its theme and that's a theme I used in The Twelve Month Mistress. I was concerned that readers would find the books too similar but my editor thought the exact opposite - for just the reasons I've talked about. The heroes were very different men, in very different situations with their heroines. And those heroines were not at all the same women - their backgrounds were different, their situations with their heroes were different. Just the fact that one couple were married (in The Greek Tycoon's Unwilling Wife) made such a difference in the plot because the plot then involved questions of trust and loyalty that weren't in the first one.
So it's always character that keeps my writing fresh, I think - I'm writing about new people and I discover their story along the way, almost as much as the readers do. Quite often my characters can surprise me as much as the readers.
WWR: In relation to the previous question, how do you pace yourself and effectively manage your time when you're working on a new story while finishing up other projects at the same time?
Kate: I suppose the answer is that I've been doing this for a long time - over 20 years - so that I have a lot of experience. I have developed an instinct for writing the novels to the length that Harlequin demand and so I shape them instinctively in my head. And as I said before, I like to have that thinking time when the plot is working away in the back of my head even when I'm doing something else. But as I've already said, I'm an 'all or nothing' writer. So when I'm writing a novel, I concentrate on it almost all day - and sometimes all night! I think that this can work best for putting in the intensity I need. So I tend to do the office work in between books and concentrate hard on the book when it's in production. Sometimes bits and pieces like dealing with contests or the web site can be a form of relaxation from the fiction, a few minutes to do something practical and something that is easy to complete which gives me a break and some thinking time if I need it. And I write my blog first thing in the morning so that it's a 'warm up' to the concentrated fiction writing. By the time I've written a blog for the day, I'm in the groove of sitting at the desk and writing.
WWR: Is there anything writing-wise that you haven't done yet that you'd like to do? Any other sub-genre you'd like to venture into? Any collaborations with other romance authors?
Kate: I've always been fascinated by the supernatural and I would really love to write a book that was a ghost story - but I suspect that I'd also bring a romance into the story as well. I love the books by Barbara Erskine - ghosts and romance - it's a great combination. But I'm enjoying myself so much writing for Presents that I never seem to get a moment when I actually have the time to concentrate on a longer project. I feel that one day there will be an idea that will grab me and just won't let me go, but then I always have a new Presents plot that comes into my head and I write that instead.
About a collaboration - I don't really think that I'd be able to work that way. I like to keep my thoughts and my ideas to myself so I suspect that I'd be very bad at sharing. I'm even bad at telling my editor anything about what I'm working on. I hate writing synopses and so I tend to say 'I have a Greek hero' or an Italian - or Sicilian...and leave it at that. It's the same with some of the continuities - I don't think I could work to someone else's plan. If my books have ended up in any mini series, it's been because I wrote them and once they were accepted then they happened to fit, rather than that I wrote the aimed at that particular series from the start.
WWR: In case there are any writers out there that didn't know, you write non-fiction how-to works as well. Can you tell us a bit about those? What's the latest one about?
Kate: Thanks for mentioning my How To books - I'm very proud of those, particularly the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance. I started off with a very short and simple book called A Straightforward Guide to Writing Romantic Fiction, which I've since updated and expanded and it's in its third edition.
Then I created the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance course for classes on the internet and in workshops and a publisher approached me about making that into a full size book. I know that a lot of would-be writers have written to me saying that the 12 Point Guide has really helped them with their writing and some - like Natasha Oakley, Julie Cohen, Michelle Styles and India Grey - are now published romance writers so I'm thrilled to have played a part in their success. And the first edition of the guide won the Cata Romance Reviewers' Choice as the Best Book for Writers. Now that first edition has sold out and I've been working on a brand new, revised and expanded 2nd edition which will be published in April 2008. This will have hints and advice from over 20 established romance writers and if is a larger book than the first edition. Also, we're hoping that this time the USA bookshops will take up the book and actually have it on sale in America rather than just over the internet. So if anyone wants to get their hands on it, the best thing they can do is to take the details (from the Writers' page on my web site http://www.kate-walker.com/writers.html ) and take them into a shop and ask to have the book ordered. Hopefully then there will be a demand and it will persuade Barnes and Noble - and others - to actually stock it in the shops!
Finally, last year I just published a more general writing handbook - rather than just romance - that I wrote together with my husband, Stephen Wade. Steve has written poetry and true crime and local history books - and taught creative writing at universities for years, so we complement each other well. This book, Being A Professional Writer, is intended to help anyone starting out in creative writing, covering most main categories and genres. It provides a mix of exercises and practical information, with a work book added, focusing on specific writing skills. There is a workable blend of commercial, editorial and marketing material along with short and snappy introductions to the basics of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. The emphasis through the book is on giving advice from experience rather than from theory.
WWR:Your website is always fresh and up-to-date (of course, I know this because I'm privileged enough to work with you updating it {big grin}), do you have a particular update schedule? Anything new readers can look forward to on the site in the future?
Kate: Ah, well I do have a very efficient and creative web design and maintenance service! ;-) I think I update it more regularly because I can rely on WWR Designs to do the job quickly and efficiently. I do try to keep updating it because I think that brings readers back to the site to see if there's something new. There's noting worse than going to a site month after month and it's all just the same. After a while, readers will stop visiting. So I always update whenever I have a new book out - so that will happen in March/June (USA), August, and September/October in 2008.
Then I have some 'seasonal specials' - I have a tradition of running a contest to win a Tote Bag Full of Books in the Summer and a Christmas Stocking Stuffed with Books in the winter. Writer friends of mine donate signed copies of their books and two lucky winners each time win a bundle of great reading. Sometimes I'll run other contests too. And the events page lets everyone know what I'm up to during the year and if I'm running any new course or giving talks anywhere.
I (we ;-) ) completely revamped and updated the whole site to launch on New Year's Day 2007 when the brilliant new look was launched then and I've been really happy with it. And during the year we added book pages for all the backlist books, with links to books that are in the same series or otherwise linked - so that now every title has it's separate page. That, together with the Great Big Blog Party I had to celebrate my 50th book took a lot of time and concentration last year so I'll probably ease up on doing too much that's new and really different.
But I'll be putting up all the new titles, of course, and Heather will be creating great banners for each of them. And never say never! One day I might get a brilliant new idea and I'm sure that WWR Designs will be able to put it into action.
And 2008 is a very special year for Mills & Boon, the UK section of Harlequin. The company was set up in 1908 so this year we are celebrating our centenary - 100 years of romance publishing. All sorts of celebrations are planned so I will have to report those and you'll be able to find the details on my web site and on my blog as I get to find out what's happening.
WWR:You're working with Lee Hyat at Author Sound Relations. Can you tell us a bit about that relationship?
Kate: This is a great partnership that I'm really beginning to wonder how I ever managed without Lee in the past. I've known Lee Hyat for 9 or more years - ever since she wrote to me to say how much she loved my book Constantine's Revenge. In that time, she's worked on several different romance review sites and she's done some wonderful promotions for me. Then when she set up her own PR service specially for writers, I knew I couldn't do without her. As I write for Presents and most of my sales are in America, but I live in the UK, I can't get to meet and chat with my American readers as I would like to. Even if I get to the RWA Conference, I only get to talk to the readers who come to the literacy event - and I can't get to do signings or talks in bookshops or at Writers' Groups in the USA. But Lee helps me keep more in touch that I could do on my own. She now runs my contests for me and send out the prizes to winners in America and she has organized bookmarks and pens that we can send out to conferences or bookshops etc - USA readers can write to her direct and ask for Kate Walker goodies to get one if they like. Write to- Lee Hyat, Kate Walker Goodies, 4411 76th Ave. West # 2, University Place, WA 98466. Send an SASE (USA postage naturally) for a new KW pen and bookmark.
For my 50th romance title - The Sicilian's Red-Hot Revenge - Lee ran a huge contest - giving away a book a day for 50 days - and she did a special promotion page over on Lee's Goodie Room - http://www.authorsoundrelations.com/LGR/spotlight.htm - and it's still there! And now that Lee has set up Tote Bags 'N' Blogs I will be working with her to run a series of writing lessons based on the 12 Point Guide - 12 Points on the 12th - writing on the 12 of each month in 2008.
And there may be more to come - we've only just got started!
WWR:And lastly, do you have any tips for keeping focused and writing through holiday madness and aftermath?
Kate: Holidays, particularly ones like Christmas and New Year, or any other holidays, like the summer or Easter breaks - are always unsettling for an author. Everyone wants some of your attention, there is so much to do and so many places to go. But the way I always look at it is that my writing is my job. It's not a hobby or something I can pick up and put down when I want to. If I worked in an office or, as I used to do, in a library, then my family and friends couldn't interrupt me there - so I try not to let them interrupt me even though I work from home. And here's a time when that all or nothing attitude I have comes in useful! If I have spent the time really getting to know my characters so well that they are alive inside my brain, exciting and intriguing, infuriating and fascinating me, then they won't be left alone and they'll demand that I pay them attention and write up their stories!
One of the great things about being a writer is that if I have to, I can take time in the day to do the shopping or visiting people or celebrating - but I can still go into my office at the end of the day, or sometimes early in the morning or late at night, and catch up on the hours I need to put in.
I treat this job as a job and aim to work office hours each day - but those 'office hours' can be spread out through the day whenever I can concentrate on them - and if I take some time in the day I always make sure I pay it back later.
WWR: Thank you so much for taking time for an interview, Kate!
Kate: Thanks for asking me to be interviewed, Heather - there were some fascinating questions! Good luck with the new and revised WWR - I'm looking forward to seeing the new approach and I hope it will be a wonderful success - I'm proud to be part of the WWR team!
