Feature on Kate Walker and her A QUESTION OF HONOR

This week's Author Feature is on UK author Kate Walker.

Kate Walker on the Web:

Facebook          Website       Blog

Over to Kate now...

Tell us about yourself?
I live in Lincolnshire UK with my husband (we’ve just celebrated our Ruby Wedding anniversary) and one grown up son. Oh, and two cats Charlie the Maine Coon and Ruby the black and white kitten – they rule my life and  demand lots of attention (and the best spot on the bed!). I was  a Children’s Librarian for several years before I left work to have my son and then started trying to write full time – I never went back to the library!  I’ve been writing for Harlequin for 30 years  - celebrating my 30th anniversary of publication in December this year  - and in that time  I’ve had 60 titles published, with my latest,  A Question of Honor the latest one published in Mills & Boon Modern and Harlequin Presents.. I’ve also written an award-winning guide to writing romantic fiction – the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance.  I’ve recently revised and updated this and I’m now self-publishing it on Kindle for Amazon.  I love reading all romantic fiction – and anything else I can get my hands on! And I love teaching writing – I’ve just been asked to run a new set of courses this year with Relax and Write  as well as the ones I’ already run for Writer’s Holiday – so it’s a busy time.
What inspired you to be a writer?
I always wanted to be a writer – and I was always making up stories when I was a child.  I wrote my first ‘book’ (all 40 pages of it ) when I was  eleven and I carried on scribbling stories whenever I could  - sometimes in the maths lessons if I was bored! A friend of my mother wrote for Mills & Boon as Margaret Baumann and I thought that she had the perfect life so I dreamed of doing the same.  Before I was accepted by Harlequin Mills & Boon I had some short stories accepted for magazines  but  then I remembered how I used to love Mills & Boon romances and I went back to reading them and trying to write for them. My first book was rejected completely, the second was also a rejection, but with a message of the letter that said ‘please try again’ – so I did!  My third attempt, The Chalk Line, was accepted and published in December 1984  and I’ve been writing for Harlequin ever since.
How did you choose your genre?
My genre chose me! As I said in my previous answer, I’ve always wanted to write and enjoyed telling stories. When I first started out I tried writing all sorts of things – short stories, historical novels,  children’s fiction – but when I set myself to trying to write fiction full time I had just renewed my interest in writing romance. And when I looked back at so many of the things I’d been writing, I wound that they had a romantic relationship at the heart of the story.  I also had the example of my mother’s friend who wrote for Mills & Boon  so I started trying the romance genre. I loved it – it seemed that it liked me!    I was published at my 3rd attempt and I’ve enjoyed writing romance ever since.
What made you tell this story and why did you write this book?
This book is really rather special for me. There is a romantic story in my family – my mother’s  ancestry  - about  a loyal supporter of the Stuart king James II and his son. In exile in France, the King arranged a marriage for his son with a Polish princess  and sent Charles Wogan – my great –great-great (etc) grandfather to fetch the princess safely to marry her prince. There’s a story that on the journey they fell in love  but because he was so loyal to the king, he  had to  give her up to marry her prince at the end of the journey. I wanted to write this story with a happier ending.
How did you come up with the title?
A Question of Honor (or  A Question of Honour if you live in the UK!) was my working title while I was writing this book. My hero is sent on this task because he is very much a man of honor – so he  can be trusted with Clementina’s safety.   He is determined to follow his code of honor, no matter what – and Clemmie does try to dissuade him!  So that was the title I put on the book when I sent it in  and when it was accepted the editors  in UK and USA decided that it fits the book perfectly so they used it for the published versionj.

What is your favourite scene?
I wanted to write a scene that was very far from the royal courts and desert kingdoms where Karim  lived and where Clemmie was meant to be Queen  so I marooned my hero and heroine in a tiny cottage on the  Yorkshire moors in a snowstorm.  Trapped there with no electricity and needing a distraction from the sensual attraction between them, they unearth an old box of children’s games. They end up playing  Snakes and Ladders in the half-light and I really enjoyed writing this scene because it’s sensual, intimate and very revealing about Karim’s character in particular.
Tell us a little about your book?
A runaway princess...
It should have been easy. Karim al Khalifa, crown prince of Mazarkhad, had one task—retrieve rebellious princess Clementina Saveneski from her hideout in England and return her home to be wed...to another man.

His to find, or his to keep?
It is not for Karim to notice her alluring scent, those seductive curves, the enticing glances she sends his way. No, his family's honor, and his own, require Clementina to be delivered—pure and untouched—to her unwanted bridegroom. And he must resist all temptation to keep her for himself!

26 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great story.
    Congratulations, Kate!

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    1. Thank you Melissa - it was a book I enjoyed writing. I hope you enjoy it if you pick it up. Thanks for visiting

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  2. Congratulations Kate. I love that you found, and nurtured your writing niche, fulfilled your dreams, and are helping others fulfil theirs.

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    1. Thank you - er it doesn't seem right to say thank you 'elephant'! But I'm glad you came by all the same. And yes, I love it too - that I fulfilled my dreams. I think that's why I so enjoy helping others reach for theirs.

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  3. great answers! seems like you're experience is really shining and your family is super supportive!

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    1. Hello Tammy. I'm glad you enjoyed reading my answers - and I need my experience to shine today as there's no sun doing any shining . Instead it's dull and grey and wet. So I'm enjoying chatting to brighten my day.

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  4. Congrats to Kate on 30 years of published works! Wow! She has been busy. :) It was great to learn about what inspired her and how the romance genre found her. It does sound like a perfect fit! Thanks for the excellent interview. :)
    ~Jess

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  5. Hello Jess and thank you for the congratulations - It has been a busy 30 years - but so much fun. It's always great when you're doing what you love, isn't it? I've been so lucky to find that romance writing was such a perfect fit to give e a great writing career for so long.,

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  6. I like the description of your favorite scene. It sounds like it would be one of my favorites, too.

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    1. Thanks Sherry. That really was one of my favourite scenes to imagine and to write - then later I realised how important it was too. I love the idea of being inside by a real fire while a snowstorm rages outside - it's so intimate and sensual . . .!

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  7. I love the story behind the story. :)

    Yvonne

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    1. Thank you for visiting Yvonne - It is a great story isn't it? No one is quite sure if the story is totally true - but the details about my ancestor being sent to fetch the princess are definitely true- you can read of them in history books so it does make a great inspiration for a romance plot doesn't it?

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  8. Hi Kate

    A great story behind this one how honourable :) I loved this one such a great story

    Congrats on the release

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. Hello Helen - I was so thrilled by your review - and so glad that you enjoyed reading my man of honour's story. Have fun . . .hmmm - it's raining AGAIN! - but I can have fun dreaming up a new story!

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  9. Wow! 30 years and 60 titles? That is incredible!! Quite the inspiring interview :)

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    1. Good morning Meradeth - is it morning where you are? Thank you for saying that's an inspiration - there are other Harlequin authors who have written more books than I have, but I'm proud of my 60+ books. I just sent in the 62nd to my editor - fingers crossed she likes it.

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  10. Sounds like a great read.

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    1. Hi Liz and thanks for visiting. I hope you do find that it is a good read if you should pick it up. Have a great day.

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  11. Congrats to Kate on all her success. Very impressive career!

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    1. Thanks for the congrats, Stephanie. When I look back at my career, it does seem quite impressive - but I saw it just one word at a time! It's been a lot of fun - and hard work!

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  12. Wow. What a great career already. I need to read your how to book because you definitely know how to do it!

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  13. Hi Elizabeth - thanks for visiting here and on my blog too. I hope that if you grab a copy of the 12 Point Guide you find it helpful. I wrote it to help the people who couldn't come on my writing courses here in the UK - some people do both! I hope it works for you.

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  14. Hi Kate, you've just reminded me about the Snakes and Ladders scene, it's absolutely incredible you can set such a setting and make it so memorable. Your amazing talent shines though in this book I think. Loved it!!! Tash

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    1. And thank you for sharing the real-life inspiration story that you refer to on the dedication page :)

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    2. Hello Tash - great to see you here and I'm so happy that you enjoyed A Question of Honor. I'm smiling to think that you loved the Snakes and Ladders scene - I did enjoy putting my sophisticated sheikh into that setting. And yes, I did mention Charles Wogan on the dedication page - so I have to explain why I did that somewhere. Thanks for calling by

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    3. PS Tash - I've only just seen your lovely review for A Question of Honor - thank you so much for that. I see you mention the Snakes and Ladders scene there too.

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You can discuss your romance novel addiction too!