Kate's Blog

On sale now!

It's difficult to believe it's come round already, but my second book, The Greek Tycoon's Convenient Bride, is on sale from millsandboon.co.uk! If you live in England, you can now order a copy, hint, hint...

posted by Kate Hewitt at 4:33 PM 0 Comments

Need to start the next book...

I'm waffling. This always happens. I finish a book, breathe a sigh of relief, and think, right, a few weeks' break while I'll work on my historical novel for a bit of change... except when I finish a book, I don't want to work on anything. I want to read and watch movies and sleep. So here I am, having had two weeks' breather, and needing to think about my sixth book, which is due May 1st and part of a continuity series, and realizing I wrote all of 500 words on that other thing.

Sigh.

My six year old daughter just came in asking to use my computer--again--to play Webkinz. If you have kids and they don't know about webkinz, make sure it stays that way.

posted by Kate Hewitt at 2:34 PM 1 Comments

Meme

I've been tagged by Womagwriter to write six random facts about myself. So here they are:

1. I hate being tickled--and I'm very ticklish. That's actually two facts, but they relate :)

2. When I was a child I tossed a blue rubber ball in the air while thinking of stories. Now if I'm stuck at the computer, I do the same thing--ball, pencil, whatever--something needs to be thrown in the air and caught to increase creativity.

3. I'm tall--this one is obviously for those of you who have never met me, but I'm 5'11" and a half--not quite six feet!

4. I was 12 weeks premature when I was born, and had to be hospitalised for several months. No lasting effects that I'm aware of :). I only really appreciated what my mother must have endured when I had children of my own.

5. I love the Harry Potter books and historical fiction.

6. In high school I taught myself German but I don't remember a word now--or why I wanted to learn German in the first place! I do love foreign languages, though, and would like to learn another one.

And now I get to tag someone, so I'm tagging India and Abby Green.

posted by Kate Hewitt at 6:53 AM 4 Comments

I'm booked!

I'm definitely going to the RWA conference in San Francisco this July--yay! I'm excited to meet up with old friends as well as finally put faces to many internet and yahoogroup friends, and just generally have a fantastic time. Hope to see you there!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 7:21 PM 0 Comments

In between

The revisions on my latest have been sent to my editor, and I am going to take a few days to work on my serial and then a few days to... rest! Read. Fill my head up with other people's words instead of my own :). I've discovered I need this inactive periods (really...) to get myself to the next book, and a place in my head where I am eager to start and full of ideas. Right now? I'm feeling a bit on the empty side, but it's not causing panic... yet.

And of course there's always that thing called life--husband, children, house, laundry--that decides it wants a bit of my time. I'm always amazed how just a few days of not doing laundry creates a monster.

posted by Kate Hewitt at 5:33 AM 1 Comments

There's a whole world out there...

I went to a nearby produce store the other day--without children--and spent a few minutes wandering through the aisles. This shop is on the city border, and is quite wonderfully diverse in both its shoppers and produce. For example, there is an entire aisle devoted to root vegetables I've never even heard of. Malanga? Chayote? Boniot? They're stacked high and people load them into their carts with the sort of firm decision that makes me realize they know what they're buying and how to cook and eat it.

Meanwhile I glance into my cart with its pedestrian plastic-wrapped head of iceberg lettuce, a few shiny Macintosh apples, and here's the most exotic thing I'm buying--parsnips--and hang my head in culinary shame. I want to tap someone on the shoulder, someone who has a cart full of exotic fruits and vegetables, and say 'What are you cooking and may I please have the recipe?'

Now the back of the shop is devoted to fish--octopus, squid, all sorts--and when people leave the counter with their freshly wrapped purchases, I steer clear. No octopus for me today, thank you. There's exotic and then there's insane.

I've been receiving some emails from people all around the world who have enjoyed The Italian's Chosen Wife, and I'm so pleased that they read it, enjoyed it, and took the time to write! So thank you, thank you, to all of you out there in that great, big, wonderful world who have come across my book and found something worthwhile in its pages. Do you have any good recipes?? :)

posted by Kate Hewitt at 10:24 AM 0 Comments

Check it out!

Teach Me Tonight mentions my short stories on this website in a blog post titled 'Beyond The Fairy Tale'. If you haven't read my short stories, you can access them here. Enjoy!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 8:44 AM 0 Comments

Now I know what to do...

I had a lovely few days pottering around, reading novels, eating chocolate, and thinking about what I wanted to do next. Now I know! I received revision requests for my fifth book, tentatively titled THE REBELLIOUS BRIDE, as well as for a serial I'm writing for The People's Friend, tenatively titled OUT IN THE COUNTRY. So now I'm plenty busy! And it's a gorgeous day today, too, warm (for January) and sunny so outside my window it sounds like it's raining but it's just the snow melting...

posted by Kate Hewitt at 11:55 AM 0 Comments

January is here at last

I know it actually arrived awhile ago, but my website is now updated for January with a new newsletter on my my Latest News page and a short story for January--one of my favorites!

Also, I'm blogging today [Thursday, really, but it's up now] at Pink Heart Society about the appeal of international heroes. Come by and have a look.

posted by Kate Hewitt at 12:05 PM 0 Comments

What to do, what to do

I've just handed in my fifth book and while I wait for my editor's feedback, I have some time on my hands. What to do? Of course, I had all sorts of plans initially. I was going to write three chapters of the historical novel I'm working on as well as two short stories. I made an elaborate timetable and last night I plonked myself down and started. After 1000 words, when the enthusiasm began to falter, I thought, hmm... I think my office needs a little tidy. Look at all these random, scrawled notes all over my desk... and the proofs for my last book are scattered all over the floor... and what about all these books? Oh, look at this book... I've been meaning to read this... hmm... I'll just take a quick peek and see if it's the kind of thing I like. Oh, it is! Well, maybe I'll go down and fetch a glass of wine and there's that brie cheese left over from the dinner party we had on Saturday... so perhaps I'll just stay down there and have my wine and cheese and read for a little bit...

And so I stayed at 1000 words, and read a lovely book, and have a funny feeling it might happen all over again tonight.

posted by Kate Hewitt at 5:52 AM 0 Comments

Winner!!!

We've drawn a winner for the joint competition. Thanks to everyone who entered! The correct answers are:

1. Natalie Anderson: Lissa Coleman
2. India Grey: Roseanna Delafield
3. Kate Hewitt: Meghan Selby
4. Christina Hollis: Sienna
5. Lynne Marshall: Rikki Johansen

and the winner is... Mona Hassan!! Congratulations, Mona, and enjoy your books!

There will be another contest soon to win a copy of my second book, The Greek Tycoon's Convenient Bride, as well as some gourmet baklava! Check back for details and in the meantime I'll be blogging tomorrow--Monday--at Lucy Monroe's site about emotional conflict. Stop by if you can!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 1:27 PM 0 Comments

I haven't forgotten...

that we need to announce a contest winner for the contest I sponsored along with fabulous authors Natalie Anderson, India Grey, Christina Hollis and Lynne Marshall. So watch this space because I'll be announcing the lucky winner over the weekend!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 3:02 PM 0 Comments

Blogging on the web

I'm blogging on Jane Porter's bulletin board all week so stop by and have a look--there's a rather scarily large photo of me so beware! We're starting the discussion by talking about authors' voice and how it can change. Drop by if you get the chance!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 5:25 AM 0 Comments

A little quiz

I do so love first lines. If I latch onto a good first line of something I'm writing, the rest flows so smoothly, at least for a little while. So here are some first lines from some of my favourite (famous) books. Can you guess what books they're from?

1. Once on a dark winter's day, when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London that the lamps were lighted and the shop windows blazed with gas as they do at night, an odd-looking little girl sat in a cab with her father and was driven rather slowly through the big thoroughfares.

2. When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.

3. There was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself - not just sometimes, but always.

4. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.

5. The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.

6. A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hill-side bank and runs deep and green.

7. Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again.

8. Mother died today.

9. Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies' eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place; it was reputed to be an intricate, headlong brook in its earlier course through those woods, with dark secrets of pool and cascade; but by the time it reached Lynde's Hollow it was a quiet, well-conducted little stream, for not even a brook could run past Mrs. Rachel Lynde's door without due regard for decency and decorum; it probably was conscious that Mrs. Rachel was sitting at her window, keeping a sharp eye on everything that passed, from brooks and children up, and that if she noticed anything odd or out of place she would never rest until she had ferreted out the whys and wherefores thereof.

10. The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and began to pick his way towards the lagoon.

You can of course, find these on the internet, so no cheating!!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 12:56 PM 2 Comments

Blogging

I'm blogging over at Iheartpresents today about emotional intensity in romance, and especially in Presents books (of course!). Come have a look and tell me what you think about the emotional intensity in these books!

posted by Kate Hewitt at 5:37 AM 1 Comments

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a happy, healthy 2008, with lots of great memories yet to be made. The contest to win The Italian's Chosen Wife along with four other books by fabulous new authors is closed, and we'll be drawing the winner in the next week or two. We had loads of entries so thanks everyone who took the time to participate!

I'm offering another contest to win hardbacks of my two historical novels, Far Horizons and Another Country, both published by Robert Hale Ltd. These books are set in Scotland, Canada, and Boston, and the inspiration for them comes from my own ancestors, although I have to confess I fictionalised quite a bit of their story! But the premise is true, and the letters featured in the first book are authentic. My great grandmother transcribed them and my mother has kept copies--fascinating reading and such a wonderful legacy to possess. I'm currently writing the third in this series, and have more planned, so if you like what you read, there should be more to come!

Now, how do you enter? Simple, really. Find my book here and then drop me an e-mail at katehewitt@kate-hewitt.com with the name of the two main characters of the book. I'll draw a winner from the entries by January 15.

posted by Kate Hewitt at 6:09 AM 2 Comments