KATE WALKER

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Kate Walker

Kate, your latest book The Return of the Stranger has a fascinating premise. Can you tell us about it?

 It was part of the mini-series The Powerful and The Pure based on classic books of romantic fiction. The premise was to take four of the great classics of romantic fiction and use them as inspiration for Modern Romances (Presents/Sexy) and I was asked to do Wuthering Heights.  Of course Mills and Boon know about my MA thesis on  Emily and Charlotte Bronte’s  childhood writings and how they reflected in the adult novels they wrote so  I suppose I was a pretty natural choice as one of the authors involved.

The other  authors chosen were  – Sharon Kendrick (Jane Eyre), Kate Hewitt (Emma), Cathy Williams (Pride and Prejudice). Iconic romantic stories that everyone who loves romance remembers – with fascinating heroines and specially with heroes that have set the ‘dark and devastating’ standard for all time to come.

It’s perhaps important to say that the plan for this series was not – as some people have thought – plagiarism or stealing from the originals.  We are using them as an inspiration, and honouring them by doing so. They were all much bigger books than a short category romance – with much more in them than just the love story that romance writing focuses on –but that central love story was what I needed to focus on and to weave into a Modern Romance for today’s readers.

The Return of The Stranger is inspired by  Wuthering Heights but it’s a stand-alone romance  for the Presents line that works whether you have read the original or not.

 Was it fun to write and create a contemporary take on one of the most famous love stories of all times – and finally give them a happy ending?

It was both fun and a challenge. Wuthering Heights was a problematic novel to work on as a romance writer as I don’t really believe it is a love story – it’s hugely romantic in terms of powerful, passionate emotions but it’s more a novel about passion and possession and power than a long-lasting love that translates easily into the happy ever after. The love these two share is ultimately a destructive one – it is a wild, ferocious storm of emotion.

It’s interesting that the real love story – that between younger Catherine and Hareton – seems so mild in comparison that in so many film adaptations it gets left out completely and yet this is a love of real strength that flowers in spite of the very rough ground it grows on.

So that’s some of what I had to contend with  - giving my Heath and Kat  the understanding and strength of love, forgiveness, sharing while trying not to  diminish them in the passionate, tempestuous love. I also had to make two characters who some find unsympathetic and cruel, believably sympathetic and ultimately loveable.  But there was also the fun bit where I got to give Cathy and Heathcliff the happy ending that I’d always wished they could have – right from when I first read the book. 

Who are three of your all- time favourite heroes?

Heathcliff has to be one of them – I fell hard for him when my schoolteacher told us the opening of Wuthering Heights one day when a storm had fused all the lights in the school. As I’ve grown up I find Heathcliff far less sympathetic and appealing – but there’s no doubt that his fierce passion and the power of his feelings make so many people think that they would wish to be loved like that.  But probably only in a book!

But he is one of the ambiguous heroes I have loved over the years.  My very first ‘ambiguous’ hero –where you weren’t sure if he was a hero or a villain - was in Simona’s Jewel by Marjorie Phillips. I recently found this book again and was stunned to find that the hero Michele was actually only 14! But he set a pattern for the heroes I’ve loved. Mary Stewart always wrote those sorts of heroes -  Mark Langley in The Moonspinners  or Simon Lester in My Brother Michael are such great heroes.

 And one hero who fascinates me – who makes my heart ache with his vulnerability as much as I can be shocked and fearful of his ruthless determination and cold ferocity – is Francis Crawford of Lymond – the hero of the l-o-n-g series of historical novels called The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett.

 But it isn’t all about the hero, is it. What qualities do you think are most important in a heroine?

A heroine needs to have a backbone – particularly if she comes up against one of the forceful, ruthless, alpha heroes that we Presents/Sexy authors create.  She needs to be able to stand up for herself – though sometimes this can be shown in a quiet, vulnerable strength rather than feisty defiance or arguments. She needs to be vulnerable too – both the hero and the heroine do really so that they can reach out and touch each other through the chinks in their emotional armour.  A heroine needs to have the strength and courage of loving heart, one she can share with the man who becomes her hero. Loving someone isn’t just giving in to what they demand/what they think they are looking for – but giving someone what they truly need, even when they don’t recognise it themselves at first.  

Now Kate, you are coming up to your 60th romance. Wow. How are you going to celebrate this milestone?

To be honest, I haven’t actually thought about that yet! The trouble is that with publishing everything is planned so far in advance that  you get used to working on something now that won’t be published till next year. The Devil and Miss Jones will be published in the UK in March 2012  and – yes, I will need to plan something to  celebrate that. But what? Do you LoveCats have any ideas?  I’ll be thinking about that now – so watch my blog for news!  I love to celebrate with my readers so I’m sure I’ll think of something.

 How do you keep your ideas fresh? Is that a challenge?

With each new book I meet a a new hero and a new heroine. It’s the characters who create the books; their personalities, motivations and the conflict that comes between them. And because they are all different that keeps me on my toes – keeps me thinking of new ideas/new scenes/new plots.  Besides, nothing in writing and publishing stays still – the romances I’m writing now are not the same as the ones I wrote when I was first published in 1984 or even 2004 – things keep changing, growing, developing. And it’s a challenge to keep up to date and write what is currently popular for today’s readers – and the readers of the future. 

Just reading your blog made me feel weak, you seem to juggle so much. Can you share your three best time management tips with us?

I get so much done because I love what I do. This is what I always wanted to do with my life – writing and talking about/teaching writing. I never really thought that I would ever end up teaching writing so much, with the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance in such demand – it has even got me a job teaching a week long residential course in Tuscany – at the Watermill at Posara   next year.

I focus on what I’m doing and work at it till I get it done -  so if I’m writing then my concentration is on that – and if I’m teaching I think I use a different part of my brain from the imaginative one.  The most important thing I need to remember is that writing is my job – writing pays my bills and without novels being published, I don’t have the credentials to do the teaching. So writing is always number one.

I use my computer and my iphone to keep up to date – with everything recorded there and for teaching I have built up a resource bank of workshops that go well ready to print off at the press of a button

When I’m travelling I use the time as well as I can – my husband is great at doing the driving so I read/plan/organise as we go. If we’re on a train then I read or perhaps critique a manuscript – I don’t sit and stare out the window.

And because I manage my own working hours, I work when it suits me best. For example, soon my husband will start his university teaching   and that means that on certain days  he will  be out until 10.30 pm –  that’s a great opportunity for me to get as much done as I possibly can so that when he’s home we can relax together in what would be  a normal working day. 

And when it comes to writing – I always, always have a  notebook and pen – in my bag, beside the bed,  on the kitchen worktop – so that I can make sure I jot down any notes or inspiration that come to me and I don’t lose them. If you don’t make a note of something then you might think you’ll never forget it – but you do!

Whew Kate! You are a powerhouse. Thanks so much for giving such an inspiring interview.

 Thank you for inviting me along to LoveCats. My Maine Coons Flora and Charlie love this site – and they would like to offer a special giveaway of a signed book from my backlist.  Each of them will choose a prize for someone who posts a comment   and send them a special message!

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