RWA conference, here I come!

Okay folks, in just a few hours I will be on my way to San Francisco to commune with 2,000 other writers and industry professionals. Heh.

If you're attending the event or you’re going to be in the area, please come by and say hi. I’ll have my name in front of me at the public literacy book signing, and apparently I will also be wearing it most of the time. I'm also signing for registered conference attendees at the Berkley/NAL event, 3-4.30 on Friday. Come by to meet Nora Roberts and get a free copy of RECKLESS from me while you are there! :-)

For general info, I’m not going to be on line during the next week, no email. I'll be back on line late Monday or early Tuesday next week. If you’re trying to get in touch with me at the event, please ask the concierge/switchboard to put you through to my room or leave me a message. I’m not totally incommunicado, but it’s not going to be as easy as usual. I decided against handing out my mobile phone number because calls would go via England and it will cost everyone involved an arm and a leg to leave a message.

I'm leaving here at 4 am so this is my last post. I'm very nervous indeed, so spare a thought for me and wish me luck! I’ll tell you all about my mega-conference experience when I get back. :)

See you next week, have a good one!

And then he kissed her... 100 years of romance

Very quick post! I’m finishing up here, just about ready for my conference trip, but I had to post about this morning's excursion. Mark had the day off and we wanted to do something fun together before I shoot off, so we went to check out the Manchester City Library exhibition “And then he kissed her...” celebrating 100 years of Mills and Boon. It was such a fun little exhibition!

Amongst the items they had on display were books, covers, photos, and memorabilia from the entire period. There was a great potted history, (some of which you can see via the link below) lots of author photos and bios and fun stuff. My favourite exhibit was a collection of lines extracted to give the visitors a smile. Stuff like (paraphrased) “she always helped mummy with the dishes because Mummy was usually under the doctor for something or other.” We were in hoots. I only wish they’d had a programme for sale that I could have regaled you with, but I understand a book is due out in August.

Ooh, they also had a corset made entirely of book spines with selected words and titles, loved it to bits. A very fun and inspiring exhibition, and it even included right up to the minute stuff like Kimani books, and the Japanese Harlequin with the amazing Manga covers.

For me it was a real trip down memory lane because I grew up reading Mills and Boon/Harlequin books. It was also special because one of my more recent days mentors, Nicola Cornick, was featured there too. And now I’m a small part of it with my forthcoming Spice Briefs titles. Lovely day!

Here’s some more info and links:

The exhibition explores the evolution of 20th century social and sexual mores in Britain, alongside the development of the world's leading romance publisher. You'll also find a company history and centenary time line, a fascinating collection of books and cover art, writer biographies, manuscripts, original correspondence between authors and editors and associated memorabilia.

Mills & Boon's output has been a barometer of British social and cultural history in ways you may not have imagined. The last century has seen enormous change in terms of the roles of the sexes, the class system, motherhood and rising standards of living. Mills & Boon novels, while seeming on the surface to be escapist, have held a mirror up to British society. This responsiveness to the national mood has helped the publisher to remain popular over the last 100 years.

In 1997 the term 'Mills and Boon' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, to mean a romantic story book.

The exhibition And Then He Kissed Her… 100 Years of Mills & Boon runs at Manchester Central Library from 6th June - 31st July 2008.

If you can't get to the exhibition, you can check out all the info on the linked pages here, lots of interesting stuff!

Up for grabs today - a copy of RECKLESS

Hop on over to Alison Kent's blog for your chance to win.

Busy bee

Wow, it’s been a busy time here in the run-up to leaving for the RWA conference. I mostly feel quite levelheaded about the whole event, until I look at my timetable.... Ha! I'm on top of preparations though, and I’m now concentrating on what to say when I meet with my agent and all my editors. Gulp. Wish me luck, I'm very nervous.

In other news, ALONG FOR THE RIDE is now available in print! Amazon.com is shipping and so is Amazon UK although the information has not yet updated there. This book has been available as an ebook for around three years and it’s lovely to see it in print. The print copies are gorgeous, too, a smart and compact format with a lovely feel to them. Here’s the blurb:

When Georgina Montgomery gets involved with the Austrian artist Calvin Rolf and his Fleet Street photographer sidekick, Jason Sutherland, she signs herself up for more escapades than she ever could have imagined. Georgie soon discovers that being involved with two gorgeous men is a heady intoxicant and she quickly casts all her inhibitions aside. She's in her element, but their idyll of sexual adventuring in London is interrupted when a paparazzi scandal threatens to be unleashed around them.

They hit the road and when Georgie comes along for the ride she finds herself going further than she ever has before. None of them thought they'd go as far as falling in love, but they do, and who are they each falling for? When the paparazzi hunt results in Georgie's kidnap, danger ups the emotional stakes for everybody involved and territorial claims of the heart are about to be made.

Amazon com
Amazon UK

Good comments continue to come in about RECKLESS. Check out what my anthology buddy Sasha White had to say about the book and my writing here. I was delighted with her kind words! RECKLESS was also featured in the German romance magazine Love Letters, with a lovely review. Love letters is a super magazine, the German version of the Romantic Times, if you will. I wish we had something like it in England.

Ooh, there will be another freebie copy of RECKLESS up for grabs over at Alison Kent’s blog on Saturday. I’ll try to remember to post about this again, but my brain is a bit overloaded right now. ;-)

Woohooo! 4.5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies!

RECKLESS is unique and unlike any romance I have ever read. Fully expecting champagne and roses and instances of erotic naughtiness, I was pleasantly surprised to become immersed in a dark, compelling read teeming with sibling rivalry. Sergio is the brother in control and his desire to possess Katrina borders on obsessive. He needs her for his agenda. Nicolas' desire for Katrina, however, is not agenda driven. What starts out as a way to get back at his older brother turns into so much more as each love scene with Katrina unfolds. Saskia Walker is a genius; the turn of events in RECKLESS shocked me completely.

Arousing, enigmatic and gripping, RECKLESS is on my ‘highly recommended' list. If a dark romance with many suspenseful, surprising, and erotic moments is what you crave, then RECKLESS is the book for you!

I'm sooooo happy right now... :)

Reviews for RECKLESS!

I've had a hectic (and rough) couple of days, but things seem to chillin' out a bit now, thank goodness. A couple of lovely new reviews for RECKLESS really helped (big grin!) Loved what these two ladies posted about the book.

First up, Shellie at Queue My Review had this to say:

Erotic romances are one of my favorite genres to read. When you add some really good suspense, well-written characters and some hot romance it just doesn’t get much better than that. In Reckless, Saskia Walker delivered everything I love in a good erotic romance and more. I literally sat down and read this book in one sitting. Ms. Walker knows how to please a reader with her strong, sexy heroes and her fast-paced storylines.Read full review.

and my dear pal Wendy aka *the* Portia Da Costa had this to say:

Reckless is a page turning romantic suspense story, but also sublimely erotic, with toe curlingly sensual love scenes that sizzle on the page and make you wish you were right there in the Catalan moonlight with a mysterious, darkly passionate stranger making desperate love to you! Phoooarrggh! Read full review

Woohoo!

Book recommendation: WICKED by Sasha White

I stole time to read WICKED by Sasha White this past couple days and I enjoyed it immensely, so I thought I’d share some thoughts.

If you don’t know Sasha’s work, you’ve been under a rock. LOL! In a short space of time Sasha White has carved herself out a dedicated readership by writing stories that explore the sexual and emotional dynamics in a relationship, and she’s gained multiple contracts these last three years as a result.

What appeals to me most about Sasha’s work is her voice, how natural it sounds and how it draws me into the story. She has a distinctive writing style and yet it’s accessible, and we all know what that means. Easy reading is hard writing! She delivers hot erotica with an emotional punch; her characters have to overcome obstacles to be together, to learn about themselves, and to address their own issues. This is how she builds solid realism in her characters. I found WICKED an especially good example of this.

Hero Karl Dawson is a masterful dominant. He’s experienced, self-assured, and he has a wry attitude to relationships. Heroine Lara Fox is also confident, sassy too, and this is where it gets interesting. Sasha sets up the D/s relationship in such a way that it’s sparking on the page and rife with challenge, making this a dynamic and compelling read. When Lara begins to address her true wants we discover along with her what that means; the gift of trust, the pleasure, the rewards. Along the way she and Karl have to face both physical and emotional barriers, and the read is hugely satisfying because of what they learn about themselves, as well as each other.

This is my favourite by Sasha to date, and, like her novella SEX AS A WEAPON (in THE COP antho, my previous fave) we’ve got both the hero and heroine PoV, which is my personal preference as a reader. Sasha is good with first person voice, and that takes skill, but I love to get inside a man's mind – especially a man like Karl. :) He really is a complex, attractive man and that makes it all the more enjoyable a read. ;) Pick him up, err… I mean pick it up, the book :) and find out for yourself.

Next up on my reading list is Megan Hart’s BROKEN, which I’ve been anticipating for a long while, the story premise really caught my attention. What are you reading at the moment?

Musing about conference preparation, and some thoughts about being professional

Okay, so we’re down to just under three weeks until conference time. It's a big deal for me, professionally, and personally. In one sense I feel my preparations are well in hand. Mostly it’s my head I need to organise. :) My timetable (which I’m seeing as my anchor,) is almost all done, but it’s busting at the seams. It's making me feel dizzy just looking at it! It's not quite a finished work, either. I’m waiting for the last couple of editor appointments to slot in and then I need to find time to squeeze in meetings with pals and with local friends who aren’t coming to the conference itself. I might need a crowbar for that.

At first I could keep it in my head, what I'd be doing during those 4/5 days of conference time. Then I had to start writing it down. After a while I realised I needed to put things onto a timetable. That helped me put it into perspective, even if I did feel a schoolgirl again. :) It was fine. And then…well, it seems to have exploded in all directions this past week. It now looks like some sort of speed dating schedule. And I have a big, (major, as in regrettable,) clash. Wah! I want to go to both parties. :o{

It also feels pretty alien. My usual schedule is writing, real life stuff, and occasional social engagements. I’m exchanging that for five days of continuous social engagements and business meetings. Will she survive, you ask yourself? Well, I used to do mad Goth and fetish weekends, lots of gigs and rock festivals, but not so much recently. Ah, well. I’ll give it my best shot, and I'll report back.

Meanwhile, I’m slowly getting used to the idea that I'm going to be a Spice author. Ha. I hadn’t really got used to being a Spice Briefs author! ;) It’s going to take the rest of this year for me to take it all in, tbh. I've spent so much time learning, striving, and keeping goals on the horizon, that when some of it actually happens for me I simply can’t take it in.

One thing I do when I have some big career news is to contact and thank the people who’ve been important to me along the way. Those friends who have encouraged me, the editors and publishers who have published my work and enabled me to take a step up and strive for longer projects and gain new contracts. When I share the good news, I’m so often touched by the things they say, the good wishes, and especially when they add that I am so easy to work, and that is serving me well.

Easy to work with? Yes, it is something I strive for, but that's because I believe it’s a fundamental tenet of being a professional, no matter what industry a person is working in. I’m always amazed when I hear tales of authors being unprofessional, or cases where ego gets the better of good judgment. It’s just as important to be polite and easy to work with in this industry as in any other.

Huh. Incredibly, while I was writing this post, yet another RWA event was flagged up that I really want to be at. This one isn’t quite so much of a clash, but it does demand a big reshuffle of plans and arrangements. My head hurts! :o)

Yay! Best of the worst covers :)

It tickles me to bits, really. I suppose because it's one aspect (or one of several aspects...) of a book we can't control, so I can be objective and enjoy, and because it's so interesting to learn what readers think about these things. KINK has come off as the best of the worst, ie the least people voted for it to win the wost cover of 2007 award. See all the covers and read the hilarious comments here.

Night Owl Romance

If you join the Night Owl Romance chat loop this month, you'll find they have a couple of books to give away :) Just click on the graphic to join.

Guest blogging with the Bradford Bunch

I'm guest blogging with the Bradford Bunch today. I'm chatting about a sense of place, or setting as character, and I'm giving away a copy of RECKLESS to one commenter. Click on the banner to visit.

Cover chat, and a day out with Portia Da Costa

I'm still squeeeeing over my author copies. I know! I promise I'll shut about it soon. :) I just wanted to post briefly about how different it looks to me in real life (a bit like I was saying about seeing art work "in the flesh" rather than reproductions, in my recent Klimt post.) There were a couple of things I hadn’t noticed on the jpg.

On the jpegs the cover had looked Mediterranean blue, but when I held a copy in my hand I was delighted to discover it also has a purple hue to it that's a bit gorgeous. (Says she, confessed purple addict.) Also, behind the title, I hadn't noticed quite what was going on where the guy is lifting the woman’s leg against his. Mark said he spotted this. I could say "men," tut, and roll my eyes, but in all honesty it’s me. I have limited vision in my right eye and my contrast is knacked. All of this means it was another delightful surprise for me when I opened the box and got a good look at the genuine article. Yes, I am like a kid in a sweet shop over stuff like this.

I'm giving another copy away later today, when I'll be guest blogging elsewhere. More on that when it goes live!

In other news, had a fab day out with Wendy/Portia yesterday. I had to stare at her boobies the whole time (simply had to) cos she was sporting Johnny Depp on her chest. We spent a good 3 hours discussing handbags, make up, knickers, and various other things that we feel quite at liberty to discuss in great detail at the mo, because we are now packing for the RWA conference. Yikes, three weeks on Tuesday we'll be on our way!!! And I've got... (glances at list).. SO much to do. Better get a shift on.

Happy birthday to Total-E-Bound, grab yourself a birthday prezzie!

Celebrate with Total-E-Bound this month and join in the fun. Total-E-Bound is having a birthday prezzie hunt! Find all of the birthday pictures to win stacks of books!

1ST PRIZE: 1 year Supply of eBooks

2ND PRIZE: 6 month's supply of eBooks

Here's what to do: Follow the links below to the 21 authors' websites. Find the picture of the birthday present and collect the letter underneath it. When you have collected all 21 (in order!), email Competitions@total-e-bound.com with the sentence. Put "Prezzie Contest" in the header. This contest runs from July 1st to July 29th. Winners will be picked on 30th of July and announced on the TEB competitions page.

Search these authors' websites (in order):

Dakota Rebel - http://www.dakotarebel.com/
Kay Wilde - www.kaywilde.com/
Cindy Spencer Pape - http://www.cindyspencerpape.com/
Ann Cory - http://www.anncory.com/
Jamie Hill - www.jamiehill.biz/
Victoria Blisse - http://www.victoriablisse.co.uk/
Ellen Ashe - http://www.ellenashe.net/
Barbara Huffert - http://www.barbarahuffert.com/
Sage Burnett - http://www.patriciaparkinson.com/
Donna Grant - http://www.donnagrant.com/
Ericka Scott - http://www.erickascott.com/
Bobbie Russell - authorbobbierussell.tripod.com
Aurora Rose Lynn - http://www.auroraroselynn.net/
Lisabet Sarai - http://www.lisabetsarai.com/
Saskia Walker - http://www.saskiawalker.co.uk/
Marie Harte - http://www.marieharte.com/
Desiree Holt - http://www.desireeholt.com/
J.P. Bowie - http://www.jpbowie.com/
Brynn Paulin - http://www.brynnpaulin.blogspot.com/
Marie Haynes - www.freewebs.com/mariehaynes
Bronwyn Green - http://www.bronwyngreen.com/

Have fun!

Contest winner!

Many thanks for your entries to the 24 hour contest! The winner is Selena Illyria. Selena, email me your address (there's an email link on the right) and it'll be on its way!

Another fun contest coming right up - this one a website hunt to celebrate the first year of Total-E-Bound.

It's publication day for RECKLESS!

RECKLESS is published today! And by lucky chance my author copies arrived, giving me lots to celebrate.

Who’d like to win a copy? Leave me a message in the comments and I’ll pick a winner 24 hours from now. If you comment on the excerpt and reviews below, that’ll be even more fun for me. :)

Cover copy:

Buttoned-up collars. Comfortable routine. This is Katrina Hammond's career at a London auction house—until she's whisked off to Spain to evaluate the private collection of dark and sexy Sergio Teodoro. He's dominant, commanding, totally in control…and he sees another work of art in the exquisite Katrina—one definitely worth admiring. And
possessing…

But another surprise awaits Katrina in the shadows of the impressive Teodoro villa. It's Sergio's younger brother Nicolas, a disinherited and passionate artist whom Katrina finds equally irresistible. And she's more than willing to risk a little sibling rivalry. But there may be more to Sergio and Nicolas's erotic games than Katrina imagined. Something dark, dangerous, and reckless.

Excerpt:

The moon barely struggled through the clouds, and as Katrina looked at the grounds below the window they were was so dense with foliage that all she could make out at first was inky darkness. Tentatively, she opened the window. She struggled to see, but as her eyes became accustomed to the gloom, she saw a figure moving below. Moonlight brushed the side his body, making him seem ethereal and ghostlike. A hand lifted.

Anticipation rippled through her, and she returned the wave. When she did, the figure moved quickly to the wall beneath her. For a moment he disappeared from view, and she realized he was climbing onto the ground level window ledge below, where a storage room below housed cleaning equipment.

Leaning out of the window, she felt like Juliet looking for her Romeo. That tale had ended badly, and the mental connection made her shiver. She knew this was wrong. She was supposed to be working for her hosts, her clients, the people who had commissioned her on behalf of Pocklington's to undertake this job. Instead she was colluding with the disinherited son, a man she had been warned about, a man who was lurking around the building like a thief in the night.

What the hell am I thinking of?

Then she remembered the way Nicolas had looked that morning when he had connected with her, and she felt torn. He had his motives. She was attracted to the man, but was he just using her? It did matter to her. Over the course of the day while she'd been anticipating seeing him again, she'd thought it didn't matter, but deep down it did. When you are attracted to someone, you want them to be attracted to you for the right reasons, the same reasons. Either way, he was on his way up here, scaling the wall by moving up the jutting plinths and ledges, and he was about to climb into the gallery.

I'll confront him before he touches me. Yes, find out what he really
wants from me.

Stepping back, she watched as he came through the window, awed at the easy way he moved, every limber flex suggesting fitness and vitality. He grinned at her as he landed on the floor and then straightened up.

Oh, but he was gorgeous.

"You can't use the door like a normal person?" she said, a soft laugh escaping her.

"I have the security code, but every time it's used, it is logged by the system. I don't want to use it at night unless absolutely necessary."

She recalled Elaine hitting a panel to one side of the front door as they left the house that morning. Presumably the doors could only be opened from the outside if you had the code.

He closed the window behind him and glanced around.

She noticed fondness in his eyes as he looked across at the collection on display. That struck her oddly. Did he want it? Was that what this was all about and, if so, had he taken the missing pieces?

"The dining room window was open the other night," he added.

For the first time, she noticed that he spoke simply, as if he was still learning English and sometimes had to reach to find the appropriate word. Sergio was fluent. Then she noticed something new, a scar, a thin red line on his cheekbone. "What happened to your face?"

"The argument continued after you had gone." He shrugged it off. "It is nothing."

Nothing? They were fighting verbally and physically. God, she was a fool to let him in. "You shouldn't have risked coming here again."

"I had to come." He eyed her up and down, slowly and deliberately.

The weight of his stare made her feel weak. How was it that he affected her so easily? Did he represent desire, or rebellion? Or do I understand just enough about psychology to cripple myself with it?

She backed away.

His smile faded.

"What is it that you want from me?" she demanded.

His eyelids dropped, and he stepped away from her, moving between the cabinets, looking in at the contents. "Please don't be afraid, that is not my intention."

Slowly, she turned on the spot, keeping her eyes on him, watching him as he moved through the gallery space.

He paused, ran one finger along the top of a glass display case, and then glanced back at her. "Last night, you said you wanted me."

Swallowing, she forced herself to lift her chin, to face him. "I did... But I'm working for Sergio. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

A slow smile passed over his face, and he returned his attention to the cabinet.

Was this leading her into big trouble? "I hardly know you," she whispered, "and I don't understand what is happening here."

"You don't understand the desire?" He flashed her a teasing glance as he continued his circuit of the gallery.

Oh God, the look in his eyes right then made her melt. "That part I understand completely." She folded her arms, attempting to give herself a backbone. Apparently one look at him had made it melt away into nothing. "I mean...I'm not sure about everything else."

"I understand that." He leaned his head to one side to observe a set of small plaster figurines, early models of the larger ones that stood on pedestals, before he continued.

"Katrina, when I originally made contact with you, it was to talk about all of this, not risk my neck for the sake of another kiss." He gestured around the gallery with one hand. His mouth lifted on one side. Then he moved on, strolling in and out of the cabinets. "I needed to know what my brother was doing with the family collection, and I..." He glanced around the gallery. "I wanted to see the collection one last time."

He looked back at her. "But now that I am here, I find it is you that I want to see, more than any of it."

Her pulse raced, anticipation crackling in the air between them.

"I think perhaps it was the lure of an amante that has brought me here, as much as the art." Brooding, hungry eyes fixed her on the spot.

"Amante?"

"Lover."

A delicious shiver ran up her spine. Oh, how that made her want him, and how hard it made it do anything other than respond in kind, her body craving his.

He was closer now, having circuited the display cases, a mere four paces away. Her pulse raced, her body hot and alert with anticipation. Her resistance was melting, but unease still wrestled with the desire increasing inside her. "I'm concerned. Sergio was acting crazy this morning. You've been injured. This doesn't feel right. It's dangerous. Wrong."

"I had to come, to see you." His voice, deep and suggestive, claimed her. "I've been thinking about you all day. This morning...I wanted to take you out of here myself."

Take me away, away from the job, so that Sergio can't sell the art?

And then his hands on her body took away every last shred of rational thought, any ability to question his motives.

He cupped her cheek in one warm hand and kissed her, brushing his lips over hers and barely making contact. The gentle caress was powerfully seductive, nonetheless. "I want you," he whispered against her mouth.

The possessive edge to his words brought about a rush of heat, a liquid density inside her that had responded to his secret and forbidden presence.

Her head dropped back, and she stared into his eyes. Their bodies were touching, and she swayed under his spell. Her lips parted, yearning for more, her legs felt weak.

His hand was grasping her around the waist, squeezing her closer, so that she could feel how hard he was. "This desire between us, you want to know more of it, don't you, just as I do?"

There was still time to end this, to do the right thing, the professional thing. This was her telling moment.

Yes, or no?

She ached for him, an undeniable sense of wanting that he had stirred in her, a nagging need that had to be fulfilled. Her heart raced, her blood on fire for him. There was no turning back, not now. At her core, her body silently throbbed its response.

Yes, oh yes!

What the reviewers say:

"Reckless is a thrilling read that keeps the reader engaged. Katrina,
Nicolas, and Sergio heat the pages like a match burning every page. The world that the three share is fascinating. I loved the setting and atmosphere especially when Katrina gets to the country home. Saskia Walker creates passionate characters that almost grab the reader and pulls them inside the pages. With a great plot, she weaves a tale that is hard to put down. The way she molds the characters into the storyline is cleverly done and the secondary characters add great finesse to the theme of the story, making it a superb read." Cherokee, Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance

"Then the mystery started unfolding, the plot thickened, our heroine blossomed, and the confusion over which brother was the hero and which was the villain made the story exquisitely interesting. The book was enjoyable, the tension high, and I found myself really caring about the characters, including and especially Katrina. The
sex is tortuously tender and the hero very in control of making certain the heroine enjoyed every second, which made reading the scenes a steamy experience." Karen Haas, for JERR

"This was a really intriguing mystery. I had clues as to what was going on, but certainly didn't expect what the author revealed at the end. The relationship developed at a steady pace, and the sex was steamy. Definitely a good read to invest your time in." Reviewed by Chris for Night Owl Romance.

"Reckless is an erotic, suspenseful novel that leaves the reader on edge. The lush, descriptive detail moves the story at a nice even pace, with each question the reader might have neatly cleared up by the author. Each of the main characters are intensely believable and the secondary ones help to put the story lines into perspective. The dialog flowed, the emotions either intense or light and flirty as
needed. Each love scene is charged with a sense of danger, tension, and erotic heat. With a climactic ending and a blossoming love, Ms. Walker leaves the reader clamoring for more Reckless." Shannon, for The Romance Studio

Out now! Find it in bookstores, or at the following online stores.

Amazon.com
Barnes and Noble
Amazon UK

Romance Junkies summer contest

Go here to find out more.

You'll find a contest from me hidden on this postcard, along with many more great prizes!