tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98732352011-12-15T03:10:05.546ZThe online diary of Kate Allan, authorKate Allannoreply@blogger.comBlogger2671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1164964858389186812006-12-01T09:19:00.000Z2006-12-01T09:20:58.406Z

A new excerpt from Perfidy and Perfection is on UK Historical Romance.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1163763853404184852006-11-17T11:31:00.000Z2006-11-19T22:57:54.200Z

My author copies of Fateful Deception, out this month with Linford Romance, arrived this morning.The cover is fantastic, completely in keeping with the characters and the period (1810). So happy.And then there was the email that came today from my editor at Linford Romance offering to buy The Restless Heart! Way hey! I guess it will be out in around a year's time.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1163426119649380042006-11-13T13:51:00.000Z2007-01-17T05:46:45.020Z

Put my query letter + copy of The Restless Heart in an envelope to query it with Linford Romance today. Now, just have to do the scary thing of posting it later. Throwing oneself open to rejection always makes me shake, so I need to get a more of the day over before I take an hour out to get over the adrenaline... there is ironing that needs doing...

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1163020050221088842006-11-08T21:03:00.000Z2006-11-09T08:57:52.236Z

My Marketing for Authors blog has a new home and look at Wordpress.com. I spent rather too many hours trying solve problems with it in Blogger, and in the end decided it would be a good opportunity to move it to a different platform. Here you read about my life not writing books and doing author stuff, but on another side of the fence as a book publicist.Strangely enough this blog in blogger has

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1162725637025158162006-11-05T11:11:00.000Z2006-11-05T11:21:57.716Z

"Fun and lively" says the review in this month's Hertfordshire Life of Perfidy and Perfection. A great review, and I'm really pleased. Unfortunately the magazine has seen fit to spell my name wrong - as Allen. No, it's Allan. Please, please, please editors everywhere, take care to spell author's names correctly. It matters, not just because we're fussy but because if someone does want to look my

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1162297746994314022006-10-31T12:26:00.000Z2006-10-31T12:29:07.020Z

Fateful Deception published by Linford Romance is offically published tomorrow! Not had any author copies yet... so still don't know what it looks like.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1161947416135101212006-10-27T12:02:00.000+01:002006-10-27T12:12:54.433+01:00

Regency Reads, the new ebook imprint for Regency fiction from Belgrave House, is launched!Check it out, and if you like Regency fiction don't forget to purchase a copy of Fateful Deception by Kate Allan... :)

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1161620680361581912006-10-23T17:22:00.000+01:002006-10-23T17:24:40.413+01:00

Review for Perfidy and Perfection by Singletitles:In her debut historical romance, Kate Allan blends moving romance, wonderful wit and nail biting intrigue in a spellbinding tale which will remind readers of the wonderful stories of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen! Read more.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1161546169830463822006-10-22T20:38:00.000+01:002006-10-22T20:42:49.853+01:00

An email out of the blue: Perfidy and Perfection has been nominated for the All About Romance 2006 cover contest. Don't know if this means it will make the short list but pleasing nonetheless. I love the cover which was painted by artist Barbara Walters.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1160859172636976782006-10-14T21:48:00.000+01:002006-10-14T22:00:36.666+01:00

A short excerpt from The Restless Heart.Bella has agreed to go for a ride in the countryside with the enigmatic Mr Davenport...Mr Davenport drew King up to her. ‘Miss Oakley, it is of course my intention that the correct form should be observed.’ He was looking not at her but at something at the top of one of the tall beech trees.‘Correct form?’ Bella felt herself frown. There was nothing very

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1160252312321812452006-10-07T21:14:00.000+01:002006-10-07T21:18:32.350+01:00

And here is the cover:I've posted a short excerpt on UK Historical Romance blog.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1160236888750286872006-10-07T16:52:00.000+01:002006-10-07T17:01:28.780+01:00

Arrived this morning in a bright white padded envelope from Dundee: six copies of The Restless Heart, just published by DC Thomson as a My Weekly Story Collection paperback. If you'd like a copy get to the shops quick as it'll be on the shelves now.I'm pleased with the title they've decided on. I'd called this story Journey to Love, but never really liked that title. It was the first manuscript I

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1160142967296085162006-10-06T14:50:00.000+01:002006-10-06T14:56:07.323+01:00

A review for Perfidy and Perfection was in the latest issue of the Historical Novels Review. Here it is in full:Allan has written a lively tale of a female author in Regency times, when it was supposedly not quite the thing for a lady to write a novel. Sophy has very little experience of life but her first novel is a success. Now she has to experience something new to write about, and that

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1159908123159032082006-10-03T21:31:00.000+01:002006-10-03T21:43:08.506+01:00

I forgot to mention that I met week before last in London for dinner Samantha David, whose first novel, I Married a Pirate, will be published in July 2007 by Myrmidon Books who I do publicity for.Needless to say being both women-of-literature we got into a discussion about romantic heros, and this was echoed by part 2 of the BBC TV series on romantic fiction, Reader, I Married Him last week.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1159638329374829842006-09-30T18:38:00.000+01:002006-09-30T18:45:29.396+01:00

I'm not so interested in party politics to blog about it, but I'm interested in the internet and in marketing, and the launch today of "Webcameron" is, as a piece of marketing, brilliant.The leader of the UK opposition party, David Cameron, has launched his own blog; not only does it show him as more youthful and up to date than Prime Minister Blair by implication of him being technologically up

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1159908345706655982006-09-12T21:43:00.000+01:002006-10-03T21:45:45.706+01:00

Pics from my recent wedding are exclusively available here (scroll down) on UK Historical Romance blog. :)

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1153586643459892472006-07-22T17:40:00.000+01:002006-07-22T17:48:51.016+01:00

Just looking myself on amazon today (as you do) and I notice that my short novel, Fateful Deception, has been listed and will be published 1st November this year in large print as part of the Linford Romance Series imprint. It's currently available as an ebook from Belgrave House and it was already previously in print as a serial cheap paperback but it will be really exciting to be able to have a

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1152830760446543062006-07-13T23:28:00.000+01:002006-07-13T23:49:20.490+01:00

Stuff happens faster than I can blog it... so if you want to catch up on the Romantic Novelists' Association Conference, there's posts from Michelle Styles, Julie Cohen, Amanda Ashby, Nell Dixon and Fiona Harper.What I was wondering about today was time periods... in terms of settings for fiction. I had a chat last night with someone at my writers circle about how great Roman-set fiction was (

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1152170661591469432006-07-05T20:22:00.000+01:002006-07-06T08:24:21.620+01:00

I have a MySpace site now:http://www.myspace.com/katebooks:)

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1151436788420481002006-06-27T20:26:00.000+01:002006-06-28T10:18:58.593+01:00

In St Albans, the city where I live, there is a proposal to shut 2 of the 4 libraries.I tried to imagine a world without libraries, my childhood without libraries. I'm not sure I think much of a society which dosen't value libraries. I don't know what the problem is but shutting branch libraries is not the answer. Everyone should have access to the learning and entertainment facilities of a local

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1149973581130595442006-06-10T22:04:00.000+01:002006-06-10T22:06:21.160+01:00

Another review for Perfidy and Perfection:If you're a fan of the works of Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and other female writers of that era, then you're sure to enjoy PERFIDY AND PERFECTION, a Regency era romance whose heroine, Sophy, writes secretly under a man's pseudonym. Well written, with likeable characters and a plot that works surprisingly well, PERFIDY AND PERFECTION is entertaining and

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1148940296883745092006-05-29T22:49:00.000+01:002006-05-29T23:04:56.906+01:00

One great thing about a bank holiday weekend is that despite being busy what with seeing some relatives and friends, and going to the cinema to see the Da Vinci Code* the extra day has enabled some hours to be spent at the keyboard and I've tapped out about 1000 words. Hurrah.The downside of making some progress on the wip seems to be a rise in a level of doubt that the thing is any good. I so

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1148502411884688692006-05-24T21:14:00.000+01:002006-05-24T21:26:51.920+01:00

Perfidy and Perfection has been reviewed at Rakehell:"you are very likely going to enjoy this novel - especially if you are a Jane Austen or Georgette Heyer fan""a good story, well written, and had me laughing out loud at parts" Great! After all, it is supposed to be a comedy. :)

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1148125790546594342006-05-20T12:48:00.000+01:002006-05-20T12:49:50.566+01:00

Offer from Thorpe to publish Perfidy and Perfection in large print for UK/Commonwealth and Canada. I guess this edition will be out in about 12 months time.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1147297082407927362006-05-10T22:14:00.000+01:002006-05-10T22:43:50.190+01:00

May, 2006: You may have seen in the news (or for real) the spectacle of a giant 40ft mechanical elephant parading through the streets of London last weekend. More here at the BBC.However, what sprung to my mind first was an incident which occured in London 180 years ago - perhaps the last time that an elephant - this one very real - nearly went on the rampage through the West End...March, 1826:

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1147106229428219622006-05-08T21:11:00.000+01:002006-05-08T21:15:03.276+01:00

Grrrrrr. Just when I set myself a reasonble challenge to kick-start getting back into the wip, and then I go down with a head cold, meaning that over the entire weekend, only managed to scribble about 300 words. Although I did do some research into leopards and also early nineteenth century plasterwork.(Picture: Two Leopards Playing in the Exeter Change Menagerie, painted by Jacques-Laurent

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1146784808876813202006-05-04T23:43:00.000+01:002006-05-05T00:20:08.903+01:00

It's been a struggle this evening. I've had a long day at work and am tired. None the less, I've managed:Day 4 - 520 wordsI *think* I now know what happens to the leopard. But all ideas welcome. We're in Regency London and someone has stolen a leopard. I found out, using Old Bailey Online, that a leopard skin in 1832 was valued at 30s. So a leopard is valuable, but not *that* valuable.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1146701084689501482006-05-03T23:25:00.000+01:002006-05-10T22:48:07.500+01:00

My challenge for the month of May is to write 500 words per day.Can I do it?I hope so. :)Progress so far:May 1 - zilch. (So have some catching up to do.)May 2 - 630 wordsMay 3 - 600 wordsWell, at the moment in the wip, it's 1831 and we're in London and a leopard has been stolen...

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1146516590700840332006-05-01T21:40:00.000+01:002006-05-01T21:50:46.340+01:00

The online party went well - I think. Next thing for me now is to concentrate on writing another book.In the meantime Fateful Deception the ebook has been published last week on fictionwise and was their 43rd bestseller in romance. Also last week I gave my 'Writing with the Senses' workshop to a college class in Welwyn Garden City. And I've been exploring ancient roads and the Iron and Bronze

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1145431643746989092006-04-19T08:26:00.000+01:002006-04-19T08:28:05.553+01:00

Kate Allanwould like to invite you to an online partyto celebrate the book launch of Perfidy and Perfectionand new ebook issue of Fateful Deceptionfrom 20th to 22nd April 2006at http://perfidyandperfection.blogspot.com/

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1145358394385525082006-04-18T11:57:00.000+01:002006-04-18T12:20:39.430+01:00

Back from Derbyshire... more about my travels there soon...In the meantime Belgrave House have issued my first novel, the short novel Fateful Deception as an ebook. Huzzah!Middlesex, England, at the beginning of 1810... Captain Robert Monceaux is lately back in Hounslow barracks after the retreat from Corunna. He's pleased to be of some assistance in rescuing a young lady from highway robbers on

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144880262124763382006-04-12T23:14:00.000+01:002006-04-12T23:17:42.146+01:00

Excerpt from Perfidy and Perfection up at UK Historical Romance blog.I'm busy looking forward to the weekend, which will be spent in Derbyshire. Chatsworth, Haddon Hall, Lyme Park here I come...

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144519437149896692006-04-08T18:51:00.000+01:002006-04-08T19:03:57.190+01:00

Among my ordinary writing activities, journalism comes pretty low down the list. However, not this week. It would appear, within the small confines of the UK book trade / writing press anyway, that I scooped a story!This is about a brand new independent publisher in the UK who will be publishing a general fiction list and are currently actively seeking submissions. First books are due to be out

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144361654582910652006-04-06T22:54:00.000+01:002006-04-06T23:16:40.983+01:00

In the interests of variety, I've also posted some of the pics over at UK Historical Romance blog, so if you want to see one with me with a redcoat, head there.Anyhow, this is me (left) at the Napoleonic Fair last Sunday in my sprig day dress and sporting my brand new felt bonnet. I had a long conversation with the lady next to me about lady soldiers. We had a mutual interest: I co-authored a

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144360390574250182006-04-05T22:29:00.000+01:002006-04-06T22:54:42.676+01:00

Ack! Busy writing an article this evening and doing some research for my impending trip (over Easter) to Derbyshire. I did manage a few hundred words on the wip though yesterday... Got inspired so had to write it.Now, if I could do that every day I might actually make some decent progress on it. :(Photos from Fair coming soon. Promise.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144089719076805092006-04-03T19:40:00.000+01:002006-04-03T20:28:46.636+01:00

Blog post and pics from Regency and Georgian author Melinda Hammond on the Napoleonic Fair.Post coming from me, and pics, when I've recovered... Tiring weekend!

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144004244858255362006-04-01T19:39:00.000+01:002006-04-02T19:58:42.416+01:00

Fanfare of trumpets! It happened; the day when I was to do the first signing for Perfidy and Perfection - at Ottakars in St Albans. It was quite scary but the bookshop staff were all really nice. :) As well as being friendly they offered me a coffee and kept asking if there was anything I needed.A table was laid out with twenty copies of the book on. I sold ten, which I was really pleased with. I

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1144002781435809452006-04-01T09:06:00.000+01:002006-04-02T19:36:37.926+01:00

This week started with a couple of interviews. On Monday I was on BBC Three Counties Radio briefly - talking about Perfidy and Perfection, Jane Austen and the International Napoleonic Fair. Then on Tuesday I was interviewed by the St Albans Observer and I spoke quite broadly about my writing. A nice piece came out in the paper on Thursday - although I turned from Kate into Karen half way through!

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1142979967412409262006-03-21T22:08:00.000Z2006-04-02T19:06:14.103+01:00

I sent off my copy edited electronic version of Fateful Deception to US small publishers Belgrave House on Sunday and was jolly proud of myself. Not only is Fateful Deception going to be available as an ebook alongside well regarded authors of the Regency genre such as Joan Smith and Carola Dunn, for me it feels as if a whole new continent is opening up.Meanwhile the cheque for the large print

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1142497743163884632006-03-16T08:08:00.000Z2006-03-16T08:29:03.216Z

My author copies of Perfidy and Perfection arrived yesterday. If you had seen the haphazardly torn and pitiful remains of the packaging you would have concluded how I exicted I was to get the parcel open and hold the book in my hands for the first time.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1142424241372667212006-03-15T08:32:00.000Z2006-03-15T12:04:01.400Z

I've blogged today (with pictures) on UK Historical Romance my recent explore of Old Gorhambury House. If you like old ruins hop over and take a look.Author-life at the moment is busy with proofing an electronic copy of Fateful Deception ready for its US publication and getting bits and pieces sorted out for the launch of my historical romantic comedy Perfidy and Perfection. I'm going to be doing

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1141836673186813692006-03-08T18:27:00.000Z2006-03-12T19:54:43.450Z

I'm thinking today that really I'm not being a very good regular blogger. The reason is that there are such a lot of things going on... but then that's always my excuse. However, I have some good news to share about Fateful Deception. I've had an offer for the world large print rights from Ulverscroft, and in addition a US epublisher who specialises in Regencies is going to produce an ebook!Also

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1142192850813017072006-02-26T19:31:00.000Z2006-03-12T19:52:58.276Z

There are no literature festivals in or around my home town of St Albans, which is a shame, but on 18th February, a collaberation between Verulam Writers' Circle, Ver Poets and St Albans Arts (STARTS) held a Festival of Words at the Old Town Hall.I gave a short talk on getting your novel published, and also a short workshop on 'cracking story openings'.I also gave some one on one appointments

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1139948162084621442006-02-14T19:50:00.000Z2006-02-14T20:20:01.180Z

No, I didn't ride a camel but I did see plenty of them; not only in the desert, also in the market.Historically, indeed up until the 1970s when Oman's transport infrastructure began to be modernised with interior roads, camel trains were a vital for goods transport. The great trade routes between Europe and North Africa in the West and Indo-China in the East cross the Persian gulf and trade is

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1139749292417881852006-02-12T12:49:00.000Z2006-02-14T20:17:01.180Z

Over new year I went on holiday to Oman in the Arabian peninsula. Now I've finally got the photographs on the computer I'll share some of the highlights over this coming week.Let's start with the desert...I'd never been to a desert before and I actually camped for two nights in the Omani desert. There were camels and Bedouin and their goats living in the desert and occasional tufts of grass but

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1139517851695285352006-02-09T20:28:00.000Z2006-02-09T20:44:11.723Z

I've chosen the title above because today is the first day for several I've felt reasonably ok. This is because I've had flu, and it gets you down. However, I was back at work today and managed to do a few things which was a great novelty after days of doing nothing and sleeping. I'm still a bit tired but Writing magazine had arrived in the post and in this month's issue is RNA friend and fellow

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1138901358543329572006-02-02T17:24:00.000Z2006-02-02T17:30:18.276Z

After I'd got over the shock of actually seeing my name on the cover of a novel, I've decided I really like it. The sense of period is right, the hair colours of Ben (the hero) and Sophy (the heroine) are correct. As is the expression on Ben's face.What do you think?

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1138134961551335772006-01-24T20:26:00.000Z2006-01-24T20:36:01.580Z

Real life has been exceptionally busy over the last week, and hence my author life suffers.On the plus side I did manage to do a bit of writing on the wip, just a couple of hundred words, one evening last week. And I've queried Fateful Deception as the rights have now returned to me with a couple of publishers. Fingers crossed!

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1137098022583242342006-01-12T20:25:00.000Z2006-01-12T20:34:38.426Z

This week I'm doing what many writers who have full-time jobs end up doing: having to come home after work and work on checking the proofs for a novel. In my case Perfidy and Perfection which is out at the end of March. I don't think I'll be able to finish them tonight so unfortunately this joyous task is going to spill over into the weekend.In the oven at the moment is a mixed berry strudle (

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1136914877674798612006-01-10T17:31:00.000Z2006-01-10T17:44:23.013Z

I'm back after Christmas and two weeks holidaying in Oman. My Regency-set short romance novel Fateful Deception is in the shops this month. More details here at UK Historical Romance blog.Oman was very interesting - especially as I've not been to the Gulf before, nor ever been in a real desert. I feel as if I've now experienced Arabia - something I've dreamed of doing since being a child. As soon

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1133704551403579782005-12-04T13:57:00.000Z2005-12-04T14:03:55.680Z

I'm going to be concentrating on making some progress on the wip and other commitments so I'm taking a break from this blog but will be back in the middle of January.Have a great holiday season and see you here in 2006!

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1133704931115150152005-12-04T13:53:00.000Z2005-12-07T00:46:31.773Z

I got some 2006 Kate Allan fridge calendar magnets printed, and now they need good homes - so enter the prize draw by emailing your name and address here. Closing date is 18th December 2005 when I'll pick six winners who will one of these super fridge magnets and in addition a selection of The Lady Soldier and 2006 calendar postcards.Btw we're running a super Christmas competition at the Regency

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1133017471048428432005-11-26T14:54:00.000Z2005-12-04T13:48:54.556Z

This week it's been unusually cold - for England in November: hats-and-gloves-and-your-warmest-coat-time. Something about the cold makes me simply want to stay indoors and I ended up watching last weekend 100-odd minutes - i.e. the first DVD of the first series of the 1970s TV period drama series The Onedin Line. History, drama, adventure - just my sort of thing - but fatal to wip-progress.I did

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1132426183709031372005-11-19T18:32:00.000Z2005-11-19T18:53:46.536Z

It's 100 years since the Scarlet Pimpernel was published, a fact I was unaware of before going over to UK Historical Romance blog today. Now I am itching to put on a episode from the Richard E Grant TV series! However, I must do some work on the wip tonight. I've played in my mind a addition to the scene I'm currently working on, but not written a word yet, so it would be good to get that down.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1132179237345759552005-11-16T22:05:00.000Z2005-11-16T22:13:57.403Z

Historical romance in the UK is an underrated and underrepresented genre. Most people think it died out with Jean Plaidy. But this does not stop a handful of publishers continuing to publish it successfully and fool-authors like me from persisting with our ambition to write it. In order that we can shout a little louder, I'm really lucky to be involved in a clubbing together of some of the UK's

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131926419661395382005-11-13T23:39:00.000Z2005-11-14T00:00:19.690Z

A small bit of progress made on the wip today except what with radicially altering the start of the story I think I've cut as many words as I've written - about 300 each way. Does not sound much but it's stuff to a quality I'm happy with and I've got to listen to the Kaiser Chiefs album several times while I'm working. What I do have now is chapter one in reasonable enough shape for me to leave

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131793803430715522005-11-12T10:41:00.000Z2005-11-12T11:11:30.616Z

I've been reading Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor which was compiled from a series of articles written by the journalist in the 1840s mostly for the Morning Chronicle newspaper. Although it's slightly after the Regency period, there is a wealth of information useful for anyone writing Regency London and Mayhew interviews many people and comments on how, for example, street trades

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131402311730944262005-11-07T22:17:00.000Z2005-11-07T22:25:12.450Z

New direction 1: I've done it. I've taken the plunge and kicked off the Marketing for Authors blog I've been thinking about for while. New direction 2: My word count has not risen on the wip in recent days because I've started 'c version' of the manuscript. So 'b version' has been suspended at circa 10,000 words and I'm making a major plot change at the beginning which means that I need a new

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131288223087404942005-11-06T14:30:00.000Z2005-11-06T14:43:43.916Z

The old: Well, yesterday didn't go quite to plan. On arrival at the British Museum we found that the Forgotten Persians were certainly not all that forgotten and the exhibition was fully booked, so we've got tickets to go this coming Friday evening instead.The new (1): The Lady Soldier's been out now for 5 months and the challenge is hitting of it not being 'new' anymore. Your novel comes out and

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131194128252196852005-11-05T12:27:00.000Z2005-11-05T12:36:35.313Z

While trying to find various maps of the western environs of London to get my bearings in the scene I'm writing in my wip I came across this super-looking resource: a Vision of Britain Through Time.Typing in my home postcode I found out immediately that 8,773 people lived in St Albans in 1801. Now it's 128,000.As well as historical census information, there are maps and historical

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131111984291725742005-11-04T22:44:00.000Z2005-11-04T22:55:42.236Z

I love the way that my google adverts come up with lots of diamond merchants after my blog post yesterday. Mmmmmm, tempting but authors don't earn enough. Wenlock tagged me with this meme:Three screen names that you've had: kateallan, katealpha, kateaThree things you like about yourself: my optimism, my sense of fun, my willingness to take risksThree things you don't like about yourself: my

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1131044263027761992005-11-03T19:08:00.000Z2005-11-03T18:57:43.056Z

I can tell I'm feeling better, I'm getting excited by some fabulous snuffboxes I just found online:"The cartouche-shaped box is made from mother-of-pearl plaques mounted in a cage of gold chased in three colours. This is decorated with flowers and scrolls, set with circular cut diamonds, and encrusted with flowers and foliage of citrine, amethyst and coloured or foiled quartz. The rim of the

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1130849193133384852005-10-31T19:21:00.000Z2005-11-01T12:46:33.176Z

Seem to be aching all over and feeling awful. Hope its not the 'flu.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1130703868767304412005-10-30T19:36:00.000Z2005-10-30T20:24:28.826Z

This weekend I was some 50 miles north of London in a town on the old Roman road of Watling Street (now the A5) called Stony Stratford. Until the coming of the railways it was an important coaching town, with its heyday in the 18th century. 'Travellers on these coaches were regarded as a great source of current news from remote parts of the country - news which would be imparted in the town's two

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1130578792382719932005-10-29T10:36:00.000+01:002005-10-30T17:59:21.563Z

Fans of the Scarlet Pimpernell will like this place, which I discovered via google last week. Includes some interesting info including pictures of Baroness Orczy.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1130274998133173522005-10-25T21:55:00.000+01:002005-10-25T22:16:38.176+01:00

Books are now fashion accessories, according to a survey by the BAA (British Airports Authority). 'Books are the new snobbery,' writes John Ezard in yesterday's Guardian. 'Social competitiveness about which titles we read has become one of the new mass forces of the era.' 'Where fashion is concerned, the only place to be is ahead of the curve, among the early adopters,' writes John Sutherland

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1130180484897830632005-10-24T19:54:00.000+01:002005-10-24T20:01:24.953+01:00

Startled walking up the road this evening by the crack of loud fireworks ricocheting through the night sky. A neighbour is having an early Bonfire Night party. The sound of gunpowder, though, and I immediately think of a Napoloenic battlefield. Probably just me.I completed the final edit queries, emailed in the manuscript yesterday. Email back from my editor today saying all's fine. Great. And

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1130070022440553232005-10-23T12:27:00.000+01:002005-10-23T13:20:22.570+01:00

It occurs to me that I read more and more interesting things online these days, and not just the news from the BBC website.There's an interesting interview with Alexander McCall Smith at Bookslut. 'People invest such significance in the small things,' says McCall Smith. 'For example, in my Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is always worried about someone using his

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129930397257229682005-10-21T22:24:00.000+01:002005-10-22T00:01:34.780+01:00

I have an email today from my editor querying a few of my queries about the copy edits. Only a handful, and she is right, I think about most of them but I must have that perfectionist bit between the teeth now and I want to double-check and be certain in my own mind before I get back to her, which I'll do this weekend.There is a piece in the Guardian today that John Banville, the Booker winner,

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129791430458588062005-10-19T23:41:00.000+01:002005-10-20T07:57:10.473+01:00

I've finished checking the line edits for Perfidy and Perfection. Huzzah! One reason which made the time taken the greater was the checking of historical facts and etymology of word usage. Even with google and my ordinary reference library at one's fingertips, eventhing you want to double-check is at least a five minute effort. Then there is the fact that every thirty to forty minutes I have to

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129671231628017452005-10-18T22:32:00.000+01:002005-10-18T22:33:51.630+01:00

Still doing them.There is light at the end of the tunnel.There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129575784547681372005-10-17T20:02:00.000+01:002005-10-17T20:03:04.586+01:00

All over the publishing world executives will getting ready for the deal-making that is the Frankfurt International Book Fair which kicks off later this week. I checked the rights database on the website but no sign of The Lady Soldier on there so maybe next year I'll have an agent, or go to Frankfurt myself. Meanwhile struggling authors around the globe are doing their copy edits.I'm still

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129467178105847412005-10-16T13:50:00.000+01:002005-10-16T13:52:58.770+01:00

Research can sometimes be tiresome. Not on Friday evening when I went to see Pride and Prejudice at the cinema. I found the film, by and large, is faithful to Jane Austen’s novel and the period detail is right.Keira Knightly (Elizabeth Bennet) grins infectiously. Any man would fall for such a smile. She pulls off the role of the ‘foolish, headstrong girl’, her mother describes. What’s missing is

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129371474455434332005-10-15T11:13:00.000+01:002005-10-15T11:17:54.470+01:00

1. Reviewing copy edits2. Reviewing copy edits3. Reviewing copy edits4. Reviewing copy edits5. Reviewing copy edits6. Reviewing copy edits7. Reviewing copy edits8. Reviewing copy edits9. Reviewing copy edits10. Reviewing copy editsGuess what I'm doing today? No prizes. ;)

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1129235473502300262005-10-13T21:27:00.000+01:002005-10-13T21:31:13.520+01:00

Bridget Jones, the character who so perfectly captured the mid-90s angst of mid-30s-and-counting single womanhood is no longer amusing ten years on when she’s still drinking Chardonnay and alternately sleeping with the same two men, argues Amanda Platell in today’s Daily Mail.The author who captures the zeitgeist, as Helen Fielding did with Bridget Jones, catches the worm. But the Bridget Jones

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128782259063106282005-10-12T19:27:00.000+01:002005-10-13T13:23:08.970+01:00

Wenlock has tagged me with this blog meme. Ok, why not... here are the instructions:1. Delve into my blog archive.2. Find my 23rd post (or closest to).3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).4. Post the text of the sentence in my blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas...5. Tag five people to do the same.My 23rd post is a short writing update from

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128983868815414932005-10-10T23:24:00.000+01:002005-10-10T23:37:48.933+01:00

I hate starting new books. It's really scary. You have to establish character, set the pacing, create the tone, make choices that will affect the rest of the narrative. You are writing in a state of doubt. Julie CohenSometime in the middle of July, at an exact moment I can't now pinpoint, I started writing (but mostly in my head) a new wip, cautiously titled MRS RANDALL after the lead female

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128867416635464142005-10-09T15:14:00.000+01:002005-10-09T15:16:56.653+01:00

I will do some writing today, I've promised myself. In the meantime, here's the cover sketch which Robert Hale emailed over for Perfidy and Perfection. I love it. Possibly because Ben (the hero) looks so handsome.

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128867202705636462005-10-09T15:13:00.000+01:002005-10-09T15:13:22.806+01:00

Perfidy and Perfection cover sketch(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128780754616780232005-10-08T15:11:00.000+01:002005-10-08T15:20:38.080+01:00

Writing emotionThe reader does not want to be told what the emotions in a scene are, they want to pick up the clues for themselves and guess. Experiment by including emotion in your writing in various ways:- using actionShow the reader how the character is feeling by their actions.- dialogueMake sure your dialogue matches the emotion of the character who is speaking.- internal monlogueClever use

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128638280833211782005-10-06T23:38:00.000+01:002005-10-06T23:38:00.846+01:00

Call in the cavalry(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128580560071862242005-10-05T23:17:00.000+01:002005-10-06T07:36:00.083+01:00

The sixth sense, and why you must use it.We've seen the five senses and how these can stimulate the reader's imagination experience to create the reading experience. So can the sixth sense:Emotion.The reader wants to care about your characters, share their ups and downs and feel emotionally connected with them. If they don’t your story will be flat and forgettable. This applies even in plot

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128526971064534412005-10-04T22:26:00.000+01:002005-10-05T16:42:51.086+01:00

On 15th August I gave my 'Six Senses of Writing' workshop to Watford Writers. About 20 writers of all abilities hunkered around the small tables in the colourful Cha Cha Cha Cafe which is in it's own early 20th century building on the edge of a green-lawned park. I'm still up for giving the workshop to some more writing groups but I'd like to share the highlights from the workshop here

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128352929556282672005-10-03T22:22:00.000+01:002005-10-03T23:02:25.186+01:00

Thousands of miles from here, on the far side of the world, I discovered today that someone has borrowed The Lady Soldier from Beerwah Branch Library in Australia.I also came home this evening to my first royalty statement. Robert Hale issues these twice-yearly so this was for the period 1/1/2005 to 30/6/2005 for sales of The Lady Soldier, which was released on 31/05/2005 so the statement only

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128274232757921842005-10-02T18:28:00.000+01:002005-10-02T18:30:32.773+01:00

The best part of a month has passed while I’ve been away from blogging, but I’m back online at home and perhaps the break has been a chance to reflect on what this blog should be about, and I’ve had some time to think of some blog-posting ideas. I’d like my blog to be more creative, better written, and more interesting... so let's give this all a go!Last week I must have simmering with creative

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1128273560514295452005-10-02T18:19:00.000+01:002005-10-02T18:19:20.526+01:00

The buck stops here!(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1127486369596423132005-09-23T16:43:00.000+01:002005-09-23T15:39:29.616+01:00

In case you are wondering where I've been over the last couple of weeks... I've been offline because I have no internet connection at home. I'm hoping to be back online next week so back to more regular blogging then.While I've not had home internet access I've got some writing done, been to a very interesting talk given by literary agent Karolina Sutton of ICM Books, and also finished my tax

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1126601449636621372005-09-12T23:37:00.000+01:002005-09-13T09:50:49.636+01:00

Death and taxes and childbirth! There's never any convenient time for any of them!Margaret MitchellThere comes a time in every author's year when one must do one's taxes. As I don't earn anything near enough to make it worth employing an accountant I have to do it all myself. Taxes are like line-edits - time comsuming, boring, uncreative and demanding of very intense concentration. It's not

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1126255600790969262005-09-09T07:40:00.000+01:002005-09-09T09:46:40.796+01:00

I have my column for Solander magazine to put together and I was wondering how far historical fiction has a role in the teaching of history. And how far historical fiction authors consider themselves (amateur?) historians.I know that I love writing the early nineteenth century period because it's a period of history with a zeitgiest I love and want to communicate and share it with others. I also

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1125902242827993872005-09-05T07:23:00.000+01:002005-09-05T07:37:22.833+01:00

The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes. Agatha ChristieIt's my birthday today and I just checked my email to find a note from Michelle Styles to wish me Happy Birthday and also that a writing friend from Canada had bought The Lady Soldier now it was available on Amazon.ca. Guess what the sales rank is then for The Lady Soldier on Amazon.ca today? Answer: 281!Really

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1125500775376798652005-08-31T16:09:00.000+01:002005-08-31T16:06:15.383+01:00

I'm back to the blog after sneaking away for a week to Poland for holidays. And back to the great news that The Lady Soldier is at last available through amazon.com.I also came back to a letter from Hale asking me to draft the blurb for Perfidy & Perfection so I'll be racking my brains about that on the trains for the rest of this week I think. Then... as it's nearly September... I need to get

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124739369238605822005-08-22T20:28:00.000+01:002005-08-22T20:36:09.240+01:00

Pictures can tell a story, as can words. To save on the words I've just posted a few pictures from the weekend's Jane Austen Fayre activities below. What you can't see which was also going on were the regimental activities (infantry, naval and dragoons), dueling displays, period music, singing, dancing and crafts.I had a great time (as you can probably guess) swanning about in my new sprig day

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124695052244813082005-08-22T08:17:00.000+01:002005-08-22T08:17:32.250+01:00

I provide some entertainment by reading excerpts from The Lady Soldier (c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124694963023715772005-08-22T08:16:00.000+01:002005-08-22T20:25:35.580+01:00

Stephen Bowden (of Wenlock blog and University Challenge fame) visits the Jane Austen Fayre(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124694823944074322005-08-22T08:13:00.000+01:002005-08-22T08:13:43.950+01:00

Regency lady (aka me) at the Jane Austen Fayre(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124694742410253762005-08-22T08:12:00.000+01:002005-08-22T08:12:22.463+01:00

Regency Punch and Judy(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124521780054558362005-08-20T08:07:00.000+01:002005-08-20T08:09:40.060+01:00

At the Jane Austen Fayre all this weekend, reading excerpts from The Lady Soldier in costume. Scary stuff but looking forward to seeing what 'Mr Punch vs Napoleon' is all about!

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1124099407250946802005-08-15T10:19:00.000+01:002005-08-15T10:50:07.290+01:00

The pleasure of writing fiction is that you are always spotting some new approach, an alternative way of telling a story and manipulating characters; the novel is such a wonderfully flexible form. Penelope LivelyThis morning, on the train, several disperate thoughts came together, and from them an idea for a scene in the wip was formed. Often writers are asked, 'where do your ideas come from?'

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1123923734793649832005-08-13T09:58:00.000+01:002005-08-13T10:02:35.283+01:00

Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone. The radio interview on John Pilgrim’s show on Monday went quite well but if you’d seen me ten minutes before I shut myself in the small room ready to be telephoned up for it, you would have thought I was a nervous groom on his wedding day. I was pacing up and down, shaking, feeling slightly sick and faint, even – wringing my hands. (I never

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9873235.post-1123454901432110492005-08-07T23:48:00.000+01:002005-08-07T23:48:21.436+01:00

Warning(c) K Allan

Kate Allannoreply@blogger.com1