Mum is doing very well, thanks for asking. She’ll be having more surgery at the end of this month so I’ll be back in Wales for that.

It was a shame that I missed you in Fishguard, hopefully next year if not sooner.

Will have the pleasure of reading The Konstantos Marrige Demand this weekend. Very much looking forward to that.

Glad you’re both well.

Chris.x.

And I do hope you enjoy Nikos and Sadie’s story when you get to it. I’m like you – but the opposite way round – waiting for the Babe Magnet to go on another teaching trip so that I have peace to concentrate on the new book! And yes we’re both well – I hope you and your family are too.

Maybe next year?

Kate

I have your latest on my very tall TBR pile. Waiting for my husband to go on another trip so I can have some quiet time to enjoy it.

Have to say that I love the new pic too.

Hope you’re both well.

Chris.x.

Kate

Christinex

A painting in the attic? Ah you’ve caught me out! Either that or I started writing as a child! I’m really glad that you’ve been finding the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance helpful with your own writing – after all that’s what I wrote it for! Good luck with your own writing and if you do ever have good news do let me know.

What a lovely compliment you and Maisey (Thank you again Maisey!) have paid me on The Antonakos Marriage. It’s fantastic to know you enjoyed that book so much. Perhaps some books resonate more with us than others. I know that I always try to write from the characters rather than and plot or theme or other details. Even with The Knostantos Marriage, when I knew that the family feud was going to be important, it was much more from the point of view of how this feud would affect Nikos and Sadie. I think that’s what keeps it ‘deep and real’.

I’ll tell you the truth about writing those emotional scenes – when I’m writing them, they give me an uplift because I know I’m really getting inside my characters and they carry me on – and then when it’s done – or particularly now when I’ve just finished a book, I’m drained. It’s both exhuasting and wonderfully exhilerating at the same time.

>>Family conflicts draw the most emotional blood and can be so painful to resolve, simply because hurt and love are felt so deeply on both sides, and each protagonist believes they are ‘right!’

I love this comment – it’s so true. And that’s one of the things I worked with in KMD . I needed to make sure that both characters, in fact both families had some right on their side because that’s what makes things go deeper – and then I needed to add the final twist that made things so much worse this time. People have been writing to me to say they guessed who was involved but not how!

Oh yes- and your comment on ‘exes ‘ – I did actually write a book long ago that hinged on the fact that the H&h had split up amicably . It was called Runaway (1990!) and part of the heroine’s mental conflict was that she couldn’t even hate the ‘ex’ (though they weren’t actually married, but decided not to go through on the wedding day). The heroine and the ‘ex’ ended up as best friends.

I do hope you enjoy Konstantos when you get round to reading it

Love the new photo – got a painting in the attic?

I’ve followed you for years (I’m not a stalker, honest) and have the wanabee romantic novelist’s bible – 12 point guide to writing romance!

I haven’t read your new release yet, but it is on my ever increasing list of things to do. Like Maisey I loved the Antonakis Marraige. You have a real talent for getting to the ‘nub’ of a conflict and keeping it deep and real. Also your characters are drawn in a wonderful way. I can see them in my head. I’ve recently made an attempt to write a hearbreaking emotional scene and it took me a full day to recover from it. How do you do it?

Family conflicts draw the most emotional blood and can be so painful to resolve, simply because hurt and love are felt so deeply on both sides, and each protagonist believes they are ‘right!’

The ‘ex’ in a story can be an irritant if not used correctly. Rather than an evil ‘ex’, I think it’s more interesting to have one who is actually rather wonderful. Who has found love her/himself and it’s an amicable split with real affection between the exes. (It does happen in real life.) Now, a writer could have a lot of fun with that!

All the best.

Christine

I hope you do enjoy it when – oh – now you’ve bought it!