A Date With Kate - Happy Birthday!

Today,  Kate Walker is  thinking about birthdays -  her own  - and those of her characters

May is an important month for birthdays for me. Yesterday was the birthday of a special friend and great romance writer, Michelle Reid, coming up in two weeks is the birthday of my lovely eldest sister – Oh, and Monday is my own birthday.  I’ll be . . .No, I’m not admitting that!

So it’s not surprising that birthdays are much on my mind at the moment. Not just in choosing and buying of presents, then posting them off – my sister lives in Tasmania so I had to get that organised weeks ago – but also how to celebrate them, what  a birthday day means – and what will make it most enjoyable.   These things are different to everyone and, as I’ve often said before, it’s thinking of the individual, and giving them what makes things  just right for them, is where love – and the elements of real romance come in.    Everyone  knows that I love to read, so at this time of year I often get parcels of books – but I always say too that I’d love a voucher  for a couple of extra hours, for the time to sit down and read those books. But sadly no one has found a place where those can be bought!

But as a writer, I’m always thinking about birthdays too.  My characters’  birthdays, the special days of my hero and heroine – and how they feel about them.  Everyone has a birthday, not everyone feels the same about them, and it’s in those deeper feelings that we can get to know our characters better and find out what makes them tick.

Way back in  time, when I was  first  published, I used to use  different techniques for getting to know my hero and heroine. One of these was a series of astrology books – Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs/Love Signs/Relationship Signs . These would tell me how a particular birthdate/star sign created a particular  type of person   and the characteristics they shared. I didn’t have to actually believe in them (though Michelle Reid and I are  eerily  similar, having been born just days apart!)  but they did give me lots of ideas for the interests or attitudes my heroine might have, the way my hero might feel about family, or work . . .

I don’t use those books now, but thinking about a birthday still helps me dig deeper into a character and find out more about them. Were they born in the winter or summer months?   So what sort of weather/lifestyle/surroundings would they have started to be aware of once they were old enough to notice what was going on around them?   Did their parents celebrate their birthdays or  ignore them?  Was their birthday something that had caused trouble in the past – or  was it a moment of pure joy to everyone? I had one hero (in The Italian’s Forced Bride) who had been abandoned on the steps of a church as a baby. He didn’t actually know his own birthdate  and  although that was never actually mentioned in the story, it  was a huge part of who he was and how he felt about himself and about life.

Other things about birthdays hat can create  depths for your characters – what place in their family were they born in? Is your heroine, like my sister,  the oldest of  five girls? Or your hero the ‘difficult’  middle child of the family?   The study of a person’s place in the family can be fascinating and have a lot of influence e on their behaviour and attitudes  once they are grown up and mature.

And if your  character is having a birthday how would they celebrate – or not? Would they like a huge exciting party? Or prefer just to stay at home and read? Would they like everyone to know? Or  not mention it to anyone and keep quiet about their special day?  What sort of gifts would make a birthday special – either to give or to receive? I   know that in the  world of the  Modern Romance/Presents novels, the ‘default’ gift is usually jewellery – and the brightest, most sparkling, most   glamorous earrings or necklaces possible.   But if we, as writers, are not careful, those gifts tend to fall into the cliché line of thinking and the hero who just doles out gems, however  expensive and beautifully designed, can look like someone who isn’t trying too hard – or is falling back on the ‘every woman loves jewellery’  cop-out.  Or perhaps that’s what you want to show him as being like?

What would your heroine really love most in all the world for her birthday? And how, without actually writing a list  or telling her hero face to face just what it is she dreams of, can she communicate that to him  - and how far will he have to go, how much work will he have to do to find it for her? That’s the way that love can be shown. And what does your heroine buy – or make – or create – for the man who has everything?  In a true romance, as I say, it’s considering the individual, thinking about what they want, and trying to find that that shows  real depth of feeling.

So I’d love to know what you think. If you’re a writer, what would your current heroine buy for the hero in her life – or vice versa? Or if you’re  a reader, then what would be the perfect present for your next special day? Money is no object – but  it has to be personal and special to you. And because I want to share in the celebrations of this birthday month -  I have a copy of my most recent book The Devil and Miss Jones to give away to one person who comments  - and Charlie the Maine Coon (who was actually a Christmas present not a birthday gift – but the principle applies) will pick a winner.

And if anyone can find one of those vouchers for extra reading time then I’ll be really grateful!

Kate’s latest novel The Devil and Miss Jones was out in Mills & Boon Modern Romance in March  and is still available in Harlequin Presents Extra this week. You can find out all her latest news on her Web site or her blog.

And the winner is  . . .
Well, there are three - because Charlie was greedy and because I wanted to share my birthday with my fellow birthday Taureans - so 
Louise
arethazhen
and Misty K
please email me  kate AT kate-walker.com  with your postal addresses and I'll get the prize book in the mail to you