Wow! A Raven’s Heart has just hit #1 Bestseller rank on Amazon Kindle in both Victorian and Regency Historical Romance categories! A HUGE thank you to everyone who has bought a copy and I hope you enjoy reading about Raven and Heloise as much as I enjoyed writing about them. Happy Reading! Love Kate

Guess what? A Raven’s Heart (Secrets & Spies book II) is ON SALE for the bargain price of only 99c! This promotion will only be running for the next ten days, until Saturday April 22nd, so go grab yourself a feisty codebreaker and an infuriating spy and settle down for an adventurous read! Enjoy!

Link To Buy A Raven’s Heart on Amazon
Link To Buy A Raven’s Heart on Barnes and Noble/Nook
Link To Buy A Raven’s Heart on iTunes/iBooks
Link To Buy A Raven’s Heart on Kobo

I can pinpoint the exact moment I became afraid of heights. It was in Florence, Italy, and I had climbed to the top of the bell tower of the magnificent Renaissance duomo. The views over the city were amazing. And then I noticed the metal cage that had been erected over the top—to stop people jumping off the tower. Of course, my lurid writer’s imagination provided me with a graphic idea of what it would feel like to climb up onto the edge and throw myself down onto the cobbled piazza below. My legs turned to water. I felt as if the whole building was swaying below me. I gripped the solid stone wall until my knuckles turned white. Hello, vertigio.

I’d never had a problem before that moment. I’d even abseiled down a church spire in France when I was fifteen because it sounded like fun. Ah, the idiocy of youth.

Inexplicably, I only have a problem on things attached to the ground, like tall buildings. Looking out of the window of a plane ten thousand feet up? No problem. I think this is because I have convinced myself that it’s not physics—as my engineer husband insists—but magical golden pixie dust that keeps a huge metal lump so improbably in the air. (That writer’s imagination comes in handy sometimes.)

Since then, however, I’ve forced myself to do things that scare me, because it’s always good to challenge yourself and I refuse to let the fear stop me. So here’s me NOT LOOKING DOWN in a glass cube extending off the side of the Willis Tower in Chicago:

. . . and taking a scared selfie on a chair lift in Park City, Utah.

. . . and edging closer to the massive drop at Yosemite National Park.

Why am I writing about this, you ask? Because I’ve realized I need to take the same fearless approach to my writing.

It’s scary, but you have to write what embarrasses you, what makes you cringe at the thought of another person reading. Bleed onto the page. Write it as if your mother will never read your sex scenes (even though she definitely will!)

It’s hard to do. I sometimes chicken out in my own writing, worrying about what others will think. But I’m trying to write bravely. More honestly. Even if that means scaring myself silly, too.

Happy reading (and writing)!

Love Kate

P.S: QUESTION TO READERS: Tell me about a time you’ve done something brave or something that scared you. . .

Ooh, Random House just sent me some new banners for A Counterfeit  Heart. Pretty!

Today I’m featured on fellow author Erica Ridley’s site, talking about Napoleon’s wedding ring and other historical tidbits! Here’s the link:

Throwback Thursday: Napoleon’s Engagement Ring with K. C. Bateman @katebateman

Hello everyone!

Today my recipe for Tarta de Santiago (Inspired by Raven and Heloise’s adventures in the Peninsular in A Raven’s Heart) is featured on fellow author Maxine Douglas’s site. Here’s the link.

http://maxinedouglasnewsletter.blogspot.com/

This delicious almond cake is made in cities across Northern Spain, and is called Tarta de Santiago. Pilgrims who visit the great Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia see it in the windows of every pastry shop and restaurant. It’s made in all sorts of sizes, and is often marked on top with the shape of the cross of the Order of Santiago. It’s sometimes made with a pastry tart base, but this version is without a base. It’s really easy to make and even gluten-free! A definite way to impress your dinner guests.

I spent quite a bit of time in Spain as a child, so the descriptions of the landscape and food in my books come from personal experience. One of my favorite scenes in A Raven’s Heart has Raven and Heloise bickering over almonds, carobs and pomegranates. I hope my affection for the country shines through and gives those who’ve never been there a hint of what it’s like. With the wonderful Spanish combination of oranges, lemons, and almonds, this recipe should put you in the mood for a fiesta! Enjoy!