Star Wars – Vanessa Kelly, Author

Diana Cosby & Giveaway!!

March 15, 2016December 1, 2013 by VanessaKelly

I’m always happy to welcome fellow Kensington author Diana Cosby back to the blog. Diana is a best-selling author of Scottish medieval historical romantic suspense, whose books have won awards and a great deal of acclaim. She’s here today to tell us about her new book.

His Enchantment is book six in your bestselling MacGruders Series. Is it a bit different from some of the other books in the series?

Hi Vanessa, and my sincere thanks for having me back on your blog, always fun being here. 🙂 Yes, His Enchantment is unique in several ways, including the fact that it’s a prequel, like they had in the Star Wars series. His Enchantment is the much awaited grandmother’s story. In addition to the love story, the reader learns how her chamber in Lochshire Castle came to be and where it’s special powers came about. Plus, the reader discovers how the halved stones within the bowl came to be, the origin of the myriad of intriguing gifts in the castle we are introduced to during the series, and how the family division began. I loved writing His Enchantment, and I sincerely hope my readers enjoy Trálin and Catarine’s story as well!

Did you find it a challenge to weave together historical and paranormal elements, particularly in an existing series?

That I added paranormal elements to His Enchantment as well as historical facts along with drawing together the how’s and whys of questions raised during the MacGruder Brothers series proved to be an interesting challenge, but one that I loved. As with every book I’ve written, I’m not quite sure how I’ll figure everything out, but through the magic of story, somehow it all comes together by The End.

What is it about Highland romance that readers love so much?

I think readers enjoy Highland romances due to the depth and passion of the characters who fight for what they believe in as well as the rich history, and the amazing surroundings of the Highlands. The kilts are an added bonus!

What can you tell us about your work with the International Food Bank Drive?

I firmly believe that each of us can make a positive difference in others lives. I support many charities, and one that I’m trying to help raise awareness for is our food banks. A warm meal and a kind word can go a long way in helping someone who is trying to overcome life’s challenges. It’s more than a meal, but donations from the community that let the person that they’re supported by those around them.

How the Diana Cosby’s 4th International Food Bank Challenge works:

Starting on the 1st of November, when you donate to a local food bank, post on my Facebook page or Facebook Fan page, beneath the daily International Food Bank Challenge post, add your donation along with your name and contact information. On December 5th I will use www.random.org to draw from all of the names of people who donated that I received. The winner will receive an autographed set of the bestselling MacGruder Brother series to date; His Captive, His Woman, His Conquest, His Destiny, and His Seduction. I will sign the set, then send them priority to whoever you want to make a personal holiday present.

For more details: http://www.dianacosby.com/authorevents.html

That’s an awesome thing to do, Diana! And thank you for joining us today. Readers, Diana is giving away a copy of His Captive, the first book in The MacGruders Series. For a chance to win, just tell which is your favorite movie from the Star Wars movie series. One person who comments will win a copy of Diana’s book!

Guest Author: Monica Burns & Giveaway!!

March 15, 2016March 4, 2013 by VanessaKelly

One of my favorite people on the planet – yes, the planet – is visiting with us today. She’s Monica Burns, and she writes award-winning, bestselling historical and paranormal romance. Monica has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. In addition to writing great – and spicy! – romance, she’s also a wonderful person.

I’m going to turn things over to Monica, who has a lovely blog about friendship and the romance community.

Do you have any idea how many times I’ve started this blog post now? Seven. Seven different openings and now that I’m on the eighth effort, I’m feeling desperate. Well that resonates, because as an author I *am* desperate. You might ask why? Well, like all creative types, we just want to be loved. Seriously, we want people to love our books and love us for writing those books. Any author who disagrees with me, well I’m not gonna believe them.

Whether you’re a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, NASCAR, football, or whatever, you’re going to meet people you connect with because you both like the same thing. The romance community is the same, and yet I firmly believe we have a fundamental difference. We love to read about love, and we all know that love is the most powerful emotion of all. As a result of that binding love, friendships develop among readers who might have met only one time in person, but communicate almost daily with online.

For instance, I consider Vanessa a close friend even though our friendship is a long distance one. I honestly don’t know why she chose me to be her friend, but she did (Vanessa, here. Because Monica has a huge heart and she’s funny!). She listens to me whine, gives advice, offers emotional support, and makes me laugh. All of the things a friend is supposed to do. I reciprocate when she needs me, although that’s hardly ever.

Vanessa rarely rants, but I’m always there to support her when she does. Vanessa is one of four people in my most intimate inner circle of friends. You know the kind; they’re the friends who will call you on something you know better than to say. The friends who empathize, are ready to storm the castle with you and have your back.

Friendship is one of the strongest threads running through the romance reading community. A few years back, on a now defunct blog, I talked about the friendships I’ve built over the years. Friendships I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the Internet and the romance community. I can tell you right now that I would never have met Vanessa, Becke, Keri or Rosie if it weren’t for the romance community and the Internet.

So, have you met another lover of romance books via the Internet? Have you met in person? Do you chat daily? Weekly?

Vanessa, here. Thank you so much for that wonderful post, my friend! And you know what else is wonderful? Monica’s new historical, Love’s Revenge. Take a look at this awesome cover!

Love’s Revenge

All her life, Sophie’s tried to earn her father’s love to no avail. Even her one chance for happiness was crushed beneath his tyrannical thumb, leaving her firmly on the shelf at forty-one. Sophie accepts her fate until she impulsively uses her father’s criminal activities to escape a life of servitude and right a wrong at the same time. She never really expected the Devil of Devlyn to actually accept her rash proposal, and she certainly hadn’t planned on falling in love with a younger man.

When Quentin Blackwell, Earl of Devlyn, discovered the woman he loved was carrying another man’s child, he refused to marry her. In retaliation, her father ruined Devlyn. When Sophie Hamilton, the man’s eldest daughter, comes to him with an unexpected offer, Devlyn seizes the chance for vengeance. What he doesn’t bargain on is how revenge could cost him the one thing he wants the most. Sophie’s love.

Sounds enticing, doesn’t it? For my readers today, Monica is giving away a copy of the book. And I’m giving away a copy of one of my historical romances, too. Just answer Monica’s question about friendship for a chance to win Love’s Revenge and my first book, Mastering The Marquess!

Love’s Revenge:

Amazon Kobo Smashwords Barnes & Noble

Twitter — @MonicaBurns

Pinterest — https://pinterest.com/monicaburns/

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMonicaBurns

Website – http://www.monicaburns.com

Guest Author: Katharine Ashe & Giveaway!

March 15, 2016June 28, 2012 by VanessaKelly

I’m so very thrilled to be hosting Katharine Ashe on my blog today. Katharine is an award-winning author of historical romance who was described by Booklist in 2010 as “one of the new stars of historical romance.” She’s both a talented writer and a truly wonderful person, and she’s here today to tell us about her new book. How To Be A Proper Lady has already been getting phenomenal reviews, and is an Amazon.com Editors’ Choice for Best Book of the Month.

Without further ado, let’s talk to Katharine!

It seems we never lose our love for pirates and privateers – and no wonder, with the likes of Captain Jack Sparrow as a role model! But How To Be A Proper Lady has several unusual twists. Your hero is not your average English aristocrat or even your standard pirate, and your heroine is herself a privateer. How did you come up with such an unusual idea?

It’s one of those Crazy Author things, Vanessa. The hero of How To Be a Proper Lady, Jin Seton, presented himself to me pretty much fully formed so I hadn’t much of a choice about who he was.

I’d just started writing Captured by a Rogue Lord. The hero of that book, Alex Savege, begins his story as a Robin Hood-style pirate who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. Jin was Alex’s first lieutenant, and from the moment he spoke to Alex in the opening chapter of that book he told me who he was: not fully English, but a man with a brutal history who now sought atonement for the violent deeds of his past. I loved him. And I knew within minutes who his heroine would be: a strong, adventuresome woman, Viola Carlyle, the girl that had been abducted by her smuggler father fifteen years earlier and that everyone presumed dead.

Fortunately, Jin liked that idea. A lot. He told me he would find Viola and bring her home to her noble family. Of course, he didn’t count on Viola’s stubborn determination not to do his bidding, or his desire for her. Or hers for him! And that’s where the fun began…

In addition to being a fabulous romance writer, you’re also a history professor. Did you draw on any models from the history books in creating the characters of Jinan and Viola?

Thank you! Yes, indeedy, the histories I read definitely inform my characters. Sometimes I get ideas from history books for specific things (like the captive English brides in my In the Arms of a Marquess), and sometimes the historical places and subjects I’m reading about more generally inspire characters or plots. I’m very fortunate that my husband and his friends happen to be the world’s foremost scholars of Caribbean history in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, so I’m always reading their books and talking with them about it. It was a thrilling and dangerous time! I don’t need to invent anything; I just borrow it from history. (Vanessa, here. What a cool profession for your hubby–and very handy for a historical romance writer!)

Jin and Viola presented themselves to me after I’d been reading a lot about the shipping routes of the British Empire, and the movements of merchants, navies and slaves across the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Jin’s unsparing past and Viola’s profession came straight from my studies. And their sizzling romance? Well, that came from who they were in their hearts and what they each dreamed of becoming.

When you were writing this book, did anything surprise you? Any strange bits of research? Did the characters take you in unexpected directions?

Oh, yes! They took me to the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago, which admittedly I’d anticipated. But what I hadn’t understood before was they couldn’t just sail down the U.S. coast from Boston; air and ocean currents required ships to sail east first, to Bermuda, then south. Also, because Jin does manage to haul Viola back to England and return her to her aristocratic roots, I learned alongside my poor sailor heroine a whole lot about the accomplishments expected of a proper lady in that society. Poor Viola! I suffered with her through every lesson in French, watercolor painting and etiquette that she was forced to endure.

Let’s say you were kidnapped by a ravishing pirate and taken to a deserted island. What two luxury items would you beg him to let you take, to make your stay that much more enjoyable?

I will respond to this question when my heart reenters my body. I mean, really, where does a girl I begin??? Satin sheets and a refrigerator filled with champagne!

And here’s the blurb for How To Be A Proper Lady:

The rules of being a proper lady

1) Never take steps greater than six inches apart
2) Never look boldly at a gentleman
3) And never, ever kiss a man who is not your fiancé…

But beautiful, bold Viola Carlyle doesn’t care about the rules. And she desperately wants to kiss the notoriously tempting Captain Jin Seton, the man who brought her kicking and fighting back to English society. Kidnapped as a child, now she longs to return to that life of freedom where she was able to live—and love—as she wished.

Having hunted Viola for two years, Jin Seton has finally found his good luck—for by finding Viola his oldest, deepest debt will at last be paid. And although he has vowed not to let her win his heart, this very improper lady might finally be the one who tames him.

Thanks for the great interview, Katharine. I have to say, How To Be A Proper Lady has moved to the top of my TBR pile! Readers, be sure to check out Katharine’s website for all the details and buy links, and to read an excerpt.

Katharine is also generously giving away copies of her previous books today. For a chance to win a copy of When A Scot Loves A Lady or Captured By A Rogue Lord, tell us what your favorite pirate movie is. My all-time favorite is Captain Blood, but I’m partial to space pirates too, like Han Solo in Star Wars!

Guest Author: Shana Galen & Giveaway!

March 15, 2016March 7, 2012 by VanessaKelly

I’m always really happy to host historical romance authors, and today’s guest is both a talented writer and one of my favorite return visitors. She is Shana Galen, and she’s the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Turkey, and the Netherlands, and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs.

Trust me, Shana has some serious writing creds. And she’s here today to talk about her new historical romance, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride.

Shana, since you write sexy and adventurous historical romance, pirates seem right in your wheelhouse. How did you come up with the idea for this book? Any secrets you’d like to share?

Hi, Vanessa! Thank you for having me back.

Yes! Pirates are perfect heroes for me, and I have always wanted to write a book with a pirate hero or heroine. And that’s how I came up with the idea for this book. I thought, I still want to write that pirate book and I have this third brother who disappeared when his family’s chateau was attacked during the French Revolution. One brother escaped. One brother was caught. I bet the last brother grew up and became a pirate!

Secrets? If you know me at all, you know I’m not a plotter. But I have to give my editor something to go on to sell a book, so I usually write a blurb/mini-synopsis of some sort. In my blurb for this book, I had the heroine taking over Bastien’s ship and throwing him in the hold. That seemed a fun story to write, but it didn’t turn out that way.

Did you model your hero on any particular pirates we know and love?

I’ve always been partial to Errol Flynn’s pirates. I know Jack Sparrow is a favorite of many readers, but I don’t think he and Bastien have much in common, except Bastien also likes rum. I had Harrison Ford in Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark in mind sometimes when I wrote Bastien’s scenes. Bastien has a sort of charming arrogance that makes me think of Ford’s characters.

When you were writing this book, did anything surprise you? Any strange bits of research? Did the characters take you in unexpected directions? Enquiring minds want to know!

Oh, I am always taken in unexpected directions. As I said, I thought Raeven was going to take over Bastien’s ship. I do remember one point where I had to stop writing for a day or so (something I rarely do) and think about how I was going to make the book work. Bastien and Raeven were separated and I really didn’t see how to get them back together. My daughter was about 3 or 4 months old at the time, so fortunately I had lots of time to think while I was rocking her in the middle of the night or walking with her in her stroller. I remember figuring out the solution and being so excited and so frustrated that I couldn’t write the scene that minute!

As far as research, I had to do a lot because I didn’t know anything about ships and sailing. My dad helped me with a lot of it. The most interesting thing I learned was that pirates wore gold earrings so if they fell overboard and drowned, the people who found the body when it washed up on shore could use the gold to pay for a burial.

Let’s say you were kidnapped by a ravishing pirate and taken to a deserted island. What two luxury items would you beg him to let you take, to make your stay that much more enjoyable?

I’d ask for my iPad because I could finally read all the books I’ve downloaded and catch up on my TBR pile (in between the ravishing, of course), and I’d want a couple of boxes of cookies, preferably chocolate chip. I don’t really want to be stranded without some cookies to snack on.

Shana, you are truly a woman after my own heart, and I definitely want to come to your island. BTW, I’m totally with you on the Errol Flynn pirates. One of my all-time favorite movies is Captain Blood. Talk about your hunky guys!

Folks, Shana will be giving away two copies of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride to readers in the U.S. and Canada. To be eligible, just tell us who your favorite rogue is, either in books, TV, or on the big screen. Two people who comment will win the copies of Shana’s wonderful book

And don’t forget to stop by Shana’s website for her latest news, and to read excerpts and details about all her books.