Interview with Katherine Bone + GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy Monday my lovelies! I know Mondays suck but don't worry, I've got your back :) Today I have another fantabulous author joining me on The Lindsay Show!! Please welcome the lovely Kathy Bone, here to talk about her romance novels :) Monday's are always better with a little romance, right?

Stick around after the interview and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Kathy's historical romance, Duke by Day, Rogue by Night!!!

Leave your email address so you can be contacted to collect your prize!

Interview

Welcome Kathy!! I'm so glad you could join me today :)

Hi, Lindsay! I really appreciate the invitation to join you today! Woot! :)

It's such a pleasure to have you! First of all, I can't wait to read your books. I don't read enough historicals and I'm so interested in Duke by Day, Rogue by Night. But I'm getting ahead of myself :) When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve written poetry since I was in my early teens. But after reading The Flame & The Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss, something ignited within me, a burning desire to write something just as memorable. To create a book that celebrated courage and the adventurous journeys of two people falling in love. To give readers hope that love does conquer all.

I've read that book! Great book and I can see how it would light that fire in you! What has been the most difficult part about being a writer?

Rejections. Negativity. Doubt. Writing fills a void. It’s an extension of oneself, don’t you think? But along the way to publication, there’s a period of experimentation that is oftentimes a harbinger of the dreadful rejection letter. There isn’t any help for it. The BEST in the business go through it. But to move forward, every writer has to develop a thick skin. That process can be painful. So not my favorite thing, but neither is being keelhauled. Arrrr!!!!

LOL trust me, I feel your pain! Do you like to plan your scenes out or do you just wing it?

Instead of wielding a cutlass, I LOVE to storyboard! I’ll meet with brainstorming partners, jot down specifics, ponder the plot, create a storyboard with characters likenesses and a full chapter template, and then use sticky notes to determine vague plot points. Then, I’ll write. I’m actually a planster, a cross between a panster and plotter. As an artist, (I went to art school) having visual references for my characters is a great boon to my muse. It may take time to get a storyboard put together, but while I’m doing it, I’m also thinking about story arc and characters the entire time. So worth it!

Ooo storyboards are a new one! I'd love to check it out sometime, I've never really tried to storyboard. What do you like to do in your free time?

Free time? I laze about the Black Pearl with a jug of rum in hand, listening to a pirate’s lullaby… “Yo ho, me hearties, Yo ho!” Muahahaha! Actually, when I do have spare time, I love to read, of course, knit and quilt, though I rarely have time to do so anymore. I used to aspire to be a copy of Martha Stewart, making my own jam, etc… Don’t have time for that nowadays and my rogue appears to miss the homemade goodness. Oops! (Pirate!)

LMAO you're awesome, seriously awesome. Where is your favorite place to vacation?

I love the sea! The Black Pearl under my feet, riding the waves, rum in hand… oh, sorry I digress. In truth, I love family around me, the breeze ruffling my hair, listening to playful waves crashing against the shore. Building sand castles in the sun. But my ideal vacation would be a trip to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Oh! I’d love to walk where Jane Austen walked. Visit the hills of my ancestors and hear the bagpipes blow. Explore the crags and enter haunted castles too. Heehee!

I'm going to have to join you on the Black Pearl sometime! Can I share Captain Jack? Please? :) You’ve written both a contemporary romance and a historical romance. Why did you choose to write these genres?
Historicals are my first and forever love. I cut my reading teeth on Historicals in fiction and non-fiction. History is one of my favorite things all round. But writers need to experiment in order to broaden their wings. So when I heard that HQN Mills & Boon was having a 2011 New Voices contest, I decided to go pirate and give writing contemporary a try. Boy, was turning Captain Jack and my historical muse off ever hard! In the long run, I managed to make the adjustment and learned to love contemporary romance too. Not without pulling hair and shooting undead monkeys, mind you.

I love it! If you ever need to turn off Captain Jack again, feel free to send him my way ;) Was it hard to write a historical romance and then to write a contemporary romance?
You want to know the really strange thing? It isn’t hard at all to turn off the voices. I actually have no problems working on different projects at once and no problem telling storylines apart. Woot! I’m either really lucky or really insane. LOL!!! :) 

I think I already know the answer to this but I'll ask anyway :) Which genre did you like writing best? Do you have plans to branch out to other genres?
It goes without saying that Historical Romance is my favorite genre, especially the Regency/Victorian period. As for branching out… I do have a Post Civil War/Western/paranormal book and a Regency/paranormal book I want to shop around. ;)

Ooo I'm so intrigued now! I must find out more about these other books. And hah! I was right :D I’ve heard historicals often require a great deal of research, but your contemporary involves Italian culture. Did you find you needed to do a lot of research for your books?
Yes! I first starting writing Post Civil War Westerns. I researched Dakota Sioux Indians, the Civil War, places like the Black Hills & Virginia, Civil War era costumes, the Military, Forts, etc… for years. That book hasn’t sold yet. Then I decided I could also take my love of pirates to lesser known locales like the English/Cornish coast where piracy didn’t end until 1835. All in all, I’ve been researching history for the past 20 years in different genres. As a former military brat/wife, however, I also had access to European locales. (We lived in Italy for 3 years!) So it was very easy to take my passion for all things Italian and weave them into Lost Treasure, Captive Princess.

OMG so jealous you lived in Italy for 3 years! But that must've been a huge help in Lost Treasure, Captive Princess. Now I'm dying to read your books knowing how much research you put into them!! What has been the most fun about working on your books?
The best part about writing is living the book through your characters! I love pirates and I get to live among them when I write too, as well as speak the jargon. I get to take part in the Vision Quest & the Sun Dance, experience war, ballroom dramas, sea battles, and espionage. I hear villains’ inner thoughts and get to help alpha heroes win the day. That isn’t half bad for a day’s work, is it? The downside? Not getting to wear the fabulous Regency fashions or actually board the Pearl.

I couldn't agree more! What has been the hardest scene for you to write?

Ack! Those would have to be sex scenes. You see, my muse isn’t just one imaginary friend, but a choir full. When things are going great… Hallelujah is their chorus. When things are going bad… boy, do I get “the devil made you do it” looks. Turning off my muse when I need to close the door, isn’t as easy as it sounds. LOL! Sex scenes should be sensual, stirring, emotional additions to your characters’ lives. Creating a powerful scene like this takes big kahoonas and finesse! If only…

LOL I've had that same exact problem. Our muses should learn to cooperate more! Tell us about your historical, Duke by Day, Rogue by Night. How did you come up with the premise for it?
My love for pirates dates back to Fern Michaels Captive Series, Johanna Lindsay’s Mallorys, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers, Bobbi Smith and more. Loved the old Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power epics! Gregory Peck in Captain Horatio Hornblower, which Ioan Gruffald masterfully recreated not long ago, holds a very special place in my heart. Pirates of the Caribbean and Captain Jack Sparrow made epic tales of piracy popular again. Soon to follow, authors like Jennifer Ashley, Katharine Ashe, Shana Galen and Michelle Beattie brought literary piracy back into vogue. So my love of piracy has been long-winded. LOL! But when I saw Master & Commander and discovered a little known fact about Admiral Nelson, he never went without his tea, even on board ship—during battle—I knew I’d found gold. So. What if? Admiral Nelson created a team of mercenaries, nicknaming them Nelson’s Tea, code for first sons from every tier of life, least expected of espionage, in his quest to defeat France and Spain. Percival Avery, Marques Stanton, future Duke of Blendingham, Captain Henry Guffald, and Lord Garrick Seaton were born. Duke by Day, Rogue by Night, is Percy’s story, a cross between Master & Commander meets The Scarlet Pimpernel.

All I can say is wow. You do know you've now pushed back my review schedule right? Because I HAVE to read this book. You have a contemporary romance coming out on March 4 called, Lost Treasure, Captive Princess. Tell us more about it please.
Lost Treasure, Captive Princess, began as a submission for HQN Mills & Boon Presents, which seemed like a fantastic way to include my beloved alpha heroes in a modern day story. Gian-Paolo Montovanni is an Italian Prince forced by parliament to produce a wife and heir or chance losing his title and throne. I adore Italian men! They’re charismatic, generous and oh! so tall, dark and handsome! After having lived in Italy for 3 years, L’Italia seemed the obvious setting for my book. It also didn’t hurt that I went to Italian Language School in Monterey, CA. and I’ve been to many Italian palaces and cities. Royal jewelry has also been inspirational in my historical research. So, what if? An American jeweler has seen a long-time missing emerald necklace, copies it, and puts it on the market, only to discover that it’s a piece of history one man cannot do without? Fireworks!!!! Bada Bing, Bada Boom! 

Here's the blurb for it:

Gian-Paulo Montovanni, an Italian prince, must produce an heir. But before he can do that, he must locate his mother’s emerald necklace, an engagement piece stolen twenty years earlier. In order to get the original, Gian-Paulo allies himself with an American jeweler who has reproduced the necklace in elaborate detail. Suspicious of her involvement, he lures her to Italy to finalize the deal. But the American puts on the necklace, forcing Gian-Paulo to pretend she’s his chosen princess. Thrust into public chaos, he must participate in wicked deceptions if he’s to achieve the one thing he wants most in the world, ensure his mother’s legacy lives on forever.

Abandoned by her mother as a child, Carolina Beugre wants to open a jewelry shop in downtown Atlanta but she must sell her greatest creation in order to fund the store. She accepts the first offer for Grace, the 20 karat emerald necklace recreated from one of her uncle’s silent auction pieces. The exchange is scheduled on a tiny provincial island during a masque ball. But her actions set off a chain of events that lead to a fake betrothal to a man she doesn’t know. While she’s refashioned for the role, payment for the gems is held hostage. Now Carolina stands to lose everything, to include her freedom. Captive, but not defeated, Carolina discovers the necklace’s history, which reveals a connection far greater than either of them ever dreamed.

Make it come out sooner! I'm dying to read that sooner lol. Are either of your books part of a series? If yes, what can we expect from future books.

Duke by Day, Rogue by Night is the first book in the Nelson’s Tea Series. I’m working on book two now, The Rogue’s Prize, which is Captain Henry Guffald’s book. It’s set to be a May Crimson Romance release. Redeeming the Rogue, Lord Garrick Seaton’s book, will hopefully follow sometime at the end of 2013.

Lost Treasure, Captive Princess, is a standalone story. But should my contemporary book generate a good response, I have two other contemporaries plotted and ready to write.

Yay for the historical series and more potential contemporaries!! Well, we are sadly out of time which isn't fair because I'm having so much fun. Before you go, what's next for you?

I’m finishing up The Rogue’s Prize for Crimson Romance, me hearties!

I cannot WAIT to read Duke by Day, Rogue by Night so I'm all ready to read The Rogue's Prize when it's out! Thank you so much Kathy, it has been a blast!

Thank you for allowing me to parlay with you today, Lindsay! One lucky commenter will win a copy of Duke by Day, Rogue by Night. “Yo ho, the goodness, Yo ho!”

Duke by Day, Rogue by Night...Buy it Now!

Constance Danbury is fleeing an arranged marriage to lecherous Lord Burton, a man who has blackmailed her father and is nearly twice her age. Her escape takes her aboard a merchantman bound for Spain, where she hopes an aunt will help her procure funds to save her father’s dwindling reputation. But fate intervenes. Constance is captured by a pirate with a wit and stubbornness to match her own, and a secret he’ll do anything to keep.

Nobleman Percival Avery is a member of Nelson’s Tea, an elite group whose members are first sons from every tier in society. Undercover, he disguises himself as a pirate to infiltrate the gang of cutthroats responsible for his sister’s death. But when his vessel attacks a merchantman with valuable cargo, Percy is forced to choose between vengeance and saving the life of his commander’s niece, Constance Danbury. Mutiny is sure to obliterate his well-laid plans. It also aligns him with the one woman sure to see through his disguise. Forced to play the fop by day to outwit his enemies, he masquerades as a rogue by night in order to avenge his sister’s death – and to win his true love’s heart.

by Katherine Bone

“Duke by Day, Rogue by Night is a rollicking romp of a pirate romance in the classic style. From ship deck to London ballroom, Katherine Bone’s story is packed with intrigue, and the disguise of her rough and dangerous hero as a town popinjay positively delights.” – Katharine Ashe, author of Captured by a Rogue Lord

“Katherine Bone is an author after my own heart! Duke by Day, Rogue by Night is a sexy, adventurous romp guaranteed to keep you reading into the wee hours of the night.” – Shana Galen, author of The Rogue’s Pirate Bride

Buy it Now:

• Amazon
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• iTunes
• Books a Million

Meet Katherine!

I'm addicted to history and romance! Raised an Army brat, I had the great fortune to marry an officer and travel the world. After raising four children and putting down roots, the muse came calling with abandon, complete with swashbuckling adventure and mayhem. And as I anticipate my debut release, my greatest hope is that my stories resonate with you, dear reader.

Connect with Katherine!

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