Friday, May 6, 2011

Ahoy to Katharine Ashe and Rogues of the Sea


The most anticipated summer movie - Pirates of the Caribbean 4:  On Stranger Tides - premieres on Saturday, May 7, at Disneyland.  From the OC Register,

Disneyland plans to set up 20,000 bleacher seats for fans who want to watch celebrity arrivals, including possibly Johnny Depp, for the "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" premiere Saturday.

Another 2,000 invited guests, stars and ticket holders only are allowed to watch the "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" premiere along the Rivers of America.


Oh, let's get in the mood for Pirates - please join me in welcoming Katharine Ashe:

The American Library Association's Booklist named Katharine Ashe one of the "New Stars of Historical Romance." Her debut historical romance, SWEPT AWAY BY A KISS, was nominated for Best First Historical Romance in the Reviewers' Choice Best Book Awards. CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD has received a "TOP PICK!" from RT Book Reviews: "Ashe knows how to captivate readers with her action-packed romance brimming over with marvelous characters, sexual tension, witty repartee and action, action, action." Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast with her husband, son, two dogs, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt.  A professor of European history, she has made her home in California, Italy, France, and the northern US. Please visit her at www.katharineashe.com. 


Kim:  Armed with research material as a history teacher, how did you break into romance publishing? What's harder - unearthing history or getting published?

Katharine:  I love stories—wild, fantastical stories of adventure, heroism, truth, triumph, tragedy, and most of all love. And these kinds of stories really happened! Academic scholarship is fun because you get to dive into the super nitty-gritty of a subject. You also get to do research in musty old archives staffed by curmudgeonly old Italian guys or persnickety young German ladies, suspicious French librarians or stuffy English archivists. Doing that research inspires my imagination endlessly to invent stories of my own.

As to which is harder, unearthing history or getting published in romance fiction—I suppose they’re about the same. I feel very fortunate that as a novelist I am now able to do both at once.


Kim:  Your debut series features sea rogues - what inspired the sea theme?

Katharine:  First, I love the sea. It is a world of beauty, life, and joy. But it’s also a treacherous mistress, unpredictable and oftentimes violent. Second, I adore Regency England. The niceties of social interaction and proper behavior contrast so deliciously with the rough dangers of a sailor’s life. I just couldn’t resist putting them together, like in the hero of CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD, an indolent rakish earl whose secret identity is a brazen Robin Hood-like pirate. Also, Britain in the early nineteenth century was far more than drawing rooms and London balls. It was a vast empire with all sorts of potential for excitement and intrigue. Since I adore both these worlds of high society and swashbuckling adventure, I write love stories that mingle them.


Kim:  Does your sister still review your work? Who serves as your beta reader?

Katharine:  I’m so grateful my sister still reads my manuscripts, as well as one of her closest friends. My mother reads the pages the moment I send them to her (God bless my mom and all such moms!). I also trade beta reading with another romance author who is fabulous.

Kim:  How do your History colleagues perceive your historical romances?

Katharine:  In general they are respectful. They know the publishing world (although not mass market publishing), and understand what it takes to produce a book. A number of them have revealed to me that they have ideas for novels they would love to write if they weren’t so busy. Sometimes they tell me this as though it’s a scandalous fantasy, like they’re admitting they’ve dreamt of spending a week on a Caribbean island with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue models. Since being a romance author is in fact my scandalous fantasy come true, I always smile and say, “Yeah, I know what you mean.”


Kim:  What next for Katharine Ashe?

KatharineIN THE ARMS OF A MARQUESS, Book #3 in my Rogues of the Sea Trilogy (August 30), is the story of a powerful lord, a passionate lady and a fierce, enduring love that defies society’s will to destroy it.

Mahalo, Katharine, for visiting us at SOS Aloha!  Katharine is giving away a copy of CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD to one randomly selected US commenter:


She would marry no man…
Serena Carlyle dreams of a happily ever after. Firmly on the shelf at twenty-five, instead she’s determined to find the perfect match for her beautiful younger sister. What better prospect than their neighbor, the wealthy, rakishly handsome Earl of Savege? Now Serena can beg his help in halting a local band of smugglers. Then, one night, stealing away from yet another disappointing ball, Serena finds herself trapped alone with a stranger …

Until he captured her—body and soul
His kiss was irresistible, his caress unforgettable, and he hides a devastating secret. A Robin Hood upon the sea, Alex Savege is the brazen pirate Redstone, seizing the yachts of spoiled noblemen to settle an old debt. Serena needs a hero, but her heart is in the gravest danger—for it is soon to be captured by a man as skilled at seduction as he is at plunder.

I am giving away a copy of SWEPT AWAY BY A KISS to one randomly selected international commenter:  


A Secret Identity
When pirates storm Lord Steven Ashford’s ship upon the high seas, it brings him closer than ever to the nefarious criminal he seeks to ruin. Only one seductive detail threatens his victory: the scandalous beauty imprisoned with him, Lady Valerie Monroe. Temptation has never been so intoxicating or so forbidden, for Steven is disguised as a French priest. If they make it off the ship alive, to protect her from his enemies, he must never see her again…

An Undeniable Love
Back in England, and under the ton’s scrutiny for a reckless past she hasn’t escaped, Valerie dreams of the breathtaking “man of the cloth” with whom she shared her greatest adventure. Then he reappears in society under his true identity, Viscount Ashford, but despite the danger their consuming passion cannot be denied. Now standing in the way of their desire are Valerie’s wounded heart, Steven’s lone destiny, and a villain that will stop at nothing to crush them both.

To enter the giveaway,
 
1.  Leave a comment about Katharine, pirate romances, and sea adventures.
 
2.  Comments are open through Saturday, May 7, 10 pm in Hawaii. 

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 8.
 
Godspeed,
 
Kim in Hawaii
 
 
Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - On Stranger Tides was filmed on Oahu and Kauai.   In fact, the original "Black Pearl" - a basic barge with props - sailed from the Bahamas to Hawaii.   Upon arrival, it was renamed (and redecorated) as Queen Anne's Revenge for the new movie.  It remains moored in Ko'Olina Marina near the new Disney resort, Aulani. 

Aulani opens August 29, 2011 - just in time for Labor Day Weekend!
 
   

39 comments:

  1. I'm really enjoying this series and I love pirate books!

    I can't wait for "Pirates of the Caribbean - On Stranger Tides" to come out!

    I have this book -- do not enter me in the contest.

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  2. Hi, Danielle. Thanks so much! I can't wait to see the new POTC movie -- Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush are beyond fabulous. :)

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  3. Hi Katharine,

    Thank you so much for for visiting with Kim and telling us about yourself I am glad to have learned more about you and your wonderful sounding books! I just adore the covers they are all simply so beautiful!

    I like reading about Pirates and the Pirates of the Caribbean are my favorite not just because they are filled with actin,romance and comedy but I just love Johnny Depp he is just too gorgeous !

    Thank you Kim for bringing Katharine to us as always you did a stunning interview!

    Mahalo
    Desere

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  4. I'd love to read this book because I LOVE a pirate hero. In fact, the last two books I've read have featured a pirate.

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  5. I do love reading about pirate heroes. They are so confidate and are not afraid of bending (or breaking) rules to get what they want. Thank you for the interview and the giveaway.

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  6. Ahoy Katharine! I'm still working my way through my TBR queue and A LADY'S WISH is in it. :)

    And if all pirates looked like Captain Jack, I'd be all over that. Or perhaps Sam Claflin (who's in the new POTC)

    Regarding sea adventures: Don't you think Flynn Rider should go on one? I wonder if he'd make a good pirate?

    Thanks Kim for another great interview with another awesome author!

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  7. My daughter got me watching the Pirates of the caribbean movies and she is so excited to see the next one. She is so in love with Johnny Depp...

    miztik_rose At yahoo.com

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  8. Argggh - the blogger at my post.

    Pirates and sea adventures and the history behind them always intrigued me. I just heard that Johnny Depp won't be watching his newest movie because he can't see in 3-D (although I know he isn't keen on watching any of his movies lol). I enjoy the movies but always love the books more. Your books sound exciting and like wonderful reads!

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  9. I can't wait to read this book. I am thoroughly enjoying this series and I can't wait to see what happens in this next book.

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  10. I love Johnny Depp and cannot wait for Pirates 4!!

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  11. I loved SWEPT AWAY BY A KISS (with Paul Marron on the cover) and am looking forward to CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD (with Nathan Kamp)! I'm also looking forward to the new POTC film and I may dress up for opening night like the teens in the audience did for the last one.

    Even though Johnny Depp is awesome as Jack Sparrow, I still think he was at his cutest in "21 Jump Street".

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  12. Hi, Desere. Thanks! I agree -- I love a romance with a little adventure mixed in for excitement, and pirates are downright delicious fun! And yes, big sigh for Johnny Depp!

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  13. Terri, I'm with you on that! Yay pirate heroes!

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  14. Hi, Katharine! I'm looking forward to reading CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD-- I've been hearing great things about it! Also can't wait to see the new Pirates-- can't ever have enough Johnny Depp-- err, Jack Sparrow ;-)

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  15. You took the words right out of my mouth ,have a great day Katharine!!

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  16. I love pirate stories, but have not seen any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

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  17. Hi, June. Heroes who break the rules -- for the good! -- do it for me too. My hero in Captured by a Rogue Lord donates all the swag he steals from spoiled noblemen to orphans and widows. But his motives for pirating are less than pure. ;)

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  18. LOL, Kati. Flynn *is* perfect pirate hero material. Just my sort of adventuring bad boy. ;)

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  19. Mary, your daughter certainly isn't alone! Thanks for commenting. :)

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  20. I haven't read any of Katherine's books yet. But I'm definitively adding Captured by a Rogue Lord to my TBR list, I love pirate heroes!

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  21. Thank you for your post, Katharine and Kim.

    I've been racking my brains trying to come up with a comment. But my knowledge of pirates is, shall we say, somewhat limited.

    So please allow me to ask a question instead. Why do you think pirates are so popular in pop culture?

    The heroic, romantic rogues of the sea in movies and fiction contrast starkly with the real-life seafaring thugs who operate out of third-world countries like Somalia and Indonesia. So why do pirates like the one played by Johnny Depp and the heroes of your romances appeal so powerfully to our individual fantasies and our collective imagination?

    Please enter me in the giveaway. Keep up the good work!

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  22. Thanks, catslady. It's so true -- the history surrounding real pirates is really fascinating. I simply adored researching these books.

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  23. I'm glad you're enjoying my series, Danielle. :) Thanks for visiting today!

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  24. Thank you, Sheree! And what fun, dressing up for opening night. Sounds like a great idea; I may just do that too. :)

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  25. Hi, Casey. I was awfully fond of Orlando Bloom in POTC, too, but I'll take Johnny Depp any day, even without Orlando. ;)

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  26. Chelsea, the slip between Johnny and Jack is entirely acceptable, LOL. :) Thanks for commenting!

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  27. Hi, Estella. They're definitely worth watching, full to the brim with adventure, laughter and romance -- the way I like stories best. :)

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  28. Mariee, thanks so much. :) I hope you enjoy it.

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  29. Hi, Mary Anne. Pirates break the rules, and many of us love men who break the rules, just as long as they do it with panache and are good men at heart. tThe pirate-hero of Captured by a Rogue Lord is a truly good man. Likewise Jack Sparrow and other popular pirate heroes. It's all about fantasy and fun and adventure, and... above all... romance!

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  30. Wow I have not read a pirate book in a long time. I will have to look for yours. I am not sure if I will go to this Pirates of the Caribbean. I was not fond of the last one.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

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  31. Debby, you may find my pirate books a bit different from what you read a while back. :) As for POTC, I did love the original, but must admit I hated the ending of the third. Still, Johnny Depp and Gregory Rush are simply too wonderful for me to pass up!

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  32. Hi Katherine! Thanks for telling us a bit more about yourself and your books! You would be a new-to-me author and I have actually never read a pirate romance before, but your Rogues of the Sea Trilogy sound like a fantastic read - I'll definitely keep these books in mind when I want to try something new and cleanse my 'reading palate'!

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  33. Congrats on the new release, Katharine. I love pirate romances and one of my favorites is Gaelen Foley's "The Pirate Prince."

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  34. Hi, Winnie. Do you like Regencies? Captured by a Rogue Lord is actually a Regency with a touch of pirate adventure -- the hero is an earl moonlighting occasionally as a pirate. I hope you'll try it out. :)

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  35. Jane, Gaelen Foley's books are absolutely wonderful. I adore them. So glad to hear you loved her Pirate Prince too!

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  36. CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD sounds great!!! I really like a guy with a secret identity. It reminds me of this book I read recently by Jo Beverley called The Secret Duke.

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  37. Hi Katharine ! Johny Depp is my favorite pirate ;) I've never read pirates romance before, it does sound good !

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  38. Love Pirate anything! I have always loved pirate romance books especially! I really wish more authors would start writing them again! Its awesome that your book is a regency and a pirate themed. Two of my favorite things! Thanks for sharing today!

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