The Rogue Pirate’s Bride by Shana Galen (Interview/Giveaway)

Today I'd like to welcome romance author, Shana Galen, joining us today for an interview on her new release, The Rogue Pirate's Bride! You can check out Lexy's wonderful review of this novel HERE. 

Hi Shana and welcome to Reading Between the Wines, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today! Can you start off by telling our readers a little something about yourself please? 

SG: I’m a mom, a wife, and a fulltime writer. I taught English for eleven years in middle and high school and left to stay home with my daughter, who is two now. I love history and romance, which works well since I write historical romance.

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing, do you have any hobbies or special interests?

SG: I’m always writing. Seriously. With a toddler I don’t have much time for hobbies. Once in a while I squeeze in a visit to a book club and once a month I try to sing with the band in the contemporary service at church. Maybe when my daughter is older, I’ll be able to go to movies or the theater or to new restaurants again.

Now please tell us about your historical romance novels, the Sons of the Revolution series. What is the series about and how does each novel connect?

SG:  The Sons of the Revolution series is about three brothers who were separated as boys during an attack on their family chateau during the French Revolution. The first novel is about the eldest brother, Julien, and his search for the other two brothers. The second novel is about Armand, one of the younger twins, and how he recovers from spending twelve years in prison. This last novel is about Bastien, the other twin, who became a pirate and didn’t have any idea his family still lived. Each book can be read and enjoyed on its own. You can start in the middle or at the end and have no trouble following.

What was your inspiration behind this series?

SG: Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities was my inspiration. I always loved teaching that novel because I love that time period and the characters. I wanted to write my own tale of London and Paris, but a few years after the Revolution.

Why write historical romances as opposed to some of the other sub-genres of romance? What is the draw for you?

SG: I like most of the other sub-genres of romance and actually did write two women’s fiction novels as Shane Bolks. But I have repeatedly been told my voice is best suited to historicals. That doesn’t mean I won’t ever write another contemporary, but I don’t mind writing historicals. I feel at home in that world. I like to write adventurous stories, and it seems easier to write about swashbuckling pirates or daring spies in an historical setting.

Congratulations on the recent release of the third book in the Sons of the Revolution series, The Rogue Pirate’s Bride! Can you please tell us a bit about the novel?

SG: The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is about Bastien, who signed on with a pirate captain after escaping the attack on his family chateau. He grows up to be a privateer, and at the beginning of the book, he’s seeking revenge on the Barbary corsair who murdered his mentor. Raeven, meanwhile, is seeking revenge against Bastien because he killed her fiancé. She’s the daughter of a British admiral and quite gutsy and a little too impulsive. At the start of the book, these two cross swords—literally.

Without giving too much away, can you share with us a favorite seen between the hero and heroine of the story, Sebastien and Raeven? 

SG: I think my favorite scene is when Raeven sneaks aboard Bastien’s ship to steal her sword back and he tells her she should just do what she came to do. She says she came to kill him, so he hands her a dagger, lies back on the bed, and says, go ahead. Needless to say, she doesn’t kill him, but she does kiss him…

What do you think readers will like best about Sebastien and Raeven? What characteristics of theirs is relatable to readers and will have them falling in love with these characters?

SG: I think readers will love how strong a female character Raeven is and how charming and open-minded Bastien is. He really grows to respect Raeven and value her. I think as readers, we all want to see a heroine who can hold her own against a strong hero and who isn’t going to dissolve into tears at the first sign of trouble. We also want a hero who will do anything for the heroine and who thinks she is the most extraordinary woman he has ever met. 

Was there a novel or character in the Sons of the Revolution series that was harder to write then others?

SG: Oh, yes! The Making of a Gentleman was so hard that I wanted to give up. Armand is a very difficult character. He’s so tortured and scarred that he doesn’t even speak for the first few chapters. If The Making of a Duchess hadn’t already been in production with an ending that set up The Making of Gentleman, I would have changed Armand to make him less challenging. I hate almost every book I write at some point or other, but I hated that one more than I liked it. And, just to prove how contrary Armand really is, he’s the hero who wins RT’s Best Historical Hero award.

What’s next for you? Are there any projects that you’re currently working on, and do you have any more novels for the Sons of the Revolution series planned?

SG: I don’t have any more Sons of the Revolution novels planned, but I’m working on a new series called Jewels of the Ton. It’s about three glamorous Regency courtesans who get mixed up with some dangerous diamonds and some equally dangerous men. The first book is titled When You Give a Duke a Diamond, and it will be on shelves in September. I’m a few weeks from finishing the second book in the series, and the third book will actually be released after the next Lord and Lady Spy book, which is tentatively titled True Spies. That’s my next project.

Thank you again for joining us Shana, it was a pleasure!

SG: Thank you so much for having me and introducing me to your readers. I’ll be stopping in all day to answer reader questions and respond to comments

THE ROGUE PIRATE’S BRIDE BY SHANA GALEN – IN STORES FEBRUARY 2012

Revenge should be sweet, but it may cost him everything…
Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who is out for his blood…
Forgiveness is unthinkable, but may be her only hope…
British Admiral’s daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé’s death. But once the fiery beauty crosses swords with Bastien, she’s not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways… 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shana Galen is the author of five Regency historicals, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold in Brazil, Russia, and the Netherlands and featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She is a happily married wife and mother of a daughter and a spoiled cat and lives in Houston, Texas, where she is working on her next regency romance series! For more information please visit www.shanagalen.com, like her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.  

~*GIVEAWAY*~

Thanks to Sourcebooks I have Shana Galen's The Rogue Pirate's Bride to give away to two lucky readers who reside in the US or Canada. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and then fill out the RaffleCopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck! 

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