Katharine Ashe

Get Lost in This Story…

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.

Today, I am thrilled to welcome historical romance author Katharine Ashe to the blog! The American Library Association’s Booklist named Katharine one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance” and her debut, Swept Away by a Kiss, was nominated for Best First Historical Romance in the Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Awards. 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

So let’s get to know Katharine better!

Heather: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

Katharine: Moonstruck. It has everything: laughter, romance, heart-stopping speeches, gorgeous music, deep philosophical ponderings, cute dogs, New York City, family warmth, and a full moon that makes everybody go wild with love. Perfect!

Heather: How often to you get lost in a story?

Katharine: Often, and sometimes BIG. When I love a story — I mean really love it — I cannot stop reading it. I will stay up all night until it’s time to walk my dogs and get my son to school, and suffer the consequences of exhaustion in perfect bliss. Recently after one of these no-sleep-all-read binges, I wanted to immediately read the book again. Of course I had to go to work. So when I went to campus I actually (I kid you not) thought about taking it up to my lectern to read while my students were doing short projects. I didn’t! But I seriously considered it. Oh, but I did re-read it while walking the dogs and doing the laundry for about a week. Then I wrote the author a page-long fan letter (the first fan letter I’d ever written!) detailing what I loved about the book. That is how deeply I can get lost in a story.

Heather: What’s your favorite kind of story to get lost in?

Katharine: Any romance featuring a handsome, smart hero with a heart of gold and willingness to laugh at himself, and a heroine daring and delightful enough to win him. J

Heather: What’s your favorite “love” word?

Katharine: I simply adore “adore”. Adore has power and emotion and passion. It also has sweetness and depth and constancy. It is used for the emotion a person feels for another, for the earth’s creatures, for a god. It’s the word engraved on the inside of my wedding ring.

That said…

“Love” is exquisite beauty, ecstatic joy, and profound pleasure all rolled into one. When I read a romance novel, I wait on the edge of my seat for the moment the characters declare their love with this simple, sublime word. It is The. Best. Thing. Ever.

Heather: What turns you off like nothing else?

Katharine: Hatred. Intolerance. Clique-ishness. Unkindness.

Heather: Who’s your favorite villain?

Katharine: Tragic villains! — villains who suffer emotionally for their crimes, or commit crimes because of their soul-deep suffering. In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, when Captain Barbossa utters “I feel… cold” and the apple tumbles from his hand, my heart aches for him every time I watch it! Yes, he’s a blackguard. Yes, he has treated the fabulous Captain Jack Sparrow horridly. But he has lost all the beauty of his humanity while still being obliged to live as a human. His suffering is so poignant, I simply love him. (I love Jack Sparrow and Will Turner better, of course, but for rather other reasons.) ;)

Heather: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

Katharine: Laugh. Weep in happiness. Shout with joy. Drink a glass of champagne. I actually write a lot like I read – thoroughly engrossed in the dance of desire a hero and heroine engage in while their hearts are gradually intertwining. I savor each moment of their story, which makes those final declarations of love so incredibly satisfying to write. And because my hero and heroine are deliriously happy at the end, I am too!

Heather: If you could interview one person (and it doesn’t have to be a writer) who would it be?

Katharine: Mahatma Gandhi, because he asked only for peace. But if he weren’t available, because, well, he’s not anymore, then Hugh Jackman, because… um… well… ;) (Does everybody know that Hugh starred in the 1999 Aussie film Paperback Hero as a closet, best-selling romance novelist? I’m sure I could come up with lots of fun facts about Mahatma, too, by the way. I’m just saying.)

Heather: What soundtrack or playlist do you recommend for your current release?

Katharine: Here are few songs from my playlist for CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD:

“Talk Show Host” – Radiohead

“This Kiss” – Faith Hill

“If You Were Here” – Thompson Twins

“Brave” – Nicole Nordeman

“Sweet and Low” – Augustana

“In Your Eyes” – Peter Gabriel

“Possession” – Sarah McLaughlan

“Carve Your Heart Out Yourself” – Dashboard Confessions

“For My Love” – Bethany Dillon

“God Made Woman” – Keith Urban

(I post my book playlists on the Exclusives page of my website www.katharineashe.com.)

Heather: What color would you make the sky if it wasn’t going to be blue anymore and why?

Katharine: I cannot imagine the sky any color but blue… or gray, or pink, or flaming orange, or black, or silvery white, or mustard. The heroes of my “Rogues of the Sea” trilogy are lords of Regency England, but they are also sailors. From their ship decks, they have seen skies nearly every color imaginable.

Heather: What’s in your refrigerator right now?

Katharine: Milk. Champagne. Pizza. Strawberries. Blueberry-pomegranate juice. Dill pickles. Champagne. Pimento cheese (forgive me; I live in the south!). Nutella (it moved there from the cabinet because the ants who live in the cabinet took a shine to it). Some vegetables with which I’m sure my husband will do something nice but which are otherwise irrelevant to me. Guacamole. Champagne.

Heather’s GOTTA ASK – Katharine’s GOTTA ANSWER J

Heather: So, Katharine, you are a professor of European History...How have your students reacted to your new career? Any of them dare rib the teacher?

Katharine: I like to keep my two professional worlds apart, so in academia I don’t talk about my fiction writing. But just last week, in fact, I discovered that some of my students do indeed know of my alter ego. I think it’s a lovely mark of respect that they haven’t mentioned it in my classroom (where our work is not about romance fiction). If and when they finally do mention it, I’ll let you know! J

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Katharine: I could not resist saving this question from my lovely hosts to ask you: If you were given a chance to travel to the past, where would you go and specifically why?

WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?**

Katharine: I’ll give away an autographed copy of CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD to one randomly chosen commenter. J

Thanks so much for being with us today, Katharine! Where can your fans learn more about you on the web?

www.katharineashe.com

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katharine-Ashe/120254261356587

http://twitter.com/#!/KatharineAshe

Thanks Katharine! And readers, here's the links to Katharine's current releases :)

CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Captured-Rogue-Lord-Katharine-Ashe/?isbn=9780061965647

A LADY’S WISH

http://www.avonromance.com/book/a-ladys-wish/katharine-ashe/

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North American addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Join us next week when we celebrate Get Lost in a Story crew member, Maureen McGowan’s releases of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer!!!