2/27/2012

Get Lost with Shana Galen & "The Rogue Pirate's Bride"

Get Lost in This Story…


Revenge should be sweet, but it may cost him everything...
The Marquis de Valère escaped certain death in the French Revolution and is now an infamous privateer. 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 it 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...

Today, I am beyond thrilled to welcome historical romance author Shana Galen to the blog!  Shana writes fabulously emotional, adventurous stories that you will adore.  If you haven't gotten the chance to read one of her novels yet, you should stop right now and go pick one up!  Don't worry...we'll wait!

Okay, now that you're back, with a Shana Galen love story in hand, let's learn a little about her before we move on to her guest post and giveaway...


Shana Galen is 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. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She’s a wife, a mother, and an expert multi-tasker. She loves to hear from readers: visit her website at http://www.shanagalen.com/ or see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.


Fathers Be Good to Your Daughters
By Shana Galen

First of all, I want to say thank you to all the authors at Get Lost in a Story for having me here today, especially Heather Snow, who so graciously invited me. I’m excited to be sharing February with her as a release month! Congrats on Sweet Enemy, Heather!

Like most authors, I’m a reflective person. I think a lot about everything, but especially about my books. Probably because I work on them for months and months and live with the characters daily. One thing that occurred to me about my writing, after I’d written two or three books, was that I tend to focus on relationships between fathers and daughters. Oh, I have the odd book here and there where the mother is more prominent than the father, but if you’ve read much of my work, you know the mother is often dead or secondary. It’s the father-daughter relationship where I put my focus.

It should be no surprise then that the father-daughter relationship is key in my new book The Rogue Pirate’s Bride. Raeven Russell’s mother died when she was born. If you’re one of my heroines, your mother had better beware! Raeven was raised by her father and has been sailing with him since the age of four. When the book opens, she’s nineteen and her father is an Admiral in the British Navy. Raeven respects her father, but she doesn’t always adhere to his rules. Understandably, this causes some friction in the relationship.

I enjoyed writing the character of George Russell because he’s one of those men who is gruff on the outside but very loving on the inside. He loves Raeven more than anything, though he’s not always sure how to show it.

I said earlier that I’m a reflective person, and I’ve asked myself why I focus so much on this father-daughter relationship. My mom is a wonderful person. She and I talk several times a week, and she was a great mom when I was growing up. My dad wasn’t a bad dad, but he wasn’t exactly present, either. I remember him working late and being gone most weekends, fishing or hunting or whatever he did. I don’t think it was until I was in college that he decided to have a meaningful conversation with me.

This isn’t to say that he didn’t love me. I knew he loved me and was proud of me, but I don’t think he knew how to show it. I don’t want to start practicing psychology without a license, but I suppose my interest in fictional father-daughter relationships stems from my real relationship with my father. The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is particularly special to me in this regard because, even though it’s dedicated to my mom and mother-in-law, I acknowledge my father in the back because he worked with me on a lot of the seafaring research needed for the book. I can’t tell you how much that time working together mean to me.

I thought I’d give a short excerpt from The Rogue Pirate’s Bride to illustrate Raeven and her father’s relationship.

“I don’t care if the rogue planned to assassinate the King!” Admiral Russell boomed, hands cutting the air in front of Raeven. “I don’t care if the blackguard plotted to kidnap the Regent—though we might all be better off if he did,” he muttered. “It’s no excuse for your reckless behavior. Your behavior is impulsive, undisciplined, unrestrained, un...” He gestured violently, face red, too angry to form the words.
Raeven pursed her lips and waited. “Unacceptable?” she ventured.
“Damn it, girl!” He slammed a fist down on the cherrywood desk in his cabin, sending a sextant crashing to the floor and several maps flying into the air like startled seagulls. From behind the admiral, Percy gave her a pained look. She knew what he was thinking—why did she try to help? Why did she not keep her mouth shut? There was no reasoning with her father when he was in this state. In her opinion, there was never any reasoning with him.
He shoved his palms down hard on the desk and leaned over until his face was level with hers. “Do you find this tedious, girl? Am I keeping you from another, more pressing, engagement?”
“No, but—”
“Good because you and Mr. Williams will be busy swabbing the decks and emptying the buckets all day.”
Percy closed his eyes and shuddered. It wasn’t the first time her actions had caused him grief. But she’d find a way to make it up to him. Just as soon as she had Cutlass.
“Fine, but—”
“Fine? Fine?” He was about to speak again, but before he could form the words, he erupted into a storm of hacking coughs. It was three or four minutes before he recovered, and then drawing the handkerchief from his purpling face, he wheezed, “You don’t feel even a moment’s remorse. Do you comprehend the trouble you might have gotten into? The pirate could have raped you, girl! Worse, he could have decided to have you keel hauled or flogged or—” He dissolved into another coughing spell.
“No, he couldn’t. He was too eager to be underway,” Raeven said, taking advantage of her father’s incapacitation.
“Oh, well that’s even better! At this moment you could be somewhere in the middle of the Channel with no one but Mr. Williams the wiser. That blackguard could sell you into slavery or take you to—”
“Sir.”
But he was still listing all the horrors that might have happened. Horrors of which she was well aware. Horrors she had escaped. Easily escaped, at that.
“Sir...Father!”
“What!” He stared at her, arms locked at his sides. “What have you to say for yourself?”
“He’s getting away.”

Do you ever wonder about what inspires an author or why he or she tends to write about certain topics? Does personal knowledge about the author ever lessen your enjoyment of a book? I’ll be checking in all day to read your comments. I’m also pleased to offer copies of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride to two readers who comment (U.S. and Canadian residents only).

Thanks, Shana, for visiting with us today!  And readers, don't forget to come back tomorrow when Angi hosts Hope Ramsay!

37 comments:

  1. I am fascinated by the excerpt from THE ROGUE PIRATE'S BRIDE. It sounds different from any of my other books, and I would love to read it. Thank you for having the contest.
    Kaye Whitney
    kayewhitney@bellsouth.net

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  2. Thanks so much for having me here today! I'll be checking in all day.

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  3. Thanks, Kaye! Good luck in the contest.

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  4. I love to get to know the authors that I read. That's why I'm following them on Facebook, Twitter, and on so many blogs. It gives me a different perspective on their work. It makes my reading experience more personal.
    Your book seems awesome. My relation with my father is really special to me, so I can't wait to read about Raeven and her father!
    Thanks for the giveaway!
    Kanya
    kanyachhetATyahooDOTca

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  5. PIRATES !!
    I fell in love with Heroic Pirates in Jr. High. I don't need to read anything else to make me pull it off the shelf and pay. Congrats on the release, Shana. This is definitely going on my TBR pile.

    ~Angi

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  6. When a certain theme or character type appears in an author's works, I do wonder why she or he uses them. Knowing something of an author's background often explains these choices. It doesn't lessen the enjoyment of the book. Sometimes it actually adds depth to the story. Knowledge of the author's point of view or motivation adds another layer to the meaning and depth of the story.

    Relationships with family members are such tricky things. They are not always what they seem and we don't always understand why they are what they are. The nice thing is most of us mature and those relationships change and/or are better understood.

    Pirate stories are a favorite and I look forward to reading THE ROGUE PIRATE'S BRIDE. How special that you and your dad had the time together while researching the book.

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    1. Librarypat, I wonder the same thing when certain themes occur again and again. I didn't realize that it's not always a conscious choice on the author's part. And this will always be one of my favorite books because of the time with my dad.

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  7. Lol, love that excerpt. I actually stop seeing my dad at 13 yers old and about two years ago we have been getting to know each other again :) As I have said b4, this book looks great and I can't wait to read it!

    chamblinh@gmail.com

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    1. Heather, thanks! I'm glad you've been seeing your dad again. When we are adults, we can sometimes start over again.

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  8. Hi Shana! Thanks so much for being here with us at GLIAS today! I downloaded The Rogue Pirate's Bride to my Kindle and can't wait to start it...just gotta get this proposal in first! Your story will be a great reward.

    I do miss seeing the pretty covers, though, on my e-reader. LOVE the one for your book.

    I often wonder what inspires authors, and can pick out consistent themes in some author's work. Being a writer, I can see my own views coming through my stories, so I assume it is often the same for others.

    Congrats on another great release!

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    1. Thanks, Heather! As you know, I'm giving away both The Rogue Pirate's Bride and Sweet Enemy on my Facebook weekly contest, so someone could win both our books. Couldn't resist picking up two copies of SWEET ENEMY at the bookstore--one to keep and one to share!

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  9. I am loving this interview very cool ! Thanks to everyone that made it possible and thanks so much for the chance to win !

    Desere
    desere_steenberg@yahoo.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Desere. Good luck with the giveaway.

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    2. Your welcome and thanks Shana !

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  10. Sometimes I do wonder about an author's inspirations and imagination. It's interesting to learn if it's based on something personal especially if the story is particularly emotional. I've always been a reader and it wasn't until about a year ago that I discovered blogs and really learned about an author "behind-the-scenes". Before that if I was curious about an author I would visit their webpage and read their bio, check out their backlist and that would be it. So it doesn't lessen my enjoyment but it does give me more to think about and perhaps see that author in a different light.

    Congratulations on your book release :)

    Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. That's good to hear, Na, because sometimes I worry that people don't want to know about the real me, just read my books. I suppose those people probably don't follow blogs too much.

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  11. Congrats on your new release! I have been hearing a lot of good things about this book and I can't wait to read it.

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  12. Kanya, good to see you here. You've definitely gotten to know me if you've visited a few of the blogs on my tour. Thanks for stopping by!

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  13. Yay, Angi! I've always wanted to write a pirate story.

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  14. Congrats on your new release! I do sometimes wonder what gave an author the idea to write a certain book. It doesn't lessen my enjoyment of the books if I find out more.

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    1. Glad to hear that, Chey. It never lessens my enjoyment, either, when an author talks about his or her inspiration.

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  15. As a reader, I'm always interested in what inspires writers. Knowing more about a writer, enriches my experience when reading their work. For example, after I watched the movie Truman about Truman Capote, I went back and read In Cold Blood again. My new insight made my second reading much more meaningful.

    allisonmoyer (at) yahoo (dot) com

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    1. Allison, that's so true! I have re-read books and even picked up books because I was interested in something the author said about them. Thanks for chiming in.

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  16. It's always interesting to see where a writer gets her ideas from or what her background is. The only thing a writer should probably stay away from is commenting on politics. It's the quickest way to alienate half the audience.

    penfield716(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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    1. Kim, I couldn't agree with you more. I'm really not a very political person, so this is a pretty easy one for me.

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  17. I love reading about the story behind the story--it usually deepens the experience. I also like extras, such as deleted scenes or title codenames. Thanks for the interview and the excerpt!

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    1. Julie, I love those little extras too! I'm always thinking of fun extras and then never have time to do them. I did write a fun Christmas-themed story for Lord and Lady Spy, though.

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  18. I am always interested in what inspires a writer. I like visiting author blogs and learning about their hobbies and interests. Getting to know an author is one of the reasons I follow authors on Twitter.

    geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. Stacie, I hope we don't bore you too much.I think my hobby right now is sleeping because I never seem to have time for it! seriously, I'm a reader too, and it is pretty exciting to be able to follow my favorite authors on Facebook and Twitter.

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  19. while I generally don't wonder about the "why's & what's" behind a writer's tendancy to write certain types of stories I think it is interesting to hear about it; I don't think it's ever lessened my enjoyment of a book, but rather may help some by giving the story some added depth/interest.

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  20. Glad to hear that gamistress. I guess it always surprises me that people actually read blogs an interviews. I get asked about comments I made later, and I think, wow! Someone read that! Most the time I feel like I'm talking to myself.

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  21. Thank you so much to the ladies of GLIAS for having me today! I really gained some new insights from the comments.

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  22. This book is exactly the type I love to read. Let's hear it for historical fiction!

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  23. I enjoyed learning about the inspiration for your story and the excerpt. I sometimes think about what inspires a writer.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  24. I love reading about how an author came up with a story, or who inspired them. And usually I my search for answers I find myself liking that author even more, it has never lessened my enjoyment of the book only added to it. So knowing that your Dad helped you out with this book will always make me think of and appreciate my own Dad. So thanks Shana for not only writing another great book but for sharing your inspiration with us!

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  25. I love your writing and can't wait to read this! What's next on your list?

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