Interview and Contest: Shana Galen - The Rogue Pirate's Bride

Today I have Shana Galen over for an interview, and as usual there is a chance to win a book, this time her new book The Rogue Pirate's Bride.

Welcome!

1. Could you tell me a bit about yourself…

SG: Hi! Thanks so much for having me. I’m a wife and a mother and a former English teacher. I write fulltime now, which in my world means during naps and after bedtime. My first book was published in 2005, but I’ve been writing and working toward publication since 2000. I write adventurous Regency-set historicals that a lot of reviewers call out-of-the-box. I’m not sure why because the stories seem to fit nicely in all of my boxes. The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is my eleventh book.

2. Your newest book is called The Rogue Pirate’s Bride, what it is about?

SG: The Rogue Pirate’s Bride is a book about revenge. The hero, Bastien, is intent upon avenging the death of his mentor by the Barbary Corsair Jourdain. He’s pursuing Jourdain and plans to sink his ship. Meanwhile, Raeven Russell, the heroine and daughter of a British admiral is pursuing Bastien in order to avenge the death of her fiancé, who was the captain of a ship Bastien sunk. Raeven sneaks on Bastien’s ship just as he catches sight of Jourdain’s ship and sets sail. That’s when the problems really begin.

3. What was your inspiration behind making Bastien a privateer?

SG: I always wanted to write a book about a pirate, but the golden age of pirates was pretty much over by 1802, when my series is set. There were still Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, but they were based out of North Africa, and my hero is half English and half French. So I thought I would make Bastien a privateer sailing under a letter of marque (like a letter of legitimacy) from Spain. That way he could harass ships, particularly British ships, with the excuse that he was doing so to protect Spain from its enemies. So basically privateers were legitimate pirates. Bastien is very particular about his status. He insists he’s a privateer, not a pirate, but my heroine, Raeven, makes little distinction between the two. She’s the daughter of a British admiral, so she is a perfect antagonist for a privateer with a letter of marque from Spain, who was at odds with Britain at the time.

4. This book is a part of the Sons of the Revolution series, could you tell us a bit about the series?

SG: The series is about three brothers who are separated as children when peasants attack their country chateau during the French Revolution. Julien, from The Making of a Duchess, is the eldest and escapes with his English mother to London. When he grows up, he sets out on a quest to find his younger brothers, Armand (The Making of a Gentleman) and Bastien (The Rogue Pirate’s Bride), and reunite the family (except for their father who was guillotined).

5. And coming back to a certain pirate subject, why do you think they are so interesting?

SG: To me, pirates are interesting because they are the ultimate bad boy. In modern times, we think of the guy in a leather jacket on a loud Harley. In the nineteenth century, pirates were the rebels. They didn’t follow laws and rules, they went wherever they wanted, and they controlled a really big ship with some pretty powerful cannons. Pirates are rogues in that they are vagabonds. They don’t settle down, go to work every day, raise a family. It’s an exciting lifestyle, on the outside. For someone like me, who is very settled with a mortgage, a child, and work deadlines coming up, sailing away with a pirate is a nice daydream.

6. What is coming next from you?

SG: I have a new series we are now calling Jewels of the Ton about three glamorous courtesans in Regency London. They stumble upon some dangerous diamonds and some equally dangerous men. The first book is titled When You Give a Duke a Diamond, and it will be out in September.

Thanks!

Thanks so much for having me. I’ll be popping in all day.

Giveaway:

2 copies/2 winners of The Rogue Pirate's Bride

1. Open to US and Canada

2. Ends March 8

3. Just enter.

Shana will be stopping by so be free to ask her anything. Or maybe tell me why you like pirates.

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 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.