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. She loves hearing from readers!
Places to find Katharine:
First off, can you tell us a bit about you?
I write sensual Regency adventures with lots of deep emotion, intrigue and a secret identity or two. I absolutely adore writing love stories. I love history too (in my other job I’m a professor of European history), so putting the two together is thoroughly dreamy.
Did you always want to be a writer?
Since at least the third grade when I rewrote Margaret Rey’s “Pretzel: The Longest Dachshund in the World”, giving Pretzel a less horridly snobbish love interest.
What kind of writer are you? Pantser or Plotter?
I plot a broad outline, everything revolving around the most emotionally intense parts of the story. But the characters often take me places I don’t expect, and where they lead I happily follow.
Why historicals? What about this era draws you in?
I revel in the contrast between the decorous order of Regency high society and the vast, dangerous, richly textured empire Britain was building during this era. My heroes and heroines find themselves stealing kisses in the shadowy corners of ballrooms as well as on ship decks, and locked in embraces beneath both snowy mistletoe and wind-swept palm trees. Really, the opportunities for dalliance — both deliciously familiar and delectably exotic — are endless!
Where do your ideas come from?
Travels in Europe and Britain. Deliciously exciting history books. Music. Museums. But mostly they come from the characters tapping on my shoulder telling me I must write their stories.
A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.
Cool spinster meets barbaric rogue, can’t keep their hands off each other, desperate denial, surrender, intrigue... powerful love.
What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?
I love stories with a lot of emotional intensity, tons of adventure, intricate plots and a deep feeling of rightness about the protagonist’s actions. Romance is essential.
Have you ever fallen for another author's hero? If so, who and why?
Rachel Gibson’s Nick Allegrezza from TRULY MADLY YOURS. He’s a gorgeous bad boy with a really scarred past and a really good heart, and he’s loved the same girl his entire life. But I’ve got to be clear: I fall for a hero not for my own sake, but because he’s perfect for his heroine.
Belle of the Ball, Wallflower, or Widow?
I like them all! It depends on the story. =)
Describe the characteristics that make up your perfect hero.
Other than mouthwateringly hot? =) Strong, intelligent, powerful, really good at what he does, and what he does ultimately helps other people who aren’t as strong and powerful as he. I love a hero with a secret identities, who’s dying to tell the truth to the woman he’s falling in love with but who can’t in order to protect her or others and it tears him apart. And my perfect hero loves one woman and will willingly change himself for the better to win her.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Play with my son and dogs, dine at fabulous restaurants and see movies with my husband, run, and garden. And, of course, read romance novels!!
Favorite movie?
Moonstruck. (Sublimely wonderful.)
Favorite song?
Too many!
Favorite color?
Green and blue – the color of life, and the color of the ocean.
Last question, are you working on anything right now?
I just read proofs for book #2 in my Falcon Club series, HOW TO BE A PROPER LADY, coming June 26, and now I’m finishing up edits to book #3, HOW A LADY WEDS A ROGUE, that’ll be out September 25.
Thanks so much for stopping by Katharine!
What are some of the characteristics that make up your perfect hero? Answer for your chance to win a signed copy of Captured By a Rogue Lord- nominee for the 2011 Reviewers' Choice Best Book Award for "Best Historical Romantic Adventure.
London gossips are asking: What use has society of an exclusive gentleman’s club if no gentlemen are ever seen to pass through its door?After years as an agent of the secret Falcon Club, Lord Leam Blackwood knows it’s time to return home to Scotland. One temptation threatens his plans—Kitty Savege. The scandal-plagued lady warms his blood like a dram of fine whiskey. But a dangerous enemy stands in the way of desire, and to beat this foe Leam needs Kitty’s help…
Kitty never wanted to spend her holidays in a wretched country village! With snow up to the windows, escape is nowhere in sight. A roguish Scottish lord, however, is. His rough brogue sends tingles of heat from Kitty’s frigid toes to her chilled nose, but she’s confident she can withstand that. What she cannot control is the reaction of her carefully guarded heart when she discovers this beast is, in fact, no beast at all…
Places to Purchase:
**Giveaway**
Katharine will be giving away a signed copy of Captured By a Rogue Lord to 1 lucky person. (International Shipping Available) Make sure to leave a comment answering the question and make sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form.
Good Luck =)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Honest yet roguish, strong yet tender, tough yet unafraid to show his 'weaker' emotions ... ummm, sounds kinda contradictory, eh?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway. :o)
It doesn't sound contradictory to me, jabelfield! It sounds dreamy. That's Lord Leam Blackwood, the hero of WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY, in a nutshell. :)
Deletei'd won this book, good luck everyone
ReplyDeleteKatharine, congrats on your new book release, looking forward to read your new book ;)
Thanks, Eli! :)
DeleteLoyalty, honesty, dependable. um... sounds like a Navy Seal to me.
ReplyDeleteTheresa N
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com
Oo, Navy Seal... yummy. :)
DeleteKind, good heart, care to another
ReplyDeleteThanks For giveaway
Kindness, a good heart, and the desire to care for others is essential in a hero, newan. I completely agree!
DeleteGorgeous, strong, caring, loving, athletic, a little hardheaded and stubborn sometimees. I want him to drive the heroine completely crazy, physically and also wanting her to pull her hair out at times. He can be misguided on how he protects those he loves, however his heart is always in the right place. The heroine defintely can't walk all over him, however he does not want to dominate her either. He is never physically cruel and feels he needs to protect those weaker than himself.
ReplyDeleteSounds positively dreamy, Ora. Yes to all the above!
DeletePassionate, intense, honorable, strong are my must have traits. And I know its a fine line, but I love a possessive hero as well. Possessive enough to be sexy but not to the point of domineering or scary (fine line I know lol)
ReplyDeleteBook looks great
sharocks13@yahoo.com
DeleteSharon, possessiveness is one of Leam Blackwood's more -- shall we say? -- challenging qualities in WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY. I'm with you on this one. :)
DeleteThanks, Danielle, for hosting me today. It's so lovely to be here!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your book!
ReplyDeleteI would say sensitivity, honour, intelligence and sexiness!
I'm particularly fond of intelligent heroes with oodles of honor, May. Nice choices. :)
DeleteCharming and confident, but now arrogant. Sensitive and very sexy:) Strong and possessive.
ReplyDeleteyadkny@hotmail.com
Charm and confidence are irresistible, aren't they, yadkny!
DeleteHi Katharine! :) Lovely to see you here.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the perfect hero is intelligent, witty, strong, protective, handsome, understanding, compassionate, and has a heart of gold. He treats the heroine with the love, dignity, and respect she deserves. And if he looks anything like a certain celebrity we are both obsessed about, so much the better. ;) lol
Forgot to add, no need to add me to the giveaway-I already have a copy of the fab Captured By a Rogue Lord. :)
DeleteLOL, wink, , and all that jazz, Lisa. :) Leam doesn't, of course, but that hero is on his way in September... :)
DeleteThanks for the awesome post and giveaway! Haven't had a chance to read Ms. Ashe but I've always read great reviews!
ReplyDeleteUmmm... I'd want a hero with integrity, a sense of loyalty, honor, compassion and/or intelligence. Doesn't have to be good looking, but a sense of humor is a must :)
erin, your idea of the perfect hero sounds right up my alley! Thanks for commenting. :)
DeleteWow, you're a Prof?? That's awesome! And so cool! I love romances set in historical times, though I haven't had the time to read any yet, but I'd really like to correct that! Haha.
ReplyDeleteAs for my perfect hero, he must be aloof at first, then sexy, charming, protective, and alpha-male-possessive (:P) after getting to know him. :D
P.S. Man, my mom must never find out about this comment.. Haha,
If your mom asks, I never saw you, heard you, or read you here. ;) I hope you have the chance to read historical romance soon, CYP. But I'll warn you, once you start, it's nearly impossible to stop!
DeleteGreat blog. Thanks for the opportunity to win the book!! It sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteHi, Betty. Lovely to see you here. :)
DeleteI love alpha males. I like them strong, fighters, great lovers, rogues, sexy, and sweet & sexy talkers.
ReplyDeleteLove Katherines books and would love to win and read this book. Thanks for the chance to win.
christinebails@yahoo.com
Hi, Chris. Your favorite kind of hero sounds a whole lot like mine! :)
DeleteI love a witty, sarcastic rake, who comes to the rescue of an unpopular debutante or "on the shelf" female that is being made fun of and embarrassed in front of others. The second he does that, I'm a puddle :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the giveaway chance!
Gena Robertson
robertsongena@hotmail.com
Oh, Gena, me too! Swoon!!
DeleteUUmmm... i think loyalty, honesty, passionate, sexy, honorable, and charming. Maybe to much, but in my imagine, he must perfect for me. Thanks For giveaway!!
ReplyDeletefiliafantasy at gmail dot com
Filia, aiming high is the best place to aim! :)
DeleteA willingness to put himself on the line for what he believes in.
ReplyDeletesallans d at yahoo dot com
Sounds like my heroes, Di -- to a T! Thanks for commenting. :)
DeleteMy hero must be handsome, ironic,bad boy for the most of the time but sweet-hearted when he wants(not much)
ReplyDeleteThis is the typical hero that I love but recently I have read The hunger Games and I found that Peeta, even if not well described physically was amazing and totally not a bad guy. So it depends! :)
Thank you for making this giveaway international!
X
Hi, Sarah. I'm dying the read The Hunger Games. Everybody raves about it!
DeleteOops! I mean Sara! With an irregularly spelled name, I'm usually much more careful about making sure I get the spelling of other folks' names right. :}
DeleteMy perfect hero is my husband and I wouldn't change anything about him. We've been married for 42 years and at first I didn't understand that when he'd get upset at times it was actually because he wanted everything to be right in our world. I'm sure part of it was because when we first got married he was in the Navy during Vietnam and he knew he wouldn't always be there for me.
ReplyDeleteThrough the years I realized that he would get upset when our children or myself had medical problems. At heart he is a problem solver and when things are out of his control to "fix" it's difficult for him to those he loves go thru a difficult time.
When our second son was born the economy was much like it is today and I had to return to work to help make ends meet. When I had to work nights or week-ends he became the caregiver to our sons. One day one of his friends asked him why he couldn't join them and when he told them he was taking care of the boys the friend said "Oh you have to babysit again". My husband replied "No I have to be a father".
That is why my husband is my hero. His family is the most important thing to him in the world and nothing comes before trying to make our lives the best they can be.
He is a true family man, true in his love of me, our sons, and now our grandcildren. Because of that love he has always also always found peace in also being able to help others even when we didn't have much ourselves recognizing that there are others with even less.
My husband, my hero.
jeannemiro@yahoo.com
Jeanne, that's really beautiful. What a lovely tribute to your husband. Thanks for sharing it! :)
Deletesounds like a great read. Looking forward to it
ReplyDeleteThanks, chilosa. Lovely of you to drop by today. :)
DeleteI get all excited about bad-boys. The real dark & dangerous kind of....antihero (is probably the best word). There's just something about these types of hero that attracts me; gets me all hot and bothered. As long as the heroine can stand up to him I'm game.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway & for making it international!
Greetings from Germany
Sasse (_yay_) @
BookthatThing!
Thanks for dropping in from Germany, yay! I do love a bad boy hero. Definitely it's why I lost my heart to Rachel Gibson's Nick Allegrezza. Another one of my fave bad boys is Bentley "Hell-Bent" Rutledge from Liz Carlyle's THE DEVIL YOU KNOW. He's positively delish!
DeleteStrong but tender and a little bit possesive haha, confident and with sense of humor!, that one is very important! Thank you so much for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteConfidence and a sense of humor are crucial, I completely agree Gisele. I love it when a hero can make a lady laugh, even when she tries hard not to like my Kitty. :)
DeleteAn ideal hero for me is protective, compassionate and has a big heart. He has strength but isn't overly confident. He is trustworthy.
ReplyDeleteCompassion is crucial, Na -- you're so right. I love a hero who respects women and all people because of their humanity. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteIt really depends on the type of hero. I have a thing for bad boy heroes but a sweet one can be good too. Depends on the story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
Cassandra, great point. I also love a hero depending on his heroine -- if he loves her the way she deserves. That goes a long way to making me fall in love with him too. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteIntelligent, caring, loves animals, has an open mind, strong, good communication, are necessities. The usual tall, dark and delicious doesn't hurt either.
ReplyDeleteThrow in Scottish and you've just described Leam, KWW. :)
DeleteWhat makes a hero is a good Heart. Thanks
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the movie The Replacements, when the coach Gene Hackman says what makes a great quarterback is lots of heart. :)
DeleteThe perfect hero is noble & bold. They are fearless, yet vulnerable.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Oo, nice, marybelle -- fearless yet vulnerable. I do love a hero with a vulnerable and noble heart.
DeleteHmm some must haves are a strong need to protect the weak and a strong body to do it! Dark sexy men are the best! Also I like when there is some flaw only the woman of his dreams can help cure him of! I don't like helpless women but strong women who give back to their men! I like a man who in the end realizes how special his woman is.
ReplyDeleteBrittanyG(at)gmail(dot)com
DeleteI'm with you on this, Brittany. A hero is only as wonderful as the heroine he falls in love with and the way he loves her. Thanks for commenting!
Deletesome keys for a good hero: humor, honor, loyalty, sexiness, caring, gentleness & strength
ReplyDeletecongrats on the release & creating a hero for us to love :)
Fabulous qualities for a hero, gamistress. And thanks for your kind words! :)
DeleteCongratulations on your new book! It sounds very good.
ReplyDeleteHandsome, funny, caring, alpha
hy katharine..
ReplyDeletehm...maybe he is must be gorgeous, strong (off course),gentleness, mysterious, loving, athletic, a stubborn some times and a little hardheaded....
thanks for the giveaway
success for you ^^
icha09(at)gmail(dot)com
Perfect hero for Me??
ReplyDeleteThe Beta Male that only loves Me the way I am.. ^^
Congratulation with your new Book..
and thank you for making it International Giveaway..
Regards
Perfect hero for me it is, handsome, great body, nah like my hubby.. i love anything that he had bad or good..
ReplyDeletethanks for giveaway...wish me luck:D
I like the bad boys, alpha males who are strong, confident, a little cocky, rakish, but who are also very dependable, loyal, protects others, and deep down has a great heart and just wants someone to love.
ReplyDeleteHonesty, good sense of humor, passion, loyalty, intelligence, sexy. I could go on and on but I'll stop there.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great. Can't wait to read it.
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
Tall, dark, handsome, and witty.
ReplyDeletePerfect hero for me is Handsome, Sexy, Smart, Courageous, Decisive and helpful :D
ReplyDeleteI love the alpha hero, tough untouchable man who has a vulnerability..and that vulnerability is his woman. Just makes me melt!
ReplyDeletethe perfect hero for me?
ReplyDeletestrong, passion, caring, mysterious and of course he is the man who love me most the way i am :D
thanks 4 da giveaway ^^ and congratulation
perfect hero .....sense of humor a bit of a bad boy but with a soft side for those he is close to and his woman...honesty and loyalty....passionate
ReplyDeletebabydoll82959307(at)aol(dot)com
I think he should be smart, compassionate, strong, honorable, honesty and also sexy :)
ReplyDeletethanks for the giveaway ^^
agustinakesuma@yahoo.com
Strong,protective,intelligent,Courageous,Passionate,hot....i would say an ALPHA!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the international giveaway!!
sweety225(at)rocketmail(dot)com