Thank you so much, Marian for hosting me here today. I’m
delighted to meet your visitors.
Gerri, I'm so Glad you're here today also. I read and loved Pirate's Ransom
1.)
Gerri, I like Catherine’s strength and how she
overcomes events out of her control. Was there any one person you modeled her
after (literary or real)?
Any
resemblance to anyone I may know is pure coincidence. I think some of me is in
her, but perhaps I flatter myself in thinking that. She does things I would do
in her situation.
2.)
Why would a gentlemen turn to piracy for a
living? Or is Edmund being a gentleman misleading? J
Ahh ...
I guess your blog visitors will just have to read the book to find out what’s
really behind that deliciously handsome
scoundrel, Pirate Captain Edmund Drake.
3.)
As an author now that you’ve completed, sold and
published your book, do you let the characters go? Or do they still live within
you?
I think
they will live within me, at least for a while. A fan recently asked me if I
was planning on writing a sequel ... so you never know.
4.)
How did you pick your genre, historical romance?
History
has always interested me and I love doing the research. I think about different
times in our history which in and of themselves were not romantic, but became
romantic because of the struggles of those living through them; times such as
the Civil War, The French Revolution, and of course, the times when pirates
sailed the seven seas. I like to think about the people who survived these
difficult times and it is their stories I yearn to tell.
5.)
Was there much research required to understand
the period and the speech patterns?
Most of my research was about ships of the
time, pirates, Blackbeard, his hideouts and his life and death. I also had to
do some research about different things I mention in the book and, of course,
the royals in power in London at the time. As for the period speech patterns,
they sort of flowed, but I had to be very careful not to over-do it with the pirate
speak. I know authors are not encouraged to write in dialect, but my editor encouraged
it and thought it was fine.
6.)
I don’t want to ask pointed questions that will
give your plot away, so I’ll stick with the characters. Why Blackbeard?
I had actually been to Blackbeard’s castle
so I could describe it. That remained in the back of my mind and as I thought
about the plot of my book I wanted to be able to use what I knew. When I
researched him I found Blackbeard was fierce to look upon and the more I found
out, the more I knew he would be the perfect notorious enemy.
7.)
Are you working on you next novel and is it also
a historical romance?
Yes, right now I’m doing some character
sketching and loose outline for a new work in progress, but I do have a second
novel being released in November. According to Legend is a time travel romance,
so I guess the answer would be, yes. I have not tried to write anything
contemporary, and I don’t think I would find it interesting.
Gerri, I’m sure my visitors would love a sneak preview into
A Pirate’s Ransom.
Excerpt:
Every man
upon the deck froze, then looked in their Captain’s direction. The Captain
turned back to face me, although with the sun in my eyes, I still could not
make out his features.
“A request,
Milady?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Yes, if you
please, Sir, kindly permit me to have my maid, Mary, accompany me, for
propriety’s sake,” I said in a strong clear voice, resounding with a courage I
certainly didn’t feel.
He laughed
and said, “Are there any others among you who wish to accompany the Countess?”
Silence
filled the air, and I chanced a glance at my father, who cast his eyes downward
and said not a word. Coward.
“I am certain
there is at least one among you who would be competent enough to deliver a
message to the Duke of Devonshire. Kindly advise His Grace that if he wishes to
ever see his lovely bride again, he shall pay a pirate’s ransom,” the pirate
lord’s powerful voice commanded.
“Begging your
pardon, Sir,” Smith muttered, taking a tentative step toward the pirate lord,
“but do ye mind telling us wot amount a coin a pirate’s ransom be?”
“Ah, Smith,
there you are. You have been most helpful in assisting me here today, and your
reward awaits you aboard The Lady. As for His Grace, Wentworth Simmons
is quite aware of what my ransom demands are. Now, Countess, would you care to
extend an invitation to any others to accompany you before we depart?”
My mouth
dropped open as I watched the wiry Mister Smith, my betrayer, scamper across the
plank and onto the huge pirate ship. Snapping my jaw closed, I allowed my eyes
to sweep the remainder of the crew and I dared a glance once again at my
father, whose gaze met mine briefly. But in that scant moment, I recognized his
silent plea, begging me not to name him.
Realizing the
pirate lord awaited my reply, I uttered a soft, “No, Sir. Just my maid, if you
would be so kind.”
“Very well, Milady, as you
wish.” Without another word, he strode off, his large frame disappearing into
the setting sun.
Buy links: Available at: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/kindle/dp/B0091PRUTO/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_eos_detail
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-pirtes-ransom-gerri-brousseau/1112651492?ean=2940015206692
Blog links : www.nightsofpassion.wordpress.com
I would also like to tell your visitors about a little
contest I am having at my website. If they are interested, they should visit my
website and click on “Claim the Ransom” and follow the directions to enter and for
their chance to sail away with the treasure.
