This morning it is my pleasure to welcome Katherine Longshore as she answers a few questions and then gives us a look at her new book, Brazen.
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What
do you like best about writing romances?
Kissing scenes! Because kissing can be so intimate and tell
us so much about the other person. It
engages all the senses and heightens most of them—smell, touch, taste. But more than that, I love romantic tension,
because it’s something so many of us can relate to. Will he kiss me? When?
How? What will it feel like? What if I hate it? Should I kiss him first? And then all the should-I-shouldn’t-I of
forbidden romance. I love being able to
keep my characters a little bit on edge—wanting. And then giving them a taste of it so they
want more.
What
is your favorite romantic story (movie/book. fact/fiction)?
I fell in love with A Room With a View when I was in high school—both the movie and the
book. Because…Italy. And Edwardian dresses. And forbidden love. And a romantic heroine who feels bound by her
class and society, but longs to break free and really be herself. Because it includes art and music and
philosophy and a terrifically romantic kiss in a meadow overlooking
Florence. Because there is humor and
sadness and the happily ever after feels true.
If
you could be any romantic heroine, who would it be and why?
I’d love to be Lucy Honeychurch from A Room With a View! But I think even more, I’d like to be
Scarlett O’Hara, just for a little while.
She may not always be entirely admirable, but you can’t deny that she’s
strong, and that’s what I love about her most.
Which
of your characters/books was the most fun to write?
In BRAZEN, I loved writing Madge
Shelton. She is one of Mary Howard (the
narrator)’s closest friends, and the one who encourages her to find love and
romance, whatever the cost. Madge is
irreverent and witty and completely at home with her sexuality. Her spontaneity often helps her achieve what
she thinks is her heart’s desire, but also occasionally gets her into
trouble. Most of all, she has heart, and
is a loyal friend, especially when Mary needs her most.
If
you weren't a writer, what would you want to be doing instead?
Something in travel. Ideally a travel writer, but I think that
falls under the writer category! Perhaps
a guidebook researcher or location scout for a tour company. I love traveling to new places and
discovering new restaurants and fun places to stay. Or possibly a guest lecturer on cruise
ships—though I’d have to know a lot about a variety of places, so I could
always be going somewhere different.
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Title: BRAZEN
Author: Katherine Longshore
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pub. Date: June 12, 2014
Pages: 528
Find it: Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, Goodreads
Mary Howard has always lived in the shadow of her powerful
family. But when she’s married off to Henry Fitzroy, King Henry VIII’s
illegitimate son, she rockets into the Tudor court’s inner circle. Mary and
“Fitz” join a tight clique of rebels who test the boundaries of court’s strict
rules with their games, dares, and flirtations. The more Mary gets to know
Fitz, the harder she falls for him, but is forbidden from seeing him alone. The
rules of court were made to be pushed…but pushing them too far means certain
death. Is true love worth dying for?
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About Katherine:
Katherine Longshore grew up on the northern California
coast. At university, she created her own major in Cross-Cultural Studies and
Communications, planning to travel and write. Forever. Four years, six
continents and countless pairs of shoes later, she went to England for two
weeks, stayed five years and discovered history. She now lives in California
with her husband, two children and a sun-worshiping dog.
Where you can find Katherine:
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Giveaway:
1 winner will receive all 3 books signed International
2 winners will receive signed copies of Brazen US Only
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Tour Schedule:
Week One
6/2/2014- Literary Exploration- Review
6/2/2014- The Anne Boleyn Files- Guest Post
6/3/2014- Romantic
Reads and Such- Interview
6/4/2014- Page Turners- Review
6/5/2014- Magical Urban
Fantasy Reads- Guest Post
6/6/2014- Parajunkee's
View- Interview
Week Two
6/9/2014- Gone With The Words- Review
6/10/2014- Tales of the
Ravenous Reader- Interview
6/11/2014- Bewitched Bookworms- Guest Post and Review
6/12/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
6/13/2014- Mundie Moms- Review
6/13/2014- Fiktshun- Interview
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