It's my pleasure to welcome NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Hawkins to The Romance Dish! The author of more than twenty humorous historical and contemporary novels, Karen is one of my go-to authors. Her newest book, The Taming of a Scottish Princess (check out my review here - I loved it!) releases today. You can find out more information about Karen, her books, her life and her obsession with Hugh Jackman (grin) at her website. You can also find her online at Facebook, on Twitter and at The Goddess Blogs.
Happy Release
Day, Karen! Those of us who have been enjoying the Hurst Amulet series are
delighted to finally have Michael’s story hitting the shelves. Please
tell our readers a bit about this series and what they can expect from The
Taming of a Scottish Princess.
Thank you! Release
days are always the awesomest days of all.
I'm so excited that
THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS has finally - FINALLY - hit the shelves. The
final book in the Hurst Amulet Series is a Regency set action adventure romance
with a good dash of comedy tossed in. My hero, Michael Hurst, has just been
freed from captivity by the energetic efforts of his siblings (see the first
three books in the Hurst Amulet Series: ONE NIGHT IN SCOTLAND, SCANDAL IN
SCOTLAND, and A MOST DANGEROUS PROFESSION) and is hot on the trail of the Hurst
Amulet, a long lost family heirloom.
As he always does,
Michael travels with his personal servants, which include his assistant, the
no-nonsense Miss Jane Smythe-Haughton, a woman so excellent at doing her job --
overseeing Michael's comfort -- that he hardly notices her. That is, he hardly
notices her until his search for the Hurst Amulet takes him to the remote Isle
of Barra and he begins to unravel the truth about both the amulet, and the
suddenly mysterious Jane.
I've waited so
long to meet Michael and Jane. What’s one thing you want readers to
understand about these two?
In the beginning of
the book, Michael comes across as a complete ass. And he really is a complete
ass because he's brilliant and knows it and is used to getting his own way. It
will take a huge transformation before he goes from 'sexy but still an ass'
status to 'sexy and hero material' status, but transform he does -- because of
Jane.
I thoroughly enjoyed that transformation!
Every book has at least one scene that stays
with the reader long after they’ve finished the book. What’s the one
scene you would never consider cutting from The Taming of a Scottish Princess?
Oh wow. That's a tough
one. Hmmm. I would never cut the scene where Jane and Michael first discover
the cliff on Barra. It was a ton of fun to write because I had to act parts of
it out using my couch as the cliff ledge so that I could adequately describe
it.
I would tell you more,
but that would take away the fun . . . but let me say for the record that my
two dogs are pretty sure I'm insane.
I'm sitting here laughing over you acting out that scene with your couch filling in as the cliff. Sure would love to see that on video! lol!
Your last two
multi-book series have told the stories of siblings. What inspires
you to write about families?
In addition to my
brother and sister and myself, my parents took both foster kids and exchange
students. At times there were fifteen or more of us in our little house. It was
rather like living at summer camp - loud, boisterous, and at times very exciting.
It really taught me to treasure my family and as a result, I find myself
writing about large families. I love that relationship dynamic.
Moving from the book
to the author; what’s one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?
Hmm. Maybe that I met
my new and improved Husband 2.0, aka Hot Cop, while researching one of my
contemporary books, TALK OF THE TOWN. I never thought of research as sexy until
I started interviewing cops.
If you could step into the life of any romance
heroine, who would you choose and why?
I would love to have
been in Jane's shoes and traveled through Egypt during the early 1800s. It was
an exciting time historically and culturally and the experience would have been
phenomenal.
What do you enjoy
reading when you’re not busy creating stories of your own?
Besides research books
(which I love), I always read contemporary romances while writing historical
romances and vice versa. Recently, I've been reading Rachel Gibson, Susan
Andersen, Christie Ridgway, and Susan Mallery. As soon as I'm off deadline,
I'll dive into Suzanne Enoch, Connie Brockway, Teresa Medeiros, Sabrina
Jeffries, and Madeline Hunter.
I read a LOT. I can't
imagine not doing so.
What’s up next?
The first book in my
new Duchess Diaries Series, HOW TO CAPTURE A COUNTESS. It's about a very
busy-body duchess who tries to match-make everyone she meets. HOW TO CAPTURE A
COUNTESS comes out in September.
Marking my calendar for September 18. It will be a perfect "Happy Birthday to me gift!" :)
Quick Six!
Salty or Sweet?
Salty! No,
sweet! No wait, salty! But I couldn't live without sugar, so ...
Both!
Mountains or Beach?
Mountains! I live near
a beach, but grew up in the mountains and I miss them.
Dogs or Cats?
Dogs! I have two
rescue dogs right now, Sadie and Po.
Alpha or Beta?
Both! I like to mix up
my hero-quotient. :)
Fly or Drive?
Fly! Hot Cop has his
pilot license so we fly often.
Tom Boy or Girly Girl?
Tom Boy with mud on my
jeans from sitting under a tree while reading a romance novel.
Thanks, Karen! Do you have a question for our readers?
Thanks, PJ!!! I've been thinking of writing a series of short stories just for fun. Do you like short stories? How long do you think a short story should be?
One lucky person leaving a comment today will win a signed copy of MUCH ADO ABOUT MARRIAGE and a THE TAMING OF A SCOTTISH PRINCESS t-shirt!