Friday, November 9, 2012

Interview w/ Samantha Kane + giveaway!!

Hey Everyone! Please give a warm welcome to Ms Samantha Kane!

She's stopping by to chat with us today about her new release, The Devil's Thief!

(it's amazing (and gorgeous!) so yall def need to check it out- and don't forget the giveaway down at the bottom!). 

The daughter of a reformed jewel thief, Julianna Harte knows a thing or two about stealth. When the foundling home she provides for finds itself in dire financial straits, Julianna is forced to do the unthinkable. In a bit of misguided Robin Hood derring-do, she slips through the window of a wealthy rake to search for a treasure she knows is there: an invaluable pearl. But when the towering and very naked occupant of the moonlit bedroom ambushes her with a bargain—a night in his bed in exchange for the pearl—Julianna doesn’t know if it’s masculine heat or sheer desperation that makes his terms so tempting.


Alasdair Sharpe had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain. Planning to offer his little cat burglar carte blanche instead, he promptly loses himself in the delights of unexpected pleasure. But when he awakes the next morning to find his family heirloom gone, fury quickly replaces sensual languor. Of course, Alasdair is more than willing to use seduction to reclaim his stolen pearl—and find the key to Julianna’s heart


Good morning Samantha! Thanks so much for coming by to chat with us today :)

I just finished reading The Devil's Thief and absolutely loved it. The way Alasdair and Julianna met was so unique and made for a wonderfully entertaining read. Could you tell us a bit about the new series and your inspiration for Alasdair and Julianna's story?
Alasdair and Julianna were first envisioned as the lovers in a different series, an erotic series that was focused around a group of girl friends who steal from gentlemen in order to keep their school open. That series was shelved for several years. Then I saw Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr. and the secondary character of Sir Hilary St. John, in The Devil's Thief, came to me. He's a Sherlock Holmes type character who is always involved in secretive inquiries for mysterious strangers, a hedonist and the unofficial leader of a group of rakes nicknamed The Saint's Devils, who have been friends since their school days. Once I had the Sir Hilary character and I knew I wanted the series to be centered around a group of rakes rather than young women, I dusted off Alasdair and Julianna's story and re-vamped it for The Saint's Devils.

I'm so glad you saw that movie :) One of my favorite things about the story was the relationship between Alasdair and his best friends Roger and Hil (oh I loved him!). They were so entertaining as a group and really held no punches with each other. Were they based off anyone you know and will the guys continue to play a part in each other's books? 
They weren't really based on anyone I know, but more on characters I've loved since childhood. I've always be fascinated by romantic comedies and buddy movies from the 1930s and 1940s and I tried to create that sort of atmosphere between the Devils. I would definitely say Roger Templeton is based on a young Cary Grant and the characters he depicted in those movies. You'll continue to see all the Devils scattered throughout each others books. Even though they all have families, the Devils are as much family to each other as their real brothers, cousins or sisters. 
You definitely pulled that feeling off. Love that we'll keep seeing the guys.

The opening scene was one of my favorites. I loved that it all started with such a bang. Do you have a favorite scene from the book? Or one you just loved writing?
There were so many fun scenes. I loved the scene in which Alasdair finally finds Julianna and she's desperately trying to hide from him. Any scene with Wiley, the young street gang leader and thief, was fun to write. The first scene was fun, too, because Alasdair was funny and flirty and lighthearted, and you don't really see that again until much later in the book.
 “What shall I call you?” he asked quietly as he stopped beside the bed. He reached out and began to slowly pull her shirttails out of her trousers. For a moment she panicked, worried he might find the pearl. Her breathing hitched when she realized he meant to undress her. She answered him quickly, trying not to think about what was to come, only concentrating on his question.  
“Juli—,” she began without thinking, only to stop in horror at the magnitude of her slip. She’d nearly given him her real name. How utterly foolish she was becoming in his presence. “Juliet,” she mumbled.  
Mr. Sharp chuckled and pulled her close again, laughing against her neck as his arms wrapped around her waist and one hand swept down to caress her bottom. “Juliet is it? And am I your Romeo?”
Ooooo you mentioned Wiley! I so feel for him and loved all of his scenes. I gotta know, is Mr. Wiley going to show up again in the series? Any chance he'll get his own book?
 Wiley is a wonderful character who happened by accident. He was originally plotted as a small secondary character. He was only in a few scenes as a sort of plot device to help Julianna navigate the criminal underworld and as comic relief. But he was so delightful to write, and my early readers loved him so much, that I increased his role in the book. He is also prominently featured in Tempting a Devil, the second book The Saint's Devils series which will be released next July. I'm planning a book in the series for Wiley after he grows up a little more.
*tries not to squeal in excitement over Wiley getting a book!!* You write another series, Brothers in Arms, which is very steamy and a bit different from your new release [for those who haven't read them they're historical menage]. Did you find the writing experience different as well? Were there any surprises along the way?
Well, Brothers in Arms is an erotic romance series and The Saint's Devils is not, so there is a marked difference between the two in terms of sexuality. I found it hard to close the door and fade to black, actually. LOL It took several rewrites before the sex scenes passed my editor's review. I found myself trying to imbue a sense of sensuality into every scene in The Devil's Thief, however, just as I do with my Brothers in Arms. That sense of anticipatory desire is something I like in my romances, both ones I read and ones I write. This may seem obvious to others, but I was surprised that removing the explicit sexual material in no way diminished how important sexual attraction was to the romance. There's still that overriding sense of desire and sexual longing between the hero and heroine.
Oooo I'd LOVE to see where those scenes started out because The Devil's Thief is still a very sensual and sexy read. I loved all the intimate moments :) I'm gonna be a little nosy but am dying to know. What do your friends and family think of the steamy bits in your books? Are they supportive of your writing in general?
 My parents can't read my erotic books, lol. They're incredibly proud of my success, but they just can't bring themselves to read the steamy bits written by their baby girl. They're very excited for The Devil's Thief because they think they'll be able to read it. We'll see. I haven't told them it's a bit steamy, too. :) The rest of my family is wonderfully supportive. My sisters and my sister-in-laws read every single book I write. They tell everyone they know about my books. A lot of people who know me are surprised to find out what I write. As one person said, I look like a childrens book author, not an erotic romance author, whatever that means.
Aw that's awesome they're all supportive. You're parents are too cute! I hope they love the new book steamy bits and all :) Okay, one last question... what 3 fun facts do you think readers would get a kick out of knowing about The Devil's Thief?
  1. Sir Hilary St. John is based on Robert Downey, Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes, but also on Thomas Jefferson. [OMG Samantha I can *so* see that!]
  2. Alasdair's family name, Sharp, is the actual name of a line descendants of Bonnie Prince Charlie, who is Alasdair's fictional ancestor in The Devil's Thief. 
  3.  Julianna's name was chosen because it's so similar to Juliet. Romeo and Juliet is a running joke throughout The Devil's Thief.
Just for fun lightning round:
  1. Strangest thing in your purse right now? A fan from Holden Beach, NC
  2. Favorite place to spend time? My front porch
  3. Sexy or sweet scenes? Sexy!
  4. Flip flops or high heels? Flip flops
  5. Most spectacular cooking disaster? Dinner every night. I keep outdoing myself. [::snort::]
  6. *Cats* or dogs? Cats [oh we knew we liked you!]
  7. Would you have been scandalous or a proper Lady back in the day? Proper, but secretly scandalous. I would have written gothic novels under a pseudonym. ;D
Bwaha oh love that last one! We'd so have read you too :) Thanks again for stopping by to chat Samantha!


~~Check out the Trailer~~


PreOrder Your Copy
Amazon     Barnes&Noble


Reviewers have called Samantha Kane “an absolute marvel to read,” and “one of historical romance’s most erotic and sensuous authors.” Her books have been called “sinful,” “sensuous,” and “sizzling.” She is published in several romance genres including historical, contemporary and science fiction. Her erotic Regency-set historical romances have won awards, including Best Historical from RWA's erotic romance chapter Passionate Ink, and the Historical CAPA (best book) award from The Romance Studio. She has a master's degree in American History, and taught high school social studies for ten years before becoming a full time writer. Samantha Kane lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children.

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Alright, kittens, I hope you enjoyed the interview & the trailer for the Devil's Thief

We've got an awesome giveaway for yall from Romance at Random today.
They've offered 2 preview Netgalley copies of The Devil's Thief!
Leave some love for Samantha & a way to reach you.

Open US only. Ends 11/16.

6 comments:

  1. Sounds great! I would love to enter your giveaway.
    lisa.2713 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Would love to be entered....the excerpts are wonderful.
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like an awesome read. Enjoyed the interview. I like that she likes cats and flip flops-sounds like someone I could hang out with. Wow I bet the parents knowing you write erotic is embarrassing but am glad they are supportive.
    lorih824@yahoo.com.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like a really good read, i'd love to win a copy! Thanks for the interview and giveaway!
    kacidesigns AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete

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~Anna

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