This week's guest author is Kate Bridges, an award-winning author of Alaskan-set romances who writes for Harlequin Historicals. Her newest is WANTED IN ALASKA.
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I hear you write Westerns set in unusual places. Tell us about that.
I'd love to--I write sexy historicals set in the American and Canadian West. Law and order was brought to the States by sheriffs and marshals. In Canada, we had the Mounted Police. So some of my books have Mountie Officers. Currently, I'm writing about the Klondike Gold Rush. I had a fantastic time visiting Alaska and the Yukon on a research trip for these books!
That sounds exciting. What was that like?
An experience I'll never forget. The landscape, the mountains, the smells were incredible. There were three rainbows arching across the sky when we landed in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. We rented a car and drove to Skagway, Alaska, on the coast. What I'll always remember most is the smell of the air. It was so pure and clean, and fragrant with flowers and woods, that every step brought a fresh new scent. There are more photos posted on my website.
What's the storyline of your latest release, WANTED IN ALASKA?
It's about an outlaw, Quinn Rowlan, who's desperate to get help for his wounded brother, so he kidnaps a nurse. He arrives at a masquerade ball in Skagway, asks Autumn MacNeil to dance, and before she can blink, he hauls her over the balcony. But he's made a big mistake. She's not a nurse and doesn't know the first thing about medicine.
Here's an excerpt from the opening scene, and you can read more on my website.
What's your hero like?
An exciting bad boy! He has a hidden occupation, besides being an outlaw, that is in jeopardy of being lost if he can't clear his name. Now he's made this horrible mistake in taking the wrong woman. She's furious, of course, and does everything she can to persuade him she can't help his brother.
And your heroine?
She loves her independence! For the first couple of years during the gold rush, women made up only 2 to 10% of the population. They were hardworking, bold and resilient. They opened their own shops. Some staked their own gold claims and became rich. Autumn is a singer in a hotel who dreams of owning the hotel. It's currently up for sale, but no male banker in town will give her a bank loan. So...she's struggling to find another way. Quinn has thrown a big wrench into her plans by whisking her away from Skagway.
At what point does she start falling for him?
When she realizes how intelligent he is, and that maybe he's not what he appears to be. He's able to quote legal passages from the Constitution. She's not expecting it from an outlaw, and so it begins a deep attraction and growing love affair.
What else have you got on the horizon?
More Alaska books! I just finished writing the second one in the contract. Although these books are set in the same region, they are each stand-alone stories. I'm also working on a novella, in a mail-order bride anthology that I'll be sharing with Carolyn Davidson and Jillian Hart--two of my favorite Western writers.
Tell us about the free book!
KLONDIKE WEDDING is from my recent backlist. The hero is a Mountie Officer and Veterinary Surgeon. In the opening scene, he's agreed to stand in as a groom in a proxy wedding, but gets accidentally married to the bride. Until a judge arrives in town to dissolve the marriage, they're stuck together. Anyone who posts a comment this week is eligible for the draw. Good luck and thank you so much for inviting me here today!
WANTED IN ALASKA is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Kate Bridges is an award winning historical author, with such honors as the Barclay Gold Award, CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, and several nominations from Romantic Times magazine for Best K.I.S.S. Hero of the Year and Best Western of the Year. Please visit her website and sign up for her newsletter to get the latest updates.
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Thanks for stopping by today, Kate! So...you need to leave a comment or question for Kate in order to have a chance to win a copy of KLONDIKE WEDDING. We'll draw the winner next Sunday. Good luck!
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Outlaw Quinn Rowlan is in desperate need of help for his wounded brother when he attends Skagway's fancy masquerade ball and kidnaps a nurse. Except that Autumn MacNeil is no nurse, and his reckless mistake could cost them their lives.***
Autumn is outraged at what this madman has done, and has a few tricks of her own for survival. What neither of them anticipates is how intense and meaningful every moment they spend together becomes. Slowly, they lower their guard, and set off on a dangerous adventure to set the world right.
I hear you write Westerns set in unusual places. Tell us about that.
I'd love to--I write sexy historicals set in the American and Canadian West. Law and order was brought to the States by sheriffs and marshals. In Canada, we had the Mounted Police. So some of my books have Mountie Officers. Currently, I'm writing about the Klondike Gold Rush. I had a fantastic time visiting Alaska and the Yukon on a research trip for these books!
That sounds exciting. What was that like?
An experience I'll never forget. The landscape, the mountains, the smells were incredible. There were three rainbows arching across the sky when we landed in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. We rented a car and drove to Skagway, Alaska, on the coast. What I'll always remember most is the smell of the air. It was so pure and clean, and fragrant with flowers and woods, that every step brought a fresh new scent. There are more photos posted on my website. What's the storyline of your latest release, WANTED IN ALASKA?
It's about an outlaw, Quinn Rowlan, who's desperate to get help for his wounded brother, so he kidnaps a nurse. He arrives at a masquerade ball in Skagway, asks Autumn MacNeil to dance, and before she can blink, he hauls her over the balcony. But he's made a big mistake. She's not a nurse and doesn't know the first thing about medicine.
Here's an excerpt from the opening scene, and you can read more on my website.
Dressed in black tails, elegant wool pants, a blue silk cravat and a spotless cream shirt that accentuated the intensity of his dark face, he'd walked into the masquerade ball at the Imperial Hotel shortly after eight. He'd tapped an older gent on the shoulder, appeared to ask a question, then both men had turned and stared at Autumn."Kate Bridges serves up a sensuous romance that generates enough heat to warm the icy Alaskan tundra." Love Western Romances
Autumn glanced away but her pulse strummed with excitement. Her lashes flicked against the velvet mask that covered her eyes. Such fun, after such a long winter. It felt exhilarating to be fooling everyone on this splendid Saturday evening. Even him.
(Excerpt from WANTED IN ALASKA, February 2009 Harlequin Historicals)
What's your hero like?
An exciting bad boy! He has a hidden occupation, besides being an outlaw, that is in jeopardy of being lost if he can't clear his name. Now he's made this horrible mistake in taking the wrong woman. She's furious, of course, and does everything she can to persuade him she can't help his brother.
And your heroine?
She loves her independence! For the first couple of years during the gold rush, women made up only 2 to 10% of the population. They were hardworking, bold and resilient. They opened their own shops. Some staked their own gold claims and became rich. Autumn is a singer in a hotel who dreams of owning the hotel. It's currently up for sale, but no male banker in town will give her a bank loan. So...she's struggling to find another way. Quinn has thrown a big wrench into her plans by whisking her away from Skagway.
At what point does she start falling for him?
When she realizes how intelligent he is, and that maybe he's not what he appears to be. He's able to quote legal passages from the Constitution. She's not expecting it from an outlaw, and so it begins a deep attraction and growing love affair.
What else have you got on the horizon?
More Alaska books! I just finished writing the second one in the contract. Although these books are set in the same region, they are each stand-alone stories. I'm also working on a novella, in a mail-order bride anthology that I'll be sharing with Carolyn Davidson and Jillian Hart--two of my favorite Western writers.Tell us about the free book!
KLONDIKE WEDDING is from my recent backlist. The hero is a Mountie Officer and Veterinary Surgeon. In the opening scene, he's agreed to stand in as a groom in a proxy wedding, but gets accidentally married to the bride. Until a judge arrives in town to dissolve the marriage, they're stuck together. Anyone who posts a comment this week is eligible for the draw. Good luck and thank you so much for inviting me here today!WANTED IN ALASKA is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Kate Bridges is an award winning historical author, with such honors as the Barclay Gold Award, CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, and several nominations from Romantic Times magazine for Best K.I.S.S. Hero of the Year and Best Western of the Year. Please visit her website and sign up for her newsletter to get the latest updates.
***
Thanks for stopping by today, Kate! So...you need to leave a comment or question for Kate in order to have a chance to win a copy of KLONDIKE WEDDING. We'll draw the winner next Sunday. Good luck!
