Ask the Author: Katherine Bone
Answered Questions (10)
Katherine Bone
I apologize I'm just now seeing this question. In 2020, I read Jane Austen's books and some classics. I'd been wanting to do that for some time and was so happy I got the chance to revisit my favorite stories. This year, I've been reading The Discovery of Witches, The Duke and I, and plenty of historical research on the Regency period.
Katherine Bone
Our youngest went to Auburn, so I have to route for where our money went. LOL! How about you? Auburn or Alabama?
Katherine Bone
Thank you for asking this question!
I'm split between a few books actually. I would love to live inside Susan Kay's Phantom. She take The Phantom of the Opera's Erik and Christine and delves into the mystery of their romance. The BEST story, one that compliments Gaston Leroux's book. There's so much angst and passion between Erik and Christine in this book.
Secondly, I would love to be part of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester's world or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's world. The social conventions of the day, rigid principles, and hidden passion that bounce between the characters makes a riveting adventure set against a quiet world of epic beauty.
Though I will say I prefer the modern conveniences we're afforded today to dank tunnels below an Opera house and the Regency era. Heehee!
Blessings, Katherine
I'm split between a few books actually. I would love to live inside Susan Kay's Phantom. She take The Phantom of the Opera's Erik and Christine and delves into the mystery of their romance. The BEST story, one that compliments Gaston Leroux's book. There's so much angst and passion between Erik and Christine in this book.
Secondly, I would love to be part of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester's world or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's world. The social conventions of the day, rigid principles, and hidden passion that bounce between the characters makes a riveting adventure set against a quiet world of epic beauty.
Though I will say I prefer the modern conveniences we're afforded today to dank tunnels below an Opera house and the Regency era. Heehee!
Blessings, Katherine
Katherine Bone
Ahoy, Lady Cynthia! Thank you so much for contacting me! It's always great to talk to readers, authors, especially other pirate authors. Woot!
To answer your question, keeping things fresh and trying not to 'same o' is super hard, I know. I try to remind myself that there are only 5-10 original stories in the history of storytelling. That helps to minimize the pressure. LOL! It helps that my brainstorming partner writes Urban Fantasy, though she loves to read historicals. She keeps me on my toes and helps me veer from the norm. Strange though it may sound, the collaboration totally works!
Most times I find a compelling piece of history and then say, "What if?" For instance, the idea for my Nelson's Tea Series started when I discovered Admiral Nelson was never without his tea, even during battle. Immediately, I thought it would be cool that 'tea' was a code name he used for mercenaries/spies and when he asked for tea, it meant something else entirely.
In my Regent's Revenge Series, I borrowed the idea of Robin Hood and the Dread Pirate Roberts. With smuggling rife on the Cornish coast, who better to help than a man willing to disguise himself. And even better, men who operated under the guise of the Black Regent, fulfilling obligations before turning the duty over to another hero.
Also, I asked my readers what they wanted to see in pirate romance. (Highly suggest doing the same.) Their suggestions helped me to build a storyverse based on those tropes.
Key to keeping things fresh will be your voice, your life experiences, your view of piracy, your take on heroes and heroines, your perspective on emotions and adventure, and how you weave all of this together while writing your book. What helps me is digging into my life experiences and using those to fuel my characters, keeping in mind that people are the same no matter where they live, past, present, and/or future. The only difference is their environment; be it war, peace, etc.
I hopes this helps you in some way. I was just thinking the other day, how can I keep things fresh. It's definitely a journey. Just remember that no one sees things like you do. Tap into the well of life you've experienced and create a world of AWESOME!
Blessings, Katherine
To answer your question, keeping things fresh and trying not to 'same o' is super hard, I know. I try to remind myself that there are only 5-10 original stories in the history of storytelling. That helps to minimize the pressure. LOL! It helps that my brainstorming partner writes Urban Fantasy, though she loves to read historicals. She keeps me on my toes and helps me veer from the norm. Strange though it may sound, the collaboration totally works!
Most times I find a compelling piece of history and then say, "What if?" For instance, the idea for my Nelson's Tea Series started when I discovered Admiral Nelson was never without his tea, even during battle. Immediately, I thought it would be cool that 'tea' was a code name he used for mercenaries/spies and when he asked for tea, it meant something else entirely.
In my Regent's Revenge Series, I borrowed the idea of Robin Hood and the Dread Pirate Roberts. With smuggling rife on the Cornish coast, who better to help than a man willing to disguise himself. And even better, men who operated under the guise of the Black Regent, fulfilling obligations before turning the duty over to another hero.
Also, I asked my readers what they wanted to see in pirate romance. (Highly suggest doing the same.) Their suggestions helped me to build a storyverse based on those tropes.
Key to keeping things fresh will be your voice, your life experiences, your view of piracy, your take on heroes and heroines, your perspective on emotions and adventure, and how you weave all of this together while writing your book. What helps me is digging into my life experiences and using those to fuel my characters, keeping in mind that people are the same no matter where they live, past, present, and/or future. The only difference is their environment; be it war, peace, etc.
I hopes this helps you in some way. I was just thinking the other day, how can I keep things fresh. It's definitely a journey. Just remember that no one sees things like you do. Tap into the well of life you've experienced and create a world of AWESOME!
Blessings, Katherine
Katherine Bone
Ideas come from so many different places. My most recent book was My Lady Rogue, A Nelson's Tea Novella #2. Simon and Gillian deserved another segment of their story. In this book, another four years have gone by. Nelson's Tea is a tight-knit unit now, twenty strong. They've seen hardships, weathered several missions to protect King George and England's southern coast from invasion. But what happens when someone within Nelson's Tea turns rogue?
I'll be honest and say that I'd never intended to write Simon and Gillian's story. A reader asked, "When is Simon getting a book?" I quickly commented that the series featured Percy, Henry, and Garrick, then realized... wait! Yeeaauuss!!! While I'd been writing Duke by Day, Rogue by Night and The Rogue's Prize, Simon had taken on a life of his own. He deserved his time in the sun. And what an adventure his life became! He is the pivotal reason Admiral Nelson began Nelson's Tea!
One question, sent by a reader. A wonderful journey. Epic goodness, me hearties! How did Simon and Gillian fall in love? Why couldn't they be together? What drew them to one another? How did a man who held honor above all else acknowledge that love when he was already married to somebody else? The questions spiraled forth and soon I had the answers. I'm so in love with this couple that I'm planning on writing another novella for them! This one will be a Christmas story. Huzzah!!!
I'll be honest and say that I'd never intended to write Simon and Gillian's story. A reader asked, "When is Simon getting a book?" I quickly commented that the series featured Percy, Henry, and Garrick, then realized... wait! Yeeaauuss!!! While I'd been writing Duke by Day, Rogue by Night and The Rogue's Prize, Simon had taken on a life of his own. He deserved his time in the sun. And what an adventure his life became! He is the pivotal reason Admiral Nelson began Nelson's Tea!
One question, sent by a reader. A wonderful journey. Epic goodness, me hearties! How did Simon and Gillian fall in love? Why couldn't they be together? What drew them to one another? How did a man who held honor above all else acknowledge that love when he was already married to somebody else? The questions spiraled forth and soon I had the answers. I'm so in love with this couple that I'm planning on writing another novella for them! This one will be a Christmas story. Huzzah!!!
Katherine Bone
I'm currently working on the third book in my Nelson's Tea Series, The Rogue's Surrender. So much has happened in the past few years that I've had to keep putting this book on hold. I'm nearing the finish line now, me hearties, and hope to have this book done soon!
I'm also working on several other projects too. One, in particular, is for a boxed set due for release on January 4th, 2016. Oh, you're going to love this one, me hearties!!!
I'm also working on several other projects too. One, in particular, is for a boxed set due for release on January 4th, 2016. Oh, you're going to love this one, me hearties!!!
Katherine Bone
Oh, to never be afflicted! Seriously, it happens to everyone, me hearties. Life gets overwhelming and family emergencies happen. Sometimes going through a very difficult editing process can fry the brain cells. In those instances, I urge writers to go back to the basics. Where did you originally get inspired? Turn on your favorite movies. Watch for goal, motivation, and conflict, or simply enjoy. Read. Read. Read. Go back to your craft books or take a workshop. Get inspired by going to the beach, taking a vacation, playing with your kids or grandkids.
Simply put. When the mind shuts down, you must refill it. Breathe in life's goodness in order to relate it to the page. Think of your joys, heartbreaks, achievements and know you CAN. Raise the signal flag on your mast and sail to adventure!
Simply put. When the mind shuts down, you must refill it. Breathe in life's goodness in order to relate it to the page. Think of your joys, heartbreaks, achievements and know you CAN. Raise the signal flag on your mast and sail to adventure!
Katherine Bone
The absolute best thing about being a writer is experiencing the adventure along with my characters! I write escapism. When I was a young military wife and my husband was called away on duty, leaving me alone to care for our four children, I needed to escape, to believe that my rogue would return, to have that happy ending I so desperately desired. I truly believe people NEED happy endings. Years ago, as I devoured romance novels, other authors helped me through very tough times by providing that escape, distance from my fears, sadness, and loneliness. If I can achieve a smidgen of that with my readers, I'll consider that a wonderful success!
Katherine Bone
The best advice I can give aspiring authors is to surround yourself with people who will not play you false. What do I mean by that? Motivate to activate. Believe to receive. Do not allow anyone to derail your dreams. Engage in conversations with those who have your best interests at heart. There are many people in the industry and outside of it who want you to fail. Sad to say, but it's true. Write from the gut. Don't write to trends or what your friends think you should write. If you have a story to tell, dig into craft, take online workshops targeted to your genre, attend conferences, join writing and critique groups. Learn. Learn. Learn. And finally, the best advice I can give anyone withstands time. "Never, never, never, never, never give up." ~ Winston Churchill
If you want to really get jazzed about your dreams. Invest in Churchill's quotes. Write them down and post them near your computer monitor or laptop, me hearties. Also, post this there too. The 4 D's. Desire. Determination. Dedication. Discipline.
ARRRR!!! Turn pirate and show them how it's done!
If you want to really get jazzed about your dreams. Invest in Churchill's quotes. Write them down and post them near your computer monitor or laptop, me hearties. Also, post this there too. The 4 D's. Desire. Determination. Dedication. Discipline.
ARRRR!!! Turn pirate and show them how it's done!
Katherine Bone
I get jazzed about historical tidbits. Simple things inspire me, like learning Admiral Nelson never went without his tea. If tea was that important to him, why couldn't 'tea' be used as a signal to call in his mercenaries, men he used to help him protect England's shores? As soon as I asked myself that question, my Nelson's Tea Series was born.
Never disregard anything you come across, whether it's a great emotional moment in a movie or book, something you've seen on the news or read in a magazine. Snag those moments. Right them down because you will forget them. Use it or lose it. Books come to life when you give them a foundation in truth.
Blessings!
Never disregard anything you come across, whether it's a great emotional moment in a movie or book, something you've seen on the news or read in a magazine. Snag those moments. Right them down because you will forget them. Use it or lose it. Books come to life when you give them a foundation in truth.
Blessings!
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