PIRATE OF MY HEART - Jamie Carie - Free Book

Welcome, Jamie. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

When I was fourteen my friend’s mother gave me a historical romance novel, The Flame and the Flower, by Kathleen Woodiwiss, and I was smitten. I fell in love with love stories, particularly historical romance and read them by the grocery sack full for years. When it came time to try my hand at writing my own story I didn’t even have to think about it. I wrote what I knew and loved – historical romance. So why inspirational? I’m a preacher’s daughter and Biblical teaching tapes were playing in the background of my whole childhood. When I was thirty, a stay at home mom and creatively somewhat bored, I tried to read Christian romances and didn’t find (aside from Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers) what I was looking for. So I decided to try and write my own story, the kind of story I wanted to read – lots of passion, not preachy but with the faith elements organic to the characters and a historical feel for that time and place that would sweep readers (myself included!) into another world. It is the perfect fit for me.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Besides my wedding day and the birth of my three sons? That would have to be the day Thomas Walters, editor at B&H Publishing, called and told me, “We would like to publish your book.” I didn’t really believe it until I held Snow Angel in my hands, my first born daughter (all of my books are like daughters to me). It took me two years to write that first book and then eight years to see it published. My road to publication was a long, arduous walk of faith and persistence. I praise God He didn’t let me give up!

How has being published changed your life?

Dramatically! I have a full time job now and, to be honest, I don’t have time for much else in my life right now. It has cost me hobbies and friendships, time and emotional exhaustion but the rewards are indescribable. I just keep clinging to God and His plan for my life and know if I follow Him I will be fulfilling my purpose on earth. 

What are you reading right now?

Studying everything I can about Italy, specifically Tuscany and Carrara and the famed marble caves there. Also, the devotional, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. It’s keeping me grounded every day and reminding me to cling close to my Savior’s hand through this life journey.

Sarah Young did another book, Dear Jesus, I used it the next year after I used Jesus Calling. What is your current work in progress?

I am so excited to be working on book three, A Duke’s Promise, in my first series! It’s called the Forgotten Castles series and is a story about a young woman who has been told that her treasure hunting parents are dead and that the powerful Duke of St. Easton is now her guardian. (Book one is The Guardian Duke – out February 2012, book two is The Forgiven Duke – out July 2012 and book three is A Duke’s Promise – out September 2012, so you won’t have to wait long in between books!). Lady Alexandria Featherstone doesn’t believe her parents are so ill-fated and takes off on a three-book journey over Ireland, Iceland, and Italy to rescue them. Adventure, romance, some comical side characters that my son Seth helped me dream up and God’s loving redemption! It’s my best work to date, I think!

I'd love to feature your series on my blog. Contact me. What would be your dream vacation?

After my recent studies of Ireland, Iceland, and Italy, I think a European tour! Alexandria lives on Holy Island in Northumberland, England, so I would like to start there. Then trace her steps across Northern Ireland through Belfast, Killyleagh (you should see the castle there!) and Dublin. Next stop Reykjavik, Iceland, and see the geysers, hot springs and mountainous volcanoes, then off to London for a few days and then tour the Tuscan area of Italy. Sigh. Can you tell I’ve been imagining it?

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Just whatever I’m curious about at the time. I love learning about new places and getting to armchair travel around the world with my characters. Right now I am interested in Regency Europe but I love American settings too! I will be writing another Christmas novella later this year and I’m thinking of coming back to Philadelphia for that one (this novella will tie in with my second book, The Duchess and the Dragon).

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Laura Kinsale. She writes secular historical romance and oh my, can she write! Whenever I am stuck and need inspiration, I pick up one of her books and just open to a page and start reading. I try really hard not to get swept up in the story and then there goes my day – lol – but just study her sentence structures and descriptions and dialog and well . . . you can see that I LOVE her work!! Flowers from the Storm is my all-time favorite romance novel.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I like to garden (my backyard is lovely this year!) and hang out with friends. Shoe shopping and well, clothes and jewelry shopping too, when I have the time! J Trying new restaurants with my husband and boys. Recently, we bought mountain bikes and are taking up biking as a family activity. I hadn’t ridden a bike in years and was pretty nervous about tackling those trails but it is so much fun and great exercise! I want to do more of that this fall.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Some days it’s just getting started. I have to get really determined and tell myself that even if the writing is bad that day I can always go back and fix it. I’m writing faster than ever to get this series out in time and it is requiring hard discipline! Sometimes it’s sheer guts and determination getting those words on the page.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

Pray. Read. Write. Repeat as necessary and follow your path to publication. Everyone has their own path, just stay persistent. If it’s your calling and you have enough talent, you will get published eventually.

Tell us about the featured book.

Pirate of My Heart is a fun, passionate read! After writing a few intense stories I needed a break and something that is a romantic, adventurous page turner. Here’s the back copy blurb:

She gave up everything for a chance at true love . . .

When her doting father dies, Lady Kendra Townsend is given a choice: Marry the horrid man of her uncle’s choosing or leave England to risk a new life in America with unknown relatives. Armed with the faith that God has a plan for her, Kendra boards a cargo ship and soon finds herself swept away by the rugged American sea captain Dorian Colburn. But this adventurous man has been wounded by love before and now guards his independent life.

He wasn’t prepared to give up anything for anyone…

No swashbuckling man needs an English heiress with violet-hued eyes to make him feel again or challenge his faith with probing questions—or so he thinks. It is not until Dorian must save Kendra from the dark forces surrounding her that he decides she may be worth the risk.

Please give us the first page of the book.

PROLOGUE

Arundel, England 1777

      The grey clouds of dawn shivered against the paned glass of the castle, shrouding the three figures at the side of the four-poster bed in an eerie light. The raging storm of the night before had settled into a dreary misting rain though an occasional jagged flash of lightning flaunted its power, not yet ready to relinquish its right to ravish the leaden sky.  Dim light clung to the faces of those inside the bedchamber where the very walls seemed to echo the anguish felt inside the room.

       All that could be heard in the chamber was the shallow, labored breathing of the one abed. A frail creature, now, pale and lifeless after the travails of childbirth. The others included the old family doctor, Radley, who hovered beside his patient and friend of many years with a strained look in his eyes. Hovering in the shadows was Bridget, the lady's long-standing nurse and companion.  But their suffering was not to be compared to the tall, handsome gentleman who knelt at the woman's bedside, her hand clasped in his; a haunted look in his eyes that attested to the fact that he too feared the end was near for his beloved. 

How can readers find you on the Internet?

Website: www.jamiecarie.com

Blog: http://jamiecarie.com/blog

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamie.carie

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/jamiecarie

Google “Jamie Carie” for lots of reviews of my books!

Thank you, Jamie, for the fun interview.


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Pirate of My Heart: A Novel


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