Guest Blogger, Katherine Bone on Rogues

I first met Katherine Bone at the Heart of Dixie Romance Writers of America chapter and was amazed at her tireless work  for not only the HOD chapter, but the Southern Magic Chapter as well. Organized, calm, friendly, and ready to lend a helping hand, Katherine kept things moving and shaking behind the scenes. It is my great pleasure, to welcome Katherine into the spotlight to dish about her intriguing debut release, Duke by Day, Rogue by Night. Without further adieu, give it up (that means buy the book!!) for my friend, Katherine Bone ~

Thank you for inviting me here today, Debra! ;)

I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to alpha males with a penchant for adventure, sacrificial love and devotion to duty, honor and country. That’s why I write Regency romance. The Regency period embodies age-old traditions of family, temperament and the importance of destiny. I think that can be said of the paranormal romances Debra writes too.

Ideally it’s the goal of every writer to discover what makes a great hero. That is, of course, what a reader desires, a hero willing to give his last breath for the one he loves. The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, The Origins of American English Words states that the word hero dates from 1550 and means “men of superhuman strength, courage or agility.” The first recorded use of the word in a story, poem or play dates to 1697.

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm describes heroes that “underlie our present-day consciousness, expressing these profound ideas in terms of individual biographies and events in comprehensible terms. The legend of heroes endure from age to age, and hold our attention because they dare to go to the extremes of human terror and delight.”

Mythological heroes showcase different aspects of human nature and writers can easily tap into these prototypes for ideas because readers intrinsically relate to them. For instance: Orpheus is the grief-stricken hero; Jason, the quest seeker; Zeus, the shapeshifter, fooling lovers and enemies alike; and Prometheus, Theseus, and Leander typify the self-sacrificing hero.

In my debut release, Duke by Day, Rogue by Night, Percival Avery embodies all these heroes combined. He’s the grief-stricken brother searching for his sister’s killers. He’s the mission-centered warrior, chameleon and secretive rogue disguised as both pirate and fop in order to keep his enemies and the ton at bay. And through it all, he’s sacrificed his own happiness and the success of his mission for one woman, Lady Constance Danbury.

In this day and age, we welcome heroes home from war, scarred psychologically and emotionally, but eager to return to their normal lives. We see firemen do amazing rescues from burning buildings or policemen curb riots in the streets. We instantly recognize heroes because they are the foundation of humanity. That’s why I write historical romance. To celebrate the heroes that laid the groundwork for the heroes of today.

 

Do you have a hero in your life? What one thing draws you to a hero in a romance novel?

One lucky commenter will win one of my treasure chests full of chocolate and bubblegum doubloons, a pocket watch, stress bone, journal, pirate hat, bandana, and more. 

Be sure to leave your contact info in your comment so you can be contacted in the event you’re the winner!

Duke by Day, Rogue by Night

Constance Danbury is fleeing an arranged marriage to lecherous Lord Burton, a man who has blackmailed her father and is nearly twice her age. Her escape takes her aboard a merchantman bound for Spain, where she hopes an aunt will help her procure funds to save her father’s dwindling reputation. But fate intervenes. Constance is captured by a pirate with a wit and stubbornness to match her own, and a secret he’ll do anything to keep.

Nobleman Percival Avery is a member of Nelson’s Tea, an elite group whose members are first sons from every tier in society. Undercover, he disguises himself as a pirate to infiltrate the gang of cutthroats responsible for his sister’s death. But when his vessel attacks a merchantman with valuable cargo, Percy is forced to choose between vengeance and saving the life of his commander’s niece, Constance Danbury. Mutiny is sure to obliterate his well-laid plans. It also aligns him with the one woman sure to see through his disguise. Forced to play the fop by day to outwit his enemies, he masquerades as a rogue by night in order to avenge his sister’s death – and to win his true love’s heart.

 

Buy Duke by Day, Rogue by Night

Bio:

Katherine Bone is addicted to history and romance. Raised an Army brat, she had the great fortune to marry an officer and travel the world. After raising four children and putting down roots in the south, the muse came calling with abandon, complete with swashbuckling adventure, mayhem, and Alpha males too impressive to ignore.

www.katherinebone.com
@katherinelbone

“Unclaimed Baggage” The Unredeemable Hero

When does overcoming adversity become baggage no sane heroine would claim?

Romance readers love a strong, alpha hero. They love it when he’s tortured, has a past of loving and losing and when he finally lets go to allow himself to fall in love with the heroine, it makes the happily ever after all that much sweeter.

But where does the alpha hero’s dark past cross the line into just plain creepiness from which he can never be redeemed in the eyes of a heroine? (provided she isn’t TSTL too stupid to live)

Above all, heroes must be and act heroically. They must own a clear, concise motivation if they behave in ways society would label bad. In other words, if he’s a killer, he better have a damn good reason. Think Josey Wales who, when driven to revenge, hunts down and offs all the miscreants who murdered his wife and son. Everyone can identify with Wales and his need for vengeance.

What makes a hero unredeemable?

• Acts of violence toward women, children or animals
• Overrun by flaws and outrageous ego (no narcissists in romance, please! a selfish  man is inherently unsexy)
• The cheater, liar – Can you ever look at Tiger Woods the same way again?
• The racist – nuff said about that one, ick factor!

The list is doubtless longer but those are a few examples of a character a writer should only take on as a villain.

When I was working on Scarlet Widow, I based one of my heroes on DeWitt Smith (click HERE for more info) a Civil War soldier, who was driven to revenge by the brutal murder of his beloved cousin. My character, Hardin Barksdale, was as hard on the outside as they came, a ruthless killer hellbent on avenging his murdered brother, but his motives were incongruously heartfelt. His emotions ran terrifyingly deep and this was evident in the love he felt for Molly, his brother’s widow.

Here’s an excerpt from Scarlet Widow~

Hardin stood and began collecting his clothing. An upsurge of panic swept Molly. “Where are you going? You’re not leaving?”
His gaze shot to hers. “Not yet.”
Her shoulders dropped as some of the tension waned. Her heart skittered at the look in his eyes.
He seemed amused as he nestled her face in the palm of his hand and tilted her chin up. “Don’t worry, darling. Greer will marry you now. Propriety be damned.”
Before Molly could speak, Hardin brushed a kiss across her lips. Instinct spurred her to respond but clarity sunk in. She drew away. “That’s not why I—”
But he cut her protest short with another, deeper kiss that caused her toes to curl. When he finally pulled away, the expression on his face had changed. No longer was he the flinty, angry Hardin she knew. The ice in his eyes had melted. The tension in his jaw had softened. “I need to say something.”
She searched his eyes for a clue as to what he was about to reveal.
“I can’t do what I’m about to do without telling you this,” he confessed.
“Hardin, don’t,” she said, knowing he was on the verge of telling her everything about seeking revenge on the men who’d murdered Witt.
He blew out a warm sigh that fanned her cheeks. “I shouldn’t be telling you this but I need you to hear it.”
“Hard—”
He touched his finger to her lips. “I need you to know that I love you, Molly.”
Everything inside her stopped. Her heart. Her breath. She moved her lips to speak but no words would come. She’d waited a lifetime to hear these words but now that she had, she knew his declaration held a denial that would break her heart.
He continued. “It’s because I love you that I have to let you go. I’m no good for you, Molly. No matter what I do, I could never deserve you.”
Feeling as if an iron band gripped her heart, she shook her head.
“But Witt did. And Greer does,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper before he pressed a kiss to her forehead and left the room.
She stared after him, heedless of the tears coursing down her cheeks.

Tough…or tender? If she follows her heart, she won’t have to choose.
Molly has forever lusted for all three Barksdale brothers, but could never choose. Instead, scandal chose for her, and she married the youngest of the three. Then the brothers go to war, and Molly finds herself a grieving widow when her husband is murdered by a merciless band of Union soldiers.
Hardin Barksdale is hell-bent on avenging his brother. Greer Barksdale is honor-bound to protect his home. They both want Molly—and this time, they’re willing to share. The temptation is seductive, the passion sizzling. In harsh, post-war Tennessee, their nightly forbidden trysts wield the power to heal them all—if they can escape the twisted desires of a man bent on seeing all three of them dead.

Click HERE to read an excerpt

Digital Ebook

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