Interview and Giveaway with Starla Kaye of Their Lady Gloriana

Welcome to Sugarbeat’s Books!

Today we are going to be talking to Starla Kaye about her book Their Lady Gloriana.

Starla is giving away a cool piece of Medieval style jewelry to one random commenter on this tour. For more detail about the tour click HERE. Be sure to leave a comment to be entered! I’ll tell you more about the book after we hear from Starla!

Without further ado, here is Starla:

Barb – Tell me a little bit about Their Lady Gloriana

Starla – Their Lady Gloriana is a medieval romance about an abused young widow forced to marry another powerful warrior like her dead husband. She finds the inner strength to accept this marriage, warns him that she won’t stand for abuse again, and wishes only to be given a baby to love. Thomas doesn’t know how to live without warring. He has a son he barely knows, lost a wife in childbirth, and is basically afraid he can’t be a good father or a good husband. Then there is Rowan. He is the third person in this unique love triangle, also with some heavy baggage in his past. Somehow they must find a way to make it all work.

Barb – Which character do you most relate to?

Starla – I’m not sure I really relate to any of the characters since my life has been a pretty good one. I haven’t faced real cruelty from anyone in my family. I’ve only had the typical familial losses. My relationship with my husband and daughter are wonderful. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been around others who have experienced horrible things in their lives. I try to draw from emotions I’ve seen in others, try to put myself in a character’s position and think how they might feel. If I had to pick one of the three main characters that I feel the strongest bond to, it would be Rowan. I won’t go into my reasoning. I’d like each reader to discover on their own which character touches them most.

Barb – Without giving away the story, what was your favorite scene?

Starla – There were several scenes that I really enjoyed writing. Several were real challenges where I had to dig deep. Then with the help of my editor at Black Velvet Seductions, I dug even deeper. One of my favorite scenes was when Gloriana first discovers that her husband-to-be has intimate relations with his first knight. I won’t give away how she reacts, but I was very proud of her in that moment.

Barb – Do you ever run into someone who says: “You write WHAT?”

Starla – I think all romance writers face that question and the occasional gasping comment at one time or another. It used to bother me when I first started writing romance. But considering romance is the largest selling genre, those “gaspers” need to put a plug in it. Writers of romance don’t just write about sex, sex, sex. (Okay hard core erotica might come close sometimes.) We write about fictional people dealing with life, its ups and downs, the sad moments, the trying moments, and the beautiful moments. Personally, I have been a fairy tale romance fan probably from birth. I write romance because the everyday world has enough problems and unhappy endings, I write happy endings. (Barb’s doing a happy dance!!! Very well put – the gaspers need to put a sock in it – absolutely!)

Barb – What is your favorite genre to read and what are you reading currently?

Starla – I read a number of genres, but my favorite is romance, in many of the sub-genres. Currently I am making my way through the many Viking series books by Sandra Hill. I am really going to hate when I get to the last book.

Barb – Who are your cheerleaders?

Starla – My husband tells everyone he runs into that I am a published romance author, although he has never read any of my books. I also have a large group of local writing friends and we cheer each other on.

Barb – What project are you currently working on?

Starla – I write several stories at a time because I write for more than one publisher. Currently I am working on the follow-up medieval ménage romance story to this one, For the Love of Rowan, for Black Velvet Seductions as a Christmas 2011 story. I am currently writing a chapter-by-chapter published story, His to Love, for Bethany’s which is part of Blushing Books. And I am in the final editing stages of Starting Over to be part of the 1 NightStand series for Decadent Publishing.

Barb – If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be?

Starla – I write in many sub-genres of romance, but I would like to know what particular sub-genre they like best.

Barb – I can list all your contact points, what is the best way for your readers to keep up to date with your news?

Starla – Because I write for four publishers, the best way to find out my latest releases and news is to check out the home page of my website http://starlakaye.com. You can also check out Black Velvet Seductions

I’d like to thank Starla for dropping by and answering my questions today! Don’t you just love the answer to “You write what”? I’m constantly getting snickers from people looking at the covers of my books. She’s right, though, Romance is the highest selling genre – I think most of the people snickering are closet romance readers 🙂

Starla Kaye has worn many hats professionally and as a writer. She works part-time with her husband (who believes he is the model example for each of her heroes, “yes, honey, of course you are”) in an accounting firm. A gerontologist by degree, she volunteers in the community with a very active group of senior adults, who provide her with story ideas for senior adult romances she occasionally likes to write for fun. She is a multi-published author on-line in e-book and Print-On-Demand book form, writing as both Starla Kaye and S. K. Fero for Black Velvet Seductions, Blushing Books, Decadent Publishing, and Red Rose Publishing.

I know that I’m quite interested in reading this book! Here’s the blurb:

Think medieval times when honorable men must do what is required of them. Thomas Lancaster, a widower with bad memories of marriage and a young son he barely knows, is a hardened knight loyal to his king. In reward for his efforts fighting in the Crusades, King Edward gives him Middlemound Castle to hold for the crown. But he must marry the beautiful young widow of the castle’s previous lord.

Lady Gloriana Stewart suffered brutally in her first marriage and has no desire to marry again. She has no choice and must protect her people and obey her king. All she wants is for her new husband to give her a baby. Thomas refuses to even consider it.

Complicating the situation is Sir Rowan Montgomery, Thomas’s first knight, friend, and lover. Complicating the problem even more, Gloriana has feelings for both her new husband and for Rowan.

And so you can get a taste of Starla’s writing, here’s a short excerpt from the book:

Gloriana was a tiny woman, delicate, fragile for a man such as him. Thomas’s first wife had been a woman of fair size, not that he’d minded. They hadn’t been in love and he’d never grown to love her. She had managed his household well. His people had respected her, as had he. There had been no lustful feelings between them. This small woman drew him as no other before her ever had. He was both uneasy with that and glad, for they were to marry.

He heard Rowan’s heavy footsteps behind him as they walked toward the solar. The two of them had talked about Edward’s decree during their long ride from Tunis. Both of them had concerns. Neither wanted this marriage to affect their deepening relationship, but both knew it would. But Thomas would not give up Rowan. Somehow he had to make both situations work.

“She’s a pretty one,” Rowan said quietly. “I’m thinking ‘twill nay be a hardship to have her as a wife.”

Thomas considered what his friend said. He was certain he’d heard a touch of envy in his lover’s tone. As if he, too, well appreciated the petite beauty thrust into their lives. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

To his surprise, she faced him and thrust out her chin. “I feared Geoffrey every day of our life together. But, know you this, I will not endure that kind of life again. No man will ever treat me that way again.”

Thomas felt his chest swell with admiration. “You will never need to fear me, little one.”

After all my research into this interview and reading the excerpt, I’m now trying to figure out how to get a copy of this book into my house without my husband noticing yet another book……right…..I have a Nook *grins* He’ll never notice…..

Remember to leave a comment so that you can win in the giveaway, and her is the link for Amazon: