But the show has one thing the books don’t and that’s a half-naked Travis Fimmel, who plays the main character, Ragnar. We all know I’m a historical slut, so when a show can combine my love of history with some half-naked Vikings, I’m SO there.

*Spoiler Warning*

There are a few story-telling aspects of the show that I’m struggling with—the main one being Ragnar’s disloyalty to his wife, Lagertha. She’s only given him one son, you see, which means she’s failed miserably in Viking baby-making department. From the story-telling aspect, it would have been nice to see why having more sons is so important to our hero. Is it a Viking thing, or is he just being a jerk? If he were being pressured to have more sons due to his (recently) elevated position, for instance, then I might understand. But it just seems to come out of the blue, which makes the writer in me very unhappy!

So, needless to say, I don’t expect a happily ever after for Ragnar and poor Lagertha, but then again, the show isn’t a romance (unfortunately!), so one must be prepared for heartbreak!

And to celebrate, I’m giving away a signed ARC of The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore! All you have to do to win is hop over to the “extras” page on my website and fill out the form. One winner will be drawn on April 30th, 2013.

THE DUKE’S DESIRE

Simon Hawkins, duke of Trent, is no stranger to scandal. Rumors and innuendo have darkened the House of Trent for decades, and it has fallen to Simon to restore his tattered family name. He lives by a strict code of honor, but when he is called home to investigate his mother’s disappearance, the distinguished duke will tangle with temptation. For there waits the only woman he has ever loved-and the last woman he should desire . . .

Sarah Osborne has spent her life dreaming of Simon’s touch. But dukes do not long for lady’s maids-or so Sarah believes, until a stolen kiss sparks a passion that could be her ultimate undoing. As the couple begins a forbidden romance, a cunning enemy plots to destroy the duke and everything he loves. Now, caught in a blackmailer’s web, Simon faces an agonizing choice: sacrifice his family’s future or break Sarah’s heart.

One quick Google search later and this sexy hunk had a name—Paul Marron! I’ve heard his name before—my bestie, Jennifer Haymore, has had him on several of her Grand Central covers, but I had no idea how versatile he was!

I borrowed this collage from the Realms On Our Bookshelves blog:

He can be anything you want–a vampire, a Highlander (in a kilt—yum!), a sword-wielding warrior, a mercenary…and in every scenario, he’s shirtless and glistening. Yeah. That’s inspiration. You’re welcome.

So after all that prep work and over 100+ pictures, there are maybe two decent pictures in the whole bunch. Two. To help you understand why I’m having so much trouble picking one, I’ve posted a few of the shots below…

(These pics are coming out a bit grainy and I’m not sure why. I’ll have to figure that out later).

Here I am “fluffing” my hair like Kristen instructed me to do.

Blinking is not a super great look for me.

Here I am itching my nose. Classy, I know.

This one is great, except, uh…what’s up with my right eye?! It looks…droopy.

This is my pretty face. Tell me it wouldn’t make an awesome author pic! The pink background really brings out my immaturity.

And finally, one that might be decent if we can fix the lighting. It looks a little blown out.

And this one is okay too, except my head is tilting to the side and back a little too much.

So, that’s done and I’m so relieved. I hate taking pictures, I really do. It’s right up there with going to the dentist or doing laundry. Holding that fake smile is a special kind of torture and I’m SO glad it’s over. Phew!

And in the spirit of fun, this is the unofficial blurb for the as-yet-to-be-named third novella:

Bold and adventurous, Gabriella Weatherfield has a bevy of suitors…and all of them, quite frankly, bore her to tears. Until, at her best friend’s house party, she is introduced to the handsome recluse, Nicholas Montgomery, coldly known as the “unseducable” duke of Somerset. During a night of fun and revelry, Gabriella’s friends challenge her to a dare…with nothing but her irresistible charms; she must win a kiss from the duke!

Nicholas is secretly intrigued by Gabriella, but when he overhears the reckless beauty accept a scandalous dare involving him, it’s a temptation he simply can’t ignore. Someone needs to teach the vixen a lesson and he’s just the man to do it. Trouble is, Nicholas craves more than just a kiss–he hungers for Gabriella, body and soul. But when she discovers his painful secret; a secret he has been keeping his entire life, he is forced to make a choice that could mean certain ruin or losing Gabriella forever.

I don’t have a firm release date yet, but I believe it will be out in the fall/winter of 2013. Woot!

This is the shelf in its entirety, mostly. There’s one more shelf above with a few research books—one of my favorites, Courtesans by Katie Hickman is up there. You’ll notice my little library is almost entirely bereft of how-to books (if you have spidey-vision and can read the impossibly small titles), and that’s because my right brain rebels against them. I can’t read one for the life of me. My good friend and fellow author, Cheryl Holt, has always told me the best way to learn the craft is to write a book, edit it, then write another one, and so on. Practice and repetition is the key.

I am a sucker for research books, though. I have some on Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology, life in the middle ages, and courtesans in Regency England. One of my other favorites is What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool. I’ve heard you have to be careful with that one, though, as it tends to intermix Regency and Victorian facts. I haven’t come across that, but I always double-check my facts anyway (or try to, to the very best of my ability).

The very top shelf is where my treasured romance books are housed. I recently culled this shelf, so it’s looking a little sparse at the moment, but some fixtures on my shelf are: A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore—Jen is my crit partner and a good friend, and this was her debut novel, so it has a special place of honor on The Shelf. Also up there are several Cheryl Holt novels, Vicky Dreiling, Sophia Nash, Tessa Dare and countless others, mostly Regencies, though I am a fantasy and paranormal nut too. These are my how-to books. These are the books I turn to when I ask myself “How is a good romance written?”

So that’s it! My little writerly library!

To celebrate Pride & Prejudice’s 200th birthday, I thought I’d talk about my favorite Pride & Prejudice moments. I say moments, because while I love the book, it’s the 1995 A&E/BBC production that I watch almost obsessively. There’s just something about Colin Firth in tight white pants that sings to my soul. Ladies, you know what I’m saying.

So, without further ado, my top three Pride & Prejudice moments.

1. Elizabeth and Darcy meet. Mr. Darcy does not make a great first impression. He’s like that hot guy in high school that was too cool to give you the time of day. I’d probably weep with self-pity if anyone rejected me like Darcy rejects Elizabeth in that scene. But Elizabeth just laughs, which is what makes her one of the most awesome heroines evah.

2. Skipping ahead quite a bit—Darcy at Pemberley. We get to see Darcy in a far more sympathetic light when Elizabeth visits him at his ridiculously large estate. The maid raves about him, first of all, and then there’s the house itself. My God, what woman wouldn’t swoon after seeing that? And there’s “the look.” Just try to walk away now, ladies.

3. The wedding. I’m a sucker for that sweet kiss at the end. This is probably my most favorite part of the whole movie—the hard-won happily ever after. Swoon!

Don’t forget to hop on over to the other Pride & Prejudice birthday blogs here!

Thanks for stopping by! ~Kate