An Elf, A Pirate And His Ship. 'Steele Your Soul' by Decadent Kane.

Blurb

Stolen souls, an evil drow elf, a dark eyed beauty named Pepper, and a king who doesn't take kindly to the loss of his goods...Captain Joren Steele has his hands full.

When Pepper set out for the day, the last thing she expected was to come face to face with a pirate. But when she locks eyes with the Captain, she's ready to let him pillage or plunder whatever he wants. At least until his drow shipmate decided to steal her for himself. 

Captain Joren Steele has a love for his ship, money, and females, usually in that order. When Pepper steps into his life, he's certain his love 'em and leave 'em status will remain intact. But when he discovers she's a victim of the drow, he has to make a choice: his ship or the elfess.

Excerpt

Pepper slammed into something solid. "Oaf." She fell on her rear and looked up.

Joren stood in front of her, tall, dark, and so hot. 

"What are you doing, Tide?" His voice came out low. 

Pepper peeked behind her. The drow had stopped. 

"She's mine, pirate. Hand her over. You work for us. You have to do what I say." 

Joren grinned. "Ye poxy bilge-sucker. I don't listen to ye. I help your king. He pays me to carry the cargo, not to hand over ladies to ye." His chest puffed out, and he set his legs apart, ready for a fight. 

The drow didn't comment. Instead, he stepped over Pepper and slammed himself into Joren as he stomped off down the deck. Joren didn't budge or turn around to watch the elf go. His features softened, and he bent down on one knee in front of Pepper. Her heart skipped for an entirely new reason. 

"Three saves in one day, me beauty. Ya owe me." He smiled and held out his rough hand to her. 

She took it. "Three? I recall two. The crates and just now. Besides, I had the drow under control, so really, you saved me from the falling crates." She smoothed out her clothes and flipped her hair back. She should thank him, but he was so smug, looking over at her as if she was on the menu of his sexual dining experience. 

Joren chuckled. A low sound, which lifted his shoulders. "Three, elfess." He pulled her grandmother's bag of spice from his front pocket and dropped it into her hands. He winked at her. "Iffin' ye had that drow under control, then what ye be doin' at me feet no more than a moment ago?" 

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "You stepped in my way." She tucked the brown pouch into her pocket. She wanted off this wretched boat. She turned around and stormed away. The last thing she needed was to encourage a pirate. What did they do again? Oh, kill and loot, or pillage and plunder? 

A hand spun her around by the elbow, and she found herself face-to-face with Joren and those blue eyes. He grabbed hold of her chin with his fingertips. "Wait a minute. I don't even get a thank you?" He frowned. 

"Thanks." Pepper set her jaw. 

"I be needin' something a little better than that. Tide will be back, and I will pay the brunt of saving your sweet little ass." 

"What do you want?" She tried to break free, but he held fast. 

"This." He bent over and claimed her lips with his own. 

~~~~~~~

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Pirates, Romance, Fantasy and a Con? Read the 'Ten Ruby Trick' by Julia Knight!

Julia Knight  is an author of Fantasy and Historicals, both with romance and without.  Her newest work ‘Ten Ruby Trick’  is available from Carina Press. 




So where do you hail?  Where are you from?


I’m a Brit – I was born and brought up in Sussex, UK. 


What inspired you to write this book? 


Two characters popped into my head. They were partners in a con, but pretending they hated each other to make it work, teasing and needling each other because it was more fun that way. I wanted to find out who they were conning, and why. 


Do you have a specific writing style? 


I don’t think so – it varies with what I’m writing. I tend to write a very limited perspective, so the reader only knows what each POV character knows, and I get right into their heads when I can. Other than that, it’s pretty open. 


What is the name of your latest book? 


And how did you come up with the title? Ten Ruby Trick. It’s the name of a con my pirates used to run , and pretty much the first thing I knew about the book. 


What is Ten Ruby Trick about? 


The deep, philosophical answer would be trust and betrayal and the nature of free will. :D But actually it’s pirates and wizards and a con gone wrong. A magical heist caper if you will. 


Here’s the blurb: 


Privateer Van Gast thrills in capturing treasure; delights in pulling off elaborate scams; and has an outrageous reputation with the ladies. But there is only one woman for him: fellow privateer Josie—seductive, brave and unpredictable. He's hoping to make their relationship permanent, until he raids the wrong ship. Now slavers are stalking him, his crew is verging on mutiny and Josie has disappeared. 


When she reappears with a new mark wanting Van Gast's help running the ten ruby trick con, he senses trouble. It seems like Josie has joined up with mage-bound slavers to turn him over to their Master. Van Gast is about to take the biggest risk of all—and find out the true meaning of trust and betrayal.




What books have influenced your life most? 


Ooh loads! I was entranced by the Arthur tales growing up. Lord of the Rings made me swoon at the beautiful use of language. I love some of CJ Cherryh’s books for her complicated, flawed heroes that you can still fall for. Those really made me want to write heroes other people could fall for. I’m still a bit in love with Vanye.


Did you find the idea of having your work published for others to read intimidating?  If yes, why?  If no, why not?  


A bit of both, if I’m honest, There’s always a fear – especially with the first – what if people think it’s awful, or maybe point and laugh? Lol. But it gets easier, especially once you realize, there are people who think my favourite books are rubbish. You can’t please everyone. 


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? 


I think CJ Cherryh, for her heroes. With some added Terry Pratchett, because I love a bit of fun in fiction. I want to be Nanny Og when I get older.  


What books are you reading now?


Lots! I just got my first e-reader (yes, I know, shameful. I’ve been reading e-books on my PC up till now.) So I’m running rampage through the Gutenberg Project (out of copyright works, a lot of classics) and spending way too much money at publisher’s sites. I’ve got a CJ CHerryh on the go, a Fritz Lieber, a couple of Carina titles and an SF on the go. 


What are your current projects? 


I’ve recently finished an historical romance-about Vikings. And now I’m back to my pirates for a follow up to Ten Ruby Trick, called Find the Lady. Vikings and pirates-all I need now is ninjas and zombies for the full set. 


Do you find that international audiences are different from your home or native country's audience?  


Yes and no—everyone loves a good story. What I’ve written up till now, I’d say not. I write action adventure with more or less romance in it. Adventure for romance readers, if you will, and I think that translates okay. I’ve certainly had positive responses from both sides of the Pond. But I’ve got a project brewing, a mainstream fantasy that I think will be very much British in tone. Sometimes that translates over to the US, and sometimes not. We’ll see. If I manage to sell it!


Do you see writing as a career? 


Absolutely – but it’s fun too. I treat it seriously, but try to enjoy myself at the same time. 


If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? 


Do you know, I don’t think I would. It’s the only thing I’ve ever written that I didn’t harbour secret doubts about. 


Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?


I’ve always had stories running around in my head. It never occurred to me to write them down, until I was struck down with ME. With no energy for anything else, I took to writing to alleviate the boredom. 


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?


All of it, and that’s why I love it so much. Though when writing a second book in a series, I do struggle with how much of the first to reference etc. 


Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it? 


I want to be a pirate…:D I learnt a lot about pacing, and all different sorts of tension, from the big OMG! The world as I know it is going to end! To the little tensions, the flirty smile, the wanting to do something you know you shouldn’t. 


Do you have any advice for other writers? 


Perseverance is everything. 

Julia, Thanks For Dropping By!


You can find Julia and her work on the web at:

Carina: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/C8656FB6-0CC6-4A0E-BB9E-9789EA4DD7EB/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=B04C32CC-F086-4B28-A510-1483A254C0C5

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Ruby-Trick-ebook/dp/B004GB1T7W

Website http://juliaknight.co.uk

Twitter @Knight_Julia