The time it was about Blackhearts

Posted January 29, 2016 by Stacee in Giveaways, Interviews | 33 Comments

I didn’t know much about pirates except that Blackbeard was a pirate and I really liked his battle flag.  The gorgeous cover for Blackhearts sucked me in and the writing and story was fantastic.  When it came time for blog tours I signed up for every one that I saw, but sadly didn’t get chosen for any of them. On a whim, I contacted Nicole to see if she had time to do an interview and she said yes!

Before we get to her answers, let’s check out the book.

23Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward “Teach” Drummond, son of one of Bristol’s richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There’s just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents’ deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she’s stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

Sounds good, right?

right

1. Give the elevator pitch for Blackhearts.

It’s a Blackbeard origin story. This means it’s PRE-PIRATE.

2. Where did the idea come from? 

The idea came from a vacation my family took in August, 2012, when we went to Charleston, SC. To prepare for the trip, I did some research and came across a story about Blackbeard. At one point, he blockaded the bay with his ships and held the entire city of Charleston hostage. His only demand was for medication. I thought this was fascinating, so I searched for more information about him, but there wasn’t much. Only the last two years of his life are known, snd so the idea for BLACKHEARTS was born.

3. Why do you love Anne and Teach and why should we root for them?

I love Anne and Teach, because they’re both strong, independent and they stand up for what they believe in. They don’t take crap from anyone and yet there is a kindness to them as well. Kindness is not a weakness and they recognize it. They just feel right together.

4. What was the weirdest thing you Googled while doing research?

What do weevils look like?

5. Without spoilers, what was your favorite scene to write?

Honestly, I really enjoyed writing all of the scenes between Anne and Teach. I wanted them to have a lot of “screen time” together, a slow burn that would lead up to their fist kiss. What was your favorite scene to read? {The kissing.  Duh.}

Speed [ish] round:

1. You get the call/email/letter that says you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes. 

Shock. Euphoria. Humility. Gratitude.

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

Food, water and a boat

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

Impossible to choose.

4. Who is your favorite book boyfriend and book BFF?

Duval from GRAVE MERCY. BFF would be Skeeter from THE HELP

5. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently? {Huge thanks to Bookish Broads for letting me use this question!}

Choose Jacob.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

10155877_1422600484661302_1934015811_nNicole was lucky enough to come with her very own best friend…she has a twin sister who can read her mind and finish her sentences for her.

At the age of 13, she went to Europe for the first time and it changed her life. She loves learning about different people, languages and cultures and speaks fluent German. She knows enough Spanish to get herself into trouble and can still read the Cyrillic alphabet from when she studied Russian.

She received her B.A. from Brigham Young University and has lived in Germany, Austria and two different places called Georgia. One is located on the Black Sea. The other is the state of Georgia where she now lives with her handsome husband and two beautiful children who continue to amaze her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Huge thanks to Nicole for taking the time! Make sure you’re checking out her website, following her on Twitter, liking her Facebook page, and adding Blackhearts to your Goodreads TBR shelf.

Blackhearts releases on February 9th and you can pre-order it here: Simon & Schuster | Indiebound | Barnes & Noble | Amazon  If you’ve already read it and loved it, make sure you’re vocal about it so we can get a sequel!!

Now.  Haven’t had a chance to read it yet?  I’m going to shove a copy in your greedy hands.  Contest is international, book will be coming from TBD, and additional rules are here.

**Good Luck!!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: , , , ,


33 responses to “The time it was about Blackhearts

  1. My only issue with being a pirate is hygiene. And actually health in general. If I could have access to perfect health care, I would like to be one. I love the ocean/sea, so if I can’t be a mermaid, I figure being a pirate is as close to that creature as I can get :D

  2. This is a great interview! And this book!!!! THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!! (I too enjoyed the kissing scene, but also all the bucket scenes). I shall be letting everyone know about the giveaway (since I already have my copy)!

  3. No… never in my life have I dreamed of becoming a pirate. Aside from the fact that you are almost always surrounded by water and you rarely see land, I don’t know how I would survive without the regular household stuff like a proper bathroom or fresh food (that is not fish). My survival and navigational skills also suck. And there’s also that terrifying possibility of a thunderstorm that might wreck the ship and kill everybody on board.

  4. Christina R.

    How awesome to be a pirate! but I don’t know how it would work in terms of plumbing etc!!!! but the book sounds awesome and I love a good story that focuses on characters :)

    thank you so very much :)

  5. OHHH THIS QUESTION. I am conflicted, my friend. Very, very conflicted.

    Being a pirate would be INCREDIBLY cool. I mean, the company, the adventure… the possibility of seeing mermaids. *flails* But also, the plundering, possible death, and running (sailing?) for your life 95% of the time.

    But who am I kidding? Uh, MERMAIDS.
    I’m sold.

    Thank you so much for the opportunity! xx

    Ash @ Teabears & Co recently posted: Chronicles at Hogwarts // Chapter V
  6. If I could be a well-groomed pirate with a fabulous hat, then I think I would be open to the idea. Nicole seems like a riot, and I cannot until “Blackhearts” comes out!

    Thanks so much for the chance to win this amazing sounding book!

  7. Gorgeous post Stacee. <3 I love that you managed to get this interview :) That is so awesome. I am so so curious about this book :D It seems amazing. I would love to win a copy so much. <3 You are the best for having so many giveaways. Thank you :D I would love to be a pirate, I think. Have always liked them. Sounds like fun :) Yet also a bit brutal, lol.

    Carina Olsen recently posted: In My Mailbox #222
  8. Emma A

    I don’t think I could handle being a pirate. I am one of the most squeamish people I know, so I doubt I could do any pirate activities, and not eat boat food. But I sure think they are cool!

  9. The (YA) Bookcase

    Hey Stacee!! Wow…pre-pirate pirate book? In YA? That sounds awesome! I’m in! I recently ordered the new Ruta Sepetys book and am looking forward to reading that. I’m currently reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (I know, I probably should have read that wayyyy before, but nevertheless i’m really liking it so far!) Btw, I am totally missing the book blogger world. Hope you are enjoying some good books lately! ~Rachel

  10. I am glad I read your interview. I had no idea this was about his pre-pirate days. Now I want to read it. I would not want to be a pirate, even though I love boats and being on the water, because I don’t think they bathed all that often and the ship’s food wasn’t all that great. Thanks for the fab contest!

    La La in the Library recently posted: THE SUNDAY POST #44
  11. danielle hammelef

    I could never be a pirate, but that doesn’t mean I don’t reading about them–they make the best characters!

  12. Theresa

    fantastic interview! I’m really looking forward to reading this book!
    not sure if I’d want to be a pirate or not. I’d give it a try! =)

Leave a Reply

(Enter your URL then click here to include a link to one of your blog posts.)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.