Free Gift of Desire by Samantha Kane, Kate Pearce Page A

innocent well-bred young ladies who get us shot.”
    “I got shot. Not you. And you have never been disappointed in any of my choices.”
    “I was greatly disappointed in Mathilde, since she got you shot.”
    Oliver sighed. He sounded so long-suffering that Nick had to grit his teeth against his annoyance. “Before I was shot, you were not disappointed,” he pointed out, irritatingly patient. “And I readily admit she was an ill-conceived choice, but how was I to know her ancient husband was such a good shot? Spaniards aren’t known for their accuracy, after all.”
    “But they are well-known for their passionate tempers,” Nick ground out. He shook his head. “I knew that, too, and should have said no.”
    Oliver grinned conspiratorially. “She was worth it, no?”
    “No.” Nick’s reply was flat but adamant. “And neither is this one.” He pleaded, his hands outstretched. “Please, Oliver, not again. There are plenty of merry widows who would gladly share our bed. Please leave this Lady Vanessa alone.”
    “She looked so…isolated,” Oliver mused. “As if she lived separate from the world.” He looked at Nick then, and Nick was frozen by the desolation in Oliver’s face. “I know that feeling. She’s very lonely.”
    And that was that, wasn’t it? If Oliver wanted Lady Vanessa, then Nick would help him get her. For both of them.

Kate Pearce interviews Samantha Kane
     
    Introduction:
     
    When my first book, Eden’s Pleasure came out with Elloras Cave in 2005 I had a lot of feedback along the lines of “Ooh, you remind me of Samantha Kane!” And I was like,
who is this woman
? I checked on the EC site and there she was. She had a series called ‘Brothers In Arms’, which was set during the Regency period and featured
two soldiers returning to one woman
.
     
    I downloaded that sucker as fast as I could and read it on my PC, (no ereaders in those days) and I LOVED IT.
     
    And when I finally got to meet Samantha she turned out to be funny, witty and great fun to hang out with on a dance floor. Over the years we’ve kept in touch, occasionally been up for the same awards together and been proud of each other’s success. Last year at the Romantic Times conference we were laughing that somehow we’d morphed into the Grand Dames of Regency Erotic Romance and were considered trailblazers by all the young things. So this interview is to set the record straight on how Samantha Kane came to be…
     
    1. Did you always want to be a writer?
     
    Yes, I did. I was in a creative writing class all the way back in elementary school, and entered a local writing contest in 4th grade with a poem about a man who kills his wife. (I don’t have that poem anymore. Not sure why. Perhaps my parents felt it was too macabre.) I went on to write for both my high school and college newspapers, including editorials, and finally gathered the courage to write a book when I went off to graduate school.
     
    Funny story, last year at a New Year’s Eve party we were playing one of those silly games where you pick a card and everyone has to answer a question. The question was, what did you want to be when you grew up? My answer: a writer. One woman looked at me and said, “Fuck you for living the dream.” LOL
     
    2. Did you ever imagine you’d end up writing erotic Regencies? (I didn’t)
     
    No, not really. The first book I wrote bordered on erotic, though I didn’t know it at the time. I didn’t even know that particular genre existed. But I pushed some envelopes and people who read it told me how hot it was. (That book is still awaiting rewrites, as most writers’ first books are.) But then I discovered Ellora’s Cave and erotic romance and it was as if the heavens opened and inspiration rained down upon me. *cue harp music here*
     
    3. Do you
feel
like a Trailblazer?
     
    Actually, sometimes yes. I know the modest answer would be no, but I’ve sworn to tell the truth to the best of my ability. The fact is,