Guest Author (+ a Giveaway): Sharon Cullen – Female Pirates

Posted February 9, 2013 by Holly in Giveaways, Promotions | 6 Comments

Before I wrote The Notorious Lady Anne, I was searching for a story that turned the norm upside down. I wanted a strong heroine who led her own life just the way she wanted, all wrapped up in a time period where that was considered…well…wrong.

For years I’ve had a fascination and love of pirates and what better way to combine the two. Except when I started researching female pirates, I wasn’t seeing what I wanted. 


First of all, women were considered bad luck on pirate ships and were not allowed on them unless they were in port. Well, that wasn’t going to work for my heroine. To be a pirate captain, she needed to be on a pirate ship. 


As with male pirates, reality is quite different from fiction so I quickly realized that I would have to take some creative license with Lady Anne. I wanted her tough, but vulnerable, strong enough to sail a ship and captain some tough men, but also soft enough to capture the interest of her hero. She needed to be bullheaded because how can you not be bullheaded to succeed in this career? (Actually, the bullheaded part was the easiest to write, so that wasn’t a problem.)


And it all had to sound realistic. Which means her motivation to become a pirate had to override everything.
Of course only the right man could see through the strength to her softness, see through her toughness to her vulnerability. And when he cut through all the layers, watch out! 


Writing Lady Anne’s character turned out be very fun. I liked breaking down the preconceived notion of what a historical heroine should be. I liked that on the ocean, on a ship full of pirates, the rules of society were nonexistent and other, more primitive life and death rules took their place.


So was born Lady Anne, my tough, sensitive, strong, vulnerable heroine.


What do you like to see in a romance heroine?



After earning a degree in journalism from Ohio University, Sharon found the stories inside her head were more interesting than what was going on in the world around her. Yet, it wasn’t until years later that she decided to pursue her secret dream of writing a romance novel. Since then she’s been published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance and contemporary romance and historical romance.

Sharon’s other job descriptions include chauffer, laundress, cook and mediator to her three very busy kids, her husband and two dogs. She lives in southwest Ohio with her brood although her dream is to someday retire to St. Maarten and live on the beach.
If you’d like to find out more about Sharon and her books, you can visit her at her website. She’s addicted to social networking so you can find her on Facebook and Twitter. Friend her! Like her! Follow her! She’d love to hang out with you and talk about her passion—books.

**Giveaway Alert**LoveSwept has graciously offered a 30 NetGalley preview of The Notorious Lady Anne to one lucky commenter. Leave a comment answering Sharon’s question from above for a chance to win. Please note: you must include a valid email address with your comment to eligible. Winner must have a NetGalley account to claim their prize. Contest ends 2/13/13 @ 11:59pm. 


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6 responses to “Guest Author (+ a Giveaway): Sharon Cullen – Female Pirates

  1. What I want to see in a heroine?

    Strength–which doesn’t mean she has to be shrill and acidic and bitter and hateful (don’t get me started, UF heroines).

    A sense of self–or the journey to it. Self-awareness is priceless.

    Enough sensitivity to bend when necessary, and enough pride not to bend on a whim.

  2. Non-traditional heroines are so interesting. I like to see intelligence, independence, capability and loyalty in characters. Lady Anne sounds wonderful!
    mochfly(at)swbell(dot)net

  3. Ooh..this story reminds me of Skye O’Malley from Beatrice Small!

    I love a strong heroine who still has a soft spot for that special guy in her life. I like one who can take charge, but can also hand over the reins if the situation calls for it.

    Thanks for the chance to win.

    suegaluska (at) yahoo (dot) com

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