Swashbuckling pirate adventure, anyone?

Kathrese McKee, author of Mardan’s Mark

Nickname: No nickname

Genre: YA speculative fiction

Personal Philosophy: God gave us language to give Him glory.

Fave Scripture (& why): Proverbs 27:19 The way you live your life reflects what’s in your heart.

Fave Quote: There’s only one God, Ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that. — Captain America

In high school I was a… book nerd and band geek.

Kathrese – Freshman in college

Kathrese’s novel, Mardan’s Mark was released around Christmas. It has everything anyone could want in a book – great writing, a fantastic cast, pirates, princesses, adventure, romance, and danger. 

In this coming of age fantasy, seventeen-year-old Princess Srilani is prepared to die for her country, but she has to live long enough to make sure the heir survives.

After pirates abduct Srilani and her brother and sisters, they are stranded across the Great Gulf and far behind enemy lines. She convinces Aldan, the pirate captain’s slave, and his two brother slaves to share their perilous journey home.

These unlikely allies set out on a quest of heroes — against cutthroat pirates, merciless priests, and countless soldiers — to return the heir to his kingdom, but will coming home mean the end of happiness for Srilani?

Hi Kathrese! Whom did you have in mind when you wrote Mardan’s Mark?

I initially wrote Mardan’s Mark for my four children, but it was my fifteen-year-old daughter who kept the pressure on to finish the first book and keep going. I also wrote it for my thirteen-year-old son because there aren’t enough Young Adult novels written with boys in mind.

Can I get an amen, Tim Akers? 😉

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I want readers to have great memories of good times spent within the pages of my book, to remember the characters and how they overcame their troubles, and to understand God just a little better at the end of the story than when they began.

Which character is most like you and why?

Srilani because she loves to learn. In today’s world, she would be a nerd at school with her nose in a book until it was time to practice some other skill. She’s driven to master whatever skill is necessary to do her “job” as princess. That’s me. I think I have to be able to do it all myself, and it’s very hard for me to delegate responsibilities.

If you could meet one of your characters in real life, which one would it be and what would you do together?

I would choose Linus, and I would just follow him around for a week, pestering him with questions. He’s the most elusive character to get to know, even though I created him.

Ha! Linus is mysterious because he is so quiet. I really liked him a lot, but I think my favorite was Sam. 🙂

Thanks, Kathrese!

You can connect with Kathrese on her website, and on Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

GIVEAWAY: Kathrese is giving an ecopy to one lucky reader. Comment here to be entered in the drawing, and check out my blog on Monday for a second chance to win. 

TELL US: Your favorite pirate book or movie.