Last few days to enter contest for copy of Erin's books + My Unfair Lady

Just sending out the word--my contest featuring the wonderful Kathryne Kennedy will be closing on New Year's eve.  Of course each month I offer a new contest, but you won't have the chance at Kathryne's book. To enter my contest, go to http://www.erinquinn.info/ and click on the contest link. It's that easy.

I'm looking for new topics to blog about in 2010.  If you have a question you'd like answered by an author--let me know and I'll see if I can answer it myself or find an author who can.  If you would like me to interview YOUR favorite author, drop me a line.  I love talking to new authors and would love to bring fans together with writers.

And don't forget....HAUNTING WARRIOR available for preorder now!  I'll be posting a contest for preorders soon so just hang onto your proof of purchase to enter.

Sending wishes for the happiest new year ever your way!

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays!

It's hard to believe it's that time of year again, but whether we believe it or not, the time is here.  I have all my Christmas shopping done, my cards are in the mail (and a day earlier than last year which means they MIGHT arrive in time for Christmas, ha ha).  I have a page count to hit today and then I'm officially on vacation!  I'm hoping to do some baking and spend some quality time with my amazing family. 

I find myself feeling overwhelmed by the many blessings I have in my life.  I hope you find yourself in the same, humbling, wonderful place.

Whatever your religion, whatever customs you celebrate, I wish you the happiest, merriest of times.  May your life be filled with love, respect and many rewards.  And to all a very Happy New Year!

PS:  Don't forget it's cold out there, even if you have a fur coat.  Bring your pets indoors!  Pictured above, Nala (the Wonder Lab), Buttercup (aka Bean from HAUNTING BEAUTY) and Pixie (the 8 pound, 14 year old toothless Alpha of the pack)

Erin

Welcome Kathryne Kennedy!

I'm so excited to have one of my all time favorite authors on the site today.  Kathryne Kennedy is the author of the Relics of Merlin series, acclaimed for her world-building and best known for her historical paranormal romances. Her latest release, MY UNFAIR LADY combines her wonderful characters that are her trademark with a delightful glimpse into Victorian England. 

Welcome, Kathryne!

Kathryne:  Hi Erin! Thanks so much for having me here on your blog today! I’m really looking forward to visiting with you! So, let me just jump right in to the questions that you asked me:

Erin:  Works for me.  First question:  Most authors have an original idea that sparks the creation of a novel. For MY UNFAIR LADY, what was that spark?



Kathryne:  The movie, MY FAIR LADY, based on Shaw’s PYGMALION. Being a romantic at heart, I was kinda disappointed in the ending. I wanted a true happily-ever-after! But it was the theme of the story that inspired me more than the plot itself. Must a woman transform herself to find a man to love her? Will changing your outward appearance have any effect on what’s truly inside of you? And more importantly, do we place too much emphasis on outward appearances, and not enough on an individual’s character? I wanted to explore all those questions in MY UNFAIR LADY, and had fun exploring them with my outrageous, knife-wielding heroine, Summer Wine Lee.

Erin:  I loved Summer Wine Lee.  She had such personality and energy.  I loved her gusto for life.  Next question:  You know I'm a huge fan and one of the things I love best about your books is the breadth and depth of your imagination. You think of things I'd never even dream of. Does that creativity just come from brain to fingertips, or do you have some process for finding such fresh and creative ideas?

Kathryne:  I was blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view! My poor husband…if he’s late 10 minutes, I’ve got him in a car crash, laying on a street somewhere bleeding from several wounds…you get the idea) with an over-active imagination. Thank heavens I had my writing to turn my imagination to!

So, I start out with creating the world, which is always such fun, and then once I start writing, all the details just start to flow through. A lot of it comes from my characters. For example, in my upcoming Georgian Fantasy romance series (THE ELVEN LORDS, book one, THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER), I had two secondary characters pop up in the book, and I gave each of them an extraordinary magical ability.

(Erin:  Unscheduled break from your station sponsor--THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER is FABU-LOUS!  I got to sneak preview and love, love, loved it!  Comes out in July 2010 if you're wondering....  Okay, back to the interview.)

Kathryne (continued):  And then later on, those abilities actually affected the plot. It wasn’t planned, it just happened through the story and characters. Now the hero’s abilities, that of fire magic, was planned from the beginning, as were the heroine’s ability to perform death dances. So I guess it’s half planned, and half not. :}

Erin:  What inspires you?

Kathryne:  Phew! I wrote an entire blog post for Fresh Fiction on all the things that inspire me! They come from anywhere and everywhere. But, I’m so glad you asked the question, because there was one thing I forgot when I listed them. Music. Now, I don’t listen to music when I’m writing (I’ve heard a lot of authors do) because I have to visualize myself in the world, and then I tell my reader what I’m seeing. But, songs do inspire me. For THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER, there’s a song by the rock band HEART called MAGIC MAN, which inspired my hero, General Dominic Raikes (He’s got magic hands, mama.)

Erin:  Did I mention that I was in love Dominic.  :-)  Okay, next question, Favorite recent books that you've read and have stuck in your mind long after you put them down?

Kathryne:  HAUNTING WARRIOR, by Erin Quinn (I’m one of your biggest fans, and feel honored to have read it before its release!),

Erin:  Yay!  You just made my whole darned month!!  Thank you!

Kathryne:  SOULLESS, by Gail Carriger (Fun, amazing and romantic), KUSHIEL'S MERCY by Jacqueline Carey (all of her books astound me), SLAVE TO SENSATION by Nalini Singh (a dreamy, passionate romance).

Erin:  I have SOULLESS on my nightstand and can't wait to read it.  KUSHIELL'S MERCY I haven't read yet, but am adding it to my list.  Love Nalini Singh--big fan of her too!

Kathryne:  Thanks so much for asking such great questions, Erin! I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of the first book in my Victorian Fantasy romance series, THE RELICS OF MERLIN, ENCHANTING THE LADY, to one lucky reader. 

Erin:  And I'll throw in an autographed copy of ECHOES OR WHISPERS (readers choice) and a $10 gift card!  To enter the contest, go to http://www.erinquinn.info/Contest.htm

Bonus!!!  Leave a comment for Kathryne and be entered twice in the contest!

Kathryne, thank you so much for stopping by and chatting!  Readers, if you haven't yet read Kathryne Kennedy, you don't know what you're missing.  Her books are amazing!  Hope you have enjoyed this interview.  Don't forget to stop by www.erinquinn.info and click on CONTEST to enter to win!

To learn more about Kathryne's books, visit http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

In stores December 2009:



My Unfair Lady

By Kathryne Kennedy

Victorian Romance
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-4022-2990-9
December 2009
$6.99 US/MM Paperback

Purchase from publisher: http://www.sourcebooks.com/

Purchase from Amazon: http://astore.amazon.com/kathkennauth-20

For multiple links to purchase from your favorite on-line retailer: http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/




He created the perfect woman…


The impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king’s ransom if he’ll teach her to become a proper lady, he’s prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it’s not her fortune he finds impossible to resist…






For the arms of another man


Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it’s the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she’s determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her heart…

Dreams

Do you ever have dreams where you can't understand what the person you're talking to in the dream is saying?  I had one of those last night and I woke up with a headache from trying to figure it out.  Wonder what my subconcious was trying to tell me.  I'm a confused mess, maybe?  LOL.

Hope you're having a great weekend. 

Check out MY UNFAIR LADY--on bookshelves now

Wonderful regency with a flair for the American west.  How can you go wrong?  I highly recommend Kathryne Kennedy's MY UNFAIR LADY.  Kathryne will be my guest author later this month so be sure to check back!

A wild west heiress, Summer Wine Lee knows that she's not an acceptable bride for her fiance's knickerbocker family. She grew up in an Arizona mining town, cares more for critters than people, carries a knife under her skirts, and, worst of all, she has a highly improper secret from her past. But she also has high hopes that a real English Duke can teach her how to be a lady…


Were it not for his father's gambling debts, the Duke of Monchester would never have stooped to civilize Summer. But the more time he spends with her, and the more social scrapes he has to rescue her from, the more he finds it impossible to change her into a proper lady. How could he, when he's falling in love with her just the way she is?