Kathryne Kennedy Interview

I had the opportunity to chat a bit with Kathryne Kennedy, author of Relics of Merlin, My Unfair Lady, which I reviewed recently and loved, and a new series I’m looking forward to reading, The Elven Lords.

I like books that linger in my mind long after I finish them. Stories that I can periodically pull out and again *visit* the world and characters. If I can recall the plot and characters and their names two weeks, two months later, then the author has truly written a good book. There are a few authors that do that for me and Kathryne is one of them. These are the books that go on my keeper shelf, much to my husband’s dismay, since we’ve been hauling my *keeper shelves* around all our married life. :-)


Kathryne, I’m so glad you could visit with us a bit today. At the risk of sounding all fan girlish, I have to tell you, I love your books. Your characters and world are so well crafted I feel if I could just find the door to the past, I’d be able to go and visit.

You’ve published, what a dozen books, now? Do you have a favorite?

• Err, no. I’m not that prolific. :} I’m happy to write a book a year…although I’m going for two, right now. My favorite book is always the one I’ve just finished writing, which just recently is The Fire Lord’s Lover. I’m still wrapped up with the characters and their story and it’s always sad to leave them behind. Until I start my next book. Then that one will be my favorite.

In My Unfair Lady, there aren’t any of the “magical” elements that marked many of your other historicals. What made you decided to “play it straight”, so to speak?

• I wrote My Unfair Lady prior to the Relics of Merlin (Enchanting the Lady, Double Enchantment, Enchanting the Beast) series. I have always loved historicals, and wanted to try my hand at writing one. Yet, the whole time I was writing it, I kept thinking…what if? It didn’t seem fair that only the males inherited the titles, yet, titles were originally gained by right-of-arms. So what if I could even the odds up a bit? What if there was another power besides the sword, that of magic, which a woman could wield as easily as a man. And if there was magic, how did it get there? And wouldn’t titles be based on how much magical power one wielded? And so when I finished My Unfair Lady, I had the basis for an entirely new magical world.

What was the most fun about writing this story?

• Oh, gosh, I had so much fun writing My Unfair Lady that it’s hard to find what was the most fun! Maybe Summer’s best friend Maria, teaching the monkey how to ‘eavesdrop’ properly. Or Summer’s little Chihuahua hiding under skirts and chewing the Duke’s shoes. Or Summer herself, with her outrageous honesty and unfailing courage. Or when the monkey jumped in the freezing pond and the look he gave Summer? Or the Duke and his shocked expressions…and his thing with boots?

What's special about your hero? What makes him different?

• Byron, the Duke of Monchester, is just so very guarded that he’s difficult to get to know. He is too sensitive, and because of this, he’s built up solid walls. Only someone like Summer, who is so compassionate and honest, could chip away those defenses to reveal the true man beneath that suave arrogance and sophistication. I think that I honestly grew to know Byron through Summer, and I’m sort of unsure if I would have done so without her.

Which scene in My Unfair Lady did you love writing and why?

• It actually teared me up a bit, but the one in which the little fox she rescued doesn’t survive, and the Duke helps her bury it, and despite his protestations to firmly deny it if Summer ever tells anyone of it, says a prayer over the little grave. Despite Byron’s demeanor, that one scene defined him as a man, and revealed Summer’s reliance on his love…whether she realized it at the time or not.


• And then--okay, sorry, there’s two--the scene at the end of the book where they are each trying to seduce the other without knowing it. Now, that was such a joy to write!

Like many of us, you’ve had a rough year. How are you able to continue writing when under stress? What does your writing bring to your life?

• I don’t know what happened this year. It was just one horrible thing after another. It was almost as if God said, “Let’s see how much she can take before she cracks.” The major reason I made it through the year was having my writing to focus on. There were times when it was difficult to write, of course. But most of the time, I could bury myself in my magical world and leave all the trauma of my real life behind me. My writing brings me such joy, along with all the readers who are kind enough to share it with me, that I don’t know how I could manage to continue without it.

I can relate that whole one thing after another...

What can we expect from you next? Can you discuss your new series at all?

• Absolutely! I am so very excited about The Elven Lords…and very much infatuated with the heroes these wicked elven have created in this new world.

BOOK ONE: THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER
Fighting for control of a Georgian England that is split into seven domains, elven warlords use their human slaves to breed an endless supply of soldiers for their armies.

Dominic Raikes, the half-blood son of the Elven Lord himself, is one such warrior. Betrothed to Lady Cassandra, who has been raised in a convent to keep her pure, he little suspects that she’s been secretly trained as an assassin to murder his father.

Dominic and Cassandra soon discover that each one is not what they seem, but the price of trust may be their very lives, and the destruction of the magical realm each is desperately trying to save…

This sounds like a fabulous story. I can’t wait to read it. I’ve noticed your paranormals are mainly “magical” in content and set in the past. What draws you to writing your magical stories set in Georgian, Regency, and Victorian periods?

• I love all of those eras, of course. :} I love tweaking history and imagining a different world changed by magic. I can experience all of the pageantry, drama, and glorious richness of the past and take it even one step further with magic.

This Series will be released when?

• Book one, The Fire Lord’s Lover, is scheduled for release July 2010. And although they don’t have the cover up yet (you’re previewing it here), it’s already available for pre-order on Amazon. Very cool. :}

Wow, pre-order already? Very cool, indeed.

Finally, anything special you’re doing for the holidays? Do you guys have any special traditions?

• We do…we did…but I’m not sure how things will be this year. I can tell you that I have personally resolved to cherish every person in my family from this point onward. And all of my friends. Because life is ever changing and these times may not come again.

Kathryne, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to be here and answer my questions.

• My absolute pleasure, Sia. You are one of those persons I cherish. :}

Thank you, Kathryne, what a lovely thing to hear. Here's to 2010. May it be a great year for us both! :-)

• Question: What makes a book magical enough for you so you put it on your *keeper shelf*?

Kathryne will be giving away a copy of her book to a commenter today.

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Kathryne Kennedy is a college graduate and business owner, and is a multipublished, award-winning author of magical romances. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives in Arizona with her wonderful family—which includes two very tiny Chihuahuas.

She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at: http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

My Unfair Lady Review

My Unfair Lady
By: Kathryne Kennedy
Product ISBN: 9781402229909
Price: $6.99
Publication Date: December 2009

Pygmalion meets the wild west in this lively and unusual historical romance by award-winning author Kathryne Kennedy

• Back Cover Blurb:

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?

"If you have not discovered Kathryne Kennedy's romances yet, you are truly missing out." Merrimon Book Reviews

• My Thoughts:

My Unfair Lady was a delight to read on several levels.

Ms. Kennedy’s a pro at creating memorable characters, comical situations, a fun dialog, and an endearing love story.

The characterization of Summer, Maria (I have a couple of friends like her), and Byron were well done. Even her depiction of historical figures and villains, were realistically crafted. Not a cardboard figure to be found.

I loved that both M/C’s had hidden emotional conflict and only hinted at and unveiled slowly throughout the story. Both were very much a product of their respective worlds. I liked the way Ms. Kennedy obviously researched and reflected that research into her story. How insular the titled aristocrats were in Victorian England. They were somewhat inbred and confined by rigid rules of conduct—only allowed to marry within a certain strata, and the anathema of Gentry working any kind of trade. It was a time when the great fortunes were waning in the *modern* world of the time, necessitating importing rich brides, and many American brides with fortunes were sought and many titles were *bought by* rich American families.

Ms. Kennedy presents a fresh, independent American Miss into a very structured setting. Summer is a very capable young woman not given to vapors or panic when facing unknown situations. She is from frontier America where even women are crack shots, well able to defend both home and hearth and put food on the table.

Imagine the reaction of Byron’s world to such a young woman? His shock and gradual respect, especially given his prejudice against *title hunting* American women, his surprise that Summer needed little protection; in fact she tries to protect him. Her spunk and frankness is like a fresh breath of air in a stale room.

Ms. Kennedy creates a believable world. She also has a wonderful love story between Byron and Summer Lee Wine. Both are fighting the attraction and when they do come together it’s hot.

I loved Summer’s attachments to her *critters* and Byron's reaction to those critters (his poor boots). There were many comical situations that had me laughing out loud or giggling at the word picture.

The dialog is full colloquiums and the contrast between the two worlds is hilarious in places.

If you enjoy reading a good historical, you have to read My Unfair Lady. It’s one that leaves a glow in your heart and a smile on your lips.

As Summer Lee would say, “Tarnation, you write a great story, Ms. Kathyrne!”

Excerpt from My Unfair Lady:

"Maria, this had better work," Summer muttered to the empty drawing room. For this was her friend's plan, not her own. Summer had wanted to hire one of the American heiresses who had already married a title; the ones that had gone through money so quickly entertaining Prince Albert that they sponsored young American girls looking for an introduction into society.

"Not good enough," Maria had responded, flipping her long, black hair over her shoulder. "Trust me when I tell ya', if ya' want to be a lady, ya' hire a man to teach ya' how to do it. And I finally discovered the perfect fellow, a poor Duke with two falling down castles who's feared by all in the social circle for his quick wit and nasty tongue...but is also a particular favorite of his Highness."

Summer couldn't take her eyes off the man who strode towards her home. All the other men wore those bowler hats, so he was easy to pick out, for his blond hair reflected the feeble rays of England's sun and glowed a golden yellow. He wore it unfashionably long and bare of the pomade that slicked most other men's hair back. Summer liked it.

The Duke wore a long coat of pale blue, narrow trousers and a deep blue cravat. He carried no umbrella or cane, and as he passed a group of gentlemen going in the opposite direction she realized that he was also not a particularly tall man. For some reason this made her feel more at ease, so that when the bell jangled, and Maria came in to announce that she had a visitor, Summer felt almost quite calm.

Until he walked into the room.

"Are you Miss Lee?" inquired the Duke as he ran his eyes from the top of her head to the tips of her kidskin boots. "Miss Summer Wine Lee?" The deep richness of his voice made her heart turn over.

FYI: I WILL BE INTERVIEWING KATHYRNE KENNEDY WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16TH. SHE WILL ALSO BE SHARING SOME INFO ON HER NEWEST SERIES, A HISTORICAL PARA, TO BE PUBLISHED IN 2010.

CAN I JUST SAY, I LOVE THE PREMISE?

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Kathryne Kennedy is a college graduate and business owner, and is a multipublished, award-winning author of magical romances. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives in Arizona with her wonderful family—which includes two very tiny Chihuahuas.



She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at: http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/