LauraKenyon.com

July 30, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Q&A with Tracy Krimmer

Today, I’m delighted to welcome Tracy Krimmer, author of the new adult contemporary romance, Pieces of it All, as well as The Jealousy Game, a thriller.

After the interview, leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of her most recent book!

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Your latest release, Pieces of It All, is your first new adult contemporary romance following The Jealousy Game. What can you tell us about the story?

This book is quite different. The Jealousy Game was a thriller, and this is a romance, as you indicated. The book actually began as an Erotica Thriller, but after my initial draft, it changed paths. This book went through three full rewrites before it went out to my beta readers! Once I received feedback, I made extensive changes once more time, before going through another final revision.

Pieces of it All centers around Beth, a recent high school graduate, trying to find her place in the world, and Harvey, a twenty-two-year-old high school drop-out, home after a stint in rehab. The two meet by chance, and are immediately attracted to each other. Beth wants commitment from their relationship, but Harvey’s hiding something, and it starts to drive Beth away. Is Beth able to move past Harvey’s shortcomings and secure a future with him?

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What inspired you to write it?

Like I said, it was an erotica thriller with a completely different plot when I first wrote it. I was reading a lot of books categorized as New Adult, mostly romance and erotica. As I sat back and really looked at the story, I thought about what I wanted to do that was different. Many may think this is your typical good-girl-meets-bad-boy, they fall in love, and she changes his destructive behavior, with a lot of hot sex scenes in between. It’s quite the opposite, actually (although there are a few sex scenes!). Though told from both Beth and Harvey’s POV (3rd person), the book really is about Beth recognizing her self-worth.

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July 28, 2014 · 11:39 AM

Disney Couples Therapy

Infidelity. Secrets. Problems with the in-laws. A sex life on the rocks. Oh, and fairy tales. Sound familiar?

Yes, this description fully applies to Desperately Ever After. But it’s also the premise of a series of short videos called Disney Couples Therapy.

The three-minute clips show Disney’s versions of Sleeping Beauty, Belle, the Little Mermaid, and Snow White hashing it out with their romantic counterparts well down the road. They are downright hopeless compared to Desperately Ever After, and show only the couples (no girl talk here!), but fans of the book series may find them clever and definitely worth a laugh.

It’s perfect timing too, because Damsels in Distress (D.E.A. book #2) actually has a marriage counseling scene between Sleeping Beauty and her husband. Look for that August 20. But in the meantime, exercise your funny bone for a few minutes and enjoy these clips:

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Q&A with Becky Monson, author of Thirty-Two Going on Spinster

How many of us have feared, at one time or another, that we would wind up spinsters with an apartment full of cats? Well, the star of Becky Monson’s debut novel only has one cat, but she also lives in her parents’ basement … and is 32 years old.

Thirty-Two Going on Spinster has been hailed by dozens of book bloggers for its humor and heart. Not only is Monson a brilliant writer, but I consider her a friend to authors and readers of chicklit everywhere.

After the interview, leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of her book!

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Your debut novel, Thirty-Two Going on Spinster, has had tremendous success in the past year, with more than 50,000 Amazon downloads and loads of glowing reviews. How would you describe the story?

The story is about Julia. Julia is thirty-two and stuck in a rut. Dead end job, no love life, very little social life. Her favorite things to do are bake and hang out with her cat charlie. She sees spinsterhood as her future… trailer parks, muumuus, and the like. Then along comes the new hire at work – Jared. And for some odd reason Jared finds Julia intriguing. Over a series of events (some of them unfortunate), Julia starts to come out of her shell and realizes that there is more to life then the bubble she has been living in.

But then, of course, everything blows up in her face. Will the new and improved Julia be able to pull it all together? Or will she give up and go back to her spinster future? I guess you’ll have to read to find out!

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What do think people will love most about this book?

Julia is the star of this book. And I think (I hope) people will love her the most. I know I do (I am a little biased, however).

I think, especially in the beginning, she can some off as a bit whiny and sometimes you want to slap her to get her to realize what she needs to do. But I think Julia is very relatable in many ways. I think everyone can find aspects of Julia’s personality that they can connect with. Continue reading →

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July 21, 2014 · 1:32 PM

Word Crimes

Let me start by saying I’m not a fan of Robin Thicke. But when I heard “Weird Al” Yankovic’s parody of “Blurred Lines” (which, depending on your gender, you may or may not detest), I just couldn’t help but share it. Yes, Thicke’s beat is catchy, but it’s Weird Al’s rant against countless “Word Crimes” (“I could care less” has always driven me nuts, as has the misuse of “its” and “it’s”) that really hooked me.

So for all you fellow grammarians out there … even if you get a little lax every so often … enjoy:

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Filed under Distractions, Writing Process

July 16, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Q&A with Hilary Grossman, author of the memoir Dangled Carat

I bumped into Hilary when I finally started finding the author’s side of Twitter and Facebook. The title of her debut novel, Dangled Carat, instantly caught my eye (so clever!), and I can’t wait to read her book this summer … hopefully while lounging on a beach :)

I was delighted when she agreed to stop by Skipping Midnight and answer some questions about her writing life. So without further ado:

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Dangled Carat is all about taking that giant leap when the time (and the person!) is right. How would you describe the story?

Dangled Carat is a memoir but it reads like chick lit. It is about my attempt to convert the ultimate commitment-phobic man into a doting husband with a LOT of help from his family and friends. But it is also a funny but tender coming of age story that will make you laugh and cry.

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Gosh, I didn’t even realize it was based on your life! That must have been tough. What do think people will love most about your story?

This is a hard one to answer :) While elements of my story were unique (multiple faux engagement parties for example) the situation is very common — dating a commitment-phobe. I think that a lot of people have either been in this situation themselves or have a close friend who has. I think the fact that readers could relate to what I was going through would be what they would love most. But then again, there is an amazing first date scene :) Continue reading →

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July 14, 2014 · 1:00 AM

My Writing Process blog tour

A few weeks ago, author RG Dole tagged me in this Writing Process Blog Tour. RG is the author of a supernatural star-crossed lovers book called Immortal Longings (as a fan of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, I hope to get to it soon!), and I’m honored she thought of me for this.

I’ve been struggling to find the time to pick up the torch, so without further ado:

What am I working on?

Damsels in Distress, the sequel to Desperately Ever After, is due out next month. It’s hard to say too much about the story because the first book is still brand new and I don’t want to give anything away! I’ll just say that Damsels in Distress continues Belle’s struggle and also adds Sleeping Beauty (Dawn) into the mix. Dawn is a background character in Book One for space reasons, but her story is actually one of my favorites. I really can’t wait for everyone to get to know her better. There are so many questions people never ask about the Sleeping Beauty tale: What kind of man would discover a comatose woman in the woods and decide to kiss her? How would she feel waking up covered in dust with a stranger’s tongue in her mouth? What if she had been in love with someone else before the curse hit? How would she reconcile her old life with her brand new existence?

After that, I’ll be diving into the third installment in the series, as well as writing my first Desperately Ever After novella. The latter will tell the story behind Grethel, the woman who took Rapunzel as a baby and kept her in that tower. There are so many minor characters in the series that I’d love to explore further, so I hope it’s the first of many side projects. Continue reading →

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Filed under Blog Hops, Desperately Ever After, Writing Process

July 9, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Q&A with CeCe Osgood — and a giveaway!

When I finally got my act together and joined a chick lit writer’s group on Facebook, CeCe Osgood was the first of many lovely ladies with whom I connected. She is a former HBO script analyst turned novelist, and the title of her debut novel is one you simply can’t ignore!

Exploring life after divorce, The Divorced Not Dead Workshop is a romantic comedy about dating after divorce. After the interview, leave a comment for the chance to win a copy!

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Hi CeCe and welcome to Skipping Midnight! Your debut novel, The Divorced Not Dead Workshop, is described as a romantic comedy about dating after divorce. What else can you tell us about the story?

It’s an opening-your-heart-again story. Going through a divorce can make you wary about getting back into dating or even considering the possibility of looking for a partner again. I believe finding out who you are and what you want is the first step: I call it your “me skills” in the novel’s workshop. I wanted to deal with serious subject of divorce in a funny and, I hope, helpful way. Another aspect of the story is the friendship with Dorsey and her BFFs, Pilar and Mimi. They’re the kind of friends we all want to have: true blue, forgiving and yet they can kick your butt when you need it. Especially Pilar!

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What inspired you to write it?

Frankly, it came like a bolt out of the blue. I woke up one morning with the notion of a dating workshop on a cruise ship and Dorsey Bing, the main character, came ambling toward me in her kitten heels. I liked her so much I couldn’t help but fashion a plot for her. It took a few drafts before I worked out the nuances of the romance and how it threaded into the dating workshop.

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July 8, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Cover reveal & 99-cent countdown sale

The cover reveal for Damsels in Distress is here! And it’s coinciding with a 99-cent Kindle Countdown deal … so you can get acquainted with all the ladies of Marestam before their stories continue!

In this second installment of the Desperately Ever After series, Belle, Dawn, Snow, Penny, and Rapunzel struggle with love, obligation, old flames, new flames, disappointments, triumphs, and plenty of secrets. (Cinderella takes a bit of a breather in this one, but rest assured she’ll be back!)

About the series:

Imagine what might happen if our most beloved fairy tale princesses were the best of friends and had the dreams, dilemmas, and libidos of the modern woman. How would their stories unfold after true love’s kiss? Set in a fictional realm based on New York City, the Desperately Ever After series sprinkles women’s fiction with elements of fantasy, and encourages readers to rethink everything they know about happy endings.

About Damsels in Distress:
(Warning: If you haven’t read the first book yet, there are some spoilers!)

After watching her fairy tale go up in flames, Belle is finally starting over. With a baby on the way, a business to run, and a new love interest she just can’t shake, things are finally looking up. That is, until she learns her independence might revive broken curses the world over. Could “happily ever after” really mean staying with her unfaithful husband? Or will Belle and her steadfast friends find another way?

Meanwhile, Dawn still longs for the life she had three centuries earlier—before her sleeping curse ended in two kids, an unfamiliar era, and a husband she barely knows. So when she encounters the childhood sweetheart she believed to be dead, Dawn must suddenly choose between the past she once wanted and the present she never knew she did.

As both women struggle between love and obligation, they fail to see a great danger brewing in the capital–one that could change everything forever.

Damsels in Distress takes a whimsical look at our most beloved fairy tale characters several years down the road. Part Sex and the City, part Desperate Housewives, and part Brothers Grimm, it’s ultimately about a group of friends coming to terms with how their lives have turned out. They just happen to live in castles.

Click here to read an excerpt from the upcoming book, or here to find out what reviewers are saying about the series.

And don’t forget to take advantage of the Kindle Countdown sale at Amazon! The price just dropped to 99 cents, but will slowly creep back up over the next few days. The clock is ticking!
(Note: The link will take you to the US site, but the sale is available worldwide.)

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Filed under Desperately Ever After

July 2, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Q&A with indie author RS McCoy — plus a giveaway!

When RS McCoy’s thyroid cancer returned last spring, writing became her mental break from treatment. In the past year, she’s published three novels, two novellas and several short stories. She describes her works as falling into the genres of fantasy, science fiction, romance, paranormal, and supernatural.

After the interview, leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of Sparks!

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According to your blog, writing was initially your way to mentally escape cancer treatment. Can you talk a bit about this and how it helped?

OOoo girl, you’re brave! All you have to do is mention the C word and people go running. I appreciate you asking! I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in August of 2012. For the next few months, I dealt with surgeries and radiation, and I can honestly say, it was easily the worst experience of my life. By spring, I was in a better place. I was a cancer survivor, it was in my past, I had lived. The following April, I received that horrible phone call that my cancer was back with a vengeance, and I would have to start over with treatment. For several weeks afterward, I struggled to wrap my mind around my daily life. Dealing with my cancer’s return didn’t seem to fit in with sitting in traffic and going to work. My head was spinning and I needed something to ground me in a positive way. Writing ended up being that outlet for me. In the past year, I’ve written three novels, two novellas and a handful of short stories as well as guest blog posts and other articles. The crazier my life gets, the more I write!

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Your first novel, Sparks, is part of a paranormal fantasy series. What can you tell us about it?

Sparks isn’t the traditional PNR, and my readers (as well as myself) have struggled to truly define it within a genre. I really enjoy reading paranormal fantasy, and I enjoyed Twilight and other popular books in the category. When I was developing a new idea for a book, I knew I didn’t want to use vampires, werewolves, zombies or any other creature that seems to be overused in the last few years. Instead, I chose to write about a series of young people who have gifts that allow them to manipulate the environment, read minds and affect time. It was really a lot of fun to write!

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