LauraKenyon.com

February 21, 2014 · 8:58 AM

Guest Post at Jencey Gortney’s Writer’s Corner

Huge thanks to Jencey Gortney for asking me to guest post on her blog today! Here’s a taste, but you can find the whole thing over at jenceywrites.blogspot.com.

Have you ever wondered how Cinderella would feel ten years down the road, when her iconic ball gown no longer fit and she had four kids, royal duties up the wahzoo, and a husband who was hardly ever around?

And what about Beauty? After all, her husband was quite a jerk before he became a monster. Too hung up on looks to let a little old fairy in from the rain! Once his curse broke, how long would it take for “Beast” to go right back to his old ways? When would he realize there were a million other “beauties” in the sea … and it’s good to be the king.

These are the kind of questions that can drive a girl crazy. And as someone who can’t watch a movie without making a million “that-would-never-work” remarks, they’ve been driving me crazy for years! Click here to read the full article at jenceywrites.blogspot.com

Leave a comment

Filed under Blog Hops, Desperately Ever After

Aside

New Canaan’s first female editor rethinks ‘happily ever after’

Here’s a link to the great article that appeared in last week’s New Canaan Advertiser. It’s Desperately Ever After’s first official press, so please forgive me for being giddy ;)

1 Comment

February 20, 2014 · 11:35 AM

February 19, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Arabella Stokes: Lawyer by day, romance writer by night

Lawyer by day, romance author by night, Arabella Stokes is a prime example of what it means to be a writer at heart. Come what may, she MUST write! She even has a name for the alter-ego muse who simply won’t let her rest until her ideas have been put down on paper.

Her first novel, PROOF OF LOVE, is a Georgian era romance (as opposed to Jane Austen’s Regency). After the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win an e-book copy of PROOF OF LOVE!

…

1. You published your first book, a historical romance, in February 2012. What can you tell us about that story?

Proof of Love is a Georgian-era romance, which is a little bit unusual. Most of the ‘cravats-and-foxhunts’ romances are set in the Regency era, which Jane Austen made so popular. The Georgians were the generation before the Regency, so we are talking Mr. Darcy’s parents or grandparents — the big white wigs, the huge panniered dresses, and colorful velvet-and-satin clad gentlemen. The Georgians were a bit more earthy and less inhibited than the Regency crowd, so that is fun. At the same time, the Georgian era was a time of scientific discovery, religious questioning, and political change. The Georgians brought you the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and Declaration of the Rights of Man, the first movement for abolition of slavery, the rise of social reform and philanthropy movements, and so much more. A nobleman in the Georgian era was likely to be a scientist, philosopher, or political reformer. Not just the men, either — Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire (played by Keira Knightley in the movie The Duchess) was active politically, supported scientific endeavors, and was quite the scandal in a way Regency and Victorian society would not have accepted. Continue reading →

17 Comments

Filed under Author Interviews

Aside

Where to find me this week — and Desperately Ever After’s first press!

Check out luxuryreading.com for a feature about Desperately Ever After and a giveaway.

And if you live in the NY/CT area, snag a copy of this week’s New Canaan Advertiser (on news stands through February 26). Reporter Aaron Marsh did a terrific job capturing the essence of Desperately Ever After–and proving men can like it too! My favorite line: “Kenyon’s colorful imagery and often quick, lighthearted style makes it easy to keep flipping pages.” To Marsh and everyone else, I say, flip away!

2 Comments

February 15, 2014 · 12:05 PM

Aside

Huge congratulations this morning to Rhonda for winning a copy of Melanie Dickerson’s The Captive Maiden during this week’s author interview. I had a blast hosting Melanie and am happy to see she gained a few new fans in the process :)

I’ve also received word that all four of Melanie’s books are Kindle Daily Deals on Amazon today, which means you can snag any one for just 99 cents. Coincidentally, the print version of Desperately Ever After is at its lowest price to date today. So for both of these reasons … get thee to Amazon!

Leave a comment

February 14, 2014 · 8:58 AM

Aside

Don’t forget to enter the Romance is in the Air Blog Hop!

Click the pretty picture to enter to win an signed copy of Desperately Ever After and a new copy of Emily Bronte’s epic Wuthering Heights.

You have until midnight Friday, at which time I believe Cupid melts :(

Oh, and Melanie Dickerson’s giveaway is still going. Next post down!

Leave a comment

February 12, 2014 · 4:42 PM

February 12, 2014 · 1:00 AM

Fairy tale master Melanie Dickerson talks shop and offers giveaway

I’m particularly excited about today’s interview because, like me, Melanie Dickerson knows how fun it is to take a classic fairy tale and bring it to life in a whole new way.

She has reinvented characters like Beauty, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, and is now celebrating the release of her newest project, a retelling of Cinderella called The Captive Maiden (after the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy!)

I’m so happy to welcome her to Skipping Midnight.

Reimagining classic fairy tales has become almost as timeless as the fairy tales themselves. Some opt for modern, some go totally dark. Your books retell them in a more historical, plausible way—set around the time they might actually have taken place. How did you decide on this approach?

To be honest, I don’t know! I decided I would take the basic premise of the fairy tale and make it realistic, set it in my favorite time period—the 14th and early 15th centuries—and write it as it might have actually happened. It was fun, challenging, and exciting, so I decided to keep writing more of them!

…

So far, you’ve reimagined Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and now Cinderella. What can you tell us about your latest, THE CAPTIVE MAIDEN?

The Captive Maiden tells the story of Valten, whose betrothed ended up marrying his younger brother in the previous book, The Fairest Beauty. Valten was a great guy, but he needed to be the hero of his own story for all his best qualities to shine, so I set about giving him his very own maiden to be heroic for. I wanted to be true to his tough guy character but still make him complex and sweet. And my heroine also turned out to be pretty complex, as she had been mistreated most of her life, but she still wasn’t going to let anyone push her around without a fight. I thought they made a good combination. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Filed under Author Interviews

February 7, 2014 · 9:42 AM

The science behind fairy tales

I am not a science person. Humanities, writing, the arts–that’s me, through and through. Start talking formulas and numbers and medical compounds, and I’ll last a few polite minutes before I completely mentally check out.

But when someone finds a way to make science fun–to apply it to things we know well, in a way that is amusing and informative at the same time–then I just might stick around a bit longer.

The folks over at livescience.com have done a pretty good job of that. By putting some of our most beloved fairy tales under a microscope, they’ve come up with some pretty interesting ideas about what that apple really did to Snow White, how a prince could have actually turned into a beast, and why the Magic Mirror is truly more fact then fiction. (As for the latter, if you’ve started reading Desperately Ever After yet, you’ve already begun to suspect this.)

Click here to read the full article.

1 Comment

Filed under Misc

February 5, 2014 · 3:00 AM

Interview and giveaway with Anna Lee Huber

Fellow author Heather Webb sent Anna Lee Huber my way, and I couldn’t be happier that she did. Anna is currently working on a five-book historical mystery series (Book 3 comes out July 1) set in 19th century Scotland and featuring one heck of a heroine. I am honored to have her here today, and to let her tell you a bit more her work.

After the interview, leave a comment for a chance to win a copy (a real live print one!) of Mortal Arts, Book 2 in the Lady Darby mystery series.

…

1. Your series about Lady Kiera Darby series is truly unique in that it straddles so many genres—mystery, romance, historical fiction. How would you describe it for new readers?

The first book, The Anatomist’s Wife, begins sixteen months after the death of Lady Darby’s anatomist husband and the scandal that followed his passing—arguably the darkest period of her life. She has largely gone into hiding, too frightened and overwhelmed to face the world. But when a woman is murdered at her sister’s estate and Kiera instantly becomes the prime suspect, she’s forced to step out of the shadows and fight to prove her innocence. The novels follow her personal journey of healing, including her heart. I’ve had readers and reviewers describe the series as “CSI” meets Agatha Christie, or Jane Eyre meets Sherlock Holmes. Continue reading →

27 Comments

Filed under Author Interviews, Contests

February 4, 2014 · 8:42 AM

Happy Tuesday

I had such a blast yesterday engaging with everyone on Twitter and giving away FIVE e-books!

Congratulations to the Big Release Celebration winners: Jessica Meddick, Melodie Bennett, Tawnya Bentley, Deejay Sakata, and Susan Terendy.

Stop by Skipping Midnight tomorrow for an interview with the fabulous Anna Lee Huber, as well as a giveaway of her second book, Mortal Arts. Truth: I didn’t know about the Lady Darby historical mystery series until an author friend hooked us up, but now I am dying to read it. Guess I need to plan a vacation so I can get some quality book time in…

In the meantime, my Goodreads author page is up and running, so please stop by and say hello.