Category Archives: Desperately Ever After

Does anyone here remember the phrase, “Be kind, rewind?” Do you recall a store called Blockbuster? Did you ever sprint towards a wall packed with new releases, stomach full of butterflies, only to find out there were no precious white boxes behind the glittering Hollywood covers? Do you remember when packing for vacation meant sorting through a knee-high pile of books — knowing the mood could strike for any one of them on your trip, but unwilling to lug all of them with you?

Friends, we truly do live in the age of convenience. And while it definitely goads me that my kids assume I should have access to every song, every movie, and every episode of any television show they want at a given moment … which often leads to us listening to “Frozen 2,” “Disney Junior Dance Party,’ and “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” two dozen times rather than succumbing to a good classic rock radio station (God forbid they hear a commercial) … it’s generally pretty awesome.

Bear in mind, I say all this as one of the last people of my generation to get:

• a smartphone (I refused for ages),
• a tablet (basically a big smartphone)
• a Kindle (after refusing to “disrespect” physical books for years, I received one as a gift and now don’t board a plane without it),
• a smart watch (I just recently agreed to “try it out”)
• Audible (still on my free trial month)

I say all this because I’m amazed at how different things are for my kids than they were for me. Fundamentally they are the same — they still want to watch tv after school, they still want their own music in the car, they still need constant entertainment at restaurants, waiting rooms, etc. But the way in which they achieve these things, and the declining rate at which they have to settle for something else, is so different. Can you imagine what would happen if they asked to watch “Frozen,” and I replied that I put a hold on it at the library and we could go pick it up in 4-6 weeks? I guess it’s our job as parents to make sure they learn to compromise in this age of instant satisfaction. To make sure they still get dissatisfied once in a while, so they know how to cope.

But anyhoo… Now that this post has completely gotten away from me, I’d like to circle back to the reason I started it in the first place — to let you all know that Desperately Ever After is finally available in paperback once again. So yes, you can now experience the trilogy in any format your instant-gratification bone desires: audiobook, ebook, or good old-fashioned paper. You know, in case you need a little color for your bookshelf…

To make it even easier, here are the links, one by one:

Ebook:
Desperately Ever After (book 1)
Damsels in Distress (book 2)
Skipping Midnight (book 3)

Paperback:
Desperately Ever After (book 1)
Damsels in Distress (book 2)
Skipping Midnight (book 3)

Audiobook:
Desperately Ever After (book 1)
Damsels in Distress (book 2)
Skipping Midnight (book 3)

P.S. If you’re interested, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that print books are still the most popular way to read a book. Literary purists unite!

In the kingdom of Connecticut, autumn is symbolic of the end. It’s when the flowers stop growing, the trees start to fall asleep, and the playgrounds become a little less busy. It is not ordinarily a time for renewal.

For me, however, autumn 2019 is a season of rebirth. Like Snow White in the glass coffin, Sleeping Beauty at the end of her 300-year nap, and Cinderella after trying on the lost glass slipper, my books are getting a whole new lease on life. As am I.

Without going into too much detail, a change in representation made it necessary for me to remove my entire series from one account and upload it to another. It could have been a simple switch. But anyone who knows me well knows that I have a tendency to turn even the simplest tasks into long, all-consuming projects because I need them to be perfect. (That, and I’m slightly OCD with a penchant for second-guessing everything.)

So in May, I thought about the fact that my books would have to be moved anyway. I thought about how they’d need to get new identification numbers anyway. I thought about how I was never really happy with the third book’s cover. And I thought about the fact that between the launch of Desperately Ever After and the conclusion of the series, I moved, navigated two pregnancies, had more than a few health scares, and tried to keep up with the impossible task of raising a newborn/toddler. Needless to say, I may have been a little preoccupied (aka crazed, sleep-deprived, manic, spiritually depleted) at times.

So on October 15 — after a summer filled with road trips, beach vacations, and revisions — I am relaunching the entire series without a two-year gap between books 2 and 3. I’m relaunching the series with a new cover for Skipping Midnight, a better map, character lists, and tighter prose. I’m relaunching the series with every plot hole I could find sewn shut, every mediocre word rethought, and many opportunities for future stories sprinkled in.

But most importantly, I am relaunching the series. I formatted the manuscript. I uploaded the art, keyed in the descriptions, and chose what programs in which to enroll. I will be in full control of my creation from here on out — no longer waiting on a white-gloved intermediary  to make every minor change.

Technically, I was a self-published author in 2014 and 2016, when these books first came out. But I did not have full control over them. I was “self -published” through an agency. Now that I’m pulling the strings, autumn of 2019 just feels different. It feels invigorating. Like a crisp October breeze or cascade of orange leaves twirling through the air … it feels like I — and my characters — are free.

Available now for pre-order:

Desperately Ever After

Damsels in Distress

Skipping Midnight

The audio version of Damsels in Distress (Book 2) was released April 17, with Skipping Midnight coming out May 15. What better time to let you in on a few money-saving tips?

On the e-book:
Three years after blogging about Amazon’s Kindle Matchbook program, I’ve finally gotten with the program. Going forward, each purchase of a Desperately Ever After print book comes with the opportunity to add the Kindle version for just 99 cents. That’s right. No longer will my readers have to agonize between portable e-book and cozy paperback. Hey, in today’s crazy world, every bit of happiness counts. Am I wrong?

On the audiobook:
Aside from subscribing to Audible and listening in for free, Amazon’s Whispersync program allows anyone who has purchased the e-book to add audio for $7.49. Simply log in to the Amazon account you used to buy the e-book for details.

Good morning, everyone! I hope you’re all gearing up for a festive, fun Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones.

I personally am thankful for so much this year — both in my personal life and in my writing. But at this moment, I’m thankful that I can say the paperback edition of Skipping Midnight is now available at the CreateSpace store. Amazon tends to be fashionably late, but should follow suit within the next couple days.

Happy post-tryptophan reading!

Today, the third and final novel in the Desperately Ever After series is available!

I could write pages about what an amazing and challenging experience it has been. Or about how much I’ve grown to love these characters — and grown in general. Or about how sad I am to see their stories come to an end. Or about how I truly hope to revisit them every now and then with short stories, holiday specials, or novellas. But that’s been said in previous posts, and today is a cause for celebration — not mourning!

And in keeping with that theme, I am delighted to announce the winners of the SKIPPING MIDNIGHT pre-order giveaway!

I recruited the cutest two-year-old I know, my daughter, to help choose the lucky pair. The blind drawing was conducted using a variety of Lego blocks and a purple basket with a giant yellow chick on it. She was very happy to help 🙂

Winner of the gift basket: Mariana, Illinois

Winner of the wine charms: Lyndi, Maryland

Thank you to everyone who sent in entries. I wish you could all win!

P.S. For those of you waiting for the print book, please check back next week. The ebook is being released first, but the good old-fashioned paperback is fast on its heels.

One part Sex and the City. Two parts Desperate Housewives.
Three parts Brothers Grimm.

For the women of Marestam, “happily ever after” has always come with a grain of salt. Be it infidelity or aging, deferred dreams or lost love, or even the pressures of raising a family, they have always seen each other through life’s trials with laughter, wine, and a brand new take on old-fashioned chivalry. But when rage and treachery take over, everything they hold dear comes under attack.

Suddenly, the monarchies are crumbling, Cinderella is missing, Belle is harboring the secret of all secrets, Rapunzel is facing the one dilemma she spent her whole life trying to avoid, and Dawn could lose everything she’s finally learned to love. In order to save everyone and unmask the wolf in their midst, this iconic group of friends must follow a dogmatic fairy no one trusts, invoke an ancient magic no one understands, and face a past they thought they had buried long ago.

Rapunzel, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and the rest of Marestam’s favorite females return in this third and final novel in Laura Kenyon’s Desperately Ever After series, which takes a whimsical look at our most beloved fairy tale princesses several years after true love’s kiss … and asks readers to rethink everything they believe about happy endings. 

At heart, it’s a tale of ordinary women coming to terms with how their lives have turned out. They just happen to live in castles.

Previous Books in this series:
Desperately Ever After (Book 1)
Damsels in Distress (Book 2)

Happy Halloween everyone! 

In honor of this autumnal celebration, I thought it might be fun to imagine what the characters from the Desperately Ever After series would wear if they were taking part in tonight’s festivities. If, let’s say, the Charmés were hosting a charitable Halloween gala at Carpale Castle or Rapunzel decided to throw a Dance to Till You Die bash at her rooftop apartment?

Below are just a few of my predictions, but I’d love to hear yours as well! (Please keep in mind, I’m talking about the characters in the Desperately Ever After series … NOT the Disney films!!)

CINDERELLA

Between baking nut-free cupcakes for all of the kids’ school parties at school and making sure their outfits are in order, Cinderella is far too busy and flustered to think about her own costume. But when she finally does, it’s a no-brainer. She pieces together a few things from her closet and decides to be an explorer … because she still hopes she’ll get to travel the world someday. 

BELLE

Belle isn’t a big fan of the year’s spookiest holiday because Julianne and her other sisters used it as an opportunity to torment her even more than usual. But Rapunzel convinces her that with everything she’s been through over the past year, and with all the changes she’s made, it’s only fitting that she put on a butterfly costume and have a little fun!

RAPUNZEL

Rapunzel, who doesn’t need a socially accepted reason to dress up but enjoys Halloween anyway, spends several hours debating between a genuine nun’s costume (because it’s ironic) or a sexy devil’s. In the end, she decides on “naughty nun” because it’s the best of both worlds … and because she doesn’t mind ruffling a few feathers.  Continue reading →