Interview with Kathryne Kennedy

I’d like to welcome our guest today, Kathryne Kennedy. It’s a pleasure having you come visit us at Much Cheaper Than Therapy, where chocolate is plentiful and advice is free. So grab some chocolate and a lounge chair. Your therapy session has begun.

I understand you have a new release out called ENCHANTING THE LADY, the first book in the RELICS OF MERLIN Series. Can you tell us a little bit about your fabulous new book?

I’m very excited about my new RELICS OF MERLIN series coming from Dorchester Publishing (thanks to My Most Awesome editor, Leah Hultenschmidt). Although the books are stand-alones, they are all connected by Merlin’s thirteen relics—jewels that the sorcerer Merlin crafted, each holding a different spell of power. Most of the jewels have disappeared and they allow the owner a magic that surpasses that of a Royals’, and no one is sure what spell each relic contains. Each book is about a different jewel, different characters, and different time periods in Victorian England. The first book, ENCHANTING THE LADY, is Felicity and Terence’s story…a duchess under an evil enchantment, and a baronet who is a were-lion, and immune to all magic. My editor wrote an amazing back cover blurb, so I have to share it here:

In a world where magic ruled everything, Felicity Seymour couldn’t perform even the simplest spell. If she didn’t pass her testing, she’d lose her duchy—and any hope of marriage. But one man didn’t seem to mind her lack of dowry: a darkly delicious baronet who had managed to scare away the rest of London’s Society misses.

Sir Terence Blackwell knew the enchanting woman before him wasn’t entirely without magic. Not only could she completely disarm him with her gorgeous lavender eyes and frank candor, but his were-lion senses could smell a dark power on her—the same kind of relic-magic that had killed his brother. Was she using it herself, or was it being used against her?

One needed a husband, and the other needed answers. But only together could they find the strongest magic of all: true love.

Enchanting the Lady is a very interesting title. How did you arrive at that name?

All of the RELICS OF MERLIN books have ‘enchanting’ in their title. I wanted readers to know that although the setting is Victorian England, they would be reading a novel about magic and spells and an alternate reality. Whenever I’m brainstorming names for my books I always google them, in order to try and create a unique title. Surprisingly, ENCHANTING THE LADY hadn’t been used as a title before, which is another reason why I chose it.

Did you have to do a lot of research for the book?

Yes. I’ve read and own many books on the Victorian era, from architecture to furniture to social economics. (I listed many of my research books on my website blog). I have always loved that time period, so I found the research fascinating. Then I created maps of my alternate Victorian London to keep track of changes to name places (Pall Mall became Pall Mage, Belgrave Square became Gargoyle Square, and I added the Hall of Mages next to Buckingham Palace, for example) because with the influence of magic, the city would develop differently. I also have a ‘map’ of a Victorian mansion, with the type of furniture for each room listed (In England, the first floor of a home is the ground floor, and the first floor is called the second, which is often confusing to my American mind :}). I also have a chart with hereditary titles, how each peer is addressed, and their level of magic. I keep a dictionary of my own words, because I often make them up; and a chart of the relics, when they were discovered, what type of jewel and spell (if known). I also create character sheets along with animal references, since my heroes’ natures are so strongly influenced by their were-creatures.

What character did you like writing about the most, and why?

Oh, tough question. When I’m in the middle of a book, I fall in love with my characters. They’re the most wonderful characters to write about…until I start the next book.

If your book was made into a movie, what actor would you like to fill your hero’s shoes?

My imagination is always better than real life. I can’t think of a man in existence that could fill my hero’s shoes--or paws, in the case of Terence.;}

Do you have any authors that inspired you?

Hundreds. Mostly, of course, romance and fantasy authors. Julie Garwood, Johanna Lindsey, Robin Hobb, Andre Norton and Robin McKinley come to my mind right now.

What do we have to look forward to next?

The next book in the series, DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT, is Jasmina and Sterling’s story. Jasmina is an earl’s daughter who cast a simple illusion of herself, unaware that the jewel in her possession was one of Merlin’s relics…and the spell took on a life of its own. Sterling is a were-stallion and meets Jasmina’s illusion. He can’t resist making love to her, then does the gentlemanly thing and marries her. When he finds out the truth, and meets the real Lady Jasmina, love really starts to get confusing for him.

It was such fun to write. DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT will be released September 2008.

I’m currently brainstorming the third book, ENCHANTING THE BEAST.

Thanks, Kathryne!

To celebrate her book release, Kathryne is offering a free, autographed copy of ENCHANTING THE LADY to one lucky commenter on today's blog. She will be around all day today. I'm sure some of you have questions or comments for her, so please ask away...

Check out author’s website at http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

Buy: http://www.amazon.com/Enchanting-Lady-Kathryne-Kennedy/dp/0505527502/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200081433&sr=8-1