6/07/2012

Get Lost Again with Historical Romance author Kris Kennedy!


Get Lost in These Stories…





DECEPTION   Medieval

Con man Kieran has a history of staggering successes and one truly awful failure.  Now, he's on a mission of revenge, he has planned for everything.  Except the appearance of the one woman who can bring the whole thing crashing down around him




Claiming Her: Elizabethan Ireland.

 

Aodh Mac Con Rardove has returned to Ireland to reclaim what his family’s heritage.  He plans to conquer everything: the castle, the lands, the lady.  Unfortunately the lady has no intention of being conquered so easily.  But then, things don't always turned out as planned....    




I am so excited to welcome back fellow historical author and agency sister, Kris Kennedy on the blog today.  I was first introduced to her stories when I heard an editor raving about this fabulous Medieval story she’d just bought after someone on a panel had asked if Medievals were dead.  That same day, I was given Kris’ book, The Irish Warrior, by another person who said I had to read it and I thought, “That’s twice in a row I’ve heard her name. I’ll have to check her out.”  And believe me, Kris’s books live up to the hype—and, as I’ve learned as we’ve gotten to know each other, just a truly nice person.  I highly encourage you to pick up one of her stories today!      



So, let’s get to the Get Lost Interview!!!



Heather:  How often to you get lost in a story?  
Kris:  I checked out our interview from last time, and I see we talked about this same question back then—and my reply is the same, a year later: “Not often enough—I’m too busy.”  Eek.  I find that scary.  Understandable, but scary, because means I’m not reading enough.  So, thanks for the reality check.  I must find a way to make time. It’s difficult, though.  When there’s nothing shouting your attention, you can always find things purring for it.  It seems frivolous to sit down on the couch to do nothing but read for enjoyment.  Note to Self: Add more frivolity to days. . . .

Heather:  What’s the first book you remember reading?  
Kris:  Hmmm, I can’t be sure that it was the first—in fact, I’m sure it wasn’t the first--but I recall reading the Uncle Wiggly stories. 

And the pancake man.  And any and every horse book I could get my hands on.




Heather:  What’s your favorite fairy tale?
Kris:  I love the ones that have a theme of ‘what you thought was your darkest/worst/least loveable side was the very thing you needed to save you” theme.  The Ugly Duckling approach to morality tales.  :)




Heather:  What turns you off like nothing else?
Kris:  Arrogance that isn’t earned.  An adult being intentionally mean to any creature smaller or weaker than they are.



Heather:  Do you write while listening to music? If so what kind? 
Kris:  I see I answered this one before too!  And my cutting edge reply of “Sometimes” still stands, but I think I can elaborate more meaningfully.  It depends on where I’m at with ‘flow.’ If I’m flowing, I can—and do—crank the music as loud as it will go, and nothing, I mean nothing, can derail me.  Nerf darts to the head, the alarm on the oven beeping, no impact.  (You may be able to guess this not always a good thing.)  But other times, when I’m not ‘inside’ the story/ character/ scene, then I need silence.  At those times, I almost I feel like a detective hound dog, my nose down to the ground, sniffing out the story, every so often lifting my head to listen to a sound.  And during those times, I can’t have music. 



Heather:  What was the first story you remember writing? 
Kris:  Oh, my, that requires embarrassing answers.  As a kid, I penciled stories about my friends and me, and let me tell you, we have some hair-raising adventures! (On the page, that is, in my imagination.)  The first romance I wrote was a Revolutionary War-era story with an Irish hero.  It will N.E.V.E.R. see the light of day.  



Heather:  Who’s your favorite villain?
Kris:  Well, if I can step out of the realm of books and enter the realm of stories-in-general, I adore Alan Rickman as the Sherriff of Nottingham in the movie Prince of Thieves (Robin Hood). 

Also, Richard Armitage as Guy of Gisbourne in the BBC production of Robin Hood.
 
Hmmm…I’m noticing a theme here.


Heather:  What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?  
Kris:  Well, it’s never a clear line of, “Oh, look at me, I’m done!”  Being ‘done’ is not a steady state; it’s a bendable line.  But if we’re talking “the first thing I do after I send the story off to editor/formatter” then what I generally do is anything with my son, anything at all, where he gets my full attention. Then, when hubby gets home, we drink the champagne he’ll have brought.  :)

Heather:  If you were given a chance to travel to the past where would you go and specifically why? 
Kris:  To the middle ages, of course!  With a gun and a couple expensive horses, wearing Kevlar and knowing a LOT more French than I currently do.

Heather:  Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?
Kris:  Oh, sure.  :)  I love readers, and while less-than-positive reviews can hurt or even be embarrassing, that doesn’t mean I can’t handle it.  (Mockery or personal attacks are different, of course)   At heart, I’m a craftswoman, and I want to get better.  I have critique partners, and a rather brutal inner editor, but even so, I miss things.  Reviews can sometimes can help me see those.  I tend to have a good sense of which reviews have nailed a true problem (rather than it being a taste issue, or an “I wish you’d written THIS book instead of THAT one” sort of thing.)   That said, I rarely go seeking reviews.   

Heather:  Which is your favorite language other than your native language? 
Kris:  That would be Irish, of course!  :)  

Heather’s GOTTA ASK – Kris’s GOTTA ANSWER  J

Heather:  Can you tell our readers a little about the new venture you’re involved in, Rock*It Reads?

Kris:  Why, yes I can!  :)

Rock*It Reads is a new idea, a ‘brand’ of traditionally published authors who are self-publishing as well.  Each of the Rock*It Reads authors has made a commitment to put out only high-quality self-published works, on par with her New York works.  We’ve got a website (http://rockitreads.com), a newsletter, Twitter and Facebook pages, and an eye-catching logo for our books. 

Rock*It Reads isn’t a publisher.  These are 100% self-published works, done by each author, on her own dime, on her own time.  We’ve simply banded together to form Rock*It Reads to help our readers find other great self-published romances.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Kris:  How bad is too bad?  I’m looking for bad boy heroes, alpha heroes who push the edge. I think of my heroes as the “good alpha,” men so confident and secure in themselves they aren’t threatened by an equally-strong woman.  But that doesn’t mean they’re nice.  Oh, no, not even close.  Kier, the hero in DECEPTION, is a con man out for revenge, and Aodh, (CLAIMING HER) is a treasonous soldier who takes what he wants.   Which kind of bad boy hero lights your fire the hottest?    


WILL YOU HAVE A DRAWING FROM THOSE LEAVING COMMENTS?**

 Kris:  I’ll be giving away two of my books!

First, an e-copy of my upcoming self-published super hot historical romance novella CLAIMING HER when it releases later this summer.  Excerpt: http://www.kriskennedy.net/183

Second, a print copy of my upcoming book from Pocket, DECEPTION, which will be sent once it releases. Excerpt: http://www.kriskennedy.net/178


Thanks so much for being with us today, Kris!  Where can your fans learn more about you on the web?


Website: http://kriskennedy.net

Newsletter sign-up (which will let you know when Claiming Her is releasing): http://kriskennedy.net/subscribe-to-newsletter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/KrisKennedy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrisKennedyBooks


*Please click on photos for links to attributing websites. Thanks!

30 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Congrats on the upcoming releases, Kris. I do love bad boys. I actually rooting for Guy of Gisbourne instead of Robin.

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    1. Jane~
      So sorry for not being here yesterday! I made a formal apology for my mixed-up brain below. :)

      I am so with you on rooting for Guy of Gisbourne, at least as far as the BBC show. :) When a character is too-good in fiction, I don't know, I think we don't believe it's sincere. And for sure, it's not as compelling. There's no layers. I need layers. Like an onion. :) (I'm flashing on Shrek.... )

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  3. Great interview. I can't wait to check out "Claiming Her." The cover reminds me of a book I am just finishing up titled, "The Romanov Stone" by Robert C. Yeager.. a fabulous historical romance that takes place during the Romanov era in Russia. How can we win a copy?

    http://www.robertcyeager.com/

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    1. Becky~
      You have a chance to win by doing just what you did-comment! :)
      Thanks so much for the mention of another historical romance author who I've never heard of, setting his stories in an less-populated fictional era. Totally my cup of tea. I tried to visit the site, but got a crazy big This Site Is An Attack Page! warning, so couldn't check it out. :)

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  4. Thanks for the great interview. Congrats on the upcoming release. These books sound amazing. Can't wait to read them.

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    1. Yay Joanne! I'm so happy the books sound exciting to you. If you read them, I hope you love them. :)

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  5. I like very dark bad boy heroes. They can be criminals or ruthless. They have to be redeemable though. They can't be violent against the heroine. That is where I draw the line. I find complicated and flawed heroes very interesting.

    geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. StacieD~
      Yes, I agree, I think it's the complexity that comes out in a 'bad boy' or flawed hero that is so alluring. That and the fact that he's capable of great harm, but doesn't do it.

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  6. Welcome back to GLIAS, Kris.

    Love the middle ages. I'd love to know if you'd stay? I've often wondered about time traveling women who opt to stay in the past. I'd want to bring the man I loved forward in time, healthier, longer lives...indoor plumbping, etc. What about you?

    ~Angi

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    1. Angi~
      Well, thanks so much for *having* me back, me and my muddled calendar-brain. :)

      You may an interesting point--bring the guy to *you*. I like your thinking. :)

      But if going back, I agree, the indoor plumbing thing is pretty important. And so I think we should just say all toiletry items and conveniences must be transportable too.

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  7. Very fun interview. Nice choices for villains.

    bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  8. I like bad boy heroes as long as they aren't mean spirited or control freaks.

    chey127 at hotmail dot com

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    1. Chey~
      I agree 100%. That's a big part of what I think of as "the good alpha' character. Capable and confident, so much so that he doesn't need to control other ppl or the heroine.

      Thanks for saying hi!

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  9. Hi Kris,

    Heroes who are a lot bad are more fun to read. More fun to write. Face it, there just fun and hot!
    Love the idea of Rocket Reads! Can't wait to Twitter! :)

    As sister Pocket authors, we should connect some time! ;)

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    1. Jillian~
      That should be our motto: Bad Boy Heroes: Just More Fun. :)

      Let's connect! Email me, yes?

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  10. Alan Rickman and Richard Armitage both look so young in those photos -- and they still look great now that they're older!

    (I remember watching those 2 shows and loving their characters!)

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    1. Tin~
      I know, so young! And I know, so still-hot now. ;)

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  11. Hi Kris. I loved your other books and I own them proudly! I can't wait for your other books. To be honest, I'm not a fan of e-readers. I prefer paperbacks.

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    1. Hey there LilMiss!

      Good to see you. Thank-you so much for your kind words about the books--I love to know they hit the spot. :)

      To be honest, I'm not a e-reader fan either. :) I mean, I'm a fan of them existing in the world, but I can't read for pleasure on them.

      You'll probably be glad to know that I do plan to put out any self-pubbed works as print as well. This first one is a novella, though, and making it available in print would be too pricey for readers, so my plan is that once I have a few novellas, to bundle them as a print anthology. :)

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  12. Girls,
    I am SO SORRY!! I'm slowly being crushed by the amount of things in my To Do list, and my muddled brain had accidentally put in my calendar that I was here with you wonderful ladies TODAY (Friday) not yesterday, Thursday. So, so sorry for not showing up!!

    Now, to say hi to everyone....

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  13. congrats on the upcoming release of 2 new books -- both sound great :) I've read some books were pretty bad guy & real jerks actually turn out to be fabulous heroes for the right lady. Of course there is such a thing as too "no good" but that's generally reserved for the real villains not the potential heroes :D

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    1. Gamistress~
      Thanks for the congrats, and I think you make a really excellent point-even if someone seems too alpha or 'too rough' or 'too bad,' for the right person, he may be just right! :)

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  14. I am not a fan of the nekkid man chest covers (forgive me) but I must say, the cover for Deception catches my eye. I find it unusual, and intriguing, how's he's looking down at the dagger with a hard-to-identify expression, and also, that it's a dagger instead of the more generic sword, and that it's held upright. All really does make me want to open up the story ad find out what's going on.

    And the cover for the ebook! black and white on her, black and skin on him - very cool, and I didn't even know people had tattoos like that in that time period!

    I very much enjoyed the author's previous historical, and look forward to these stories.

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    1. M~
      No forgiveness required--I have a love-hate relationship with them myself. I'm so glad the cover for Deception works for you!! I'll be sure to tell my editor. :)

      And the cover for Claiming Her--it's fascinating, isn't it? I've probably taken terrible liberties in having the artist paint the cover model in the way I did, but as I was writing, the hero just showed up, tattooed. I was surprised, :), but there's so much history for tattoos, especially in the ancient Celtic world, that I thought I would let him be.

      I hope you love the stories to come as much as you've like the one you've read previously. And thanks so much for saying hi!!

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  15. congrts on the new release. i'm big fans of bad boy especially when they repented after met a woman they truly loved *grin

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    1. Eli~
      Redemption is so powerful, isn't it? Hot men being redeemed--um, YES! ;)
      Thanks for saying hi!

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  16. I think motivation is pretty important when talking about characters who aren't necessarily "good." Are they bad for a reason? A reason readers can get behind?

    Not that it takes a lot to sway me. ;D

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    1. Julie~
      You're right--we need a reason to root for someone who's doing 'bad' things. This came up for me the other night as I was watching an older movie, The Brinks Job, with Peter Falk. We were supposed to be rooting for him & his gang of small-time thieves, but my sympathy was seriously undermined when they had Peter Falk thieving little things like ties and vegetables at a local market from people who'd have been his neighbors and friends. Just a little thing like that, with no change of heart evident, can make impossible to root for a 'bad guy.'

      Thanks for saying hi!

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