Hi Kathryne :) Welcome here at the ROOB mansion! I would say; get yourself comfy, I’ll fix us something to drink and nibble on and let’s get talking about this new exciting series of yours!

Q: First of all, could you divulge a bit about the concept of THE ELVEN LORDS series?

It revolves around seven mad elven who opened the doorway into the human world, and took over England, carving it into seven sovereignties, each rich with their own magical power: fire, sea & sky, illusion, gemstone, earth, metal, and forest. They use human slaves to fight their wars for possession of the king, who has become nothing more than a trophy. They breed with humans to create champions for their games, and these half-breeds have formed a secret Rebellion with the humans to regain England’s freedom. Each book is the love story of a couple that significantly manages to attain that goal.

Q: How did you prepare yourself for setting up a new fantasy series, is it pure imagination or is there a lot of research involved too?

A bit of both. I had to do a lot of research into the eighteenth century, so I had it fixed in my head before I started writing.

Q: I’ve read on various occasions that this new series is darker and more sexy then your Relic Of Merlin series, if so, what do you consider to be more dark and sexy? What can the readers expect?

There are concepts in THE ELVEN LORDS that are difficult for me to write about. A sadistic father who tortures his son. A heroine who is a killer. A secret so evil that my hero has difficulty accepting it, even knowing the evil of the elven lords. So I was concerned that these elements might prove too dark for readers of the RELICS series. Thankfully, I think readers realize that it’s part of the characters and this new world. As far as more sexy, I think THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER has a lot of sensual scenes, more than I’ve ever written before, but I don’t believe the entire series is any more so. That said, the magic within this world allows me to create some unusual love scenes.

Q: I don’t know yet about other readers but Dominic Raikes was the jackpot for me as a leading male. Have you had many comments about him and what are his strengths and weaknesses?

As I had hoped, readers seem to have fallen as much in love with him as I did. He’s the most tortured hero I’ve written to date…literally. His strengths and weaknesses are many, but I think his greatest strength is his strong heart…which proves to be his greatest weakness, as well.

Q: There are many romantic and sexy moments in The Fire Lord’s Lover, which one is your favorite and can you give us a quote of it?

When I read this question, I wondered if we had the same scene in mind. I wrote an entire blog post about it for my virtual tour, and here’s a bit of the quote I used (I should mention for those who haven’t read the book that Dominic has the magical gift of fire, and there are varying degrees of heat, the yellow being gentle and warm):

Dominic called down one yellow flame, his eagerness making it dance and swirl. It touched her shoulder, made a circling motion, and her arm twitched at the gentle tickling heat. He called down another, sweeping the flame against the curve of her back. The next one he brought to her neck, made it curve beneath the fall of her hair and weave its way through the satiny strands of golden brown.
He envied his fire, for he wanted nothing more than to trace his own fingers across the paths on which he sent them. But he could touch her in a thousand places at once with the myriad flames, and it brought him pleasure to imagine her own. So he sent the tiny flickers to her more quickly. Some to warm her back.
More to weave within her hair. Yellow flames wove between her fingers, lightly moving her hands as they spun within her palms.
She pretended to ignore them.
Dominic traced her cheek with flame, eased more across her lips, and imagined his own mouth upon them when she sighed. He made the flames catch thcovers and lift them up, draw them down her body until he could see the curve of her hip, the long length of her legs, the small soles of her feet. A small shiver went through her from the chill air, and he quickly sent more whorls of yellow to caress her legs, play with her toes, flick over her hips.
He narrowed his eyes in concentration as she continued to ignore his magic, ruthlessly skimming her bottom with tendrils of flame, finally sending some to tickle the crease between her buttocks.
Cassandra let out a startled yelp and flipped onto her back.
Dominic continued to play with his fire as if he stroked the keys of some erotic instrument, his entire being caught up in bringing pleasure to his wife.
He hadn’t realized what intense satisfaction it would bring him.

Q: The Elven Lords themselves are highly intriguing creatures, can you tell a bit more about them?

The elven are beautiful beings (inspired by Legolas in Lord of the Rings) with grace, strength and natural talents unequaled in humans. And they have powerful magic, enhanced on earth by the seven scepters that they stole from their homeland. The seven are considered mad by their own people. They were bored with the peaceful land of Elfhame, longing for the challenge and excitement of a world constantly filled with strife, and looked to the human world. In many ways the elven are an exploration for me into the concept of peace, and whether it is truly attainable.

Q: What are the pros and cons of writing fantasy romance?

There are truly no cons for me…I love fantasy! But there are challenges to writing it. I can find myself overwhelmed by the limitless possibilities. My world has to be logical enough to make sense to my reader. I have to watch for small mistakes in the rules that I have established. I have to make a fantastical world feel truly real.

Q: What did you do to unwind from writing The Fire Lord’s Lover?

I’ll let you know as soon as that happens. :}

Q: What’s in store for us readers from Kathryne Kennedy in the near future?

Book two in THE ELVEN LORDS series, titled THE LADY OF THE STORM. I think you can guess whose story it is, after reading book one. :} My hero is cursed with a magic sword and my heroine with a power that she fears. In THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER, my h/h discover a clue to defeat the elven lords. In THE LADY OF THE STORM, my h/h brings you to the source of magic. And for book three (currently untitled) my h/h discover the true key to Elfhame.

Kathryne, thank for letting me pick your brain for a moment and talk about this awesome new series!!

It was my pleasure, Leontine. Thank you so much for having me!
General info:

THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER BY KATHRYNE KENNEDY—IN STORES JULY 2010

Kathryne Kennedy's historical fantasy romances have garnered awards and a growing readership. This exciting new series, set against the lavish backdrops of Georgian and Victorian England so beloved by romance readers, is deliciously dark and exciting.

Fighting for control of a kingdom that is split into seven domains, Elven warlords use their human slaves to breed an endless supply of soldiers for their armies. Dominic Raikes, the half-blood son of the Elven Lord himself is one such warrior. Betrothed to Lady Cassandra, who has been raised in a convent to keep her pure, he little suspects that she's been secretly trained as an assassin to murder his father. Dominic and Cassandra soon discover that each one is not what they seem, but the price of trust may be their very lives, and the destruction of the magical realm each is desperately trying to save…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathryne Kennedy is a multipublished, award-winning author of magical romances. She’s lived in Guam, Okinawa, and several states in the U.S., and currently lives in Arizona with her wonderful family—which includes two very tiny Chihuahuas. She welcomes readers to visit her website where she has ongoing contests at: http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

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Leontine's review of THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER

 

Nancy Thayer - Beachcombers (contemporary romance)
Release date : June 2010
Website Nancy Thayer
For Sale At: The Book Depository Store

Synopsis
Abbie Fox hasn't seen her father or two younger sisters in almost two years, during which she's jetted around the world and experienced life, if not love. But now Lily, the baby of the family, is sending Abbie urgent emails begging her to return home to Nantucket. Their middle sister, Emma, has taken to her bed, emotionally devastated after the loss of her high-powered stockbroker's job and a shockingly unexpected break-up with her fiancé. Also, Lily is deeply worried that Marina, the beautiful, enigmatic woman renting their guesthouse, has set her sights on the sisters' widowed father, Jim. The Fox girls closed ranks years ago after the haunting, untimely death of their mother, but seeing their dad move on with his life forces each of them to take stock.

Over the course of the summer, the sisters' lives grow as turbulent as the unpredictable currents encircling Nantucket. When Abbie encounters an incredibly appealing married man, she breaks her own rules in the name of love, fearing all the while that she'll regret it. Meanwhile, type-A Emma learns a new definition of success, and strong-minded Lily must reconcile her dreams with reality. Even Marina, who has come to Nantucket to forget heartbreak and betrayal, faces an astonishing turn of events that will find her torn between fate and freedom. At summer's end, these unforgettable women will face profound choices - and undergo personal transformations that will surprise even themselves.

Mercedes Lackey - The Sleeping Beauty
Book 5 in the 500 Kingdoms series
Releasedate: July 1, 2010
Website Mercedes Lackey
For sale at: The Book Depository Story

Synopsis
Heavy is the head - and the eyelids - of the princess who wears the crown.

In Rosamund's realm, happiness hinges on a few simple beliefs:
For every princess there's a prince.
The king has ultimate power.
Stepmothers should never be trusted.
And bad things come to those who break with Tradition.

But when Rosa is pursued by a murderous huntsman and then captured by dwarves, her beliefs go up in smoke. Determined to escape and save her kingdom from imminent invasion, she agrees to become the guinea pig in one of her stepmother's risky incantations - thus falling into a deep, deep sleep.

When awakened by a touchy-feely stranger, Rosa must choose between Tradition and her future.between a host of eligible princes and a handsome, fair-haired outsider. And learn the difference between being a princess and ruling as a queen.

The moral of the story? Sometimes a princess has to create her own happy endings...

Wendy Corsi Staub - Live To Tell
Book 1 in the Live To Tell series
Releasedate: June 1, 2010
Website Wendi Corsi Staub
For Sale At: The Book Depository Store

Synopsis
Secrets can scandalize...

In a lovely suburban town just north of New York City, the gossip mill runs more efficiently than the commuter-train line. And in every impeccably decorated house, they're talking about Lauren Walsh. They say that nothing could be worse than being abandoned by your husband for another woman. They're wrong...

Secrets can shock...
All Lauren wants is to protect her children from the pain of her messy divorce. But when their father goes missing, a case of mistaken identity puts all their lives in danger, and a stealthy predator lurks in the shadows, watching... waiting...

Secrets can kill...
Lauren is about to uncover an unfathomable truth - a truth this cold-blooded mastermind would never let her live to tell...

Alison Weir - The Captive Queen
Releasedate: July 2010
Website Alison Weir
For Sale At: The Book Depository Store

Synopsis
In this latest offering, Alison Weir imagines the world of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the beautiful twelfth-century woman who was Queen of France until she abandoned her royal husband for the younger man who would become King of England. In a relationship based on lust and a mutual desire for great power, Henry II and Eleanor took over the English throne in 1154, thus beginning one of the most influential reigns and tumultuous royal marriages in all of history. In this novel, Weir uses her extensive knowledge to paint a most vivid portrait of this fascinating woman.