Some more wonderful reviews for MY UNFAIR LADY

"I knew from the minute that I met Summer as she was trying to hide her little dog under her skirts that I was going to like her...This was a very fun take on My Fair Lady. If you are a fan of that romance - you should pick up a copy of My Unfair Lady."
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-unfair-lady-by-kathryne-kennedy-book.html

"I kept hoping there could come a way for them to be together, although even I despaired at a happy ending. Some things just looked to insurmountable to overcome. I couldn't believe the surprises that were in store as Byron and Summer each fall more and more in love with each other. Overall, I found My Unfair Lady to be a charming read."
Reviewer: Robyn Roberts Overall Rating: 5.0
http://www.onceuponaromance.net/MyUnfairLady.htm

Last chance to win: http://muchcheaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/

That's right! This is my very last blog post before I crawl back under my keyboard and immerse myself in my next book. Stop by http://muchcheaperthantherapy.blogspot.com/ post a comment, and be entered to win an autographed copy of MY UNFAIR LADY. Good luck!

Red Means Stop, not Go Faster

A teacher from my son's old high school spent her day standing in front of a local grocery store handing out flyers for the Red Means Stop Coalition. She lost a student to a red light runner. I couldn't imagine losing a child at such a young age, and thought the least I could do is pass along the word about this non-profit organization. Although the readers of my blog probably aren't the ones who need the reminder, it would help to pass along the word to others: Red Means Stop, not Go-Faster-to-beat-the-light.

Here's a bit of the article that I received which ran in The Arizona Republic:

Jennifer Hinds: Young dreams ended by a red-light runner.

After nine years of marriage, Jennifer Lynn was our first child. She was born on a Tuesday morning, June 19, 1979. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a beautiful dimpled smile.

In High School, the DECA club helped her mature, as did her job at the new Arrowhead AMC theater. She was impatient, however, and wanted to get on with her life. New York and the fashion industry were calling to her, although we convinced her that NAU would be a great place to start, and not so far from home.

Unfortunately, Jennifer's plans were not to be.

Six days after Jennifer and her friends were T-boned in the intersection at 59th Avenue and Sweetwater, her life ended.

Thousands of injuries occur every year from red light running, and hundreds of deaths. Jennifer's story is but one. To find out more about the coalition, please visit: http://www.redmeansstop.org/

FOR WRITERS: Should you start with plot or character? http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

My post at Guide to Literary Agents might help. (And if you're lookiing for an agent, this blog is a wonderful resource!)
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

Happy Holidays!

Since this is my last post before the holidays, I wanted to extend my warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas, and my hope that Santa is good to you. :}

I have resolved this year to take some time during the hustle and bustle to gather calm around myself, to sit back and watch my loved ones that surround me, to memorize their faces and this one moment in time, to preserve it as a precious memory, because life is about change and nothing will ever be the same again as it is at this one moment.

It's not something I ever thought to do before, at least, not purposefully.

But I've realized that it's so very easy to take for granted those that surround you; the friends and family whose love and caring make life worth living.

Christmas can sometimes be peaceful or just plain bonkers. The little ones can get cranky from lack of sleep and all the excitement, the older ones just as cranky from last minute shopping, baking, and just plain trying to factor in Christmas when there's already not enough hours in the day to meet the demands of normal life. And you know what? This year I'm going to sit back and enjoy every crazy minute of it.

And thank God for this precious moment.

And for those of you who celebrate other faiths, I wish you the same indelible memory of your own peaceful or crazy, wonderful moment with your friends and family.

All My Very Best,

Kathryne

ENCHANTING THE LADY places first in the LAUREL WREATH contest!

Yes, first place! A first for me. :} Congratulations to all my fellow winners in the contest, which I've listed below:

2009 LAUREL WREATH WINNERS

SHORT CONTEMPORARY
1st place – Their Secret Child -Mary J. Forbes - Silhouette
2nd place – Finally a Bride - Lisa Childs - Silhouette
3rd place - Italian Doctor, Sleigh Bell Bride - Sarah Morgan - Harlequin

LONG CONTEMPORARY/ROMANTIC ELEMENTS
1st place – Windswept - Ann Macela - Medallion Press
2nd place – She’s On Top - Susan Lyons – Kensington Aphrodisia
3rd place – Blush – Opal Carew - St. Martin's Griffin

PARANORMAL/TT/FANTASY
1st place – Enchanting the Lady – Kathryne Kennedy - Love Spell
2nd place – The Accidental Demon Slayer - Angie Fox - Dorchester
3rd place - La Vida Vampire - Nancy Haddock - Berkley

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
1st place – Out of Her League - Kaylea Cross - Wild Rose Press
2nd place – Pitch Black - Susan Crandall - Forever
3rd place – Conspiracy of Silence – Martha Powers - Oceanview

HISTORICAL
1st place –The Wagonmaster - Nita Wick – Freya’s Bower
2nd place –Unmasked - Nicola Cornick - Harlequin/HQN
3rd place - An Improper Aristocrat - Deb Marlowe - Harlequin

Only a few chances left to win a copy of MY UNFAIR LADY

Today I'm at: http://siamckye.blogspot.com/ where I'll also be talking about my new series, THE ELVEN LORDS, and previewing the cover of book one, THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER. Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered into the drawing for MY UNFAIR LADY. This time the book is coming from me, so you'll get an autographed copy if you win!

Come join me!

In an all month long give-a-way starting today at Erin Quinn's Blog: http://quinnessentials.blogspot.com/

And tomorrow on December 16th, I'll be at Sia McKye's blog talking about MY UNFAIR LADY, and my new Georgian Fantasy romance series, THE ELVEN LORDS. Preview the initial cover of book one, THE FIRE LORD'S LOVER: http://siamckye.blogspot.com/ (Leave a comment, enter to win my book!)

Hope to see you there!

Night Owl Romance virtual tour entries

Congratulations to Judy C from Holden, Louisiana, who won the cameo for the special blog contest at Night Owl Romance! And on top of that, a $10 gift card from NOR! We had a ton of entries and lots of fun, thanks to the wonderful owner of NOR, Tammie King.

For those of you who purchased any of my books during the week long tour, please send in your proof of purchase for delivery by 12-20-09.

For print books you can send a receipt to: Night Owl Reviews, 2459 SE TV Hwy, #153, Hillsboro, Oregon 97123

For epurchases a copy of their order to: NightOwlRomance@gmail.com

A big thank you to all of you who participated!

Guest Blog and Giveaway on Anna's Book Blog: http://annavivian.blogspot.com/

Come join me on Anna's lovely blog where I talk about my inspiration for My Unfair Lady, (or, exploring the Cinderella complex.)
http://annavivian.blogspot.com/
Again, leave a comment & be entered to win my book!

My favorite Chihuahua story, sure to make you smile: http://bibliophile23.wordpress.com/

http://bibliophile23.wordpress.com/
Join me today on the wonderful blog, Books Like Breathing, where I tell my favorite story about my two little Chihuahuas.

Journey back in time with me: http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com/

Today I'm taking a step back in time to Victorian London to interview Summer Wine Lee, the heroine in MY UNFAIR LADY. Her Chihuahua is smaller than mine, and has a charming habit of attacking shoes. Come meet them both at:
My Book Addiction and More http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com/
Leave a comment & be entered to win a copy of MY UNFAIR LADY. (My publisher is providing all these give-a-way copies of my book for this tour...ain't that amazing?)

Need a chuckle? DESTINATION TRUTH and the search for the mythical panty! http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/

So what does my favorite TV show, DESTINATION TRUTH, have to do with historical research? Find out on my guest blog today at:
http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog/
Again, leave a comment & be entered to win a copy of MY UNFAIR LADY.

Two Minutes & Two Seconds of Fun Romance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstZnGFkhiM

Or just scroll to the bottom of my blog to view the fun little video for MY UNFAIR LADY. Have a relaxed, happy Sunday!

Need some inspiration? MY STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO HOW I GET INSPIRED TO WRITE: http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=2128

http://freshfiction.com/page.php?id=2128
Feeling a bit uninspired? Stop by my post at Fresh Fiction today, and perhaps a few of my ideas will help. (And yes, if you leave a comment, you're entered to win a copy of...MY UNFAIR LADY!;)

Need a smile? TOP TEN REASONS WHY MY HERO IS IRRESISTIBLE http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/

http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/
Three copies of MY UNFAIR LADY will be given away by my most fabulous publisher at this blog! So leave a comment to enter to win!

Today I'm guest blogging at: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/ Stop by & leave a comment to enter to win a copy of MY UNFAIR LADY!

MY UNFAIR LADY is released today!

As you can guess from the title, My Unfair Lady was inspired by the movie My Fair Lady, based on Shaw’s Pygmalion. About an American heiress who goes to London to hire a sponsor to turn her into a lady, I’d like to celebrate the release by telling readers what I love the most about my heroine, Summer Wine Lee.

     Although I like that Summer is bold, and a bit dangerous, and a product of her environment (she’s more of an Annie Oakley than she is an Eliza Doolittle), I think my favorite thing about her is her compassion. It’s her greatest strength, and sometimes her greatest weakness.

She can’t turn her back on the suffering of ‘critters’, and picks up quite a menagerie of hurt and stray animals. Since she spent most of her life growing up on an Arizona mine, she relieved her loneliness by adopting her first friends, some coatimundi’s. (These are really cute animals native to the Southwest desert.) As an adult, she picked up a cat named Moo-moo who has issues which makes her climb to feel secure, a three-legged dog named Lefty, a large dog named Sweetie who is a bit of a coward, and a tiny little Chihuahua named Chi-chi. Unfortunately, she can only bring Chi-chi with her on her voyage to London, but Summer and her friend Maria manage to rescue a monkey and a baby fox while in England.

Summer’s compassion also allows her to see beyond the surface appearance of a person. She does this with the hero’s mistress (which, unfortunately for my hero, the Duke of Monchester, causes their immediate breakup). Summer hires the duke to sponsor her and sees beyond his façade of arrogance as well, although it will take some time before she can truly unveil the entire character of the man that lies beneath.

Unfortunately, Summer’s compassion is also the reason for her insecurity. She carries a secret from her past. An action that she was forced to commit, but can’t forgive herself for. She thinks she wants to be turned in to a lady because she’s engaged to a man in New York who is connected to the Astor family, and they’ve made it clear to her that she’s an unacceptable bride. But as she works toward this goal, her secret creeps out to haunt her again and again, until she finally realizes why she wants to be a lady. And that it might be impossible.

But the duke finds out her secret, and is determined to help her.

And Summer’s compassion gets her into more trouble. She’s beginning to find out some contradictions about the duke and his family, and resolves to help him as well. When she discovers that someone might even be trying to kill him, she cannot turn her back on him, even when it would be in her best interest to do so. As she uncovers even more truths about the duke, she also finds herself growing more attracted to him. And her compassion for her fiancé prevents her from acting on those feelings, throwing Summer into more confusion. But her strength carries her through, and although sometimes she’s forced to make some difficult decisions, I can’t help but admire those that she does make. And eventually Summer will use her compassion for herself, as well, to discover her own inner truths.

Although Summer’s compassion might have made her story a deeper, more serious study of her character, her personality, penchant for outrageous behavior (at least as far as London society is concerned) and habit of caring for her critters makes the book a fun and light-hearted journey of self-discovery. The predicaments she gets into, and her unique way of solving them, are always fueled by her compassion…for better or worse.

So what is one of the traits you admire the most in your favorite heroine? And why? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

With My Best Wishes,
Kathryne

PS. Join me today for my Virtual Book Tour at: http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/

My Unfair Lady
By Kathryne Kennedy
Victorian Romance
Sourcebooks Casablanca
ISBN: 978-1-4022-2990-9
December 2009
$6.99 US/MM Paperback
http://www.sourcebooks.com/
http://www.kathrynekennedy.com/

Starred review from Publishers Weekly! A Library Journal Editor’s Pick! 5 book rating from Long and Short Reviews/5 stars from Huntress Reviews/WRDF Reviews says “A fantastic read!”/Romantic Times BOOKReviews says “Kennedy’s writing is witty and enjoyable.”/Merrimon Book Reviews says “A pure delight.”/Booklist says “Plenty of sexy romance.”

He created the perfect woman…
The impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king’s ransom if he’ll teach her to become a proper lady, he’s prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it’s not her fortune he finds impossible to resist…

For the arms of another man...
Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it’s the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she’s determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her heart…