Publishers Weekly gives lovely review to THE LADY OF THE STORM

The Lady of the Storm

Kathryne Kennedy. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99 mass market (416p) ISBN 978-1-4022-3653-2

Kennedy follows July's The Fire Lord's Lover with a slower-paced romantic fantasy set in a medieval England that has been invaded by evil elves from another world. Wholeheartedly devoted to the human rebellion, Giles Beaumont reluctantly agrees to guard Cecily Sutton, the daughter of a human woman and an elven lord. Cecily is the Rebellion's secret weapon, but all she wants is to live quietly like a human. As the war heats up, Cecily is forced to learn how to control the magical abilities that terrify her. Giles tries to resist his attraction to Cecily, but soon the two are deeply in love. Fantastical creatures, magical spells, lengthy quests, angst, and passion will satisfy readers looking for a romance plot in a well-developed fantasy setting. (Aug.)

http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4022-3653-2

Booklist gives starred review to THE LADY OF THE STORM

Booklist

Issue: June 1, 2011

The Lady of the Storm.

Kennedy, Kathryne (Author)

Aug 2011. 416 p. Sourcebooks/Casablanca, paperback, $7.99. (9781402236532).

Cecily Sutton’s adoptive father is off fomenting rebellion against the elven lords who rule England. He asked blacksmith Giles Beaumont to watch over Cecily, which has become increasingly difficult as Gileshas fallen for her and since she loves to swim in the ocean nude. Cecily is in danger because she is half elf; if her strong, water-linked powers were to become known, she would be executed. After a deadly raid on the village, she and Giles set out to find her missing father. Kennedy’s exquisite world building and terrific plotting make this a must-read for fantasy fans as well as readers who like sizzling romance. Kennedy creates a satisfying, fully realized world where adventure abounds and conflict and relationships are consistent and believable. While this tale of danger, suspense, magic, and passion stands firmly on its own, it is the second in Kennedy’s thrilling and distinctive Elven Lords series.

— Diana Tixier Herald

(Thank you for the lovely review, Diana! It's always a pleasure to find a kindred-spirit. ~Kathryne)

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Historical Research and World Building

It often surprises me how my historical research will add to or completely gel with the fantasy aspects of my novels. In my new series, The Elven Lords, the stories are based in the eighteenth century, so I spent over a month researching the Georgian era, including the political environment, with special emphasis on daily life and--since my books are first and foremost romances--the clothing and housing of the aristocracy.

When I read that white wigs were prevalent in the era, it made perfect sense that the true reasons for wearing the wigs were to imitate the ivory-haired elven lords of my fantasy world. All I needed to do was to add a crushed silver stone to the wigs, which the aristocracy uses to imitate the silver sparkle of my lords. For my readers to identify with the history of the era, I felt that it was important to keep a king on the throne, but since the elven broke through the barrier between worlds and conquered England, dividing it into seven sovereignties that each ruled, I couldn’t be sure of the role he would play. Then I read that the power behind the throne at that time truly lay with Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of England. So, with an apology to King George, I made him nothing more than a trophy for the elven lords to wage their wars—wars that used humans as chess pieces in games of entertainment similar to the Roman and Greek gladiatorial games, but on a much broader scale. Sir Robert became the leader of the Rebellion, the underground movement of humans and half-elven who fight for England’s freedom and the restoration of their king to true power. As with actual history, the court set the precedence for clothing and style, but since the king of my fantasy world held influence only in that limited aspect, it became an obsession with him and the court.

My seven mad elven lords each had possession of a scepter, and the master of a particular power. As I researched the landscape and the development of England’s resources, I used that knowledge to divide the sovereignties. Since Bath and it’s famous healing waters were located in the Southwest, it fell naturally into place that the elven lord Breden, master of the blue scepter of sea and sky, controlled that area, becoming the sovereignty of Dewhame, and this realm is explored fully in book two, The Lady of the Storm. South Central England, where London is located, is a politically important part of England and became Firehame, the sovereignty of Lord Mor'ded and his black scepter over the mastery of fire, a powerful realm that is fully revealed in book one, The Fire Lord’s Lover. Agricultural Eastern England became Verdanthame, with Mi'cal ruling with the green scepter of forest and plant. Northeastern England, extending upward into York and known for its roadways, became the sovereignty of Terrahame, and the elven lady Annanor and her brown scepter of earth. North Central England, dominated by mining and hilly country, became the sovereignty of Bladehame and the silver scepter of Lan'dor, who masters metal. The Northwest became Stonehame, where the elven lady La'laylia called up quartz from the depths to enchant with her violet scepter. And the West became Dreamhame, butting up against the craggy mountains of Wales, the sovereignty of Roden of the golden scepter, with his spells of glamour and illusion, a realm fully explored in book three, The Lord of Illusion.

As you can see, my historical research into eighteenth-century England helped me develop my world, sometimes in completely unexpected ways.

Top Ten Reasons to fall in love with my hero, General Dominic Raikes from THE FIRE LORD’S LOVER

Reason Number Ten:
He lives in a magical eighteenth century England, where seven elven lords rule with the power of their scepters. Dominic is a half-breed, with enough elven blood to make him beautiful…and deadly. He lives with forbidden secrets, a Rebellion determined to destroy the elven lords, mysterious dragons, deliciously dark desires and a world ruled by the pageantry of the era, where only the strongest love can prevail.

Reason Number Nine:
If you love tortured heroes, you’ll fall in love with Dominic. Fearful of his growing magical powers, his father has tested him with fire since he was a lad. His father destroyed anyone that Dominic ever loved, forcing Dominic to become very, very scarred…and to isolate himself emotionally from others.

Reason Number Eight:
If you love arranged marriages, you’ll enjoy the budding relationship between Dominic and his assassin bride, Lady Cassandra Bridges. Dominic needs a wife to breed a new champion, and Lady Cassandra seems the perfect choice. But what he doesn’t know is that the convent taught her more than how to be a proper wife—the Rebellion secretly trained her as an assassin to murder his father.

Reason Number Seven:
Dominic is scarred because at his very core, he has a heart too gentle for the world he was born in. It will take some time for you to uncover the true man beneath his hard-won defenses, but the most difficult challenges are often the most gratifying.

Reason Number Six:
He is a military man, with the proud bearing and the authoritative manner of a general…and a champion of the elven war games. Most of the time you will find Dominic in velvet black clothing, a sword at his side, a black cloak billowing behind him.

Reason Number Five:
His best friend and confidant is a dragon.

Reason Number Four:
He’s an elven half-breed, which means he has the beauty of the elven with the heart and soul of a human. He possesses strength and stamina beyond an ordinary man’s, which means he has never known a woman that he couldn’t satisfy.

Reason Number Three:
Dominic is different than your run-of-the-mill hero. He has long thick white-blond hair, with the silver sparkle of the elven lords. He has midnight black eyes, faceted like jewels, a face that resembles an archangel’s but a devilishly delicious mouth. Lustrous skin over a graceful muscular frame hardened by battle. And pointed ears. Adorable, pointed ears.

Reason Number Two:
His magical gift is fire. There are several levels of fire magic that he has inherited from his father. The white, which is cold and harmless. The blue fire, which can heal. The red that burns powerfully and the neutral gray that creates an impenetrable wall. And then there is the yellow, which is gently warm against the skin and can be crafted to resemble anything he can imagine. He can play it like a musician can play an instrument…aah, what Dominic can do with yellow fire…

And the Number One Reason to fall in love with Dominic is:
He’s so incredibly addictive, like your favorite candy bar. You will long for just one more bite.

How to Talk to a Dragon

My step-by-step guide to speaking with Kalah, my blue dragon in THE LADY OF THE STORM:

First you have to find him. It’s a good bet that he’s perched in the highest point around, and in Dewhame Palace, that would be in one of the towers. In THE ELVEN LORDS series, there are seven realms created by the elven lords, and each has their own primary magical power and dragon-steeds. For the sovereignty of Dewhame, Lord Breden rules with the power of sea and sky, and his blue scepter is linked with his dragon-steed, Kalah. So it’s going to be wet up there in this dragon’s tower, with water flowing down the walls of the palace and lightning occasionally trickling from Kalah’s snout. Wear your most water-proof mantua and wooden shoes.

Show no fear, or the dragon will think you are prey and will eat you. (Just kidding. Kalah prefers a nice haunch of beef to the bitter taste of humans.)

If the dragon is sleeping, don’t wake him up. (This time, I’m not kidding.) Like dogs, they prefer a good nap to just about anything else. You don’t need to make a sound to let him know of your presence, for he smelled you long before you could see him. Be patient; if he wants to talk to you, umm, it’s his choice.

Try excessive flattery. Kalah is prone to personal vanity, and with scales that glimmer like sunlight on turquoise waves, he has a bit of a right to be.

Try not to get frustrated. Kalah has a twisted sense of humor, and his own hidden agenda, and will often speak obtusely and answer your questions with a remark that might not seem even remotely connected.

As much as you might be tempted, do not ask for the dragon to give you a ride on his back. He would consider it rude.

Kalah will be able to read what’s in your heart. Be careful that you truly want the answers to any questions you may ask.

If the dragon hasn’t already ended the conversation by flying away, thank him for his time and back toward the tower doorway, because if he does launch, you’ll need to be prepared for the gust of wind from his wings.

AZBSPADA "Share the Magic" Casino Night

A family friend introduced me to this charity and its work. Arizona Beta Sigma Phis Against Domestic Abuse hosts a fund-raising event every year that benefits the New Life Shelter, a safe-haven for women and children experiencing domestic abuse. This year it was a charity casino night held at The Beatitudes Campus on March 26 in Phoenix, Arizona. Besides donating books for the event, I also attended, and had a wonderful time. The food was fabulous, we received 'play' money to play Blackjack with, which I had never played before. It was a lot of fun learning, and I managed to win enough money to enter the raffle to win a huge gift basket. All of the ladies who volunteer for this event work very hard, and are so generous with their time and talents. To find out more about their annual events, please visit: http://www.azbspada.org/