I’m looking forward to meeting everyone! Thank you so much for having me here, Fatin. I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of my first novel, BENEATH THE THIRTEEN MOONS (check out my website to read an excerpt), to one lucky commenter, and an autographed bookmark for my upcoming novel, ENCHANTING THE LADY, to everyone who comments. Just send me an email at kathryne_kennedy@yahoo.com with your mailing address & mention that you commented here.

 

 

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. The problem is; most of the jewels have disappeared, 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 novel, ENCHANTING THE LADY, is releasing January 1, 2008. It’s 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.

 

 

I’m thrilled that reviewers have been enchanted by the book, so I also <g> have to share some of the reviews, but I’ll keep them short:

 

 

Publishers Weekly called it “simply delightful”.

BookList said it’s a “well-crafted, sexy romp”.

Romance Reviews Today said “Phenomenal” A Perfect 10
Huntress Reviews “Outstanding!” 5/5 Stars
Romance Junkies Reviews “fantastic new series” 5/5 Blue Ribbons
SingleTitles.com “Delightful, refreshing and unique” 5/5 Stars

 

And here’s a short excerpt:

 

 

London, 1882
Where magic has never died…

Chapter 1

Felicity should’ve known that her cousin would try to frighten her with one of his illusions on the most important day of her life. But when she opened the door to her room to fetch her wrap and saw the quality of the apparition before her, she gasped with astonishment.
The wooden floor had cracked apart to reveal a gaping hole. Felicity leaned forward and peered over the edge, an odor of rotten eggs burning her nose. Her lavender-blue eyes watered as she looked down into an abyss that glowed from a river of lava flowing at the very bottom.
Cousin Ralph’s magic had surpassed his rank, just as Uncle Oliver had predicted. As a viscount’s son, he shouldn’t have been able to create illusions, much less something this vivid.
Felicity swallowed and lifted her chin. Ralph’s illusions usually came to her in dreams, and it startled her that he’d become powerful enough to send her one in the daytime. Still, it could only be an illusion, no matter how well crafted, and she’d have to cross it in order to reach her white lace shawl. But she hated heights.
Uncle Oliver’s impatient voice–loudly wondering what could be taking her so long to fetch a wrap–carried up the stairs. Felicity took the deepest breath she could within the confines of her corset, lifted the ruffles of her skirts and sprinted across the room, landing in a very unladylike sprawl atop her settee. Her heart pounded at an alarming rate and her hands shook when she reached for her wrap, but a smile of grim satisfaction spread across her face.
And then she glanced down.
The settee shifted, slowly sinking into the chasm.
“Blast!”
Felicity rolled, thankfully hit a solid surface with her feet, and leaped across the room, catching the edge of the chasm with her fingers. Her feet flailed and she could feel the heat of the lava flow up her skirts and she swore she’d get even with her cousin.
She’d never been caught up in one of his illusions to this degree. His magic kept growing stronger, and she had little to none of her own to counter it.
“My goodness, Miss Felicity!”
Felicity looked up into the freckled face of her newest lady’s maid.
“I near stepped on ye! Whatever are ye doing?”
Felicity wiggled her toes and glanced over her shoulder. The lava burped and a fresh wave of rot hit her nose. “What does it look like, Katie?”
The Irish girl stepped back, her eyes wide, and crossed herself. “Yer laying on the floor, miss. Wiggling like a fish.”
Felicity sighed. She’d lose another maid. Again. It was hard enough to get good servants, but when only she could see the illusions, they had a tendency to think she was a bit mad. But her fingers had started to slip, and her shoulders to cramp, so she had to ask. “Would you mind giving me a hand, then? I can’t seem to get up.”
Katie nodded, the red hair that had escaped her cap bouncing along her flushed cheeks. Although tiny, she had enough wiry strength to flip Felicity right on her feet.
“Now, then.” Felicity brushed at the dust covering the front of her white gown. “I think you should go straight away to the upstairs maid and tell her the floors must be mopped more often. Really, when one wants to wiggle like a fish, one should not be subjected to such filth.”

As you can tell, it’s a light-hearted story, but with lots of adventure and heart-warming, sexy romance. I put together a book video for it, with original artwork and musical score, so please visit my website at http://www.KathryneKennedy.com for ninety seconds of enchantment. :}

 

 

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. I kinda feel sorry for her, she’s so very proper, but sometimes the worst hardships bring the greatest rewards. <g> Sterling is a were-stallion…jet black hair, dark blue eyes… <slap face> okay, he meets Jasmina’s illusion, can’t resist making love to her, and does the gentlemanly thing and marries her. Then he finds out the truth, and meets the real Lady Jasmina and can’t understand how this uptight woman could produce such a different illusion to her real self. But he really starts to get confused when he finds himself falling in love with her…

 

It was such fun to write. We’re hoping to have DOUBLE ENCHANTMENT also released sometime in 2008. I’m currently working on revisions for the first draft.

The third book, ENCHANTING THE BEAST, is just a glimmer in my imagination right now. I can’t wait to really start brain-storming it, that’s the truly fun part of writing for me.

 

If you have any question or comments, whether about my books or writing in general, ask away, and I’ll do my best to answer…and I would love to meet you!

Kathryne

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