Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Today's Special - - Kieran Kramer

We're excited to welcome Kieran Kramer to The Romance Dish today! 

Double Rita®-finalist and USA Today bestseller Kieran Kramer writes Regency historical romances and now contemporary romance for St. Martin’s Press. THE EARL IS MINE, the second in her House of Brady series, is her latest release. SAY YES TO THE DUKE premiers in August 2013. SWEET TALK ME, set in present-day South Carolina, comes out in March 2014. A former CIA employee, journalist, and English teacher, Kieran’s also a game show veteran, karaoke enthusiast, and general adventurer.  She lives where she grew up--in the Lowcountry of South Carolina--with her Naval Reserve commander husband and their three children. 

Connect with Kieran online at the following locations:








Hi Kieran!  Welcome to the Romance Dish!  Congratulations on the release of SAY YES TO THE DUKE, the third novel in your House of Brady series.  Please share with our readers what they can expect from this book.

It’s so nice to be here! Thanks so much for hosting me. As for SAY YES TO THE DUKE, readers can expect a sexy love story about a not-so-typical hero and a middle sister—one who needs to find her own way out of the shadow of a gorgeous older sister and an adorable younger one. Is she going to say yes to the life that she’s expected to live? Or will she rebel? It’s why I chose to set the book outside of London, in the country, where Janice will feel less familiar with her surroundings.

I had a lot of fun creating the secondary characters for this story, too. And as always, I bring back some familiar faces near the end of the book. They’re all new to Luke, however, and in front of a very large audience of Brady family members, he has to confront his own demons…will he or won’t he claim what’s his?

I was a fan of the Brady Bunch television show and have been enjoying your Regency spin on the series.  Everybody I know who watched the show has a favorite character.  With which of your Brady characters do you most closely identify? 

I think I most closely identify with Jan because I’m a middle sister, too! I know everyone makes fun of her on the show because she was jealous of Marcia, but Jan is someone that I always liked. She was a good sport! And as she got older on the show, she absolutely blossomed.  

Is there a different character you wanted to be more like? 

I’ve always wanted to have the cool poise of Marcia, LOL!!! But I still wouldn’t trade her for Jan. <g>

It was a pleasure seeing you at the recent RWA conference in Atlanta.  

It was lovely to see you, too, and to be around so many women who love romance! 

Will you be anywhere else this year where readers will have the opportunity to meet you? 

Thanks so much for asking! So far all I have left in 2013 is the Lady Jane’s Salon in North Carolina. I need to find out exactly when that is, LOL! Readers can find me just about every year, too, at RWA and RT.

PJ here.  Kieran will be reading at Lady Jane's Salon RDU at 7pm, September 25th at the Hibernian Restaurant and Pub in Cary, NC.  Check the LJS website for more info.  

Authors are typically in the position of having to answer questions.  Let’s turn those tables today.  If you could ask one question of Lady Janice and Luke Callahan, what would you ask? (And, if they happen to be anywhere in the vicinity, we’d love to hear their answers!)

I’d love to ask them a question!

Hey, you two, now that you’re together, is there anything you’d change about how that came about? I mean, it’s amazing that it happened at all, considering all the things going on in your own lives at the time the book took place.

Luke: I’d change absolutely nothing. Our story unfolded as it should. We would have found each other somehow, I’m sure of it. 

Janice: (kissing his cheek) That’s very sweet of you, but think of something, darling!

Luke: (with a grin) Very well. If you insist. The only thing I’d change is how long it took me to realize that Janice is the great singer that she is. (Janice blushes hot red) It wasn’t until our honeymoon that I got to hear her. And now I can’t go a day without having her sing to me at some point. My favorite time is when we’re riding together—I’ll put her on the saddle in front of me, and she’ll sing me a ballad.  

Janice: (laughing) I do have one adoring fan, and it’s Luke.

Luke: You have far more fans than I, my dear. (leaning toward the interviewer) She’s been invited to sing in many a drawing room in London. It seems that I’m not the only one who’s been surprised by her talent. She hid it for a long while.

Janice: Only because I was shy. (laughing) But I determined after all I’d been through in our story, SAY YES TO THE DUKE, that surely I had the bravado necessary to perform before a crowd. I was such an adventuress in the story, wasn’t I, Luke?

Luke (raises her knuckles to his lips and kisses them softly): Yes, you were, and I thank God for it every day, my love.

::Sigh::
  
What’s next from Kieran Kramer?

Big news for my historical readers! I’m writing a contemporary romance called SWEET TALK ME! It takes place in South Carolina in a fictitious seaside town called Biscuit Creek. I’ve always written both contemporary and Regency, so after seven Regencies, I decided it was time to get my contemporary career going, too. It’s been fun working on something different! It comes out in March 2014.

Can't wait to read this one, especially as it takes place in my own "back yard."  :)

Do you have a question for our readers today, Kieran?

Yes! I’d like to know what’s your favorite kind of heroine? Everyone seems to focus on discussing the hero these days. But I think the heroine needs a little time in the sun! I’d love to know your thoughts. And thanks so much for joining me here today!!

Thanks, Kieran!   I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions!  

Thanks so much, PJ. This was a really fun interview. I hope you and your readers have a great autumn filled with lots of good books!


CAN A SCANDALOUS BEGINNING…
Janice Sherwood wants to marry for love, but she’s failed to make a match after two Seasons. Her parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Brady, arrange to send her to the Duke of Halsey’s country estate as a short-term guest of his grandmother, the dowager, in hopes that she might win the duke’s affections. What they never could have imagined is that Janice would fall for the ruggedly handsome servant Luke, who lives in the stables and carries an air of mystery and temptation.

LEAD TO A FAIRY-TALE ENDING?
When Luke Callahan learns that he is the legitimate heir to a dukedom, he will stop at nothing to claim what is his. But first, he must begin a game of disguise to secure his rightful inheritance. Janice isn’t part of his plan. But by engaging her in this dance of deception, might he lose her forever?



BLOG TOUR GIVEAWAY

Kieran is giving away the following to one(1) lucky reader (US only)

     A Harlequin tote bag
     A Heroes and Heartbreakers tote bag
     THE EARL IS MINE by Kieran Kramer
     MIDNIGHT SPECIAL and COMING ON STRONG, (two novels in one) by Tawny Weber
     DANGEROUS REFUGE by Elizabeth Lowell (hardcover)
     THE MARRIAGE MERGER by Jennifer Probst
     IT HAD TO BE YOU by Jill Shalvis
     LYON'S BRIDE by Cathy Maxwell
     DON'T CRY FOR ME by Sharon Sala
     THE LAST VICTIM by Karen Robards
     WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES by Sabrina Jeffries
     THE ARRANGEMENT by Mary Balogh






Enter Kieran's Blog Tour Giveaway by clicking here.

Visit with Kieran at these other stops on her Blog Tour.

August 19-
Romancing Rakes For The Love of Romance

August 20-
The Romance Dish

August 21-
Ramblings From This Chick

August 22-
Romance Writer’s Revenge

August 23-
Jaunty Quills

August 26-
Get Lost In A Story

August 27-
Herding Cats and Burning Soup

August 28-
Cocktails and Books

August 29-
SOS Aloha

August 30-
Urban Girl Reader











60 comments:

  1. Welcome, Kieran! Thanks for graciously answering all of my questions. Wishing you all the best on the upcoming release of SAY YES TO THE DUKE!

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  2. Thank you so much, PJ! I'm thrilled to visit you and your readers here today!!!

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  3. Kieran, I am looking forward to reading SYTTD! I am a middle sister and can relate to the typical middle sister syndrome....I love my sisters, though, and there was never any competition, really; just what I created in my own head sometimes.

    I like spunky heroines who may or may not be shy, but won't take any nonsense. I like a woman that can give it right back to the hero with just a little bit of sauciness. I also like a heroine who realizes her self-worth. I think my favorite heroine is Penelope from JQ's Romancing Mr. Bridgerton because she evolved just as I stated.

    Congrats on your release!

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    1. Deb, thanks for sharing! I love hearing readers' opinions. I enjoy that kind of heroine, too!!!

      As a middle sister, I was always well-loved so never had a problem in that regard. But I found myself working hard to achieve some sort of difference between us...so many people treated us almost as interchangeable, LOL!!! Of course, I cherish our similarities, even more as I grow older. And I wish my sisters and I all lived next door to each other (our husbands roll their eyes when we mention this wish to them, LOL! They can't imagine all of us at one time in the same place ALL the time!!!).

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    2. Deb, Penelope is one of my favorite heroines too!

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  4. What a wonderful pkg.

    I love contemps and like a heroine who is strong and funny. Nothing like a funny banter between h/h.

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    1. Pat, I LOVE that funny banter!! It's my favorite part of writing. Thanks for stopping by!!

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    2. I agree, Pat! Love good, fast-paced banter between the hero and heroine.

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  5. Hello and welcome, Kieran! It was lovely to meet you at RWA this summer. Congrats on SYTTD! It sounds wonderful. :)

    I like a witty heroine, who is confident, but not overly so. She doesn't have to be beautiful, but the hero must see her that way. She can take charge when the moment is right, but also doesn't mind the hero taking charge. And above all, she must love the hero like there's no tomorrow. :)

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  6. Andrea, it was so great to meet you, too!!! Thanks for all the awesome support here at The Romance Dish. I really like what you have to say about the type of heroine you enjoy. I totally agree with all those points!!!

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  7. I love the other Brady books so looking forward to this one!

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    1. Hi, May! So nice to see you here! And thanks for the compliment. I appreciate your loyalty so much. XOXO

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    2. May, I've had the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I think you'll love this one too! :)

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  8. What an enjoyable and lovely post today. Heroines who have their own strength, compassion and principles are important and memorable. Best wishes.

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    1. I like what you said about memorable heroines. And thanks for your kind words!!!

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  9. Always great to find new-to-me authors.

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    1. I hope you'll enjoy SAY YES TO THE DUKE! I love to find new-to-me readers, too!!! :-)

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    2. Jcp, Kieran has a great back list too!

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  10. I've enjoyed the first two House of Brady books and look forward to reading SYTTD next week.

    It's always a struggle for me to answer succinctly, and so I'll limit my response to the question about the heroine to one characteristic that I want to see in heroines, regardless of genre (or subgenre). I want her to be strong enough to act on her own when she can do so and smart enough to ask for help when she needs it.

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    1. Janga, that is a VERY awesome characteristic! I'm so grateful to everyone for sharing their opinions! Thank you!!

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    2. As usual, Janga, you've managed to capture it perfectly.

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  11. love and have all of Kieran's books. Can't wait to read this one

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    1. also I like a heroine to have a little sass :-)

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    2. RegencyGirl, YOU have a little sass, and I like it, LOL!!! Thanks so much for being such a great reader friend. :-)

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    3. LOL @ regencygirl! Somehow that "little sass" doesn't surprise me one bit!

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  12. My favorite type of heroine is smart, witty, spunky, and compassionate. She is certainly strong and capable on her own, but with the hero she is an even better woman.

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    1. I love how romantic everyone is about how the heroine needs to be around the hero!! Yes, I think a heroine--if she's meant to be with the hero--should become a better person around him, and vice-versa. Thanks so much, Cheryl!!!

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    2. I agree, Cheryl. I think all of us heroines should be able to stand on our own but stand together with our heroes. As Kieran said, they make us better and we make them better.

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  13. I like the heroines to be compassionate, caring, loving, and kick-ass.

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  14. Ooo, Cathy, I like how you mentioned "kick-ass"!!!! I agree. I love a heroine who can be kick-ass, and I really appreciate when readers are so specific mentioning qualities they appreciate. It just adds to my energy when I get back to writing pages!! Thanks!! :-)

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  15. Hi Kieran!

    I like heroines that are smart, clever, compassionate and have a big heart.

    Marcy Shuler
    bmndshuler(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I like that kind of heroine, too, Marcy!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  16. I have to say I like the kick ass heroines. I don't like that ones that are big wooses.

    quiltlady110 AT gmail DOT com

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    1. I don't like the cowardly ones, either, Quilt Lady!! :-)

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  17. I like the feisty heroine, the one with gumption who gets herself out of sticky situations and even rescues the hero on occasion. :D

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    1. Barbara, I love the heroine who can rescue the hero on occasion!!! :-)

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  18. I like a heroine who doesn't take herself too seriously, is a good sport & is willing to fight for what she wants. (I liked Molly in When Harry Met Molly!)

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  19. I like a bit of everything with historicals still being my favorite. Thanks for a great contest.

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  20. Thanks for such a fun post and congrats to Kieran on the new release! I also love a heroine that doesn't really need the hero to "save" her and who can save herself! Love Kieran's books!

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  21. Kieran, thanks so much for hanging out with us today!

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  22. Your books are always so entertaining. The titles alone make me laugh.

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  23. Great interview! I'm looking forward to Say Yes to the Duke!

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  24. Great interview, your book sounds wonderful.

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  25. Loved the interview and the your books sound like great reads! I cannot wait to read one!

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  26. Look forward to reading. Loved the interview. Thank you for the awesome giveaway.

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  27. Love the House of Brady and love all of Kieran's books! So looking forward to Say Yes To the Duke! Thanks for the great interview! :)

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  28. Wonderful interview, Kieran and TRD! As for favorite kind of heroine, I love a plain one who happens to be smart and perhaps underappreciated at first glance... Watching her come into her own is the best!

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  29. Hi karen

    I can't wait to read Say Yes To The Duke it sounds so good I love the cover too.
    Penney

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  30. Hi Kieran!

    I'm so excited not only that your writing a new contemporary book but that it's set in South Carolina! Is Biscuit Creek anything like Foley Beach (my favorite in South Carolina and where my son and daugher-in-law had their wedding reception!).

    I'm so excited that there are only 6 more days before Say Yes to the Duke magically appears on my Kindle!

    My favorite type of heroine is the one who when the situation calls for it is willing to go out of her "comfort zone" and to use a clique "reach for the stars"! Sometimes the only thing to do is the "wrong" thing according to what society thinks!

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  31. Back for another day to enter. Thanks for the great contest. Already posted that I like a funny heroine. LOL.

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  32. Thanks for asking, Kieran. I like feisty, dead honest heroines. A lot of the time they speak before they think. Some of the situations such a heroine can find herself can be embarrassing, but also hilarious. I've been told that I am like that. Some say it's because I'm a Sagittarius. But subterfuge and skirting issues is not my thing. jdh2690@gmail.com

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  33. My favorite heroine is the strong silent one. Often overlooked and overshadowed by those prettier and more social. She is often the one who keeps the family together and makes sure everyone's dreams come true. She wants something more for herself, but is often in danger of having waited too long. Like you, family birth order may affect my preferences. I am the oldest, and it seems more is expected of the first born, male or female. Another factor, or result, are my favorite story tropes: Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella.

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  34. Love Kieran's books. I can't wait for the new book to come out.
    I love kick-ass, straight-forward, take no prisoners type of hero. I love one that is funny, but will kick your ass if you mess with her. But a sweet and loving personality that you can't resist being her friend or lover.
    christinebails at yahoo dot com

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  35. I've loved the historicals so it will be great fun to read Kieran's new contemporary book.
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  36. like a smart and strong heroine

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