Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Today's Special - - Vanessa Kelly


It's always a pleasure to host Vanessa Kelly but today is special because we're celebrating the release of her new historical romance, My Fair Princess. I've been enjoying Vanessa's books since her debut but this new one is one of my all-time favorites from this talented author and her heroine, Gillian has leaped onto my all-time favorite heroines (by all authors) list. I absolutely adore her. In Charles, she finds her perfect match...eventually. I loved having the opportunity to travel their journey with them.  It's fun, emotional, and oh, so enjoyable! 

Kelly is an award-winning author who was named by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.”  Her Regency-set historical romances have been nominated for awards in a number of contests, and her second book, Sex and The Single Earl, won the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance. The Renegade Royals, her last series, was a national bestseller. Vanessa also writes contemporary romance with her husband as VK Sykes.


Where you can find Vanessa online:





With a song in my heart!

Like most writers, I’m a bit obsessed with the high concept. After all, there are only so many basic story ideas—boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and so on—so it’s the particular twist or crazy viewpoint that often gives a book or movie some oomph. The classic example of the high concept movie, for instance, is AliensJaws in space.

With MY FAIR PRINCESS, I’m starting a new series. It’s actually a spin-off from my previous one, The Renegade Royals. The heroes were the unifying concept for that series—they’re the illegitimate sons of England’s royal dukes. The concept is actually based on the fact that the Prince Regent and his randy brothers all but littered the English countryside with illegitimate children. It’s a bonus in historical romance when you can take a concept and ground it in true-life events!

My new series, The Improper Princesses, also features the illegitimate children of those rakish royals—but this time it’s the ladies rather than the gents who are front and center. My heroines are all royal by-blows, half-sisters or cousins of the Renegade Royals, and they face adventures just as challenging, dangerous, romantic, and entertaining as their male counterparts.

But there’s another concept that unifies these stories—each Princess book is based on a famous movie musical. You might ask where that idea came from, and I’d have to confess that I don’t have a clue. Except for the fact that I love classic movie musicals!

When I was a kid, I never missed a chance to watch those fabulous movies whenever they came on TV. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, My Fair Lady, Camelot…I loved all of them. Some I even saw in the movie theatre, in all their glorious Technicolor.

MY FAIR PRINCESS obviously riffs off My Fair Lady. Gillian Dryden is an unconventional heroine, one who was raised in rural Sicily and taught from an early age to take care of herself. She’s a crack shot, a bruising rider, and she carries knives in her boots—just in case! Gillian is also something of a Robin Hood figure. She’s the sworn enemy of bandits and brigands, and will do whatever she must to protect the innocent and seek justice.

Which lands her in a great deal of trouble, as you can imagine. That trouble eventually brings her to the attention of Charles Penley, Duke of Leverton, the most polished and sophisticated man in the ton. It’s up to Charles to teach Gillian proper manners in the hopes that she a) leaves off hunting bandits, and b) finds a proper husband.  

Let’s just say that things don’t work out as planned. I’ll also note that Charles, whose nickname is Perfect Penley, ends up changing more than Gillian does. That’s the genius of the high concept—you can twist and shape it however you want. Taking an old or well-worn idea and making it new…for a writer, nothing could be more fun!


Are you a fan of movie and stage musicals? Do you have favorites, or do you loathe the entire genre? One person who comments will win two books from my backlist—reader’s choice!




MY FAIR PRINCESS
Improper Princesses 1

First, Vanessa Kelly brought readers The Renegade Royals. Now, in a delightfully witty new series, she introduces The Improper Princesses—three young women descended from royalty, each bound for her own thrilling adventure . . .

Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a prince, Gillian Dryden is happily ignorant of all social graces. After growing up wild in Italy, Gillian has been ordered home to England to find a suitable husband. And Charles Valentine Penley, the excessively proper, distractingly handsome Duke of Leverton, has agreed to help transform her from a willful tomboy to a blushing debutante.

Powerful and sophisticated, Charles can make or break reputations with a well-placed word. But his new protégée, with her habit of hunting bandits and punching earls, is a walking scandal. The ton is aghast . . . but Charles is thoroughly intrigued. Tasked with taking the hoyden in hand, he longs to take her in his arms instead. Can such an outrageous attraction possibly lead to a fairytale ending?

Buy Links:

The Book Despository: http://bit.ly/20ClmA2

26 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for hosting me, dear lady! I'm so happy you enjoyed my Gillian! xo

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  2. Okay, I know I posted this as a comment on my FB Page when I shared this, BUT I GOTTA SAY IT HERE! (Also because yay book giveaways!)

    These series, and this book in particular sound awesome sauce! I loved the tropes of My Fair Lady but hated Professor Higgins, so getting to see a potentially non-douche-canoe version? YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU!

    Plus I super-duper love the idea of heroes and heroines being by-blows, because THAT has lots of juicey conflict and fun potential. I've not read anything by you Vanessa, but your book is sitting in my Amazon checkout cart now for my next book purchase. [Sorry, it's a used copy and a mass market at that, because I'm frugal and also prefer dead-tree copies, BUT IMMA SPREAD THE WORD 'BOUT THIS BOOK ON MY SOCIALS so hopefully that makes up for it :).]

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  3. Thanks very much, Jacqueline! And I can safely say that my hero is about as non-douche as it gets. He's great with Gillian, and does everything he can to protect her. Not that she needs much protecting...

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  4. I love musicals. As a teenager I think I watched The Sound of Music half a dozen times! I love the premise of the books written in those themes. Looking forward to them!

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    1. catslady, ME TOO!! My brother and I went to see that movie at least 5 or 6 times in the movie theater.

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  5. I love musicals. I even took a class on musicals in college. We watched a different musical each class!

    denise

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  6. I love stage musicals! My favorites are Wicked and West Side Story.

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  7. I do love musicals! I live about an hour outside NYC - my aunt used to take me in to see a show every year & I've seen more as an adult (not as many lately with the high cost). We also have a very good regional theatre that I used to go to thru subscription. One of my favorite movie musicals in 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' - it has romance and a happy ending.

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  8. I love musicals and West Side Story is one of my favorites. Love your books and this book will be bought shortly.

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  9. I am a fan of movie musicals. Loved all the Fred and Ginger movies, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Showboat, (on screen and on stage) but best of all Singin' In The Rain.

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  10. I love both movie and stage musicals. I've probably seen The Sound of Music more than 50 times and I think I could watch Les Miserables every month and never tire of it. My best friend and I went to NYC last fall specifically to be adoring fans at three stage musicals. Had the best time!

    As I said in my intro, My Fair Princess is one of my favorites of all your books and I absolutely adore Gillian. Adore her!

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  11. I'm love classic movie musicals but not new ones. For some reason there not quite there, except for Mulan Rouge, which I think was the last musical I loved, oh and Disney movies LOL... Stage musicals not so much :)

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  12. I absolutely love movie and stage musicals. I grew up loving everything about them and sometimes wish real life could break out into a song and dance every once in a while. I would have to say my favorite musical right now is Wicked.

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  13. I'm a big fan. Les Miserables would be my absolute favorite.

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  14. I thoroughly enjoyed Vanessa Kelly's "My Fair Princess." The characters are strong, humorous, and caring.

    I admit that I am not a huge fan of musicals although I have enjoyed some of them in the past.

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  15. Happy Dance for the release of MY FAIR PRINCESS!! I do love musicals. Sadly I rarely get to the theater.

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  16. I love Vanessa's books, but haven't read My Fair Princess yet. I love musicals. Some of my favorites are My Fair Lady, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Sound of Music.

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  17. Congrats on the new book Vanessa! And yes, yes, yes to musicals... I fell in love with Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera and Cats as well as Les Miserable, Miss Saigon and Rent. To take in some shows on Broadway is on my bucket list! On the small screen I always watch The Sound of Music and The Wizard of Oz whenever they come on.

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  18. Congratulations on new release Vanessa :)
    I don't watch very often movie musicles :D
    My Fair Princess sounds fantastic,can't wait to read!
    Thanks for the lovely post :)

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  19. I love musicals. Singing in The Rain is a favorite as is Cats, Rent and The Wizard of Oz which I didn't realize was considered a musical. I'm looking forward to starting your new series Vanessa.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (aol (dot) com

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  20. I love musicals. Singing in The Rain is a favorite as is Cats, Rent and The Wizard of Oz which I didn't realize was considered a musical. I'm looking forward to starting your new series Vanessa.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (aol (dot) com

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