Spotlight Author with Vanessa Kelly

I know I have said this already, but I LOVE the fall. October is especially one of my favorite months. And so far October has turned out exactly the way I have hoped. Now that we are no longer country folk, we are closer to everything in town. And though I greatly miss the country, I am also happy that our new closeness to everything has given us the extra time to do the things we have missed out on the last few years. So far I have decorated the house, taken the kids to the Corn Maze, hand picked our pumpkins and just last night had a great pumpkin caving party! Everyone’s pumpkins turned out amazing!!!

Speaking of amazing, I don’t think I’ve had the chance to introduce this weeks Spotlight Author, Vanessa Kelly. So enough about me, let’s see what Vanessa has to share with us.

What is it about the Regency era that made you decide you wanted to create your stories and characters there?

What I love most about the period is that fascinating combination of glamour, glitter, and wit exemplified by London’s elite society, co-existing alongside a truly gritty and flourishing underworld. The beauty and culture of the Mayfair mansions was only a few blocks away from the worst stews of London. But those worlds often intersected in a strangely democratic way in places like Covent Garden and Vauxhall. Throw in the danger and intrigue of the Napoleonic Wars and you have a killer combination. I also studied the writers of the Georgian and Regency era in grad school, so it was natural that I would be drawn to writing about that particular and very vibrant period in history.
What makes your voice different from others?

That’s a tough one, because what we think of as voice can be so ephemeral. Several readers and reviewers have told me that my voice combines elements of the traditional Regency with the “steamy passion” of today’s Regency-set historical romances. That’s certainly the effect I want to achieve. I love the wit and storylines of the trads, but I also like the more sensual stories of today’s historical romances. I try to bring the best of both those worlds into my stories.

Tell us about your latest release.

My latest release is called Sex And The Single Earl, which is the second book in the series that I started with Mastering The Marquess. It’s a classic friends-to-lovers story with a dash of suspense thrown in. Book three in the series is due out in May, and it’s called My Favorite Countess. It’s got a bit of a twist – the villainess of Sex And The Single Earl is the heroine of this book. It was a challenge to reform her, but I really enjoyed it.




What are you working on now?

I’m starting work on the fourth book in my series, which is a Christmas story, and I just finished wrapping up copy edits on My Favorite Countess. My other project is something completely different. I write contemporary romance with my husband under the pen name of V.K. Sykes. We published our first book together this past July with Carina Press. It’s called CaddyGirls, and it’s a very fun and sexy read. Right now we’re working on another book.

When you are not writing, what do you like to read?

Naturally, I read a lot of historical romance, especially Regencies. I love Loretta Chase, Teresa Medeiros, Anna Campbell, and Eloisa James. I’m also a huge fan of Kris Kennedy, who writes fantastic medieval romance. And I’m a big fan of romantic suspense and contemporary romance. One of my favorite writers these days is Toni Blake, who writes wonderful contemporary and erotic romance, and I also love Karen Rose and Cynthia Eden, who both write spine-tingling romantic suspense. As you can imagine, I read a lot of history and biography, which is a necessary but very enjoyable element of my research. It never feels like work!
You have an anthology coming out in February 2011. How do you get chosen to be part of an anthology?

My editor asked me. Since I’ll be featured in that anthology with Jo Beverley, Sally MacKenzie, and Kaitlin O’Riley, it was no hardship to say yes! The anthology is called An Invitation To Sin, and the stories are just great.
What steps did you take to make your dreams come true?

The first thing I did was to join my local Romance Writers of America chapter. RWA is an invaluable resource to writers just getting started. I also took my time writing the best book that I could, and then I set the goal of acquiring an agent. Getting published can be a frustrating experience, but I did my best to be patient. We still have to live our lives and take care of ourselves and our families while we’re waiting to get the call, so it’s important to keep a balance and not get overwhelmed by the process.
Do you have any advice about finding an agent or getting published?

Join RWA, get a good critique partner, work on your craft, and be patient. Writers feel so much pressure today to get published and stay published, that I think they sometimes forget why they do it in the first place – to write and to share stories.
Vanessa, thank you so much for being a guest on my blog. Where can we find out more about you and your books?

You can visit me on the web at http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com/ and http://www.vksykes.com/. Thanks for having me on!

It has been a pleasure, Vanessa. I wish you many sales on all your tittles. Readers as a special treat, Vanessa has offered one lucky commenter a copy of her book MASTERING THE MARQUESS. So friends, make sure to leave her a comment.

Thanks for stopping by. See you next time!

Hugs

Micole