Almost New Year PARTAY

The Talon of the HawkAs the year draws to a close, we’re in the final round of The Hottest Heroine Cover contest. We all know Ursula is the hottest – and not because she has a big-ass sword. And she’s running second to a drowning girl. We can’t have that! You can vote and enter the giveaway or not, as you please.

Tonight – December 30 – from 7-9 pm Eastern Time (6-8 CT/5-7 MT/4-6 PT, for those of you who hate math), I’ll be hanging with some of my favorite naughty authors on Facebook for a Not Quite New Year’s Eve/Saved The Best For Last Facebook Party. The party crew includes Anne Calhoun, Tessa Dare, Megan Mulry, Miranda Neville and Maisey Yates. Expect lots of wordswag, great giveaways and plenty of saucy conversation. Stop on by and have some pre-New Year’s Eve fun!

 

New Tattoo!

feather tattooI kept quiet-ish on this and waited until it healed to take a photo. But I got my first tattoo!

feather tattoo cropfeather

If you haven’t been keeping score at home, it’s the feather from THE MARK OF THE TALA cover. Having that book come out, and how wonderfully the whole series has been received has been a watershed for me.

So this is how I commemorated this year, apropos as it comes to a close.

Who knows what 2015 will bring?

Happy turn of the year to you all!

Smutketeer Parties, Double Standards and the Emergence of Fantasy Romance

12 Days 2014 Banner_600x900Today is a concatenation of various blog appearances for both of my genre selves. Tis the Season?

I’m over celebrating Day 10 of the Smutketeers Twelve Days of Christmas. There’s a huge giveaway involved with tons of naughty authors, so it’s very fun. Along those lines, I’m giving away UNDER HIS TOUCH, which just received 4.5 stars from RT Book Reviews. *happy dancing*

 RT REview

I’m also talking about my second Twelve Kingdoms book, THE TEARS OF THE ROSE today in several places. The brilliant and generous Suzanne Johnson is hosting me on her blog, where we’re discussing the double standard of the unlikable heroine vs. the dark hero. Harlequin Junkie has a terrific post up where she interviewed me for secrets about the book and extracted all sorts of excerpts. Finally, I’m at Fresh Fiction, talking about the rise of Fantasy Romance as a genre and why I think it’s happening now.

Gifts of Winter – Metaphors, Top Ten Lists and Parties!

Fotor20141209I’m over at Here Be Magic, celebrating our Winter Paranormal Week and talking about how winter serves as a metaphor in The Twelve Kingdoms books.

The Literary Escapism blog is hosting me today with their Black Friday party and ongoing giveaway – I offer up what Princess Amelia, of The Tears of the Rose, might put on her shopping list.

Finally, I have to share that Regina Small of RT Book Reviews picked  The Tears of the Rose as one of her Top Ten Books of 2014 – along with Amy Poehler’s book! Is there anything better than having a really smart reviewer say wonderful, insightful things about your book? YES! Having her make a comparison to Buffy the Vampire Slayer! This is what she says:

The Tears of the Rose by Jeffe Kennedy —  It is a truth universally acknowledged that I’m a sucker for spoiled, sheltered heroines who lose it all, and then have to find their own way in the wilderness. (Think Cordelia Chase’s brilliant character arc in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.) At the beginning of The Tears of the Rose, beautiful pampered princess Amelia is in mourning over the loss of her husband. While this is undeniably a romance — spoilers: Ash is hot — Kennedy gives Ami something even more important than a partner: a purpose. And Ami’s transition into a woman with a richer inner life is so complex and well done; Ami never stops loving her fallen husband, Hugh, but she recognizes that her love for him belongs to a different, more innocent life. With Hugh, she was a child; with Ash, she is a woman.
 
Pretty wonderful, huh?