Kay Kenyon's Blog, page 19

On a perfect life: An interview

I had the privilege of participating in Tim Ward’s and John Dodd’s very thoughtful interview on the subject of A Thousand Perfect Things. Here are some of the topics we covered:

Why I chose an alternate history fantasy after ten science fiction novels.
My main character’s dilemma between love and ambition – and what it says about women’s lives today.
The dichotomy between the two worlds: of machine and science and magic and sensualism – and the device of the “portal” getting from one to the other.
A discussion of the passage, “Shall I be pleased with myself for so little reason?” The classic question of finding peace in the world.

Check it out at Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing, one of the best podcasts around, and leave a comment to let Tim and John know someone is listening!
For three days only, A Thousand Perfect things will be offered as a $2.99 eBook on Amazon, Nook and Apple. Offered through end of day Monday, September 30.

If you like the book, I would love to have a review from you on Amazon!

#SFWAauthors

 

 

What they’re saying about A Thousand Perfect Things

Reviews and comments are coming in for the new book. Here are some of my favorites:

“The magic that was the glue that bound the story together and the magnificence of the lotus made for a book I just could not out down. This was my first Kay Kenyon book and I was super impressed. I have a new favorite author.”- NetGalley Reviewer

“A rich, gorgeous, marvelously detailed tapestry of a book.”  - Sharon Shinn

“A masterwork from the mind of one of our best authors of compelling alternate realities.” – Larry Brooks

This book is rich with details and mysticism. . . . It is a great mix of historical research with fictional, magical, world building. The cultures are deep and fascinating. The characters are equally as interesting, each with their own unique motivations. It is a great, rich, read. . . .  Very beautifully written. – A Dragon’s Love

I loved this book! It was a little bit strange, atmospheric and at times really beautiful. – Nocturnal Book Reviews

A story that twists and turns, draws you through the jungles of a magical and distant world that will leave you yearning for more.  From love and desire, to aspiration and inspiration and from conflict and loss, to healing and hope this book is paced full of everything you look for in a great story. . . .  I am almost begging for a sequel.  After reading this book you are so in love with Astoria, her  dashing military suitor, and her family that you can’t wait to find out how the story ends…and then emptiness sets in.   Then you realize – that is exactly what a good book does.  Seriously make yourself a piping cuppa your favorite tea, curl up and prepare for an amazing journey.  Through jungles, palaces, ruins and more your desire for adventure, love stories, and new places will be fulfilled. – Maggie McKeating’s Reviews

And from The Daily Quirk, this lovely review:

I have always been a huge fan of both historical fiction and fantasy, so when I picked up A Thousand Perfect Things by Kay Kenyon and realized it combines my two favorite genres, I couldn’t wait to keep reading. . . .

This book was right up my alley for a number of reasons, the first of which is Tori herself. She is funny and clever and stubborn and someone it was really easy for me to relate to. Even though the book takes place almost 200 years ago in fictional versions of London and India, Tori has many of the same dreams and insecurities of girls today. She strives for intelligence and discovery when the norm was for girls her age to strive for the richest husband. She’s also incredibly sassy and full of attitude in a society where everyone was expected to be polite and well-behaved. She’s a rule-breaker and a dreamer and a thinker and a great role model.

A Thousand Perfect Things also had a great blend of history and fantasy. I love reading books about Victorian England and high society, both of which you get in this book. You also get magic, mythical beasts and other supernatural beings and events. The combination creates an intricate and fascinating world that is full of magic and fantasy and at the same time seems like it really could have existed. Kenyon does a great job of weaving historical accuracy and imagination to create an amazing book.

There is also a wonderful, slow-burn romance woven throughout the length of the book. When the book begins, Tori despises the idea of marriage and compares it to willing slavery, but as her relationships throughout the story develop and change, it keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering if she really will end up with someone.

One of my favorite things about this book is that it has a little bit of everything. In addition to the history and magic, A Thousand Perfect Things is full of action, mystery and devious plots as well as fashion and high society. It brings up questions about spirituality and freedom and will have you laughing one moment and deep in thought the next.

I loved this book for its creativity, its strong female characters, and its ability to keep me guessing. I blew through it in a matter of days (and would have finished even sooner if things like work and sleep didn’t get in the way). If you’re looking for a good book to cozy up with now that autumn is just around the corner, A Thousand Perfect Things is sure to sweep you off your feet with its wit, charm and magic. – The Daily Quirk

SFWAauthors

 

My novel meets the hated elevator pitch

The dread question comes at the oddest moments: You’re going about your business, about to sip your cappuccino, or riding in an elevator, believing you are relatively safe, and then, wham: What’s your novel about?

Authors hate this. You have to give a glimpse of your book in a sentence or two. Agony. Don’t make me do this right this second. Let me warm up a bit.

Pitch #1

A Thousand Perfect Things, just out, is a historical fantasy set in an alternate 19th century England and India. It’s an adventure story that takes place in 1857 against a background of a colonial uprising in India. My major character, Tori Harding, is a young woman who, because of her gender, is denied entrance into the rarified circles of science–though she learned her beloved botany at the knee of her famous grandfather, Sir Charles Littlewood. When Sir Charles dies in disgrace, Tori picks up his secret hope to find a legendary magical golden lotus. She pursues this quest on a great journey to an alternate India, where she enters the exotic heart of a mystical continent. There she must fend off a ruthless colonial Raj, palace intrigues, shape changing magics, ancient ghosts . . . and revolution.

But way too long. Let’s boil it down.

 Pitch #2

This novel is about a Victorian woman in an exotic India of magic, whose quest is to find her destiny through forbidden powers.

That’s the gist of the plot. It’s what most people want to know when they ask, “What’s your story about?”

Rounding it out

But there are other layers to this story, and in a sense, this is what the story is really about, at least for me. The book traces themes of ambition, sexual repression, colonialism and the attainment of wisdom. It’s a love story. There’s an unconventional love triangle, tainted by racism and the question of–for an educated Victorian woman–male domination. Readers will follow Tori, but also Edmond, a conflicted captain of the Raj, Elizabeth, a spirited school teacher, Mahindra, a charismatic holy man, and a prince with a ghostly destiny. We will see love and death, betrayal and bravery, all played out with appearances by magical silver tigers, demons and ghosts.

It is, in the end, the story of a woman who seeks an ideal life but, set against a heart-of-darkness background, is given the chance to discover what she really wants.

I suppose that in creating Tori Harding, I wrote about deep things in myself. That’s usually the case in my work, and I suspect, that of most authors. Even if I’m writing about demon birds and fantastic oceanic bridges (oh yeah, there’s one of those, too) I’m looking into my own heart.

Last try

So what’s the story about? A Victorian woman on a quest for magic in an altered India.

Got it down to twelve words! But I still hate the question.

 

SFWAauthors

Scenes from a writer’s imagination

I love these Pins created for my new book. I have them up on Pinterest and a few other places. If you like them, you could repin them to your own board. And you might like to try making them for your own books. You need an image editor, and some of them are free downloads! #SFWAauthors

How I imagine scenes from A Thousand Perfect Things . . .

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Blog Tour: A Thousand Perfect Things

Check it out: my blog tour begins! I hope you’ll dip in – with a chance to win cool prizes.

Over next two weeks, I’ll be appearing here and there on blogs of folks who’re participating in my blog tour. Drop by for some interviews & peeks inside-the-book and the so-called mind of the author!

PRIZES:

$50 Amazon or Pay Pal gift card
signed, personalized, copy of A Thousand Perfect Things

How to Participate in the Give-away

Click the Rafflecopter widget below, and earn points for joining in on FaceBook, Twitter or Pinterest! It’s easy and only takes a few seconds!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Larry Brooks, The Storyfixer

Not on tour, but also fun: Join Larry Brooks and me at StoryFix, (Tuesday Aug  27) wherein we discover whether it helps a fantasy book (mine) to use his HOT approach to story structure!

Tour Schedule

Wednesday, Aug 28. Asteria’s Blog  - Review and Giveaway

Thursday, Aug 29. Behind a Million and One Pages -  Excerpt and Giveaway

Sunday, Sept 1 Author Jonathan Ryan – Excerpt and Giveaway

Monday, Sept 2. Chirenjenzie - Favorite Pinterest Pins and Giveaway

Tuesday, Sept 3. Dave-Brendon’s Fantasy and Sci-Fi Weblog – Excerpt and Giveaway

Wednesday, Sept 4. Mindy Ruiz - Excerpt and Giveaway

Thursday, Sept 5. Elizabeth Isaacs’ Blog - Excerpt and Giveaway

Friday, Sept 6. Hooked in a Book - Excerpt and Giveaway

Saturday, Sept 7. BlKosiner’s Book Blog- Interview!

Sunday, Sept 8. Delphina reads too much – Featured Article and Giveaway!

Monday, Sept 9. A Dribble of Ink -  Featured Article!

Tuesday, Sept 10.Lilliputian’s Journey – Excerpt and Giveaway

Wednesday, Sept 11. Mom With A Kindle - Interview!

Thursday, Sept 12. A Dragon’s Love - Excerpt and Giveaway

 See you ’round the Blogosphere!

#SFWAauthors

 

An interview on the new book, fantasy & publishing

Please drop by for my new interview, podcast now at Dialogue: Between the Lines!

I had fun chatting with show host Susan Wingate today. She’s got a terrific series of interviews with bestselling authors and industry professionals, as well as being one herself. Her latest book is Hotter Than Helen, in the Bobby’s Diner series.

Here are some of the topics we tossed around:

Do you need an agent anymore?
The role of “gate keepers” in the new era.
As traditional publishers lose ground, is this a good thing?
How I used the prologue as a device in A Thousand Perfect Things.
And what’s with that strange and wonderful Bridge in the novel!

#SFWAauthors

Blog Tour: A Thousand Perfect Things

Check it out: my blog tour begins! I hope you’ll dip in – with a chance to win cool prizes.

Over next two weeks, I’ll be appearing here and there on blogs of folks who’re participating in my blog tour. Drop by for some interviews & peeks inside-the-book and the so-called mind of the author!

PRIZES:

$50 Amazon or Pay Pal gift card
signed, personalized, copy of A Thousand Perfect Things

How to Participate in the Give-away

Click the Rafflecopter widget below, and earn points for joining in on FaceBook, Twitter or Pinterest! It’s easy and only takes a few seconds!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Larry Brooks, The Storyfixer

Not on tour, but also fun: Join Larry Brooks and me at StoryFix, (Tuesday Aug  27) wherein we discover whether it helps a fantasy book (mine) to use his HOT approach to story structure!

Tour Schedule

Wednesday, Aug 28. Asteria’s Blog  - Review and Giveaway

Thursday, Aug 29. Behind a Million and One Pages -  Excerpt and Giveaway

Friday, Sept 1 Author Jonathan Ryan – Excerpt and Giveaway

Saturday, Sept 2. Chirenjenzie - Favorite Pinterest Pins and Giveaway

Sunday, Sept 3. Dave-Brendon’s Fantasy and Sci-Fi Weblog – Excerpt and Giveaway

Monday, Sept 4. Mindy Ruiz - Excerpt and Giveaway

Tuesday, Sept 5. Elizabeth Isaacs’ Blog - Excerpt and Giveaway

Wednesday, Sept 6. Hooked in a Book - Excerpt and Giveaway

Thursday, Sept 7. BlKosiner’s Book Blog- Interview!

Friday, Sept 8. Delphina reads too much – Featured Article and Giveaway!

Saturday, Sept 9. A Dribble of Ink -  Featured Article!

Sunday, Sept 10.Lilliputian’s Journey – Excerpt and Giveaway

Monday, Sept 11. Mom With A Kindle - Interview!

Tuesday, Sept 12. A Dragon’s Love - Excerpt and Giveaway

 See you ’round the Blogosphere!

 

Introverts and the Doldrums

This post is a repeat of one in my Writing for Introverts series. (To read them all, see “Blog Categories” in the side bar.) I’m repeating this one (#3) because introversion is on my mind this week. Next week I’m going to the World Science Fiction Convention, an event designed by extroverts to terrorize introverts. So, if you’re going to that con, you won’t want to miss my dandy presentation Lone Star Con for Introverts at 6 p.m. on Friday.

___________________

In the opening installment of my series on Writing 101 for Introverts, I explained what introversion is and is not, and why we don’t need to be ashamed of being a tad more inner directed than people for whom a room full of people holding cocktails is nirvana.  Part 1. Part 2.

This installment’s on doldrums. You know, the garden variety, I-don’t-feel-like-writing this week (and in more severe cases this month and worse.) You don’t have the energy you tell yourself. You are not inspired. Oh really? I think there is often something else at work, namely, those under-the-surface emotions that sabotage our writing. Such as:

discouragement about how the last story sold or isn’t selling
resentment of the industry which is so vile and unfair plus random
(related to above) incredulity and jealousy of how so-in-so is selling (plus his perfect life and that he mixes beautifully at cocktail parties)
a shrewd analysis of how your writing sucks
embarrassment over the total absence of anything professional to Twitter about
fury and sorrow that your agent does not answer your emails
and so on, into the depths of (your name here)’s true psychological state

Not a Malady of Just Introverts

Fortunately we are not alone, so we don’t right here have another reason to feel inferior to extroverts. But how does the other side deal with the doldrums? You got it, they go see people. Lots of people. They complain loudly at writer’s gatherings. And you know what, all that braying is not bad (I’m not here to beat up on extroverts. OK, maybe a little left hook, no more.) They are getting rid of it. They are imbibing energy and good will from others. For them, all it takes is “You poor son-of-a-bitch.” (Hey, he Likes me! He’s on my Side! I’m not alone!)

For introverts, seeing people when in the doldrums is excruciating. Any energy we might have scraped together is instantly bled off. We limp home, reaching for the TV remote so we don’t even have to be with ourselves.

If you are an extrovert, you can stop snorting. Naturally, I am exaggerating to drive home my point and write an entertaining blog. Or, um, did you miss that nuance? (OK, sometimes I am just so jealous of the other side that I do beat up a teensy bit. My bad, but my blog.)

The Awful, Ironic, Unpalatable Fix for the Doldrums

Write the next page.

Wait, you don’t have the energy, you said. You’re not even sure you care. But I’ve already told you that energy depletion is not the cause. (It is a symptom.) As to caring, don’t even waste my time. You love storytelling, you love the writing when it spins through you like gluons on the way to creating the universe. Saying you don’t care is a way of defending against the emotions of discouragement, jealousy, anger, etc. (If you want to have therapy to get back to writing, be my guest–but it’s a lot cheaper to sit down and write.)

The thing about the writing doldrums is that they will visit you now and then throughout your writing career. You will be sailing along, and then–vast silence–you are becalmed. So, if you want to be a professional writer, and you are introvert, you must learn that writing will make things better. You don’t need inspiration to write. Writing creates inspiration. Therefore: butt in chair and just do it. Why does writing cure the doldrums? Because:

Writing will light a fuse. You remember how it feels: like slap to the side of the head that feels good. (Wow, where did that awesome story bit come from?)
Getting pages, even if you consider them inferior, will contribute to a respectable forward progress. Not writing will build to a hideous anxiety that the book is stuck on page 199. Forever.
You are conserving what little energy you do have, because you are not frittering away that battery power on cleaning out the basement or on excruciating conversations with friends who will ask you if you are so miserable why don’t you just quit. (Well DUH, if they don’t know the answer to this, why do they even flap their lips?)
The muses are a bit snotty and random. You may write drek for say, two whole weeks, and all of a sudden you get a lightning bolt of inspiration. Your hands fly over the keys. Your eyes fill with tears. (“I’m sorry I didn’t believe, I’m sorry I was such an ass, you are a goddess, I bow down . . .” She roles her eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I’m busy. Get on with it.”)

I’m terribly sorry to be the one to tell you to stop resting and start writing. I know it is unfair, unsatisfying, and you really don’t have the energy. My friend, I know. I just got back to writing after a ten day pout and wrote the best sequence of scenes in the history of fantasy-as-I-conceive-it.

It’s the fix, all right.

I’m an introvert, too. We’re all in this together. Now get back to work.

#SFWAauthors

Kay’s Lone Star Con schedule

Goin’ to San Antonio for World Science Fiction Convention? If you are, drop in to say hello at these cool events where I’ll be:

FRIDAY

Sharon Shinn at a con actually signing her book on a Kindle.

1-2:00 – Autographing (in Dealers Room)

4-5:00 -Reading from A Thousand Perfect Things

6-7:00 – Lone Star Con for Introverts – My chat with a room full of fellow-introverts!  How to navigate, meet people and happily survive a huge conference!

SATURDAY

Me and Jay Lake at RadCon

Saturday afternoon – I’ll be signing at the SFWA table – time to be announced soon

5-6:00 – The Relationship Between Reader and Writer

When you write, do you start with an audience in mind? Do you interact with your readers as you write or after you write or never?

SUNDAY

9-10:00 – Stroll with the Stars

Just because: Sydney T. Cat, Bad Agent. Google him!

Louise Marley and I at a signing at U Book Store, Seattle. We’re responsible for a lot of dead trees. So why are we smiling?

12-1:00 – Kaffeeklatsch

3-4:00 – Getting Research Right in Historical Fiction

How much research needs to be done when writing a story set in an historical period. How far can you stray before readers will notice? Do the readers care, or even know enough to care?

 

1,000 Perfect Things at $3.99

For a limited time, my publisher is offering a special eBook price for A Thousand Perfect Things. Check it out on Amazon or on your favorite reading device. (The eBook available August 27. Paperback on sale now.)

“A masterwork from the mind of one of our best authors of compelling alternate realities.”–Larry Brooks, Author of Story Physics

“Kay Kenyon has once again created a world into which one blissfully disappears, replete with magic and monsters, romance and reigning dynasties, set upon the fragile social scaffolding of mid-nineteenth century England. The story is, literally and figuratively, a bridge between the mystical and and the very real, with a young heroine who a delivers a deliciously vicarious ride.  A Thousand Perfect Things is a masterwork from the mind of one of our best authors of compelling alternate realities.” –Larry Brooks, Author of Story Physics

 

If you enjoy the book, I would love to have a review from you on Amazon!