Hi Lila! Thank you so much for inviting me to be your guest today. As you know, I absolutely adored AWAKENED BY A KISS and as I write this (back in September), I’ve already got my order in for THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED.
I love the way you take those fairytale themes, shake them by the scruff of the neck, add dollops of spice and a leavening of heartfelt romance. And voila! We have a hot Fiery Tale to enchant us!
There are a couple of reasons I’m utterly delighted to be here. One is I loved Lila’s debut – oh, I told you that, didn’t I? LOL! The second is that it gave me a chance to spend far too much time looking at beautiful Victorian fairytale illustrations. I hope you enjoy the ones I chose for this post! The final reason is that while the connection between fairytales and my stories isn’t as overt as Lila’s, I definitely write fairytale romance too!
Except I seemed to be stuck in a fairytale rut (Ruttlestiltskin, perhaps?).
My first five books were variations on Beauty and the Beast, which I have to say is still one of my favorite stories. I love that Beauty has to be brave and smart and steadfast to survive and that she falls in love with her Beast before she realises he’s really a prince. I love the fact that the Beast is your classic tortured hero. If any of you have read my books, you’ll know that tortured heroes R us over in Campbellandia.
In my latest release MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, Beauty in the person of my heroine Diana isn’t quite as pure of heart as the girl in the fairytale. In fact, she’s got a lot of difficult learning ahead of her once she sets foot in the Beast’s lair. But the story still follows the basic shape of the fairytale.
And then we come to my next book which is out in May 2011 – yeah, I’m right in between releases here! MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION has been in many ways a departure for me. Not least because it’s the closest I’ve ever come to writing a classic Regency romance. The heroine Antonia is a paid chaperone with secrets to hide. The hero Nicholas is a rake out to do no good. When she steps in to prevent him fulfilling his planned revenge against his worst enemy, sparks fly and an unwilling love awakens.
While that description mightn’t make it obvious, this story has definite touches of Cinderella, not least that a lot of the action takes place in ballrooms! Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling too. Not a Beast in sight!
Because we’re so far ahead of release day, I don’t have a blurb or a cover for MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION up on my website yet. But you can check out excerpts and information about my other five books there: www.annacampbell.info
QUESTION: So what was the last romance you read and was there a fairytale connection? My favorite answer wins a signed copy of my most recent Beauty and the Beast romance MY RECKLESS SURRENDER. Good luck!
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To win Anna’s giveaway you must:
1. Answer Anna’s question(s) below in your comment.
2. You MUST be a follower/subscriber of Lila DiPasqua’s blog (through Google Friend Connect).
* Winner will be announced on SUNDAY–selected from a random commenter on this post.
Read a yummy EXCERPT of THE PRINCESS IN HIS BED HERE.
Ways to increase your odds of winning are found at the very bottom of this blog.
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All of Elizabeth Hoyt’s historicals have a fairy tale thread in them. I love, love, loved The Leopard Prince and in it the heroine, actually, is retelling the ‘fairy tale’ to the hero. Did I mention I loved it! 🙂
Also, Eloisa James’ most recent one parallels Cinderella.
No need to enter me for Anna’s book. I read it already. It’s fab!
Hi Anna! I met you at RWA and we chatted about how absolutely fabulous My Reckless Surrender’s book cover is. (I’m pretty sure I got one there, too. Nope, just checked. I got two of your other books, though!) Beauty and the Beast is my favorite of the fairy tales, too, so I love that you incorporate that one so much. The last fairy tale retelling I read was Eloisa James’ A Kiss at Midnight. I’ve also been working on a retelling of The Nightingale myself, so I’m immersed in fairy tales. I’m concentrating on the Grimm Brothers’ tales, though.… Read more »
Good morning Lila! Good morning Anna. The last book I read was a love story – One Day by David Nicholls but was a modern day story – no element of a fairy tale. More of a tragedy actually (although I thoroughly enjoyed it). I am currently reading Atonement which is also a love story but I’m not quite finished it yet.
Have a great day!
2 recent reads come to mind. My Dangerous Viscount by Miranda Neville had touch of the Ungly Duckling in it (the hero is the one who transformed though). Michelle Sinclair’s newest The Chirstmas Knight is a midieval beauty & beast story.
No need to enter me in the drawing for Anna’s book either — My Reckless Surrender already has a place of honor on the keeper shelf 😉
HI, Anna! Although I cut my milk teeth on historical romance, the last book I read was Gena Showalter’s THE DARKEST KISS. First of all, it was hysterically funny. That’s good given almost all the characters of significance are possessed or gods (immortals). And then they’re cursed. And the hero has carved himself up horribly–long ago but his immortality just healed the wounds. Sound like a Beauty & the Beast fairy tale? Yes. Yes. I’m a fool for those. But the hero “Death” (possessed by the demon of death) is just one of those poor guys who made the wrong… Read more »
Good morning! Fairy tales have always held a special place in my heart since I was a little girl. I remember my mama reading to my sisters and I, Thumbelina. I’m thrilled to still be reading fairy tales in romance books! Thank you, ladies, for the Fabulous reads 🙂
My favorite is Elizabeth Hoyt’s the Raven Prince. A awesome Beauty and Beast tale! I was half in love with Edward at the end of the book! he was so tortured and I loved the way the heroine Anna did not put up with his horrible attittude and how she fell in love with him despite his emotional and physical scars!
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My favorite book with a fairy tale connection is Elizabeth Hoyt’s The Leopard Prince, such a great book!
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Hello, Anna C! How clever of you to continue the legend of “Beauty and the Beast” (my favorite) in so many wonderfully romantic varieties : ) I fall for the lovelorn “beast” every time! I love “Beauty and the Beast”. Does it not touch on aspects of human nature which are far uglier than the cursed Beast? Does that not make the love story even sweeter? To truly love someone is to love them with your mind, and see them in reality, and to soften that image by seeing them with your heart. You express that theme so very well… Read more »
Hi,
Fairy tales make great plots for romance stories.
I have enjoyed the stories from the writing duo of Marie Treanor and Bonnie Dee. You can find them at Samhain Publishing.
Valerie
in Germany
Hi
The last book i read was Watermelo by Marian Keyes no real elemnet of fairy tale but still a really good book.
Hugs to two fairy princess friends, Anna and Lila!
You two are amazing writers. You capture story and cadence and power and my heart.
Ha! That sentence had two rhetorical devices: polysyndeton and zeugma! I call it poly-zeug. 🙂
Okay. I’ll enlighten with short definitions.
Polysyndeton – using multiple conjunctions in a list of three or more, with no punctuation.
Zeugma — citing two or more points, making the last one out of sync.
Anna — Loved Ruttlestiltskin!
Miss you two!
Aloha Anna! My favorites are Elizabeth Hoyt’s fairy tales. The last historical romance I read with a fairy tale is Hoyt’s Wicked Intentions.
BTW, no need to enter me, read My Reckless Surrender and loved it! Take care!
Hi there Anna! It’s great to see you here on Lila’s blog. I love your books. I have all of them and they are all great. I can’t wait to read your new one. I love that you have gone with a Beauty and the Beast theme. The last book that I read that had the fairy tale connection was A Kiss At Midnight by Eloisa James.
Hi! The last two books I read, “A Kiss at Midnight” by Eloisa James and “The Dangerous Viscount” by Miranda Neville, are Cindrella stories (or, in Sebastian’s case, Cinderfella). Sebastian doesn’t have evil step-relations but his cousins did make his childhood miserable. Does this mean the men of the Burgundy Club are his fairy godfathers?
Anna, I love the cover of “My Reckless Surrender”! I love the stepback with Paul Marron, too!
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Hi Lila and Anna! I’ve read most of your books, Anna, and loved them so I’m looking forward to picking up My Reckless Surrender [gorgeous cover, btw]. I’ve always loved fairy tales but my absolute favourite romance fairy tales are in Awakened by a Kiss.:) Right now I’m reading J.R. Ward’s “Crave” – great story, no fairy tale. Carolyn
My favorite romance that I just read was Eat, Prey, Love by kerrelyn Sparks. I love her series and I read this book in one day. It was not a fairy tale.
Thanks for the giveaway.
smccar1 at hotmail dot com
I adore fairy tales and love seeing the new spin authors give them. I’m a huge fan of Beauty and the Beast stories, and you do my favorite fairy tale wonderful justice, Anna. Your books always rock and have that wonderful happy ending that first hooked me on fairy tales as a child.
Scorpio, Elizabeth is someone who loves fairytale romance too, isn’t she? Love the overt way she makes use of the myths! I haven’t read Eloisa’s latest but I love the sound of it!
And thank you so much for saying you loved My Reckless Surrender! Have a great day!
Noelle, lovely to catch up again! And thanks for picking up a couple of my books (hey, you might pick up MRS today!). I think one of the things I love about BATB is that the heroine is actually pretty proactive in fairytale terms. You know, she does more than go to sleep, LOL! And she has to display real character to get her happy ending. I had to look up the Nightingale – I’d forgotten that story! Actually another Hans Christian Andersen story I really like is The Wild Swans. Again, a VERY brave heroine! Good luck with your… Read more »
Hi Kathy! Thanks for swinging by! Oh, Atonement is another tragedy!!! Although the love story is beautifully done. I’ve never heard of David Nicholls. I’ll have to check him out!
Ooh, meant to say HELLO, LILA!!!! The Book Depository let your book out early so it’s on its way – huzzah! Can’t wait. Thank you for having me as your guest today! Sorry I was a bit late turning up – the time difference between the US and Oz is a killer!
Hey, Gamistress, great to see you here! Although the lair’s lonely without you – or perhaps I should say the cabana boys! 😉 Thanks so much for saying lovely things about MY RECKLESS SURRENDER.
Miranda’s book is on its way to me as we speak – at last! I loved her last one, THE WILD MARQUIS. Which had a definite Cinderella theme. Her virginal hero has me intrigued. I’ll have to check out Michelle Sinclair – you got me at the medieval BATB comment!
Skhye, I’m cracking up over your post! Potatoes? French fries? Oh, I hope none of the potatoes got mashed! That would be too cruel! Wow, that’s some conflict in that book – talk about big things (ahem!) keeping the hero and heroine apart!
I love my cover too! Thanks for saying you do! I look at her back and think I want a back like that – no bumps and lump, just all smooth skin. Sigh. Give me another dish of mashed potatoes and don’t be stingy with the butter!
No need to put me in the drawing since I have all of Anna’s books. 🙂 I just wanted to pop by and say hello and say that I love stories based on fairy tales. I love a good Beauty and the Beast story, and you also mentioned two of my other faves — Cinderella and The Ugly Duckling. I adore the stories where the overlooked and under-appreciated heroine wins in the end.
Okie, I often say when I’m giving a talk and people ask me what I do that I write adult fairytales. Then I usually snicker and say VERY adult! LOL! I agree – there’s something really powerful in these old stories. Otherwise they wouldn’t have lasted through the centuries. Thanks for swinging by!
Actually I wrote a whole article on the subject of fairytale romance ( you can see why I leaped at the chance to visit Lila’s blog and ruminate some more!) over on my website: http://www.annacampbell.info/article-Loveletter.html
I just finished Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s It Had To Be You. It wasn’t based on any fairytales, but it was a great book. My favorite one is Beauty and the Beast and I was so excited when they just released it from the Disney vault and so excited I finally have my baby girl I went right out and bought it. Was getting kind of tired of buying boy movies, I can only watch the Ninja Turtles and Transformers so many times 🙂
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Hi Anna, I love the beauty and the beast theme in so many of your stories. You do it so well. Had to laugh at your comment about torturing heroes – obviously one of your strong suits! I find myself writing different takes on the Cinderella theme a lot and when I look around at the books I’ve read many of the romances seem to have that theme of awakening and transformation, which is such fun. One of my fave Beauty and the Beast stories was Michelle Douglas’s ‘The Loner’s Guarded Heart’. Boy, that man had wounds and in some… Read more »
Hi Lila –
no need to enter me, just stopped by Mr. DiPasqua’s post a day late and wanted to say: you’ve got a gem. He reminds me of the stories Wylie’s told of how her husband supported her writing career.
Maya (from TRW)
Hi Anna I love your Beauty and the Beast stories–the classic one for me being UNTOUCHED. Your CAPTIVE OF SIN was also a wonderful take on Beauty and the Beast. I’m so looking forward to seeing you do Cinderella in MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION.
Lila I haven’t as yet read one of your books, I must remedy that, they look amazing!
My most recent read was FORBIDDEN by Christina Phillips–another Berkley babe–and I absolutely loved it.
PS, Anna, I love the beautiful illustrations you chose. They take me right back to my childhood passion for fairy tales–no wonder I grew up to be a romance reader (and writer!)
Recently read “Bound by Honor” by Colette Gale, which was a beautifully erotic retelling of the story of Robin Hood. It was fantastic, and I loved seeing all the classic connections!
Stephanie
Hi everyone! I’m sooo loving your fairy tale answers! (Of course, I have a soft spot for fairy tales). 🙂 I couldn’t be more ecstatic to have you here, Anna! And I love those illustrations you selected! Thanks so much for the kind words about AWAKENED BY A KISS. I’m so delighted you liked it. 🙂 As soon as I turn in my Cinderella story, A MIDNIGHT DANCE, I’m diving into my TBR pile—and MY RECKLESS SURRENDER is there, calling my name. I can’t wait!! *waves* at Margie! I miss you, too. Folks, she gives the BEST online writing classes… Read more »
Johanna, Elizabeth is certainly coming in tops in the fairytale romance stakes! As I say, I think it’s wonderful the way she overtly makes reference to the fairytales! Thanks for swinging by!
Haha, Jeannette, another EH fan! I think we all are!
Hello, Virginia C, my long-lost cousin (well, maybe not, but wouldn’t it be cool?). Actually I think BATB is so popular because you can do so much with it! Yeah, I must say I’m sucker for that tortured hero every time too. And he’s got so much to learn on his journey – makes it interesting. The characters in a lot of other fairytales are kinda perfect from the get-go, aren’t they? And as you say, there’s all that stuff about outer and inner beauty and which is more important. Thank you for saying such lovely things about the books!… Read more »
Hey, thanks for the heads up, Valerie! And you’re in Germany? How cool! Well, with winter approaching, cool indeed, I’m sure. Thanks for swinging by!
Elizabeth, I’ve never read Marian Keyes although I’ve seen her interviewed and she’s a wonderful speaker. Should check out Watermelon. Thanks for suggesting it!
Hey, Miss Margie, lovely to see you! I hope it’s not too nippy in Colorado at the moment! We’re having a cooler spring than usual here. Isn’t Lila’s stuff the best? So glad you’re a fan too! I’m stalking the postman for her next book!
Hello, Mrs Shukra! The Aloha greeting makes me think of my great friend Kim Adams. Do you know her? Thanks so much for saying lovely things about MY RECKLESS SURRENDER! And another vote for Elizabeth! Her ears will be buzzing 😉
Hi Danielle! Lovely to see you! Thanks for swinging by. I still love fairytales – was addicted to them when I was a kid. I think it’s just the perfect story shape, you know? Thank for saying such lovely things about the books. And Eloisa’s Cinderella book is definitely raking in the votes too! I’ve got it on the TBR pile – must pull it out!
Hi Sheree! I was really lucky with the cover of MY RECKLESS SURRENDER, wasn’t I? It’s really luscious – all over including the stepback! How interesting that you’ve had a run of Cinderella stories. I sometimes think there’s a wave of these – a little while ago everything I picked up was BATB!
Hi Carolyn! Ooh, I must grab that J.R. Ward. I love her Brotherhood books. Thanks for saying you love the books – always lovely to hear!
Hi Stephanie! Kerrelyn is a lovely woman and I’m so glad everybody loves her vampire stories! I think her titles are so clever, don’t you? Thanks for swinging by!
Tawny, I think your books rock too! I adored Riding the Waves, your latest. Hubba hubba! Actually I think in my stories, the fairytale is so deeply ingrained, sometimes I don’t even know I’m doing it. I really didn’t recognize either Captive of Sin or My Reckless Surrender as Beauty and the Beast stories until well after I’d handed them in. And yet they absolutely are. Sometimes you can be too close to the material, I guess.
Trish, it was such fun writing an ugly duckling story in MIDNIGHT’S WILD PASSION. Although I’d say Antonia is more beauty in disguise than a genuine ugly duckling! When I was writing MWP, I kept think of a much less well known fairytale called Catskin about a princess in disguise who works in the prince’s kitchens. It’s a very romantic story! Thanks so much for swinging by and for saying such nice things about the books.
Jolene, I ADORE Susan Elizabeth Phillips and I think there are elements of fairytale in a lot of her stories. For example, the one about the guy rebuilding the drive-in (I think it’s Dream a Little Dream) definitely has elements of Beauty and the Beast. Smiled at you getting a chance to watch something girly – Beauty and the Beast is a lovely movie, isn’t it? Have fun with it!
Hello, Annie! Lovely to see you. Actually you do some of the best Cinderella stories out there. I think, like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella lends itself to so many variations. It’s endlessly rich (a bit like the prince!). I know, I know, I’m a cruel woman to enjoy torturing my heroes so much! It’s just that they all suffer so picturesquely!!!!