Today, I get to welcome author Eloisa James to Literary Escapism. Eloisa’s new novel, A Kiss at Midnight, has just hit the stores and sounds like a great new take on Cinderella.
Miss Kate Daltry doesn’t believe in fairy tales . . . or happily ever after.
Forced by her stepmother to attend a ball, Kate meets a prince . . . and decides he’s anything but charming. A clash of wits and wills ensues, but they both know their irresistible attraction will lead nowhere. For Gabriel is promised to another woman—a princess whose hand in marriage will fulfill his ruthless ambitions.
Gabriel likes his fiancÉe, which is a welcome turn of events, but he doesn’t love her. Obviously, he should be wooing his bride-to-be, not the witty, impoverished beauty who refuses to fawn over him.
Godmothers and glass slippers notwithstanding, this is one fairy tale in which destiny conspires to destroy any chance that Kate and Gabriel might have a happily ever after.
Unless a prince throws away everything that makes him noble . . .
Unless a dowry of an unruly heart trumps a fortune . . .
Unless one kiss at the stroke of midnight changes everything.
Make sure you stick around, we’re giving away a signed copy of Duchess By Night.
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A Kiss at Midnight could have been a fantasy, but isn’t. A Kiss at Midnight is based on Cinderella, which comes along with all sorts of delicious magical paraphernalia—not just a fairy godmother and her wand, but (with some help from Disney) shape-changing animals with operatic abilities.
But I don’t write fantasy; I write romance. So I had to figure out how to take these beloved fantasy elements and give them a magical gloss, without employing actual magic. I decided that the core of this novel is about transformation: Cinderella’s transformation from a drudge to a beautiful young lady; the rats’ transformation into liveried footmen; the godmother’s transformation from absent to present (where was she all those years, anyway)? I did my best. My fairy godmother employs all the magic at her command; one of my rats, at least, ends up in a sparkling uniform (you have to read Kiss to discover which rat), and I created a castle that shimmered, oh so slightly, with magic—I gave it a maze, and a lake, and a secret garden.
Even if you’re a die-hard fantasy reader who never steps near historical romance, I hope you’ll give A Kiss at Midnight a try!
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Want to purchase Eloisa’s novels?
Pleasures Trilogy
- Potent Pleasures at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Midnight Pleasures at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Enchanting Pleasures at Amazon or the Book Depository
Duchess Quartet
- Duchess in Love at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Fool for Love at Amazon or the Book Depository
- A Wild Pursuit at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Your Wicked Ways at Amazon or the Book Depository
Essex Sisters
- Much Ado About You at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Kiss Me, Annabel at Amazon or the Book Depository
- The Taming of the Duke at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Pleasure For Pleasure at Amazon or the Book Depository
Desperate Duchesses
- Desperate Duchesses at or the Book Depository
- An Affair Before Christmas at Amazon or the Book Depository
- Duchess By Night at Amazon or the Book Depository
- When the Duke Returns at Amazon or the Book Depository
- This Duchess of Mine at Amazon or the Book Depository
- A Duke of Her Own at Amazon or the Book Depository
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Thank you Eloisa for taking the time to visit Literary Escapism!
Contest Time! Eloisa has graciously offered to give away a signed copy of Duchess By Night. All you have to do is answer this one question: What is your favorite aspect of the Cinderella tale?
As always, there’s more ways of getting your name in the hat (remember, these aren’t mandatory to enter, just extra entries):
- +1 for each place you post about today’s contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Digg it, stumble it, twit it, share it with the world. Wherever you share it, make sure you add a link to it along with your answer.
- +1 to any review you comment on, however, comments must be meaningful. Just give me the title of the review and I’ll be able to figure it out from there.
- +1 If you are a follower of Literary Escapism on Facebook and/or Twitter
- +10 Purchase any of Eloisa’s novels (listed above) or any novel through LE’s Amazon store or the Book Depository sometime during this contest and send a copy of the receipt VIA email for your purchase to: jackie AT literaryescapism DOT com. Each purchase is worth ten entries.
There is one thing I am adding to my contests now…the winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.
The contest will stay open until September 14th, at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer and the List Randomizer.
I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.
My favorite aspect of Cinderella is that someone who is so down rodden gets her revenge on her family by getting the prince.
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Thanks Ms. James for stopping by! I just added your book to my Amazon wish list! I can’t wait to read it! :)
I love all about Cinderella, It’s my favorite story I have read a lot of different takes on Cinderella and would love one more:-)
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My favourite part of Cinderella is her Fairy Godmother. It’s nice to think everyone has someone watching over them.
My favorite aspect is that she was a good person in a bad circumstance who was rewarded in the end with a HEA.
+1 follow on twitter @throuthehaze
I like that she is able to hope her situation will get better, and when she has a chance she takes it.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
Great interview! ty for sharing. Hmm I like the Cinderella storyline. I like the idea of the lady getting her prince charming ;).
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What a like best with the Cinderella story is that she gets the prince in the end :)
The song from Disney: ‘some day my prince will come’ (giggle here prince, here prince….whistle)
digged as spvaughan
I like the happy ending at the end of Cinderella, i’m a sucker for a happy ending.
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