Guest Blog by Kristine Grayson and Giveaway - September 10, 2012

Please welcome Kristine Grayson to The Qwillery. Charming Blue, Kristine's most recent Charming novel, was published on September 4, 2012.

Surprise!

by Kristine Grayson

       Over the past few years, I’ve written a number of guest blogs at the invitation of various websites. Some let me choose the topic, but I prefer the blogs that suggest topics, because they give me the opportunity to express things I might not normally talk about.

       The Qwillery did that. One of the suggested topics was this: Write about the most surprising character in the Charming series.

       Three characters surprised me in writing this series. Plus the series itself surprised me. I had no idea I had so many fractured fairy tales inside me (with more to come).

       The three surprising characters are Sancho Panza from Utterly Charming; Cantankerous Belle, who first appeared in Wickedly Charming; and Blue, who also first appeared in Wickedly Charming. Sancho pretty much took over parts of Utterly Charming and Thoroughly Kissed. He became such a part of those two books that I had to write his book, Completely Smitten (which you can find in trade and e-book).

       Blue wandered into Wickedly Charming as a joke—a guy who wears blue valour on a hot day, hasn’t bathed in months, pours cologne all over himself, and is completely drunk—and let’s not forget his Smurf-blue beard. I thought it was a one-shot, just a snapshot of what happened to Bluebeard hundreds of years later.

       But Blue proved more stubborn than that. I actually felt sorry for him in that scene. (Yeah, Bluebeard. Go figure.) And I wanted to know more.

       It turned out that Cantankerous Belle, Tinker Bell’s grumpy cousin, knew all about him. Tank, who seems like an obnoxious little pixie in the books, actually has a compassionate side. She works hard in Charming Blue to convince Jodi Walters to meet Blue in the first place. Then Tank works even hard to make sure Jodi helps Blue.

       I had no idea Tank had a heart until that moment. She’s tough, she’s outspoken, and she’s got a soft gushy center.

       I think that surprised me the most.

       It also provided the impetus for a book I had a great time writing. I hope you enjoy Charming Blue as much as I enjoyed writing it.

       And thanks to the folks at the Qwillery for getting me to talk about surprises. It was…surprising. And fun!



The Charming Novels

Charming Blue
Sourcebooks, September 4, 2012
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

Welcome to the fractious fairy tale world of Kristine Grayson, where the bumpy road to happily ever after is paved with surprises...

He lived through ages with the curse of attracting women...who end up dead...
One upon a time, he was the most handsome of princes, destined for great things. But now he's a lonely legend, hobbled by a dark history. With too many dead in his wake, Bluebeard escapes the only way he knows how—through the evil spell of alcohol. But it's a far different kind of spell that's been ruining his life for centuries.

How will she survive this killer Prince Charming?
Jodi Walters is a fixer, someone who can put magic back in order. She's the best in Hollywood at her game. But Blue has a problem she's never encountered before—and worse, she finds herself perilously attracted to him.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Wickedly Charming

Sourcebooks, May 3, 2011.
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

He's given up on happily-ever-after...

Cinderella's Prince Charming is divorced and at a dead end. The new owner of a bookstore, Charming has given up on women, royalty, and anything that smacks of a future. That is, until he meets up with Mellie...

But she may be the key to happily-right-now…

Mellie is sick and tired of stepmothers being misunderstood. Vampires have redeemed their reputation, why shouldn't stepmothers do the same? Then she runs into the handsomest, most charming man she's ever met and discovers she's going about her mission all wrong...

It's only natural that sparks fly and magic ensues when these two fairy tale refugees put their heads—and vulnerable hearts—together...

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Thoroughly Kissed

Sourcebooks, June 5, 2012 (reissue)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 384 pages

Sleeping Beauty has sworn off kissing...

Emma awakens to an entirely different world than the one she lived in a thousand years ago, and although she's the real Sleeping Beauty, her life is no fairy tale. After parting ways with her supposed Prince Charming, she's determined to be a normal girl—she hides her magic and swears off kissing strange men.

But her gorgeous boss Michael knows there 's something unusual about Emma, and he thinks she's as infuriating as she is beautiful. Now Emma needs to teach Michael a lesson, which means mastering her magic. She knows she's flirting with danger, but after one look at Michael's perfect lips, all she can think is, "What's another thousand years ... ?"

Welcome to the fractious fairy tale world of Kristine Grayson, where the bumpy road to happily ever after is paved with surprises ...

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Utterly Charming

Sourcebooks, October 4, 2011 (reissue)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 320 pages

He could be her own personal Prince Charming if only dreams did come true. . .

Mysterious, handsome wizard Aethelstan Blackstone hires beautiful, hardworking attorney Nora Barr to get a restraining order to protect Sleeping Beauty from her evil stepmother. But if Sleeping Beauty is supposed to be his soul mate, then how come he's becoming bewitched by Nora?

And when Nora finds herself baby-sitting a clueless maiden from the Middle Ages, avoiding a very wicked witch, and falling hard for a man whose magic she doesn’t believe in , she begins to think that love itself is only a fairy tale. . .

Welcome to the fractious fairy tale world of Kristine Grayson, where the bumpy road to happily ever after is paved with surprises. . .

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About Kristine

Before turning to romance writing, award-winning author Kristine Grayson edited the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and ran Pulphouse Publishing (which won her a World Fantasy Award). She has won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award and, under her real name, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, the prestigious Hugo award. She lives with her own Prince Charming, writer Dean Wesley Smith, in Portland, Oregon..

Website : Twitter @KristineRusch.: Facebook










The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will win the 4 Charming novels Charming Blue, Wickedly Charming,  Thoroughly Kissed, and Utterly Charming from The Qwillery!

How:  Leave a comment answering the following question:

Who would be your Prince or Princess Charming and why?

(The Prince or Princess may be imaginary or real, of course.)

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)   Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)   Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

There are a total of 3 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry) and Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry).  This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook or Twitter mentions. You MUST leave a way to contact you.

Who and When:  The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Monday, September 17, 2012. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*