Monday, May 29, 2006
Once Upon Stilettos
I absolutely adored ENCHANTED, INC., the first book in this wonderful series by Shanna Swendson that continues with Once Upon Stilettos .
If you haven't checked this book or the first out, you really don't know what you're missing. Shanna has created an absolutely charming magical world, and the book is a delight for all readers. They also have darling covers!
See? I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of ENCHANTED prior to the book's release, and I've been hooked on the series every since. I picked up my copy of STILETTOS recently when Shanna was in town for a booksigning. (Alas, b/w adoption paperwork, long summer weekends, and many, many deadlines, I haven't had a chance to start it yet ... but I can't wait!)
Here's what Shanna had to say in response to my questions:
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
I don't know that there's anything typical about any of my days, but my work
days tend to go like this:
Check e-mail. Respond to e-mail. Wait for responses to my responses.
Read various industry blogs, friends' blogs, etc. Make comments. Check for
responses to my comments.
Write my own blog. Check for comments. Respond to comments. Check for
responses to my responses to comments.
Open file for my work in progress. Make tea. Check e-mail.
Realize there's something on my to-do list I need to do. Take care of that
item.
Repeat above items until about 10 p.m. Then settle down and write about ten
pages.
It varies by book. Some books, I can start work in the afternoon. The last
book I wrote would only cooperate late at night.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
I had two main ones. One of the main story ideas came from a line in the
fourth chapter of ENCHANTED, INC., the previous book in the series. When I
was writing the first draft, as soon as I wrote that line, in which a
character mentions something that's a possibility, I knew it was something
that would have to happen in the next book.
Then the other main inspiration for this book was a certain pair of red
stilettos I saw in Nordstrom. I HAD to have them, but they were way out of
my price range. I'd just submitted ENCHANTED, INC. to an agent, and I swore
that if I sold the book, I'd buy the shoes. The day I got an offer on the
book and its unwritten sequel, I went with a friend to the mall to buy them,
and I got the last pair in my size. On the way home from the mall, I told my
friend that they were magic shoes, and that's when the idea to use them in
the book struck me. They became a major motif in the story.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Katie Chandler, my heroine, isn't really my stand-in. We're different in a
lot of ways, but we do share an almost extreme sense of practicality.
Neither of us like to waste a lot of time on things that we can tell right
away won't work, and we also don't see much sense in being extravagant
(which is why an obsession with a certain pair of red shoes is big news for
both of us).
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
I'd rather have the books because I can always write in my head. That's the
way I amused myself as a kid, and it took me years to realize that if I
wrote that stuff down, I'd have a book. If I'm stuck on an island, there
wouldn't be much point in writing the stories down. I'd perfect them in my
head, and then I could always write them after being rescued. But I'd
certainly need books if I had to spend any time at the beach.
BEER OR WINE?
Wine. I don't actually like beer at all.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate when it comes to flavor/eating, vanilla when it comes to scent.
WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
That really depends on my mood, but a front runner is Connie Willis's TO SAY
NOTHING OF THE DOG -- a hilarious science fiction time travel mystery
adventure romance involving the near future, Victorian England, WWII and the
Middle Ages. It's got a little something of everything to it. The first time
I read that book, as soon as I closed the cover I flipped the book over and
read it again. I want to crawl inside that book and live in it sometimes.
*****
And here's a bit more about the book ...
As a Texan-turned-Manhattanite and an executive assistant at Magic, Spells,
and Illusions, Inc. (MSI), Katie's seen more than her share of fantastical
occurrences. She's no wizard; in fact, she's just the opposite. Katie has
a special immunity to magic that makes her a wiz at spotting the deceptive
enchantments and spell-laced documents that make business go a little too
smoothly for MSI's competitors and contractors. If only she could avoid
falling under the spell of Owen, a hunky wizard who also happens to be her
co-worker. Owen, however, is too preoccupied with an alarming security
breach to notice. Someone has broken into his office and disturbed
top-secret files, and it reeks of an inside job. CEO Merlin (yes, the
Merlin) taps Katie and her special ability to uncover the magical mole.
Keeping her feelings in check while sleuthing alongside Owen, Katie is
shocked to discover that her immunity to magic is waning, putting her in
grave danger. Soon she's surrendering to the charms and enchantments of
everyone and everything around her, including a killer pair of red
stilettos. Katie must now conjure up her instincts to get to the bottom of
the break-in, regain her power, and win the wizard of her dreams.
So polish your fairy wings, put on your magic shoes, and join Shanna
Swendson as she catapults us into the frenzy and fun of magical Manhattan
this summer.
Praise for ONCE UPON STILETTOS:
"Swendson offers a fresh spin on a genre in this exceptional Manhattan fairy
tale." – RT Bookclub
"ONCE UPON STILETTOS is not to be missed if you're in the mood for a fast
and funny read where chick-lit meets urban fantasy." —Mary Jo Putney, author
of A Kiss of Fate
Swendson's smart, snappy novel will delight fans that loved the first
installment, and win over new readers, too. – Booklist
***
About the Author:
SHANNA SWENDSON is the author of Enchanted, Inc. She's also contributed to
Flirting With Pride and Prejudice and Welcome to Wisteria Lane. She's a
member of Romance Writers of America and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
of America. She lives in Dallas, TX. Visit her web site at www.shannaswendson.com
If you haven't checked this book or the first out, you really don't know what you're missing. Shanna has created an absolutely charming magical world, and the book is a delight for all readers. They also have darling covers!
See? I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of ENCHANTED prior to the book's release, and I've been hooked on the series every since. I picked up my copy of STILETTOS recently when Shanna was in town for a booksigning. (Alas, b/w adoption paperwork, long summer weekends, and many, many deadlines, I haven't had a chance to start it yet ... but I can't wait!)
Here's what Shanna had to say in response to my questions:
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
I don't know that there's anything typical about any of my days, but my work
days tend to go like this:
Check e-mail. Respond to e-mail. Wait for responses to my responses.
Read various industry blogs, friends' blogs, etc. Make comments. Check for
responses to my comments.
Write my own blog. Check for comments. Respond to comments. Check for
responses to my responses to comments.
Open file for my work in progress. Make tea. Check e-mail.
Realize there's something on my to-do list I need to do. Take care of that
item.
Repeat above items until about 10 p.m. Then settle down and write about ten
pages.
It varies by book. Some books, I can start work in the afternoon. The last
book I wrote would only cooperate late at night.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
I had two main ones. One of the main story ideas came from a line in the
fourth chapter of ENCHANTED, INC., the previous book in the series. When I
was writing the first draft, as soon as I wrote that line, in which a
character mentions something that's a possibility, I knew it was something
that would have to happen in the next book.
Then the other main inspiration for this book was a certain pair of red
stilettos I saw in Nordstrom. I HAD to have them, but they were way out of
my price range. I'd just submitted ENCHANTED, INC. to an agent, and I swore
that if I sold the book, I'd buy the shoes. The day I got an offer on the
book and its unwritten sequel, I went with a friend to the mall to buy them,
and I got the last pair in my size. On the way home from the mall, I told my
friend that they were magic shoes, and that's when the idea to use them in
the book struck me. They became a major motif in the story.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Katie Chandler, my heroine, isn't really my stand-in. We're different in a
lot of ways, but we do share an almost extreme sense of practicality.
Neither of us like to waste a lot of time on things that we can tell right
away won't work, and we also don't see much sense in being extravagant
(which is why an obsession with a certain pair of red shoes is big news for
both of us).
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
I'd rather have the books because I can always write in my head. That's the
way I amused myself as a kid, and it took me years to realize that if I
wrote that stuff down, I'd have a book. If I'm stuck on an island, there
wouldn't be much point in writing the stories down. I'd perfect them in my
head, and then I could always write them after being rescued. But I'd
certainly need books if I had to spend any time at the beach.
BEER OR WINE?
Wine. I don't actually like beer at all.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate when it comes to flavor/eating, vanilla when it comes to scent.
WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
That really depends on my mood, but a front runner is Connie Willis's TO SAY
NOTHING OF THE DOG -- a hilarious science fiction time travel mystery
adventure romance involving the near future, Victorian England, WWII and the
Middle Ages. It's got a little something of everything to it. The first time
I read that book, as soon as I closed the cover I flipped the book over and
read it again. I want to crawl inside that book and live in it sometimes.
*****
And here's a bit more about the book ...
As a Texan-turned-Manhattanite and an executive assistant at Magic, Spells,
and Illusions, Inc. (MSI), Katie's seen more than her share of fantastical
occurrences. She's no wizard; in fact, she's just the opposite. Katie has
a special immunity to magic that makes her a wiz at spotting the deceptive
enchantments and spell-laced documents that make business go a little too
smoothly for MSI's competitors and contractors. If only she could avoid
falling under the spell of Owen, a hunky wizard who also happens to be her
co-worker. Owen, however, is too preoccupied with an alarming security
breach to notice. Someone has broken into his office and disturbed
top-secret files, and it reeks of an inside job. CEO Merlin (yes, the
Merlin) taps Katie and her special ability to uncover the magical mole.
Keeping her feelings in check while sleuthing alongside Owen, Katie is
shocked to discover that her immunity to magic is waning, putting her in
grave danger. Soon she's surrendering to the charms and enchantments of
everyone and everything around her, including a killer pair of red
stilettos. Katie must now conjure up her instincts to get to the bottom of
the break-in, regain her power, and win the wizard of her dreams.
So polish your fairy wings, put on your magic shoes, and join Shanna
Swendson as she catapults us into the frenzy and fun of magical Manhattan
this summer.
Praise for ONCE UPON STILETTOS:
"Swendson offers a fresh spin on a genre in this exceptional Manhattan fairy
tale." – RT Bookclub
"ONCE UPON STILETTOS is not to be missed if you're in the mood for a fast
and funny read where chick-lit meets urban fantasy." —Mary Jo Putney, author
of A Kiss of Fate
Swendson's smart, snappy novel will delight fans that loved the first
installment, and win over new readers, too. – Booklist
***
About the Author:
SHANNA SWENDSON is the author of Enchanted, Inc. She's also contributed to
Flirting With Pride and Prejudice and Welcome to Wisteria Lane. She's a
member of Romance Writers of America and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers
of America. She lives in Dallas, TX. Visit her web site at www.shannaswendson.com
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