Last month I flew to France in grand style to interview the fabulous Eloisa James about her upcoming release, A KISS AT MIDNIGHT, the first in her fairy tale themed books. Paris is quite lovely this time of the year. I was lucky enough to be visiting on Bastille Day, so I was able to see the military parade marching down des Champs-Élysées. What a sight, I tell you! After a visit to La Tour Eiffel…I woke up from my very pleasant dream, much like the characters in most fairy tales. But fear not, Eloisa continues to live my dream in France. Sigh. Please welcome Eloisa to the blog.

One lucky commenter will receive a copy of A KISS AT MIDNIGHT, which is an August Top Pick!

Hi Eloisa, welcome to The Season Blog and congratulations on A Kiss At Midnight’s, Top Pick with a perfect rating score of 10. A Kiss At Midnight is—as you state—a skewed, funny version of Cinderella, but what is the biggest difference between Kate and Cinderella?

I would love to answer this, but I’m not sure there are enough details in the fairy story to point with confidence to differences. If you think of the brief storyline, Cinderella could be a wimp (sitting in the fireplace all those years), or a victim (abuse at the hands of her stepmother), or just truly foolish (who wants a man with a shoe fetish?).

In fact, one could think of Cinderella as a paper doll, waiting for someone to come along and give her personality and color and passion. My Kate, on the other hand, is no paper doll—she’s a fierce, very funny woman caught in a terrible situation and making the best of it.

I really loved—and was relieved—that A Kiss At Midnight didn’t mirror Cinderella in the sense that all the villainous characters in the fairy tale weren’t villainous in your book (Victoria, the stepsister). Was there any thought to not making the stepmother evil?

No… Fairy stories grapple with evil, and in the case of Cinderella, the evil is a specifically familial, female version. What I did want to create a woman who acted in evil ways, but whom readers could understand. Mariana is not sadistic, but she is the very definition of opportunistic.

I’ve heard A Kiss At Midnight is the first in a series of fairy tale themed historicals you’re writing. Can you tell us which fairy tale is going to be adapted next?

When Beauty Tamed the Beast will pub January 27th—I think there’s no mystery about which fairy story lies at the heart of that novel! Right now I’m working on the story of the princess and the pea. The pea is proving a challenge. I had a lot of fun translating Cinderella’s Disney rats, the gown, the fairy godmother… I’ve having a lot more trouble with the pea!

You have The Lady Most Likely coming out in December with Julia Quinn and Connie Brockway? Is this an anthology? Can you tell us a bit about the book and your  part in it?

The Lady Most Likely is not really an anthology—it’s more of a jointly written novel. Julia, Connie and I stole away from our families for a long weekend, holed up in a hotel and wrote like mad. We came up with the idea of a hero whose sister gives him a list of possible brides, and then brainstormed our individual heroine’s stories within the larger novel. And then we worked on the bits that are shared among us – the introduction, the epilogue, that sort of thing. We had a wonderful time! At night we wandered out into New Orleans and had amazing food, and then went back and wrote some more. It was great fun creating this novel, and I think our pleasure at writing—and being together—really comes through.

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A Kiss At Midnight
Author: Eloisa James
Publisher: Avon / HarperCollins
Pub. Date: July 27, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061626845
Retail: $7.99
Pages: 384

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 fiancé, 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.

**Click cover to read review

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Last year you left the United States to spend a year in France (I just about died of envy when I heard). Were you fluent in French before you went to France? If not, are you fluent now?

Nope. I used to speak French fluently; I lived here before. But in the years of being married to an Italian husband, it seems as if all my foreign language receptors were replaced by Italian. I can understand people if they speak slowly, which they never do. And I didn’t work on becoming fluent – I find that big smiles and small French work quite well in Paris.

Which book did you hit the New York Times bestseller list with, and who told you that you made the list? What was your reaction?

My fourth novel hit the NYT extended list. My editor called me at work (I’m a professor). I was ecstatic – but at that point, I hadn’t yet told my colleagues that I was moonlighting as a romance novelist. So I danced down the corridor, keeping it all to myself. And later my husband brought home roses. It was a lovely day.

Do you have any intention of publishing a fictional novel outside the historical romance genre?

Not at the moment, but I am finishing a memoir of our year in Paris. It will be published by Random House sometime in 2011. That’s my first venture outside of romance, other than scholarship.

Not only are you a bestselling author, but you also have your own monthly column on Barnes & Noble website. What’s the best thing about doing that
column?

Getting to read fabulous new books before anyone else!!

I hear you’re running a really exciting contest – can you tell us about it?

I am! Harper Collins (my publisher) and Barnes & Noble have come together to give out two fabulous B&N electronic readers (the Nook), along with $50 gift cards! Here’s how to win: “like” my fan page on Facebook, which is http://www.facebook.com/EloisaJamesFans. If I reach 15K fans by August 3rd, the first Nook will be given to one of them. And then enter the contest on my website, www.eloisajames.com, for a chance at another Nook & gift card, and some fabulous runner up prizes as well! Please share this with all your friends…I do want to make that 15K by August 3rd and make sure two Nooks go to my fans!