Vanessa Kelly is a USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author who was named by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.” Her Regency-set historical romances have been nominated in a number of contests, and she has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance. Her books have been published in ten languages.
Vanessa’s first Clan Kendrick book, The Highlander Who Protected Me, was a USA Today, Barnes & Noble, and BookScan bestseller. The Highlander’s Christmas Bride hit the top 50 on the Barnes & Noble mass-market bestseller list, and her books have regularly appeared on the BookScan Bestseller list. The Renegade Royals Series was a national bestseller, as was The Improper Princesses Series. My Fair Princess was named a Goodreads Romance of the Month and is a USA Today and BookScan bestseller.
When she’s not dreaming of plots for her next Regency novel, Vanessa is writing USA Today Bestselling books with her husband, under the pen name of V.K. Sykes.
Some Extra Details
I owe my love of all things Regency to my big sister. When I was just starting high school, she handed me a bunch of old fashioned-looking paperbacks, copies of Georgette Heyer novels sent to her by a British pen pal. The first one I read was Regency Buck, and I was hooked from that moment on. In high school, I read Jane Austen and my fascination with the period grew apace, resulting in many years in graduate school studying the works of 18th and early 19th century British authors.
Alas, I eventually left academia—poorer but hopefully wiser—for a job as a researcher in the public sector. I enjoyed my work, but the Regency still held first place in my heart. When I switched from writing non-fiction to fiction, it only made sense to delve into the period that had fascinated me for so long.
My heart will always belong to the Regency, but I do occasionally wander forward in time. With my husband Randy, I also write sexy contemporary romances and romantic suspense under the pen name of VK Sykes. Trust me, the fact that I ended up writing romances with my hubby was just as surprising to me as it was to our family and friends. But it works and we have a great time doing it, although I do have to make sure he remembers that pesky things like emotion and sex have to be part of our books. We’ve reached a good compromise—he takes care of the plot and the dialogue, and I take care of the romance and the characters’ clothes.
You can find out more about VK Sykes and our books on my other website.
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