Jeffe Kennedy is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

and erotic romance author who has published dozens of novels, including the fantasy romance series ''The Twelve Kingdoms, The Uncharted Realms'' and ''The Chroniclles of Dasnaria'' from

Kensington Books Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New York-based publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011)Grimes, William"Walter Zacharius, Romance Publisher, Dies at 87,"''New York Times'' (MARCH 7, 2011). and Roberta Bender G ...

. Her novel ''The Pages of the Mind'' won the 2017 RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance." 2017 RITA Winners,"

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...

, accessed Sept. 8, 2017. In 2019, St. Martin's Press will release ''The Orchid Throne'', her first book in a new romantic fantasy series titled ''The Forgotten Empires''.The Orchid Throne page
St. Martins Press, accessed August 5, 2019.

Life

Jeffe Kennedy grew up in

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 336,035 residing in Arapahoe County, 47,720 residing in ...

, where she graduated from Overland High School. Her father was a U.S. Air Force pilot who died in the crash of an F-4 fighter plane in 1969."'Woman's Adventure' Has a Wider Appear" by Karen Cotton, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne, WY), page 9, February 27, 2004. Kennedy received her undergraduate degree in biology and religious studies from the

Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. She received a master's degree in neurophysiology from the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

, Laramie, where she did her graduate work studying the brains of bats. Kennedy currently lives in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

, near the

Ortiz Mountains The Ortiz Mountains are a mountain range in northern New Mexico, United States, in Santa Fe County, northeast of the Sandia Mountains and due north of the San Pedro Mountains. The Ortiz include Placer Peak, the highest peak in the range at 8,858 ...

Writing

Kennedy has published 16 novels, many of which are erotic romance or epic romantic fantasies. She has also published essays, short stories and poetry in a number of publications including Redbook, The SFWA Bulletin, and Romantic Times, among others. Kennedy says that "Fantasy romance hits my sweet spot. The fantasy aspect lets me create worlds, set up the social mores for maximum thrill and have heroines who are larger than life. The romance gives me room to have the heroines find themselves through sexual exploration and the love of someone who appreciates them as no one else does. Both allow for the heights of emotion that lead to personal transformation, which I love."Sci-Fi Encounters: Exploring appeal of fantasy romance
by Veronica Scott, USA Today, April 23, 2015. Kennedy's stories have been praised for being "well-written and swooningly romantic"Starred review of The Mark of the Tala
by Megan M. McArdle on June 16, 2014. containing relationships which are "gripping and realistic." Her stories have also been praised for their "depth of worldbuilding." She previously wrote the blog ''Contemporary Romance Cafe''.

Awards and honors

Kennedy has received a fellowship from the Ucross Foundation, a

Wyoming Arts Council The Wyoming Arts Council is a state-funded arts group which provides grants to art and cultural projects within Wyoming. Established in 1967, in 1990 the Arts Council occupied the historic Kendrick Building, which it renovated in Cheyenne, Wyoming ...

Fellowship for Poetry, and a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. ''The Mark of the Tala'', the first book in the Twelve Kingdoms series, was the winner of a 2014 Seal of Excellence award from

Romantic Times ''Romantic Times'' was an American genre magazine specializing in romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and Romance (love), roma ...

and a finalist for the 2014 Romantic Times Book of the Year. The third book in the series, ''The Talon of the Hawk'', won the 2015 Best Fantasy Romance Award from Romantic Times while the series' second novel ''The Tears of the Rose'' was a finalist for the same award in 2014. ''The Pages of the Mind'', the first book in Kennedy's Uncharted Realms series, was a finalist for the 2016 Best Fantasy Romance Award from Romantic Times and won the 2017 RITA Award from the Romance Writers of America. The book ''For Crown and Kingdom: A Duo of Fantasy Romances'', containing one

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...

by Grace Draven and one by Kennedy, was selected by

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional pract ...

as one of the Best Books of 2016 in the category of e-originals genre fiction.Best Books 2016: Best Genre Fiction
" Library Journal, accessed March 5, 2017. Her novella "The Dragons of Summer," which first appeared in the anthology ''Seasons of Sorcery'', was a finalist for a 2019 RITA Award.

Selected bibliography

Novels

Facets of Passion series * ''Sapphire'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2011) * ''Platinum'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2013) * ''Ruby'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2013) * ''Five Golden Rings'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2013) The Covenant of Thorns series * ''Rogue's Pawn'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2012) * ''Rogue's Possession'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2013) * ''Rogue's Paradise'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2014) Falling Under series * ''Going Under'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2014) * ''Under His Touch'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2015) * ''Under Contract'' (Harlequin imprint Carina Press, 2015) Master of the Opera (Kensington Books, serial novel, 2014) :Released serially as * Master of the Opera Act 1: Passionate Overture * Master of the Opera, Act 2: Ghost Aria * Master of the Opera, Act 3: Phantom Serenade * Master of the Opera, Act 4: Dark Interlude * Master of the Opera Act 5: A Haunting Duet * Master of the Opera, Act 6: Crescendo Sorcerous Moons series * ''Lonen's War'' (Brightlynx Publishing, 2016) * ''Oria’s Gambit'' (Brightlynx Publishing, 2016) * ''The Tides of Bára'' (Brightlynx Publishing, 2016) * ''The Forests Of Dru'' (Brightlynx Publishing, 2017) * ''Lonen's Reign'' (Brightlynx Publishing, 2017) * ''Oria's Enchantment'' (Brightlynx Publishing, 2019) Forgotten Empires * ''The Orchid Throne'' (St. Martin's Press, 2019) * ''The Fiery Crown'' (St. Martin's Press, 2020) * ''The Promised queen'' (St. Martin's Press, 2021)

''The Twelve Kingdoms'' universe

Novels in ''The Twelve Kingdoms'' series * ''The Mark of the Tala'' (Kensington Books, 2014) * ''The Tears of the Rose'' (Kensington Books, 2014) * ''The Talon of the Hawk'' (Kensington Books, 2015) Novels in the ''Uncharted Realms'' series * ''The Pages of the Mind'' (Kensington Books, 2016)Review of The Pages of the Mind
" Publishers Weekly, July 11, 2016. * ''The Edge of the Blade'' (Kensington Books, 2017)

Novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...

s in ''The Twelve Kingdoms'' universe * ''Heart's Blood'' (2015) * "The Crown of the Queen," (published in ''For Crown and Kingdom: A Duo of Fantasy Romances'' by Grace Draven and Jeffe Kennedy, 2017)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Jeffe Living people American fantasy writers American romantic fiction writers People from Santa Fe, New Mexico Year of birth missing (living people)