19 August 2016

Do you have a Dirty Little Secret?


To celebrate the release of my new workbook, The Dirty Little Secrets of Character Development, I'm hosting a special Dirty Little Secrets (DLS) online workshop.

The workshop will be an interactive, online course that leads participants through fun, inventive exercises that will help them root out their characters' deep, dark secrets and how to use these secrets to further plot, conflict and (of course) the romance.

The workshop will run Tuesday, Sept. 20 to Thursday, Oct. 20. Cost is $15

Course requirements:
  • Dirty Little Secrets Workbook (now on pre-order; available from Amazon Sept. 6)
  • WIP or partial synopsis (it helps if you have an idea of your characters before beginning)
  • 3 to 5 hours per week for course homework
  • Google email address

To sign up:
  • Send your name, location, and gmail address to Keena Kincaid
  • Subject line: Dirty Little Secrets Workshop Registration
I will send you a registration invoice via PayPal and invite you into my workshop circle on Google+ From there we can post, message, and video chat. 




16 August 2016

The Luxury of Equality

 Over the weekend, my family had a lively discussion about the whiplash of women’s status through the ages, comparing gender equality in ancient Egypt and the modern Western world vs. women’s status in ancient Greece and some modern Middle Eastern countries.

Why would women let that happen? One nephew asked.

But the thing is, women didn’t let it happen. When a civilization collapses and you’re fighting for survival for yourself and your children, men’s superior physical strength quickly unlevels the playing field. 

The fall from equality to second-class citizen with the legal status of a child might be quick or slow, but I suspect it’s always a shock to the individuals involved—and it chafes future generations of women no matter how much time passes.

Because I write medieval romances, I think a lot about the tensions between men and women within the society. Medieval women knew they deserved better and many got better from individuals, but they still faced institutional misogyny.


In An Unexpected Gift—available tomorrow as a stand-alone novella—the heroine is at her most vulnerable. She’s pitted against a society that sees her as someone to exploit or protect, but not stand beside or respect.

Ada is probably my most traditional heroine in that she is at a powerless moment in her life. She’s brave and strong and resourceful, but ultimately she cannot rescue herself, a fact that she hates.
She must place her faith in a stranger—a man who could be her savior or someone even more dangerous than the man who wants to kill her and her unborn child—and that is where the story begins.



Keena Kincaid writes historical romances in which passion, magic and treachery collide to create unforgettable stories. You can find out more about her books here

11 August 2016

From Acorn to Oak


The journey from idea to finished book is a strange one.

Each book that I've written has a different origin--one came out of a dream and another from too much sugar and caffeine at a small tea shop in northern England.

My non-fiction book may have the oddest origin of them all, though.

Once upon a time, I was the writer in a group of four friends who would hang out all the time to talk work, men, vacations, men, family, and men. Our lives weren’t quite as adventurous as those on Sex and the City—but I loved those days.

One afternoon, we were sitting at an outdoor cafĂ©, talking and people watching, when a young, well endowed woman walked by with her date, who couldn’t stop staring at her breasts. “Do you think he knows she didn't come by those naturally?” one of us asked.

The writer in me immediately perked up and I began to look at my characters not just as heroes and heroines, but also secret-keepers. Why secrets? Because secrets make our characters more interesting and create tension between characters.

From that discussion and insight, I developed my workshop, "The Dirty Little Secrets of Character Development," and now my first non-fiction book, which will be released next month. The book is designed to give you a better understanding of how secrets affect characters and propel the plot forward in a logical, engaging manner.

Watch this space for more information on the book when it's released. I'll be giving away copies, hosting a special workshop, and offering one-on-one DLS consultation.