The Lady's Fate

A personal note before I begin---thank you all so, so very much for your kind words about Oreo bunny.  My kids have read your comments, and all of us are touched by your caring words.  Thanks. :)

Now, who am I calling "Lady"?  Why, the lovely Anne Gallagher, who was fated to bring the world her authentic and entertaining brand of Regency Romance.

Her debut novel, The Lady's Fate, is available at Amazon and Smashwords.  Her short story, A Wife for Winsbarren, is also available at Amazon. 


Amid all she's got going on, Anne let me bug her with a few questions about her writing, her "Reluctant Grooms" series, and publishing, but before we get to that, here's my review of The Lady's Fate.   

Review - The Lady's Fate:

I felt like I was reading one of the classics. Gallagher has done her research and The Lady's fate reads just as if it were written back in Austen's day. But she gives us a new set of characters to examine, and even though they're playing by the same set of Regency rules, the plot takes fresh, unpredictable turns.

The relationship between Violet and Haverlane takes time to develop, but their electricity is immediate, even before things get physical. Patience is rewarded with some of the steamiest kisses I've ever read---you know, the kind where you go back to read them again...and again, just to make sure you didn't miss anything. I think the attraction's even more intriguing because up until the very end, it's unclear if/how it can progress.

The characters are all well-defined and interesting, even those who are infuriating. My favorite is Lady Olivia in all her obstinate, noble, cane-thumping glory. I finished this book knowing I'd like to spend more time with them, so I look forward to more from this author---particularly in the "Reluctant Grooms" series.

Mini-Interview with Anne Gallagher

From reading your blog, I know you're a romantic devil so it's not surprising you write romance.  But why did you choose Regency Romance? 

When I was a kid, I read all kinds of historicals, but there was something about the Regency and the era of classes and manners that really stuck with me.  Perhaps it had to do with my upbringing in New England.  We're such Puritans, and manners are extremely important.

Reading Jane Austen also proved to be enlightening in that she could engage her readers so completely without once resorting to sex, or innuendo.  I wanted to achieve that in my writing, even though we live in a different time.  Sex sells, even in deoderant commercials, so I wanted to prove that it wasn't necessary to a good romance.

I also love a good corset. Keeps the muffin top from spilling over, and the girls nice and high.

Win-win situation, right there. ;)  I love your overlapping series concept, wherein the time frames of your stories overlap. I see that your schedule for publication of each story isn't in chronological order---how did you decide on the order of publication?

The series starts with THE LADY'S MASQUERADE, but as it was my "first" book, I found it wasn't as fabulous as I'd like and I'm still tearing that apart and putting it back together .  I decided to publish THE LADY'S FATE because it was ready.  I also wrote a short story A WIFE FOR WINSBARREN as a sort of accompaniment to it.  I couldn't just put one book out. I wanted something else.

I've been working steadily on THE DUKE'S DIVORCE and THE LADY'S MASQUERADE to get them out, hopefully before Christmas.  There really is no  reason why I'm publishing this way other than whatever is ready goes out.  When the series is complete, the way they appear on the blog post is the order in which they should be read. 

My contemporary romance/women's fiction REMEMBERING YOU will hopefully be out on Kindle by December 1.  (Genna and Tony and Pete for those who remember.)

You've eloquently described your reasons for self publishing, but what would you say was the most surprising thing you learned about self publishing after diving into the process?

That I could do it.  If you don't know anything about uploading, downloading, formatting, editing, it's really hard.  And I didn't know Jack about any of that.  So it was REALLY REALLY hard.  But I found that people will help you.  All you have to do is ask.

Okay, last question: if you had to pick one song that captures the essence of The Lady's Fate, what would it be? 

This was a tough one and I had to think long and hard about it because I have to have absolute silence when I write.  However, I do remember humming Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like a Wheel over and over again.  (Back to my 80's roots, just for you!)

Some say the heart is just like a wheel

When you bend it, you can't mend it

But my love for you is like a sinking ship

And my heart is like a ship out in mid-ocean

Such a sad beautiful song, and when Violet thinks she's lost Haverlane for good, I couldn't help think of it.

Thanks for the insight, Anne...and for the 80s. ;)

The weekly Author! Author! Blog Bounce is open to all authors every Thursday.  The Linky thingy is below, so please hop on or simply bounce around.