The Captain's Coincidence #MarchMadnessSale

The Captain's Coincidence
#MarchMadnessSale
$2.99 thru March 31

Decorated war hero, Captain Richard Gaines has given up his commission in the Royal Navy. He stalks the docks seeking relief from the nightmares of Trafalgar. One night, he happens upon a woman who captures his attention, and his heart. In a series of random coincidences, Richard is compelled toward Mrs. Wood, just as circumstantial evidence suggests that Mr. Wood may be a seditionist.

Returning to England after a decade away, Amanda Wood is on a mission to save herself and her daughter from the prison of her marriage. Meeting the Captain seems heaven sent when he reveals an acquaintance with her only friend and brings an invitation for a visit – and a chance to escape. Her joy is short-lived when her husband insists on going with her.

The situation takes a grievous turn when Amanda’s husband kidnaps their daughter. Richard must save her, but to do that he must engage the enemy at sea. And it appears Amanda’s husband may be a nefarious pirate. With limited armaments and a damaged vessel, Richard knows he has only one chance to rescue the little girl.

When the battle is over, to the victor, go the spoils. Yet, Richard must overcome his tormented past, in order to begin a future with the woman he loves. However, Amanda holds a secret that could destroy that very same future.

The Captain's Coincidence is the Third Book in the Reluctant Grooms Series.  However, this was the first one I finished in the original trilogy. (I published this fourth even though it's technically third.)

I love the story of Richard and Amanda. You can't choose who you love, whether they're married or not. It's fate, kismet, whatever you want to call it, but sometimes when two people meet, it's like BAM! Soulmate!

Now, I could empathize with Amanda's situation in 1810, and a man like Richard doesn't come around everyday to rescue damsels in distress. But, Amanda was married to a man she had come to despise. A man who might be a spy! But how could she escape?

I did a lot of research for this book. A LOT. A boat load, but I think it was totally worth it in the end. I had a couple of male friends read it, and they said the battle scenes were wicked cool. They didn't know I had it in me.

Captain Viscount Richard Gaines

Captain Viscount Richard Gaines was a hero at Trafalgar, in sick bay with Lord Nelson when he died. Richard finds he can no longer command, and is placed as Captain of the Marine Police for the docks in Wapping. However, Robert Carlton, the new Duke of Cantin needs Richard's help and will pay him handsomely. Even though Richard is fighting the fear of sailing that plagues him, he agrees to captain Robert's vessel, if only to drive away the memory of the woman who pierced the cold armor of his heart.

Amanda Wood

Serendipity takes a hand and tosses the star-crossed lovers together and apart, with enough twists and turns for a roller-coaster thrill ride. Richard will do anything to keep Amanda and her daughter safe. Amanda cannot leave her husband.

High seas battles between pirates and His Majesty's Royal Navy, intrigue, espionage, and spies from America, kidnapping...as Providence brings Richard and Amanda together one last time, can they finally put away the past and look toward the future? Or will Amanda's last secret keep them apart forever?

Barthomelew Wood,
Amanda's husband

Westerly Manor, Tiverton

Admiral Rupert Gaines,
Admiral of the White,
Admiral of the Fleet

Lady Bunny Churchill Gaines,
Lady Olivia's cousin

Two very important people in the story
even though they have very minor roles.








And this is the story of THE CAPTAIN'S COINCIDENCE
On Sale thru March 31.
$2.99

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#MarchMadnessSale

Anne Gallagher (c) 2019

The Captain's Coincidence is Finished

Good Morning. Yay! It's done, it's finished. I wrote THE END on Valentine's Day at 12.23 pm. Yay!

I'm letting it sit over the weekend. Marinate a little. I'll give it a complete read-through tomorrow. And then it's off to the critique partners. I'm hoping to be able to publish by the first of March. If all comes back okay.

I'm also going to try something different with this novel. I'm going to offer it as a pre-order on a select few vendors. (Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, B&N) I don't know if it will make a difference to anyone, but I thought I'd try it.



I'm heading straight into LADY OLIVIA'S UNDOING another novella. This will be one of the prequels to THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE. The other prequel, THE LADY'S SECRET I'm hoping to have finished before Easter break. (Okay, knowing me, Memorial Day Weekend.)




And I think that's it. I'm catching up on every day life right now.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you next week.

Oh, and the covers are just mock-ups I did for my designer. She's the one with all the talent.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

Intimate Portrait -- Captain Richard Gaines

As we approach the release of THE CAPTAIN'S COINCIDENCE, I thought now would probably be a good time for his Intimate Portrait. I know who Richard is, but you might not.

Richard

Captain Richard Gaines is one of my most endearing heroes. Well, I like him anyway. However, Richard is also one of my most troubled heroes. He's suffering from mental battle scars.(In doing my research I found Trafalgar was the bloodiest sea battle in the Campaign with over 20,000 men, and 52 ships lost - however not one ship was British.) He's filled with angst and anxiety, sleep deprived, depressed, PTSD, can't find anything to snap him out of it. Until he meets Amanda.

Amanda

Problem is, Amanda's married. Yes, she is. To a despicable man, the most villainous villain I have ever created. (Worse even than Thomas Entin-Hicks from MASQUERADE.) Amanda was also best friends with Penny when they were children, so that's part of the plot line. 

When I first began to write Richard's story 10 years ago, I think (looking back on the manuscript now) he was actually my prototype for Ellis (Marquess of Haverlane LADY'S FATE). You know, that strong silent type, feels inwardly, doesn't say much. However, in  rewriting this book, I'm going to give Richard "more".  I'm not sure what the more is at this point, but he won't be too much like Ellis when I'm done.

After Trafalgar, Richard resigned his commission. I know, that's really not done but he did. (It's my book after all.) Since then, he's become somewhat of a detective. Not so much a Bow Street Runner, more like Columbo. He has bodyguards to let out for visiting dignitaries and such, and is often hired to find missing or stolen objects that no one else can seem to find. And because he's rich and has impeccable connections, (His father is cousin to the Earl of Brumbley, Winsbarren's father -- which is how Richard met William through Winsbarren as Winsbarren and William went to school together -- follow that logic if you dare) he's often invited to balls and parties. 

However, he doesn't go to be sociable, he only attends to keep his ear to the gossip. Which is why he's such a good detective. After he helped save Penny (MASQUERADE) Lady Olivia took a liking to him. He's quite possibly the only man in London who isn't afraid of her -- only her matchmaking schemes. 

Amanda's husband

In this story, Amanda has come back to England with her husband who's interested in the cotton mills. (He's a Southerner, with a cotton plantation and slaves, which is how he made his fortune, among other ways.)

Richard meets Amanda briefly one night in London and falls in love with her at first sight. Unfortunately, she's on her way to Manchester to view the cotton mills with her husband. Richard thinks she's a witch and woven a spell over him as he just can't forget about her.


As I started rewriting this novel, I found Richard had more than his fair share of coincidences. Hence the new title. It's been a twisty-turny road to get this novel finished. I had to chuck all my previous research and start from scratch, which has led to more research. And in trying to get it finished quickly, I missed two very important scenes that my lovely critique partners were more than happy to point out to me.

However, we're almost there. Just a couple more chapters and I think we can publish by the end of January. At least that's what I tell myself.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a great week!

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

When the Story Isn't Working

Writing is hard work. That's a given. And if any of you think that all we have to do is just sit down at our computers and words magically spill from our imagination, well, sorry to say you're wrong. Okay, maybe they do come magically, but then we have to take those words and revise, edit, sometimes even delete them to get the best finished product we can.

My Intimate Portrait for this coming Sunday was going to be Richard Gaines. He's been a minor character in a few of my novels. His novel THE CAPTAIN'S LADY was actually the second one I wrote, to publish after THE LADY'S MASQUERADE. Only those were side tracked to write different things. As I learned the craft of writing a GOOD novel, I realized Masquerade and Captain's Lady were not ready for publication -- AT ALL. Not until I'd done some major rewriting.

Last year, throughout the year, I took on the task of diving in to MASQUERADE to revise and edit. There was a lot of work to do. I wrote this book in 2007. Five years, three novels, and four novellas later, it did not hold up. The plot was convoluted, the characters had changed drastically. I was also foreshadowing events for the last book of the series, so I needed to make serious changes.

As any good writer knows, you need to let a finished product sit for awhile. You basically need to be able to forget what you wrote so you can look at it with "fresh eyes". Which is why the revisions for Masquerade took almost a whole year. With each major change, I needed to let it sit again.

But now I have the challenge of doing the same thing for THE CAPTAIN'S LADY. I decided to scrap the original novel. Totally. I began writing a whole new book the other day. I wrote two whole chapters. And I realized that storyline wouldn't work either. Neither would my "new" Amanda. I didn't like her attitude. So I went back to the original story, which I've always loved.

However, although the plot remains basically the same, the setting is going to be different. I never did the research required when I wrote this book way back when. Now that I have done so, I found Richard cannot go to America to save Amanda. England was right on the cusp of the War of 1812 with America. For Richard to go would be a complete nightmare to figure out how to get him there and get out. Historical accuracy and all that.

So I've changed the storyline a little bit. I'm hoping it works. The original setting was in Boston. This new setting is in Manchester, England. And perhaps a little teeny bit of America. I'm not sure. Truthfully, the biggest problem I have is if I change the story completely, I'll have to change the cover copy in all the previously published books. And that, my dear readers, is a horror show. I'm just not up to the task.

And maybe you're wondering why I just don't scrap this project all together. If Richard is such a minor character, why bother writing him at all. Well, because he's been with me from the beginning. As well as William and Robert. Their stories have been told, so I think I owe it to Richard to tell his.

It may take me a little while longer to get this finished (depending on  how much I can save from the original manuscript -- which at this point I'm thinking not much) but I know how the story starts, where it goes, and how it ends. Hopefully, I can have it ready by Thanksgiving.

That being said, I've torn my rotator cuff again, so I'm not sure how or if I'll really be able to write. I went to the doctor yesterday and now have several other appointments with several other doctors, MRI machines and CAT scans so we'll see how it plays out.

 I may not be posting for awhile depending on what happens. I hope you all have a great week.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

The A-Z Challenge Letter A

I've never done this, but I thought it might be fun. My theme for this challenge is to show you my characters from all my books.

A is for Amanda.

This is Amanda Pomeroy, Lady Penelope Leighton's best friend growing up. She went off to America with her father when she was fourteen, but had kept up a correspondence with Penny.

In THE CAPTAIN'S LADY, Captain Richard Gaines is going to America, and Penny asks him to deliver a package to Amanda.

Richard gets more than he bargained for when he meets the lovely Amanda, and their story is filled with swashbuckling heroes and high-seas adventure.

Interpreting Heroines

In last week's post, I discussed how I interpreted my heroes and what they would be like today. Interpreting my heroines is a daunting task, as women in 1810 were not allowed any freedoms that we are allowed today.

Back then, women were "kept" as possessions, sold to the highest bidder by their father. They had no rights, no assets, whatever they "owned", what little money they had, usually went to their husbands upon their marriage. Sucks right?

So let's see if I can come up with something suitable for my "girls" to "do" in today's world.

In 1810 --

Penny -- Lady Penelope Leighton, daughter of the Duke of Olmstead. Afflicted with a stutter and looking for love in marriage.

Violet -- Lady Violet Flowers. Daughter of the missing Earl of Flowers. Seventeen and making her debut.

Amanda -- Married to Barthomolew Wood. Mother to Rachel. Best friend to Penny until her father took her to seek his fortune in America.

Rosamund -- Lady Rosamund Smith. Bluestocking. Caretaker of her parents.

Fiona -- Lady Fiona Stewart. Daughter of the Earl of Fionghall. Twenty-nine and has never been kissed.

Present day --

Penny -- Shy, retiring twenty-two year old, wants to be a horse vetrinarian.

Violet -- Lives in the shadow of a beautiful older sister. Desires to work with children.

Amanda -- Jerkface husband walked out on her and took their daughter. She owns a small farm and makes do with whatever money that brings in. Someday she hopes to have enough to search for her daughter.

Rosamund -- Straight A college student, working on her doctorate in ancient history.

Fiona -- Living as a housekeeper to her brutish father. No friends, no family, has only sheep for company.


As the men don't necessarily WANT to be married, the women, too, have their own realities to face.

Penny -- Her stutter debilitates her. She believes she will never find the man of her dreams.

Violet -- With a beautiful older sister, and being on the "plump" side, also with no dowry to speak of, Violet gives up any hope of ever meeting "the one".

Amanda -- Has wrapped herself in a bubble of memories of her daughter. Stuck between a rock and a hard place waiting for her return, she can't move forward with her life.

Rosamund -- Caring for her aging parents has left her no choice but to remain unmarried.

Fiona -- Gets caught in a compromising position through no fault of her own and must marry a man she doesn't even know.

Now, don't get me wrong, these ladies do have wherewithal to fight for themselves and what they inevitably want. Sure they have to go through hell and back to get it, but to them, love is worth it. Isn't it?