The Earl's Engagement #MarchMadnessSale

The Earl's Engagement
#MarchMadnessSale
$2.99 thru March 31

Summoned from his castle in Caithness, Gregory Scott, the Earl of Bailey hurries to London, believing his dearest relation on her deathbed. When the true reason for his presence is resolved, Rory is left unoccupied in Town.

Seeking out an old acquaintance, he discovers Lord Briden nearly penniless, mentally unstable, and entirely dependant upon his spinster daughter for the care and upkeep of their estate at Primrose.

The beautiful Lady Rosamund is part hoyden, part bluestocking, part servant. Wanting nothing to do with Society, her uncommon way of life spurs Rory into offering assistance, but Rosamund adamantly refuses. When Rory learns the lecherous lord next door is blackmailing Rosamund, he devises a scheme to help her whether she wants it or not.

The idea to find Rosamund a husband goes slightly awry, as Rory doesn’t bargain for falling in love with the enigmatic Lady Rosamund. And when his plan turns up another beau for Rosamund, can Rory let her go?

The Earl's Engagement is the fifth story in the original set of novels. I found another Reluctant Groom and had an extra lady hanging around, so I decided to see if they would go well together.

Gregory Scott,
Earl of Bailey

Gregory Scott, the Earl of Bailey, is a long-lost nephew of Lady Olivia. He's fond of his castle in Caithness and rarely ever leaves it, until Olivia sends him a missive requesting his presence. He thinks she's dying. When Rory arrives and finds out that Olivia only wants him as a fake groom for a hapless waif, he is livid. Until he meets the girl (At the end of THE LADY'S FATE) and decides she might make a handsome wife after all. However, when the girl's beau finally steps up an marries her, Rory is left in London with nothing to do. He decides to look up an old Professor.

Lady Rosamund

Oona

Lady Rosamund Briden, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Warwicke, has literally kept the house from falling down through her father's failing illness. Her mother was raised to be a Countess not a housekeeper, and Oona, the maid, and Gibbs the butler are well into their pensions. Rosamund has no time for fivolity, fun, or friends. If she's not taking care of the house, she is helping her father with his final tome on Ancient Greece. His mind is slipping faster into nothingness and she has spared his feelings by writing his book. If found out, this would ruin his name in Society and with his colleagues at the University.

Lady Warwicke

George Briden, Earl of Warwicke

When Rory shows up at Rosamund's house, pretty much all hell breaks loose. Rosamund's life is turned completely upside down--he wants to help her fix the place up. However, when a spat turns ugly and Rory falls from the roof, Rosamund realizes how much she truly cares for him. But when her secret concerning her father's book bubbles closer to the surface, Rosamund does everything she can to push him away.

Love triumphs in the end. I always cry when I read this book. I think I cried when I wrote it. I feel so bad for Rosamund. Talk about a sympathetic character.

Gibbs

Primrose

So there you have it. THE EARL'S ENGAGEMENT.

On sale now thru March 31
$2.99

Amazon

Smashwords

#MarchMadnessSale
#ShamelessPromotion

Anne Gallagher (c) 2019

The Duke's Divorce #MarchMadnessSale

The Duke's Divorce
#MarchMadnessSale
$2.99 thru March 31

A simple trip to the Scottish Highlands turns into a nightmare for Robert Carlton, the Duke of Cantin. A misunderstood act of kindness results in his wedding, at gunpoint, to Fiona, the Laird Stewart’s daughter. Both Robert and Fiona are distraught by the forced marriage, until Robert comes up with a plan – they will remain married for six months, after which, the marriage will be annulled and Fiona will receive a generous settlement.

Robert’s restrictive contract for his new duchess causes Fiona to rebel. Her  impeccable beauty, fiery disposition, and her penchant for finding scandal wherever she goes, take Society by storm, and living with the oppressive duke has her wanting out of their marriage sooner than the proposed six months.

To his astonishment, Robert becomes enamored with the many charms of his unorthodox bride. However, remaining chaste was part of their agreement, though desire and jealousy prove a powerful aphrodisiac.

Convincing Fiona of his love is the hardest thing Robert has ever had to do. But when he thinks he’s won her heart, a devastating secret from his past surfaces. Will the promise of an uncertain future with Robert be enough to keep Fiona from filing divorce papers of her own?

The Duke's Divorce is the fourth book in the Reluctant Grooms Series and the second one I finished. I have as my personal tagline, "Timeless Romance... modern day dilemmas." With this story, I wanted to see what happens when modern hits historical.

Robert Carlton,
Duke of Cantin

Robert is a matchmaking mama's dream come true. He's handsome, intelligent, has a duchy with several estates, is popular, has many friends, and loves his mother. Robert also has a drinking problem, a secret he's trying to keep hidden, and no clue when it comes to women. Especially unbiddable women.

Lady Fiona Stewart

Fiona has lived a sheltered life in the Scottish Highlands under her father's watchful eye. Longing to escape, she knows there's only one way out--to find someone who will marry her. When Robert appears, her hopes are dashed for a happy marriage. He's an ogre and she refuses his suit, but her father has other plans and they are forced into an unhappy union.

Robert's Father, the late
Duke of Cantin

However, Robert cannot stand the thought of remaining married to someone he does not love and on their way back to London, Robert stops at his attorney's office to see about a divorce. Unfortunately, Robert and Fiona must stay married for six months. Through trial and error, Robert and Fiona navigate rough nuptial waters until Fiona, in a fit of desperation, leaves him. Robert is then faced with the reality of love. The question is--what is he going to do with it?

Robert's Mother,
Lady Joanna

Edwards,
Butler at Cantin House

The Cottage

I really liked this story when it was finally over. However, I have found some of my reviewers couldn't handle the cold hard reality of living with an alcoholic. I get it. I do. But I'm not writing to please anyone other than myself. So.

#MarchMadnessSale
thru March 31
$2.99

Amazon

Smashwords

Anne Gallagher (c) 2019

A New Story

Over the summer, I started toodling around with a new story. As I said previously on the blog, I was having trouble writing Prudence's story. (JUDGING PRUDENCE) I didn't like her, didn't want to tell her story, so I found someone else to care about.

The new story, new characters are not from The Reluctant Grooms, well, except for Dorcas. Lucy, my latest heroine, is friends with Dorcas Cadoret. (LADY CADORET'S LONGING). However, everyone else is new.

I wanted to write something that was a stand-alone novel. Having so much trouble with Prudence, I wanted to write about someone I liked and Lucy seemed to fit the bill. You see, with my mother's illness, I'm having trouble keeping my mind focused on the series arc of The Ladies of Dunbury. I needed to get out of my own way, yet still wanted to write something, anything, to keep me in the writing groove. And with Lucy, I could write a few thousand words and then leave it for a week or two, depending on the time I had. It was nothing to pick up the story thread and weave it however I wanted to.

It's a sweet little story, filled with some intrigue, but not overly ambitious. I haven't found pictures for the characters, nor have I found a cover (but know what I want), am actually still ambivalent about publishing it at all, but it kept me busy over the summer and for that I am grateful.

Perhaps we'll see it after The Ladies of Dunbury is finished. Perhaps before then. Still not sure. I can't seem to get out of my own way these days. But I wanted to let you know that I am still writing. Something.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2018

My Half-Price Sale at Smashwords

During the month of July, Smashwords has a site-wide promotion that I am participating in this year. I have offered the Reluctant Grooms Series as well as the first three stories of the Ladies of Dunbury Series for half-price.

You may only purchase these books from Smashwords during this promotion, NOT where you would normally buy your books. However, the good news is, my books are formatted to fit whatever device you are currently reading on. You will be given a special code to purchase the books that are on sale. Easy peasy.

Here is the link for my page  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AnneGallagher

(If the link does not work, you can copy and paste it into your browser.)

As I said, you cannot purchase these books from your preferred retailer, they must be purchased from Smashwords. Sign up is easy, payment is too.

This will be the only promotion I do for these particular titles for the remainder of the year, so if you need to catch up on either the Reluctant Grooms or Ladies of Dunbury, now is the time to buy them. The sale runs from July 1 thru July 31 so don't delay. Once the sale is over, (midnight July 31) the books return to their normal price.

Happy Reading!

Anne Gallagher (c) 2017

My New Characters Are On Pinterest

Quick post today. If you'd like to see the cast of characters I've chosen for the first book in my new series The Ladies of Dunbury can hop through on the link to Pinterest.

REGRETS and RESPONSIBILITIES.

Thanks,
Anne


Anne Gallagher (c) 2016

Fudging History

Coming September 1

When I began writing the first book of the Reluctant Grooms Series over  a decade ago, I had no idea what I was doing. I only knew I loved the genre of Regency romance. It took a few years for me to become a "working author" and in doing so, I realized there was a lot more research involved than I ever could imagine.

But that's what history is for. To teach us the lessons of the past. The internet is to keep those lessons alive and I think, relevant. Not everything is true, of course, but for those history buffs who keep the old ways within our grasp, we can easily click and compare different sources for accuracy. I love the internet. It is SO MUCH better than going to the library and used book stores.

Henry Wade,
Marquess of Dunbury

I like to think of myself as a Regency era romance writer first, in the style of Jane Austen  (rather than Georgette Heyer), and secondly as a teller of historical fiction. I like to weave the major political players of the time in with the mix -- the Napoleonic Wars are absolutely rife with political intrigue and high drama. So far I believe I have done a pretty good job of it. I'm not perfect and sometimes I will "fudge" the truth about how I see history. As a writer, its' my job to discover what makes us human, what emotions drive us, and how we react in certain situations.

For example, my portrayal of the Prince Regent is of a lonely wounded man, his life a shambles because of past mistakes and present circumstances. On the outside, history portrays him as a drunken, debauched, spender of money, who built lavish architecture and surrounded himself with only the best money could buy -- the people's money. Nobody liked him. Not even his father, the King.

I chose to look deeper into what made George turn out in such a way. It seems he had to

Hugh Bonneville as
Prince George in
This Charming Man

release the love of his life, a divorced Catholic, who was fourteen years older than him. Maria Fitzherbert. The Pope refused to recognize the union, as well as the King, and Parliament, and made George give her up. Needless to say, George went absolutely nuts.

I would have too. He wasn't king then. His father still held the throne and seemed to be in very good health. Why could he not marry the woman he loved? So he did, but then things got ugly and George was forced to let her go. (Can you even imagine it?)

And so, with Maria's departure, I have given His Royal Highness a reason to be drunk and debauched. And depressed. And when he meets with Haverlane in THE LADY'S FATE, he says, "Do not let anyone let you stand in the way of love."

In REGRETS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, I tug at history a little differently. Henry Wade, Marquess of Dunbury is responsible for 6 nieces, assorted servants, and the various demands of his position in Parliament. But he's broke, and he doesn't want anyone to find out, so he mortgages the farm, (literally), to have a little bankroll before he begins his new life.

Stephen Carlton,
Duke of Cantin

His best friend, Stephen Carlton, tells him he's got a job offer for him. Parliament wants him to be the new Minister of London Security.

There was not a Minister of London Security in the Cabinet in 1808 in England. I created it. As a  Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Army, I also allowed Henry to be in several key locations during the siege of Portugal. He and Arthur Wellesley (who later became the Duke of Wellington) had been chasing the bad buys all over Denmark. Henry also saw some of the uprising in India. He had been a soldier all of his adult life.

Sir Graham Moore,
by Thomas Lawrence

So, for him to return as decorated war hero, naturally some of his friends would rally to find him a decent living. Parliament agreed, and they set Henry up in a new career. His job description, as such, was to unite the individual police forces within the city of London to coalesce into a unified police force.

Bow Street Runners
Horse Guards
Marine Patrol
Dockside Patrols

Um, this did actually happen, but not until 1839.

However, I write, Timeless Romance with Modern Day Dilemmas

I think it fitting that Henry has a somewhat unique situation on his hands. He has all these challenges coming at him from every direction -- six nieces, a very demanding job, the lure of an old lover, the prospect of a new one, and to top it all off, I gave Henry PTSD. I've called it Soldier's Nerves. In the Civil War they called it Soldier's Heart. Or Homesickness Disease. In the story, I've allowed the good Doctor Blakestock to explain it to Henry.

So, there you have it. How I've fudged history in my latest Regency romance novel.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2016

The Reluctant Grooms Series is Now Available Everywhere*

I recently published three separate volumes of The Reluctant Grooms Series on Amazon.

They are now available everywhere else.

Here are the links to the retailers

Kobo

Smashwords

Amazon

NOOK (US only)

itunes

*Coming Soon to Google Play, Bookmate, Prestigio Plaza, IBS, and 24Symbols.


*****

In other news, I am still playing nursemaid. My ex is camped out in the den in a hospital bed. He fell off the roof cleaning the gutters and broke the heel in his left foot. He needs surgery. Grievous injury indeed.

I am not writing. I am doing the yard work that my ex was supposed to do. I caught Poison Ivy last week. All over my legs and forearms. Not fun.

I am also Spring Cleaning. Something my house sorely needs.  As soon as the weather breaks and I can put my plants outside I plan to start ripping up more carpet. This time it's the upper stairs and hallway, and the back bedroom. I would honestly rather live on plywood than carpet. (Until I install the new wood floors.)

I'm hoping that once things settle down I'll be able to find a cohesive schedule and return to the business at hand -- writing. It is my "real" job after all.

I will keep you updated as I can.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2016

The Business Side of Writing

Good Morning. Writing is my job. It's what I do for a living. For those of you who don't write, it's not just sitting down at the computer and pouring my guts out on the page. I have a business plan, and pretty much it's laid out for the next five years. When I first started publishing five years ago, I had a plan and achieved everything that was on it. That being said, in March I wrote a new one.

We've all heard that traditional publishing moves at a snail's pace. It's true. It could be three years from the time you write a book to the time it gets published. (And that's with an agent and publishing house.)

In self-publishing, you're only as limited with time as it takes you to write, edit, proof, and upload your book. With some caveats. If you can write a book in three weeks, hey more power to you. Unfortunately, I can't (unless I'm totally engaged in the story). For me, it's more like three months, barring any unforeseen circumstances, illness, prior commitments, and the weather. (Yes, the weather.)


However, having said that, there's also the business side to writing you can't ignore. Foreign translations, paperbacks, audio versions, marketing, publicity. That cuts into writing time. Just THINKING about all those things takes away from writing time. I spent two hours on Friday researching translation companies for the Reluctant Grooms.Foreign Translation means I'd be reaching readers who wouldn't know about my books in the first place. I'm a storyteller first and foremost. What good is a story if someone wants to read it and can't?

Also, because I write and publish in other genres, I need to develop those stories as well. I have a detective series I'm working on, as well as two more books in the contemporary romance series I started in 2012, and another woman's fiction I started last year.

Regency romance is only one facet of Shore Road Publishing, (my company)  and for the last several years I've pushed all the other work aside to finish the Reluctant Grooms series. Now that's it's done, I need to concentrate on everything else.

Which is not to say I'm giving up on the Dunbury series. I'm not. I just need to set it aside for a little while. Until I can give it the time it deserves. The Dunbury series is a lot more involved than I thought it was going to be, which I knew a long time ago, and more recently when I put all the notes and outlines together. However, after looking at it again, I will need to immerse myself in that world for a long time, and right now I just don't have that time. Also,  One thing I learned about writing a series is that readers don't really want to read books in a series until the entire series is complete. Or at least there are several books on the market. I know that's how I feel. Why bother investing time, energy, and money in something if it's not finished. I hate waiting for the resolution.

And you may be wondering why I'm telling you this. Partly because for those of you who receive this in your inbox, and partly because of new readers who may stop here after reading one of my books. This blog was never meant to be a "writing" blog. My writing blog is at Piedmont Writer. That's where I discuss writing on a personal level. This blog was supposed to cater to my readers. However, if I'm not writing Regency romance, why bother filling you in on what I'm doing. You don't care.

Therefore, this blog is taking a hiatus. Again. Yes, I know. For those of my fans who want to know when the new series will be out, I can't say right now. I'd like to think my schedule will permit by Christmas with at least two or three books in the new series. But maybe not. It all depends on my daughter and my commitment to her school. (I'm very active there.)

However, if you've read to here on this post, I can tell you, I will be hosting a Goodreads Giveaway for the paperbacks that have just come out. It will take a few weeks to get all the components ready for it, but I will be doing that. I'm hoping by September.  I'll let you know through Twitter @gallagher_anne and this blog with a quick blast. If you're not signed up to Goodreads, please do.

Also, if  you've read my books, I would appreciate a review for any of the books you've read. I've never asked for reviews in the back of my books like some authors do. I've always felt icky about that, but as a writer, we all appreciate a good review. Reviews are the glue that hold the author together. It makes us feel all the hard work writing it was worth it.  So, thanks in advance if you care to write one.

So yes, there's more to writing books than meets the eye. There's a business behind it that most readers don't get. I know when I want to read a book, I just find it, buy it, and read it. I don't care how long it takes to write or format or publish. I don't care if it's traditional or indie pubbed. I just want my "fix" from that particular author. But for those of you who read this blog who are my readers/fans, I thought you deserved  an explanation for my absence over the next few months.

I didn't want you to wait for the new series and find out it wasn't happening as quickly as you wanted it. That wouldn't be fair to you.

Thanks for reading.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

Historical Research -- Army and Navy England 1810

During the Reluctant Grooms Series, I had several characters in the Navy, as well as in the Army. I spent hundreds of hours doing research--most of it never used in any of my books. It's the necessary evil to writing good historical fiction. I know more about the Peninsular war fought in Spain and Portugal than I ever really intended.

I've put together a basic list of the different officers from the two branches of service in England in 1810



Navy                                                               Army

Admiral of the Fleet                                          Marshall/Field Marshall
Admiral                                                             General
   White
   Red
   Blue                                                                Brigadier General
Commodore (Ret. Capt.)                                   Brigadier
Captain /                                                             Colonel
Master and Commander                                    Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Commander                                     Major/Commandant
Lieutenant                                                         Captain
Sub-Lieutenant                                                  Lieutenant
Ensign                                                               2nd Lieutenant
Midshipman                                                      Officer Cadet
***                                                                     ***
Warrant Officer                                                 Sergeant Major
Petty Officer  
Yeoman                                                             Sergeant
Leading Seaman                                                Corporal
Seaman                                                               Private

Lieutenant in His Majesty's Royal Navy

You'll notice there are three distinct Admiral's position for the Navy:

Admiral of the Fleet is the Commander in Chief. His command ships always fly the White Flag. They are traditionally first in the line of defense with the Fleet. They are the largest and most heavily powered Ship of the Line. They are called the Admiral of the White.

The Admiral of the Red is the second line of defense on the ocean.
The Admiral of the Blue is the third line.

The Captain of a vessel is not always the Master and Commander, but he should be. A Master and Commander knows everything there is to know about the ocean they travel on. Maps and stars are their best friends. He is the Master of the ship (as it were and knows how to do every job on it) and the Commander of his men. (Very important for dealing with personality disorder. Can you imagine living on a floating city for months at a time? I think not.)

It is striking to read accounts how the Royal British Navy dominated the oceans during that time
period. They had a superior battle plan and superior ships. Ports on every continent, (barring the Poles) and trade with the East.

Foot Soldier

The Army arrived in India (as early as 1682) to protect The East India Company against the sitting Rajahs. Toward the 1750's and into the early 1800's, the Army was an integral part in the trade from the East. A lot of people made a lot of money.

Officers in both the Navy and the Army, usually bought their way into a commission. Second and third sons of noble houses made up most of the officer positions. However, if you were considered a good leader, you would be promoted within the ranks.

Both the Navy and Army had certain "other" occupations that I learned. In no particular order, function, or ranking-- a basic list of gentlemen's jobs within the service.

Navy                                                  Army

Boatswain (Bo'sun)                                Hussar
Coxswain                                            
Yeoman of
  Powder Room                                      Foot Soldier (infantry)                
 Surgeon                                                 Home Guard
Master Gunner                                            Calvary
Master of the Sheets                                     Dragoons
Master of the Sails                                            Royals (King's Own
First Mate                                                           Queen's Own,
(all of the above)                                                 Prince's Own)
Second Mate
(all of the above)


I confess, I do know more about the Navy rather than the Army. In THE CAPTAIN'S COINCIDENCE I wanted Richard Gaines to be an authentic hero. I watched Russell Crowe in Master and Commander Far Side of the Universe a lot while I wrote that book. It's mind-blowing to realize over 400 men lived on boats like that for months at a time.

I took a virtual tour of the U.S.S. Constitution, to get some ideas on how big a Ship of the Line actually was. I also spent a lot of time emailing a sailing aficionado on the other side of the world. I researched gun powder, how to load a canon, different types of canon shot, how to sail. I do know the basics of sailing, however, these are huge vessels sailing in huge waters. It really is a whole other world entirely. I think the research was well worth it.

Doing research should never be boring. I love watching period films and are always eager to see new adaptations of old classics. I get a feel for the clothing, accents, and affectations of the characters especially if the film is a true historical drama. I've been known to take notes.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Peninsular_War_Map_
"Peninsular War Map 1808–14" 
by Derivative work: Marcus British Relief Map of Spain.

I think it's important for a writer to understand as much as they can about the period they're writing in, otherwise they look foolish. I like to be able to point at a few of my reviews that say I knew the Regency era. I'm glad they wrote that. I'm very proud of all the research that I do.

I've always loved maps and find them extremely important in every aspect of historical fiction. I don't think you can write historical without some kind of map. If only to give you a point of reference, and a working timeline. Your hero really can't come home from the Battle of Prussia unless you know it's already been fought.






Very soon, I'll begin another phase into the research I need for the Army. Henry Wade is going to be an interesting character.

For those of you who write -- Do you do a lot of research, do you wing-it, or are you somewhere in the middle?

For those of you who read -- Do you appreciate a writer who's done the research, or do you tend to skip over those parts of the book?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

Filling in the Backstory

Good Morning.  Backstory is the past -- who the characters were, what they did, where they came from to get them to this point in the book. Some characters have no backstory and just appear on the page. Others have too much backstory and need to have their own book just to keep up.

Henry in 1811

This is where I am with Henry Wade, Marquess of Dunbury. In the Reluctant Grooms, Henry appears as Olivia's old flame. All of sudden he's there and messes everything up between her and her new boyfriend
John. Well isn't that what old boyfriends are for?

But Henry's got his own problems and he quietly goes away in the last book. The thing is, I liked Henry and his backstory and that's what THE LADIES OF DUNBURY is going to be about. Henry, and how he arrives in London, why he's been away, and what he's going to do with 6 nieces.

 I'm a "visual" writer, meaning I can't write without a picture. In creating my backstory for Henry, first I had to come up with pictures. And because Henry's life

Henry in 1777

spans such a significant part of Olivia's, I needed an actor who was young and then old. Enter Sean Bean.

We all know Mr. Bean from Sharpe. He played a soldier. And I'm sure this is the wrong uniform and probably even the wrong time period, but this is how I "see" Henry when he was young and in love with Olivia.

And then we have Henry when he finally returns from the wars. When he begins his life again in London as the Marquess of Dunbury. When he doesn't really yet know how Olivia feels about him. When he realizes he has six nieces he has no idea what to do with except marry them off.

Henry is a complex character. He's held on to a lot of baggage over the years -- his love for Olivia, his hatred for Reginald, leaving his father for the wars. It's almost as if he's spent thirty-five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. I only want to make him happy (as an author), but it's going to be very hard. Henry doesn't know how to be happy. As a Colonel in His Majesty's Army, he's a soldier whose job is to kill people. I don't think you can find happy in that.

As I told you last week, I've written several chapters in the first book. However, this may not necessarily be the first book that gets published. I'm still working out the details with the writing. And I also realized, writing this series is going to be a LOT harder than the last one. I knew it, but as I started writing I said to myself, "What was I thinking tackling this project?" I know what I was thinking, I wanted to get to know Henry a little better. For such a secondary character in The Reluctant Grooms, he was very complex and I wanted to show the world who he was.

Henry striving to find the happy

Thanks for stopping by.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

I'm Back -- Writing the New Series

Well, it's certainly been awhile, a couple of months anyway. First, I had to deal with a few personal issues, then a few professional issues, and then I had to clean my house. For those of you who do not write for a living, you have no idea how hard it is to keep the dust bunnies at bay.

set for Easter dinner

Anyway, I began to map out the new series story arc about a month ago. I took a weekend and laid all my notes out on the dining room table, went through each packet, and then made up an outline. The following weekend, I made up outlines for each of the books, and corresponded them with the overall series arc. Something I hadn't done with The Reluctant Grooms series. (I wrote that by the seat of my pants.)

what it looks like today

However, with this series, as it meets up with The Reluctant Grooms in various ways, I thought it best to outline. Hopefully, I won't lose my way.

I have started writing and finished the first five chapters of Book One. There will be 6-8 books in this series, I haven't actually decided yet. I'm trying to come up with a prequel that won't confuse my readers, but it's hard. I have everything in my head -- getting it down on paper is the worst part.

I've also done a few mock-ups for cover art, but have yet to speak with my cover designer about those yet. I'm wondering if I should have the "ladies" on the covers. Yet, as I was cruising the latest Regency romances on Amazon recently, I noticed more and more cover art that looks like mine. I want something different this time.

I've also re-edited all 9 volumes of The Reluctant Grooms. For the final time. I hope. I cleaned up the inconsistencies, punctuation, and any other flaw I found. And this also gave me the cleaned files for uploading to paperback, which I am on my way to converting. So for those of you who would like paper versions, they will be out before the end of June.

So here we are. I'm going to try and maintain a regular blog schedule over the summer. I'll post on Sunday mornings to keep you updated on my progress. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, on the days that I write, I'll post my word count. gallgher_anne  (My Twitter handle)

I'm looking forward to this series. It's going to be a bear to write -- new characters, new research, new storylines -- but I think it will be fun. I get to fall in love all over again.

See you next week.

PS  And no, I did not tell you the name of the series because I don't want to jinx myself. Call me superstitious.

PPS I'm hoping to have the first book completed by the end of the summer.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

Goodreads Ask The Author

Good Morning. For those of you who have read my books and are wondering about certain aspects of the writing, or characters, or research, or what-have-you, I've finally opened up the Ask the Author page on Goodreads.  https://www.goodreads.com/AnneGallagher    I've set my preferences to "daily" so I will get email alerts whenever you pose a question. I will try to answer within 24 hours. When I have enough questions, I'll post them to my blog for the general readership. I'm also going to try to do a Twitter feed with this as well, but haven't worked out the details yet.

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In other news, WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST was supposed to be published today. However, due to some exceedingly worrisome wonkiness with both my desktop and my laptop, I've run into some
very nasty snags in my formatting. I've been working on this issue for the last several days to no avail. After spending more than 6 hours on the internet looking for solutions, I think I know what the underlying problem is, and hopefully, will have this book published by the end of this week, if not sooner.

**Yes, I did end up publishing this book today. It should be available on Amazon Monday, on Smashwords today, and Barnes&Noble, Kobo, and Apple by the end of the week.


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I have uploaded the first three books in THE RELUCTANT GROOMS series to Google Play. Unfortunately, they are only in PDF format. (Another formatting issue.) I'm working on having the rest of the series up and running by the end of March.

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Also, as soon as HOPE is published, I'm going to begin the work to get the rest of my paperbacks in order. I'm hoping those will be finished by the end of April for those of you who like paper between your fingers. Eventually, I'm going to offer the series in one complete set in paper. I'm looking at a few printing companies in my area to design a "box" to hold them all. You'll be able to buy them from here for less than what you would pay through Amazon or CreateSpace. I'll let you know when that happens.

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And finally, because I've been living with 1970's pineapple wallpaper and a "unique" maroon and beige color scheme upstairs in my house, for the remainder of the spring, I'm going to be remodeling, painting, and putting in new floors in my house. So if you don't see me, you can bet that's where I'll be. I've been trying to do this since I moved in 3 years ago, but writing has taken up all of my free time. Now the series is complete, I NEED to do this for my own sanity.


Thanks for reading. I'll see you soon.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

When All Hope Is Lost

Good Morning. I know I said I wanted to have the new book finished by Valentine's Day, but I just didn't make it. I came down with a nasty sinus infection that sidelined me for a couple of days. Sorry.

However, I do have a new cover, my designer is just brilliant. She took my idea and made it perfectly perfect in every way.

I'm hoping to have this out by March 1st, barring any other unforeseen circumstances. I'll let you know.

Lady Olivia is a woman bereft – she’s lost the man she loved, her home of nearly forty years, and her title. Never one to back down from a fight, this time she walks away. There’s nothing left for her in London. She plans to live out the rest of her solitary life at a quaint little estate near Brighton.

Until the unthinkable happens and the man of her dreams walks through her front door.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

Historical Research -- Settings

Good Morning. I haven't done a research post in a long time. I thought I would today.

When I first began writing, they used to call where we set our stories "Settings". Now they call it "World Building".

Anyway, last night I was working on WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST. Lady Olivia is on her way to Seaford, a little estate outside of Brighton. (If you haven't read THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE yet, I won't spoil it for you and tell you WHY she's going there.) Well, Olivia is on her way, and first of all, I needed to know how she got there. Naturally, by horse and carriage. But, the larger question was, which route did she take.

Google Maps showed me three. Yes, I Google mapped it. The route, as the crow flies is 55 miles from London to Brighton. I am presuming that the route she took was the road that has been in existence for at least 200 years. If not, oh well. I TRY to be as accurate as possible in my "world building". Sometimes it just doesn't work, so I fudge. It's fiction.

a pivotal scene in the book happens here

You may wonder why I bothered to Google the route at all if it's fiction. Because I needed to know how long it would take. 55 miles by horse and carriage = 2 days. Horses travel 25 miles per day. (Well, they can do more, however, we have Lady Olivia + 5 servants + luggage + a heavy coach. We don't want to kill the horses now do we?)


The other thing I needed to know was WHERE exactly my fictitious estate of Seaford was going to be. I chose a little out of the way town called Offham in Sussex about a mile from Lewes on the River Ouse. That is about 10 miles outside of Brighton. It looks like a farming community from what I could see on the satellite image from Google maps. The little white dots I saw were sheep. For all intents and purposes, it is just what I wanted. And I wanted it on a river because ... well, I can't tell you. You'll just have to read the book. (If you want to Google it yourself, go to Google maps, and in the search bar type in Old St. Peter's Church, or Ivors Lane, Offham, UK. You'll see exactly where the estate of Seaford is supposed to be.)

the pond

So, I knew WHERE it was going to be, now what did it look like? That my friends, is where I spent nearly three hours on Google Images sorting through pictures of manor houses and estates for sale in England. Nothing looked right. I didn't want it too big, nor too small. I wanted it a little run-down, but still serviceable. Olivia has to live there after all.

As a "visual" writer, (meaning I need to have a picture in my head of my characters and my settings which is why I spend so much time with Google Images) I generally can't write unless I can "see" who or what I'm writing about.

this is just amazingly pretty

Anyway, I found nothing in the "For Sale" categories. However, I found a picture from the NSG (National Scenic Gardens). From what I understand, they have walking tours of these  houses and gardens when in bloom -- and what a lovely idea. (We have those here in America, but on a much smaller scale.) I found a few pictures, which then led me to Coton Manor, Paxton House, and one other whose name escapes me.





For your viewing pleasure, here is my fictitious estate of Seaford. (Otherwise known as Coton Manor.)

Note the wisteria climbing up the front and the river walk

different view of the front gardens

Naturally, when Olivia first arrives, it does not look like this. But it will when she's done with it.

I think that when writers write, their imagination is one thing, but having a visual back-up helps. In my instance, the wisteria on the front of the house lends itself into my storyline that otherwise I would not have been able to use this picture. Kind of fortuitous for me.

World Building or Settings, it doesn't matter what you call it, only that you know where your story takes place. (Naturally, this doesn't work for all genres, but it helps.)

What do you think of Seaford? Wouldn't you love to go there? I know I would.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

A New Book

Good Morning. I know I said you probably wouldn't hear from me until spring, but...

I've been working on something. I call it the Final Final Resolution in The Reluctant Grooms series. Only my closest friends know what it is. It's a secret, and I'm not telling.

Being a romance author, I feel everyone deserves a happy ending. This story has already made me cry six times. And I'm only on Chapter 8. Be that as it may, I'm trying to hurry and finish it up by Valentine's Day, because everyone loves love on Valentine's day.

I did a mock-up cover for you to see, (my cover designer has had a nasty bout with illness for the last several weeks, and is just not up for it yet -- but when she is, I'm sure hers will be much better than mine) and I wrote a cryptic cover blurb.

Without further ado, here it is.

Lady Olivia is a woman bereft – she’s lost the man she loved, her home of nearly forty years, and her title. Never one to back down from a fight, this time she walks away. There’s nothing left for her in London. She plans to live out the rest of her solitary life at a quaint little estate near Brighton.

Until the unthinkable happens and the man of her dreams walks through her front door.

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I'm not telling you any more than that and you can guess to your heart's content.

For those of you who are Jane Austen fans, you'll notice I've taken one of her great lines from PERSUASION for the title. I think it sums up the book perfectly.

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In other news, I've updated all the novels and revamped the formatting (I hope), and am slowly working my way through the novellas. If you noticed, I've also re-published A ROMANTIC REGENCY COLLECTION. That HAS been updated with some new scenes. 

A HUSBAND FOR MISS TRENT is FREE across all markets (except itunes and I don't know why) and is available here on my blog under the top tabs.

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Unfortunately, working on these books had put my timeline for the new series on hold for a little while. I know I said I hoped to have the first books out in the fall, but I can't promise anything. I volunteer at my daughter's school, and we have a big event looming at the end of January, and another in May. I'm hoping to outline the first books for the new series in between, and start writing during the summer. (By the pool would be lovely.) We'll see how that goes because you know the best laid plans often go awry.

I'll keep you updated. 

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If you don't follow me on Twitter, I wish you would. I've been posting (sporadically) on the word count for the new story (12,000 words so far considering what little time I've had to write). You can find me at gallagher_anne

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Well, that's all I have for now. 

Anne Gallagher (c) 2015

Writing a Series -- Marketing/Publishing Part 3

Today we're going to discuss all the ways we can market our book. To recap from my previous posts -- We have our books ready to publish, we have our covers, our cover copy, we have our future first chapters in the backs of the books. We have a blog or FB site on which we post regularly. We have some followers. We are ready to click that tab that says "publish".

No matter if you're self-publishing or with a traditional or small press publisher, you have to do your own marketing. Where do we start? With our social media sites. Social media means being social -- it's where you INTERACT with people.

Phase One -- Social Media Sites

Blog 

If you've been blogging regularly, your followers will know what you're working on, and if you have set up the email app in the side bar for fans to follow you with email in their inbox, they'll know too. I love that email box. It's so much better than a newsletter. Why pay for something, or build something, when it's built in for you. 

Also, buy links are important. I have them on my sidebar, but one fan wrote me a few months ago and told me I should have them on every single blog post I write. (Honestly, I haven't had time to set up a perma-link but I will.)

Announce the big day on your blog. If you have a few blog friends, ask them if you can guest post, or if they will help you announce it. Like a blog tour but a mini-version. Perhaps one a week for six weeks. You don't want to overwhelm people with much more than that, and assuredly, if they see your book every day for six weeks, they'll tune it out. 

Some people ask for review requests on their blog or FB pages about a month before publication. I've done that, and have not met with success. Of course, I write Regency romance, and it's a niche market, so my pool of reviewers is very low to begin with. However, a few reviews to start never hurts.

Twitter

I only announce new publications once or twice on Twitter. I don't do a massive scheduling of Tweets. (I tried it twice and my sales actually went DOWN. So I don't do that anymore.) I Tweet that it's out, and post a picture of the cover. I also say where it's published. If I'm everywhere, I say "across the board", if I'm only at Amazon or B&N I'll say that and have a buy link. Sometimes my friends take it from there and ReTweet for me and that's always helpful, but I don't expect it and don't ask for it. And then I'm done.

Face Book

I know nothing about FB, I'm not on it and have no care to be, so you're pretty much on your own there. I'll say, post once with the cover and cover copy and call it good.

Google +

I'm on this site, but don't use it very often. It's tied into the blogspot blog, so it's just an easy click away, but to me it's redundant. If you have followers on your blog, they've already seen it. If you have the same followers on Google +, they'll see it twice. If you have a Word Press blog, it might be to your advantage to utilize this option.

Phase Two -- Stagnant Media Sites

Pinterest

I love this because it's visual. If you go to my Pinterest page, I have the cover picture, the cover copy, and then pictures of who I think my characters are. You can utilize this any way you want, which is great. (Just remember to post the original link where you found the pic.)

LinkedIn

I consider this a stagnant site because I don't go there very often, only to update my content. However, I know some people who use it like Blog/FaceBook/Twitter combined. (Honestly, I don't have time to mess around with it.) I'm there if you want to find me.

GoodReads

This is another site that could go either way. I have all my books listed there, but I don't socialize. I've heard too many horror stories about trolls and bad reviews and author meltdowns. I don't have time for drama so basically stay away from there. However, if you're also doing paperback versions of your book, this is a great place to to do a give-away. They also have "Ask the Author", where a reader poses a question, and you, as author get to answer it. I have never utilized this, but I think it could be a great marketing tool.

Tumblr/MySpace/Shelfari/Wattpad/Scribd/Whatever else is out there

I have no idea how many sites you're on, but whether they're stagnant or social, you should try to update them when you have new books out.

Phase Three -- Links

Blog Links

Now, some people I know have linked their blogs to all of these sites so whenever you go to any of them, you see the post. I used to do this, but again, to me it's kind of redundant. If they've clicked the email link on your blog, they've already seen your post. And again, some readers are just that, readers. They don't care what you're doing as long as you're writing the next book. Other readers are fans who are mildly curious and will only check out where you are once. And then there are those fans who want to know everything you're doing. 

Buy Links 

I have them listed on my sidebar on my blog. (I'm missing a few and will rectify this shortly.) I also keep them handy for Twitter and I use Bit.ly for that, a shortening link service. (Why waste 140 characters when you can get it down to 20) There are others out there but I can't think of them right this second.

Back Matter

Back matter is the stuff you find at the end of the book. Generally a short author profile, where you can find the author (what social media they use), and a list of their other books. Some authors have their other titles hyper-linked to buy. However, you need to have separate back matter pages for each of the publishers you use. Amazon won't take kindly if you have links to B&N or itunes. Smashwords won't allow it at all. You can't cross-pollinate as it were.

And this now brings us to WHERE we are going to publish.

Phase Four -- Publishers

Amazon

Quite honestly, I think Amazon's hey-day is over. I'm sure you can read other author's opinions on this, but my opinion is that they set up their empire to turn traditional publishing on its ear by giving self-published authors a place to be read. The Kindle was new, and needed authors and Amazon built their billions on self-publishing. They gave us the world (great royalties, great algorithms, great author ranking) but then once they made their money, they turned to traditional publishers and gave them those same opportunities and pushed us indies out.

I told you that to tell you this -- Some authors swear by Amazon and won't use another publishing aggregate (Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, BookBaby, Google Play), but in my opinion, you're cutting off your nose to spite your face. We're writers first, wanting to get our books read. Why limit your audience? There are English speaking people all over the world who have access to different types of e-reading devices. Don't limit yourself. (And just so you know, Amazon's terms of service to some of their countries don't allow easy access to our books. I have never sold one book in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, or India. Very few in Canada, Australia, Spain, and Italy. And only a handful in Germany and France.)

Their interface is very easy to use, and you can upload a Word document, or a mobi. version. (For a mobi. version you need the Mobipocket Creator which you need to download to your computer.)
Royalty rates are 30/70%  30% for anything under $2.99 and over $9.99 70% for anything between $2.99 and $9.99 I have never used their Countdown or their Kindle Unlimited services so I can't tell you anything about that. They also have special requirements for some of their stores (India Japan Mexico Brazil) Read the fine print.

Amazon will also link your blog posts to your Author Page. And if you don't have an Author Page, set one up.

Nook

Barnes & Noble is the publishing company. Nook is the e-publishing arm of that company. You can only upload an epub version, which gets tricky, but I use Calibre which converts a prc.doc (which is what you have after you use the Mobi Creator). Now, with the latest version of Calibre, you can also make other versions of your book for other aggregators. PDF, LTF, Mobi, Epub, Plain Text, etc. etc.
Royalty rates are 40/60 same price points as above. They only cater to US and Great Britain.

Smashwords

I love Smashwords. It's the easiest way to get your books to everywhere all at once. Nook, Amazon, itunes, Kobo, Scribd, txtr, Blio (for libraries), and a few others I can't recall. This is also the easiest one of them all to use. Upload your Word document and you're done. Smashwords will convert it to every single e-book file you need. The book companies they have are global.
Royalty rates are 60% across the board. 

Smashwords has a Profile Page which allows you to create your own interview. Questions are interchangeable, and you can make up your own if you like. You can update it any time.

itunes

You need a Mac to publish with them. I know nothing else about it. I use Smashwords.

Bookbaby

I also know nothing about them. I believe they have the same stores as Smashwords plus or minus one or two.

Kobo

I am set up to use Kobo, but I don't because they only pay out every six months with $100 balance (Which they may have changed. I don't know for sure.) I use Smashwords for them as well

Google Play

I just recently decided to publish with them, but I'm jumping through hoops to get it done. Set-up is tricky, conversion for epubs is decidedly difficult, and their interface is kind of a nightmare. Which is why, I believe, no one but traditional publishers are publishing there. However, I never say die, and if I actually get a book published with them I'll let you know what I did.


Phase Five -- Keywords

Keywords are the words that you plug in on the interface when uploading your book so people can find it when they search. Some of my main keywords are "traditional Regency romance, Jane Austen, clean regency romance, historical romance". Each of my books has other keywords that are specific to that particular book -- pirates, espionage, divorce, etc. 

Some authors twist themselves into knots trying to write cover copy that also has their specific keywords in it. I don't do that. Probably because I'm overwhelmed with all the stuff I need to do to begin with. But more power to you if you can. I hear it helps in SEO. (Search Engine Optimization.)

You also want to get keywords onto your document file as well. (Notice I said onto and not into) When you open your Word document, click File and then Properties, which has a place for keywords (among other things). When using Calibre, you can also add keywords to their property page as well. I'm finding this is very important.

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Now, I've given you the basics, the rest is up to you. I'm sure if you wanted to do a search for any of the topics I've talked about you can find hundreds of other blogs and website postings to help you along your way. As we say now, " Just Google It ". That's how I found all of my information. 

Writing a book is hard work. That's no lie. There's nothing easy about it. Publishing and Marketing is even harder. My only advice is just write the best book you can. Find a couple critique partners and maybe beta readers, and allow them to help you make it even better. Take baby steps when you dive in. Once you do it a couple of times, it gets easier. And utilize your blog friends, your Twitter peeps, and FaceBook followers if you need some help. That's what's nice about social media -- it's like a giant cocktail party and you never know who you're going to meet.

And I think we're done. Questions and comments are always welcome. Thanks for sticking around.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014