The Lady's Fate #MarchMadnessSale

The Lady's Fate
#MarchMadnessSale
$2.99 thru March 31

Lady Violet Flowers has only one Season to find a husband. Raised in the Queen’s household, Violet is elevated in rank, yet with no dowry, she will likely bring her mother disgrace, unable to find a good match, if any.

The widowed Marquess of Haverlane needs the perfect nanny for his beloved daughter, Jane. Fortunately for Haverlane, when the plump, but very pretty Lady Violet rescues Jane from almost drowning, the solution to his problem stands before him. After negotiating with her mother, Violet is ensconced at his country estate with Jane, and Haverlane and Violet communicate through correspondence, leading to an amiable affection.

Though unwilling to think of Violet as more than a nanny, a surprising Christmas kiss compels each to see the other in a new light. However, Parliamentary demands keep them a safe distance from temptation.

As the Season begins, an old flame emerges from Haverlane’s past and attempts to rekindle that fire. Bereft, Violet accepts an offer for her hand. By the time Haverlane comes to his senses, he must do what Violet has dreaded most – bring scandal to her mother’s house to try to win her back.

The Lady's Fate is the second book in the Reluctant Grooms series. Hands down it is my favorite book in all the series. I fell in love with Ellis Smith the first moment I began to write him down. And Violet as well.

Ellis Smith,
Earl of Easterly,
Marquess of Haverlane

Ellis lost his wife Anne several years earlier. He has been trying to raise his daughter, Jane, by himself, but now that she's out of nappies, he needs more than a wet-nurse. With the coaching of his mother, he finds a girl who seems capable enough to watch a four-year-old child.

Lady Violet Flowers

Violet Flowers has a termagant for a mother and father who was lost at sea during a botany expidition. Violet and her four sisters have been living under the Queen's household ever since. With no prospects or dowries, the girls depend on the kindness of strangers. Before Haverlane can even decide on the matter, Violet is dispatched to handle the care of Jane.

Haverlane Hall

Over the course of many months, Violet and Haverlane share correspondence about Jane. His visit at Christmas leads Haverlane down a dark road, when he kisses Violet. Thinking only of his late wife, Haverlane flees to London, leaving Violet in turmoil.

Jane Smith,
daughter of Haverlane

However, when Violet catches the fever, which raged through the village, Haverlane races to her side, only to find her ill and despondent. He nurses her back to health, before he leaves her again to return to London.

Lady Georgianna 

Whilst in the country recovering, Violet hears about the match between Lady Georgianna Baxter and Haverlane and her heart breaks into a thousand little pieces. When she hears vicious rumors about she and Haverlane, Violet is disowned by her mother, and left to the vultures in Society. Lady Olivia takes her in and with a wave of her magic wand, the rumors disappear, she is engaged to be married (albeit to the wrong man) and her name has regained good-standing.

Duke of Chesnick,
Haverlane's father

When the Duke of Chesnick makes a formal announcement about Haverlane's engagement to Lady Georgianna, Ellis makes his own announcement, much to her dismay.  But now, Haverlane must find Violet before she marries to save her name.

As I said, my favorite book out of the entire series.
(WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST is #2.)





Some minor characters.

Mrs. Jeffers,
housekeeper at
Fairlane

Manning,
Haverlane's butler

Duchess of Chesnick,
Haverlane's mother

Lady Flowers,
Violet's mother

Camelia Flowers

And this is the story of THE LADY'S MASQUERADE.
On sale now thru March 31.
$2.99

Amazon

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#MarchMadnessSale

Anne Gallagher (c) 2019

The A-Z Challenge Letter X

For the letter X, I will show you my lesser characters. People who have small parts in my books.

This is Winsbarren's father, the 8th Earl of Brumbley. He appears in A WIFE FOR WINSBARREN.

This is Bartholomew Wood, Amanda Pomeroy's despicable husband in THE CAPTAIN'S LADY.

This is the Earl and Countess of Briden.

Rosamund Smith's parents in

THE EARL'S ENIGMA.

This is Lady Georgiana Baxter, villainess extraordinaire in THE LADY'S FATE.

This is His Royal Highness, Prince George. Prinny to his friends.

The A-Z Challenge Letter V

V is for Lady Violet Flowers, the young woman who captures Haverlane's heart in THE LADY'S FATE.

She has a lot to overcome, but the one thing that remains constant is her love for Jane, Haverlane's daughter. Violet has always put Jane's welfare over her own.

I think Violet is one of my most unselfish characters.

The A-Z Challenge Letter U

I have nothing for the Letter U, so I will show you some of my lesser characters.

This is Violet's younger sister, Camillia. We meet her in THE LADY'S FATE. I'm hoping someday she'll have a story of her own.

This is Countess Rose Flowers, Violet's mother. She also appears in THE LADY'S FATE. We don't like her very much.

This is the Reverend Andrew Perry, who also appears in THE LADY'S FATE. He helps Haverlane overcome his reticence to loving Violet.

The A-Z Challenge Letter O

O is for Lady Olivia.

Lady Olivia is the lady in Society whom everyone is afraid of. Behind her smile, she wields her late husband's power with the absolute authority of one who's right and she's not afraid to let it be known. She's been called a harridan, a harpy, old coot, old stoat, and a meddler of the first water.

But if she likes you, her generosity knows no bounds.

She's been in every book I've ever written because I absolutely adore her.

The A-Z Challenge Letter M

This is Lady Marion, Duchess of Chesnick. Ellis and William's mother.

I thinks she's the meanest mother in the universe. She's manipulative and only thinks of herself and her position in Society. And she despises Violet in THE LADY'S FATE.

The A-Z Challenge Letter E

E is for Ellis. Ellis James Dalton Smith, Marquess of Haverlane, Earl of Easterly. Brother to William Smith.

Ellis' adventure is found in THE LADY'S FATE. When the young Lady Violet Flowers saves his daughter Jane from almost drowning, Ellis realizes he's found the perfect nanny. However, what he doesn't understand is why the girl reminds him so much of his late wife, Anne, and why he can't control the feelings he has for her.

Talking Heads

Most writers can't let go of the idea they may be schizophrenic at least once or twice in their lives. They have people living inside their heads. They hear voices, they talk to themselves.

I'm no exception. Standing in line at a grocery store not too long ago, I blurted out to the cashier, "That's why Ophelia didn't recognize Davingdale, she wasn't wearing her glasses!" Naturally, the cashier thought I was nuts.

Living in our heads with other people is hard. Especially when you accidentally call your children by your characters' names. Or your significant other. Somehow, they're always there. You can't escape them.
Hence the shcizophrenia. (And please, for all intents and purposes, this is just a playful concept. I know and understand that schizophrenia is a dreadful and serious disease.)

My characters come to me out of the blue. I don't ask for them. I don't look for them. They just magically appear out of thin air. Sometimes it's only a name. Sometimes a snippet of conversation.

Penny and William (THE LADY'S MASQUERADE) appeared to me in a gazebo having a conversation. I had no idea who they were or what they were doing, but there they were. And I took that conversation and wrote it down. Mind you, that first conversation morphed into something completely different for the novel, as a matter of fact, that first conversation had nothing to do with the book. The only thing that remains is the gazebo.

Likewise, for Violet and Ellis (THE LADY'S FATE). Their first conversation was in a flower shop, which was discarded for a river, and a boat dock.

Sometimes I'll see someone on the street, or like last year at the beach, and a full-blown character is born. I called him "Jack" and by the end of my two week stay in Narragansett, I thought I knew him inside and out. Of course, never having spoken to him, I'm sure he was nothing like the "character" I made him out to be, but he served a very singular purpose. He became the love interest for my latest leading lady.

So the next time you see someone talking to themselves in the bookstore, or writing feverishly in a coffee house, ask them if they're a writer. Who knows, it might be me.

Welcome to My Brand New Blog

Welcome, welcome, come in, look around. I know there's so much to see. I hope you enjoy it. Have a glass of champagne, there's tea and lemonade as well, if you prefer, have a little gnosh, take your time, browse.



 I want to thank you all so much for coming.  This really means the world to me. It's such a great feeling to share this will all of you, my friends, who've come to mean so much to me over the last few years.

We're here today, not only to celebrate the opening of my brand new author blog, but to celebrate the fact that I am now an author.  Yes, finally, after going the ropes in New York and finding no success, I decided to take my writing life into my own hands and self-publish my titles to Kindle.  As most of you know, it was a really tough decision, but one I knew was the right one to make.  I love my books almost as much as I love The Monster, and want to share them with the world.

This enterprise was fraught with great difficulty, as I am not even remotely computer literate, so I would like to publicly thank my mentor in all things formatting -- J. Bridget Chicoine.  Without her help, I would still be a sniveling, groveling mess.  Also, the several ladies who read my manuscripts and gave me the critiques I needed -- Lois Moss, Francine Howarth, Liza Salerno, Bridget Chicoine, and Bev Nickelson.  Thanks ladies, I owe you two!

For those of you who don't know much about my writing, these are Regency romances.  And I stress the romance.  None of my work contains sex scenes, although I've been told my way around a lip-lock is really hot. I wanted these to be something you could recommend to your Aunt Helen, your mother-in-law, and not worry if your tween-age daughter picked it up.  However, as they are for adults, I do use some adult themes.  People are people, whether from 1810 or 2010, and I like to write what drives us emotionally when we're on the path to finding love.



And now, without further ado, I give you --

A short story I just had to write.  It's available for $.99 on Amazon. 


And my long awaited release

Now available on Amazon for $2.99. 

If you'll scroll down the blog, you'll be able to find pictures of my characters, actors who I think would be fabulous to portray them.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Sometimes, I think a picture is worth more than a thousand words. 

On my sidebar, you'll also note, I have two more titles coming soon, hopefully before Christmas.  And on the top under my header, you'll be able to read the sneak peeks into the books.

So take a gander, look around, enjoy, read, drool over "The Reluctant Grooms" and the women who love them.  I believe I have represented both genders equally.  (Truth to tell, I used to be in love with Haverlane.  Now I think Winsbarren has more than captured my heart.)

Please let me know what you think of my new site.  Feel free to share in the comments.  I'll be around all day.  And thanks again, so much for coming.

And if you'd like to leave your email address in the comments, I will send you a version of A WIFE FOR WINSBARREN for your very own.  I've been told I can send my Kindle for PC version to you to download.  My way of saying thanks for stopping by. 

The Lady's Fate Characters

As writers, we are so enmeshed in our characters we know exactly who they are and what they look like. And sometimes, we stumble across people who we think would be perfect to play the part. These are my choices for whom I would like to be my characters. Tell me what you think.

These are Haverlane's parents, the Duke and Duchess of Chesnick.

This is Manning, Haverlane's butler.

This is Mrs. Jeffers, the housekeeper at Fairhaven.

This is Violet's mother, Countess Flowers.

                                                                                  Lady Olivia, Duchess of Caymore.

This is Reverend Andrew Perry.                                    
                               
     
                                This is Camelia, Violet's younger sister.

The Prince Regent.

                                                                              Lady Georgiana Baxter.

This is Ellis, Marquess of Haverlane.

And this is Violet.