Reviews

Good Morning. Now that LADY OLIVIA'S UNDOING is finally released as well as THE LADY'S SECRET for pre-order, I've done a lot of thinking as to how to market these books. As you know, I'm not a great fan of marketing or promotion, and have pretty much done neither over the last few years.

Truthfully, I've never liked asking people for help. If I want something done, I do it myself, whether that's formatting an e-book, laying a new floor in my living room, or building a fence in the backyard. I'm just a natural DIYer.

The problem is, I can't do EVERYTHING, and sometimes I just have to bite the bullet and ask.

A long time ago, (when I first started publishing three years ago), the blogging gurus said you needed to have at least 10 reviews ready to go before you published. Well, three years ago, I didn't know 10 people who would want to read my books. Regency romance is a niche market -- you either like it or you don't. With vampires and steampunk, shades of color, and the zombie apocalypse currently the craze, traditional regencies (Jane Austen anyone?) don't always make it to the top of the charts, unless you're a name brand.

I have a name, and yes, I've branded it, but I'm just a small fish in a very big pond.

So here's the skinny... If you've bought ANY of my books, would you please leave a review. (Bought is the operative word. Book retailers frown on reviews that weren't "paid for".)

And I know how hard it is to write a decent review. However, I have to tell you, the best review I've ever received was on THE CAPTAIN'S COINCIDENCE. From Amazon, it had 5 stars and only two words -- "Well written." Believe me when I tell you, that was music to my ears. (I do work hard on everything I write and sometimes the best praise comes in the form of "good job".)

I don't expect you to write a dozen paragraphs, or expand on my themes (if you can find them), but I would like your honest opinion. And by no means do you have to write a review on ALL of the books (depending on how many you've read), but if you have read them all, one or two would be swell. Just pick the ones you like the best. (And if you didn't like them, then I guess this request is moot.)

A HUSBAND FOR MISS TRENT is free on Smashwords if you're new to this blog/writer and want a little taste of what I write. It's downloadable for all formats.

And you don't have to leave the review all over the place. Just where you bought it from would be sufficient. And Goodreads would be nice if you're on that site.


Thank you in advance.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

PS If you click on the tab under my header marked Reviews, you can find a few samples of other reviews. There's also a surprise.

Cover Reveal with a Twist

Good Morning. Today, I'd like to share my latest cover THE LADY'S SECRET. What's so great about this, is the picture of the main character, Arianna, I've been working with for the last several months. Okay, let me stop talking and just show you.

"Arianna"

Do you not think these two women look alike? How bizarre is that?

Anyway, THE LADY'S SECRET will be available through pre-order, publication set for October 15th. Sooner if I can get out of my own way.

Cover copy --

From the moment Lady Ariana Leighton met Mr. Stephen Summerville, she lost her heart. However, when Mr. Summerville was introduced to her younger sister Arabella, Ariana knew that Stephen had lost his.

Ariana surrendered the notion of love with Stephen Summerville.

Yet, she left a tiny piece of her heart open – hope would always remain.

This book and LADY OLIVIA'S UNDOING are both prequels to THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE, the last novel in the Reluctant Grooms series.(Which should hopefully be released by Christmas.)

I should also mention that both UNDOING and SECRET both have mirror-imaging and cliff-hanger endings. I'll speak more on that in an upcoming blogpost.

So what do think about the cover? Isn't she beautiful? Many thanks to my inspired cover designer at Straw Hill Designs.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

Pre-orders on Amazon

Pt. Judith, Narragansett, RI

Good Morning. I am returned from vacation, less tanned than I'd like to be, and flat out getting ready for my daughter to go back to school tomorrow (where does the time go)....and of course, have captured a summer cold so this post will be short and to the point.

I finished THE LADY'S SECRET while I was on vacation. My critique partner hates me, she said the story made her cry. So I guess that means it's pretty good.

It will be available for pre-order, along with Lady Olivia's Undoing this week.

As you may remember LADY OLIVIA'S UNDOING has been available for pre-order on Smashwords, Kobo, itunes, and NOOK, for the last month. It seems that Amazon does not want to be undone, so has now started offering indie/self-published authors the same opportunity.

Both, UNDOING and SECRET will be available from Amazon as pre-orders starting Sept. 1. (Or earlier if I can get out of my own way.)

LADY OLIVIA'S UNDOING will be published Sept. 15th.

This picture has been my inspiration
for Arianna, the main character
in THE LADY'S SECRET

THE LADY'S SECRET will be published Oct. 15th.

The last book in the Reluctant Groom Series (yes, it is coming to its inevitable end) THE SEDUCTION OF MR. SUMMERVILLE will be published at Christmas.

Once school is fully underway, I will try and make these blog posts more enticing. Reading about my publications is not a whole lot of fun. But I must do them.

I will also have a cover for SECRET very soon. It's astonishing.


Tell me -- What would you like to see me write about here?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

Keeping it Real

Good morning. As you know, I write Regency romance, a sub-genre of historical fiction. In each of my books, I've done endless research to get the "history" of the period as true as I can get it. Yes, I will admit I have "fudged" some facts to make either my story, or my timeline fit together into a cohesive whole.

As an example -- In THE LADY'S FATE, it seems Prince George is a bit of sucker for romance. Was he in real life? I have no idea. But in my books he is. Why? You may ask. The simple answer -- because I wanted him to be. In his own life, Parliament would not allow him to be married to his much older, Catholic, twice-widowed wife. So I took his disappointment (which I'm sure was more akin to outrage had I actually known Prinny) and used it to my advantage.

Is that wrong? I have no idea. But it's my book and I'll write it any way I want to. To me Prince George is as real to me as my own brother.

Now, some people have said that I don't actually write "Regency" romance because I don't write like Georgette Heyer (famed author during the 40's and 50's) because I do not ascribe to the "comedy of errors" novels that she was so famous for. I'm not a fan of Heyer. Sorry. I'm sure there were a lot of comedic errors made during the Regency period, but the Regency also involved the Napoleonic Wars, as well as poverty, and suffering, and political intrigue. People were not just aristocrats having balls and dancing at Almack's. There was more to life than London Society.

Jane Austen actually LIVED during the Regency period. (And for those of you who don't know what that is, it was the period that Prince George ascended to the throne as Regent in England, because his father King George was mad. 1811-1820 or 1830 depending on who you talk to.)

As far as I'm concerned, Jane Austen is the quintessential Regency romance writer because her characters are so believable. Her characters are balanced between good and not-so-nice, most have a major life-altering ah-ha moment that changes the direction which they were following (Mr. Darcy anyone?). However, the main point in any of her stories is not necessarily romance. Yes, there's always a happily ever after at the end, but in order for the main characters to get to it, they have to go through a lot of crappy crap to get there.

To me, the main point in all Austen's work is the character arc. She strives to make each "real" with all the foibles and grace, and idiosyncrasies that make people, well, people.

She writes "personally" -- as if she knew Cathy Moreland and her penchant for imagining the worst about Captain Tilney, and Anne Elliot's desperate hunger for Frederick Wentworth. And let's not forget Emma's matchmaking meddling. How many women do you know who are just like Emma?

To me, this, this getting into their heads, is what writing is all about. I'm not going to harp on some of the ridiculous stories I've read that are published by New York (that no one even bothered to check for historical accuracy) or the wanton sex that appears on every other page (because sex sells -- guess what friends -- not so much anymore).

It's about keeping the characters real. So real that when you read, you root for, you cry with, you are devastated or elated right along with them.

Tell me -- What makes a character real for you?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014