Okay, so here we go.
What is the title of your next book?
THE LADY'S MASQUERADE. It should be out in the next few weeks.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
My brain. lol Thank you, Monster. Actually, one day, a REALLY long time ago, I was trying to take a nap. However, I kept hearing these two people talking. The more I focused on them, I saw them sitting in a gazebo. A young girl and a handsome man. Only he was pretending to be someone else. And the story was born. Mind you, this was about 8 years ago, and the whole concept of the story has changed except for the part that someone was pretending to be someone else.
What genre does your book fall under?
Regency romance, Historical romance, sweet romance. I try to hit them all.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your caracters in a movie rendition?
You can find those here. www.pinterest.com/RegencyAnne Did I mention I was on Pinterest now.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Hmmmm. I hate these. When Lady Penelope Leighton masquerades as a traveling companion, she doesn't expect to fall in love with a lowly steward and when he asks for her hand, she must decide whether to give up her life in the aristocracy or follow her heart.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published.
How long did it take you to write the first draft?
Ha! Almost 7 years. I started it way back in 2005. Monster and I were living at the beach house and during her naps I wrote it out on paper. I didn't have a computer back then. I know, huh. I had it almost finished when we moved to NC in 2007. I got my first computer in 2008 and transcribed everything. In 2009 a friend suggested I get on the blogs so I did, and found out I had to revise the thing. I started those revisions in 2010. But then I was writing other things and just put Masquerade away for a while. Once I decided on the Reluctant Grooms series, and kept adding more characters, and more intrigue, Masquerade just wasn't the book it once was. So over the course of the last few months, I revised the snot out of it and hopefully, it will meet with the approval of my critters.
And just for fun, the original manuscript that I transposed, finished at a whopping 145,000 words. I can happily say, it is now at a mere 80K.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I don't know. Mine I suppose. I haven't read anything in my genre lately that doesn't have sex in it. Mine don't, so I have no idea. Jane Austen, maybe. lol
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My Monster. Way back when, I was on a limited income. I was working as a housekeeper, and knew (although I was making good money) it would never be enough. I needed to supplement my income, so I figured I could write a book. I mean, besides restauranting, it was the only other thing I knew how to do.
What else about the book might pique the readers insterest?
It's a mystery. Or has a mystery element. Someone is trying to kill Lady Penny's father and the fiend turned his sights on her. So William and his friends try to figure out who it is. And because this is the first book in the series, this is where we find out how Lady Olivia has manipulated the aristocracy. I delve into a lot of her secrets in this first book, and hopefully, by the end of the series, it will all tie in together nicely.
So that's my Next Big Thing. And like I said, you can find out what I'm doing with a contemporary romantic women's fiction over at The Other Side of Providence.
PS If anyone would like an ARC of this for review, I'm all in. Give me shout on my email piedmontwriter at gmail dot com
Anne Gallagher (c) 2013
10 comments:
I admire the cutting of all those words. That part is so difficult for me.
I love your Pinterest page--what a great way to use it!
WOW- 7 years! Congrats! Thank you for sharing.
Susan -- Oh believe me it wasn't easy. It took about a year because I thought everything was essential.
Linda -- Thanks. The images are from last years A-Z challenge and I thought it was a waste they were buried on my blog. I like they're out there now.
Summer -- A long time to sit on something. But I think it's better for it now. At the end of the series it will all make sense.
Ooh, mystery element. And we get to find out Lady Olivia's secrets. Dammit - I'd be all in for an early review, but my schedule through April is nuts. Still, I'm going to buy it when it comes out and will have it waiting for me. :)
Are you enjoying Pinterest?
145k? yikes! I thought it hard to cut 10k from my story to bring it down to a non epic form. Obviously, I don't write big epics, lol!
Seven years! WOW!!! That's a chunk of time! :)
Seven years! Like DL, I am impressed. Cutting words is so hard. Best of luck to you on this new book!
Yay Anne! I'm not through reading this ARC, but it is already shaping up to be one of my favorites! Great mystery undercurrent!
I think it's amazing that you were able to cut that many words. My first novel was around 150,000 words too. Back when we didn't know that word count mattered, that every word wouldn't be snatched up and treasured and published! What a journey you've had and I can see where it'd be rather fun to be two people. The underlying mystery here adds a layer of intrigue nnot often found in romance. I enjoyed reading your answers. I knew I was right to tag you!
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