Author Interview- Mary Gillgannon

Woohooo, it's Friday!!!!

To kick our weekend off right, I've got author Mary Gillgannon here today with her new book, Wicked Wager. 

I'm betting it's one you'll enjoy!

Welcome back Mary. 

Can you tell me three words that describe yourself starting with A, B, and C?

Adventurous. When I was an adolescent and young adult, trying new things made me very anxious. I lost out on many experiences because I was afraid to take risks. Now that I’m older, I’m much more confident and less fearful of the unknown. I love to travel and to experience new environments and meet new people. But I am still not a risk taker when it comes to physical things and I’m very afraid of heights, so you won’t find me skydiving or mountain climbing. But I have considered parasailing. The idea of falling into water doesn’t bother me as much.

Blessed… for many reasons. I have a wonderful loving family, a comfortable livestyle, a day job I still enjoy after 25 years (I work in a library.) and of course, writing. Somehow when I am writing, the creative process and hyper-focus rewires my brain and makes me calm and happy.  It works better than any drug!

Creative.  Gardening, decorating my house, shopping and putting outfits together, writing, helping patrons at the library find what they need—I enjoy all those activities because of the creative element. I love finding the connections between things and ideas and problem-solving. 

What are your three favorite things?  

My family, of course. My children are the light of my life. I’ve loved watching them grow up and become great people. Of course, there are been some rough times, and they haven’t always had an easy time finding their way. But I am grateful they have allowed me to share their triumphs, and to comfort and support them when they were unhappy and struggling. And my husband of 34 years is still my love and my partner. Writing would come second, because it’s made such a difference in my outlook on the world and my happiness. And finally, I’d have to say my pets. We have four cats and a dog. They entertain us, enrich our lives and help us keep our perspective on life.

Are you self- published or with a publishing company (if so, which one?)?  

I am currently with The Wild Rose Press and have been very happy with them. I’ve had great editors who’ve helped me make my books much better, and they do a good job of giving authors the resources they need to promote their books. I have also self-published thirteen books. Many of them are books that were previously published in the 90’s and I got the rights back and re-released myself. But I did publish three original books on my own, before I began working with TWRP. I’ve found that self-publishing isn’t the best option for me. It’s too much work and takes away my time for writing.

 What for you is the best part of writing?  

The best part is the creative inspiration. The exciting feeling when a story idea or plot point just magically comes to you and everything flows.   

What is the worst? 

I really don’t like revising. I’m not super detail-oriented and I get impatient to have the book finished and move on to the next one.

Is there a process you stick to, or do you just write as it hits you?  

I can’t plot, so I write my books like I’m following a trail of breadcrumbs through the forest. The other way to describe it is a cross-country trip where you know basically where you’re going, but don’t use a map and follow one road to another until you get there. As for choosing what book to write, I have a lot of unfinished stories “waiting in the wings”, and I continue to get new ideas. So the hard part is deciding which book to write. For that, I try to use logic and planning and base it on what seems best for my career.

Will there be more books in your series, or can you tell us about any previous books?  

My latest book, Wicked Wager, is a Regency era historical. It’s the fourth book I’ve written in that time period. I’m sure it won’t be the last, but for now I’m trying to finish up the second book in my time travel/reincarnation series. (The first one, Call Down the Moon, came out the end of last year.)  This book features a Viking metalsmith who travels to modern L.A. to reclaim his soulmate, an Irish herbalist and wise woman he took captive and fell in love with in the eleventh century. It’s tenatively titled The End of the Rainbow.

When writing, which do you prefer to write with, computer or paper and pen? 

I’ve pretty much done everything. I started out writing long-hand, then typed it out on an electric typewriter, finally switched to a word processer (which was basically a typewriter with a memory) and now I use a computer. But I prefer a desktop computer over a laptop, and I’ve never been able to write on an Ipad or tablet. If a tablet was my only option, I think I would go back to longhand!

When hardened gamester Marcus Revington wins Horngate Manor in a card game, he is delighted to finally own property. Even discovering he must marry the heiress of the estate doesn’t deter him. The heiress, Penny Montgomery, is happy with her life raising horses at Horngate and has no desire to wed anyone. When she learns about her guardian’s Wicked Wager, she schemes to convince Marcus she’s unsuitable as a wife so he’ll forget his plan to marry her. Who will win this battle of wits and wills? Or will they both discover the name of the game is love?

Excerpt 

He might have known she’d take hours, Marcus thought with irritation as he waited in the drawing room. Offer to take a woman somewhere, and she fussed and fiddled half the day. He’d thought Penny was more practical than that, but it appeared she was as tardy as other members of her sex. A pity if she’d already been corrupted by Madame Dubonet and lost that ingenuous charm of hers. He rather liked the grubby hoyden he’d met in the drive of Horngate. She’d been a delightful change from the coy, manipulative women of the ton.

He paced across to the window to check on the phaeton and team. Hearing a faint sound, he turned.

For a moment, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His gaze moved down Penny’s slender form, then returned to the expanse of lush creamy flesh exposed by the low neckline of her dress. He swallowed hard, then choked out, “What the devil are you wearing?”

She gave him an innocent smile. “It’s my new daydress. Do you like it?”

Gone was the sweetly pretty young miss he’d brought to London. She’d been transformed into a sensual, sophisticated, breathtaking… goddess. It wasn’t just the lush décolletage the gown revealed, but the color of the fabric. Some subtle shade of pink that made her look edible. He longed to kiss and lick and nibble every inch of the silken, creamy skin the garment exposed. And then move on to the parts concealed by the soft, shimmery fabric. The very thought made him instantly aroused.

He took a deep breath and tried to focus on Penny’s face. “The dress is very fashionable, I’m certain. But if you don’t want to catch a chill, you’d best put on your pelisse.”

Penny hurried to do as he suggested. Despite having carefully planned this moment, when it actually came time to appear before Revington in the skimpy gown, she’d experienced an attack of nerves. It had taken all her willpower to walk boldly into the drawing room, despite feeling half-naked.

Revington’s expression had turned quite strange, almost savage. But then a moment later, his normal reserve had prevailed and he’d carried on in his usual impatient style.

She put on her pelisse and started for the door. Then she remembered the other part of her plan. Turning, she said, “I wondered if rather than driving today, you could have footman take the reins and sit in the carriage with me. That way you’ll be able to tell me about the sights as we travel through the city.”

Seeing a muscle twitch in his jaw, she wondered whether he disliked the thought of spending time with her. Too bad, she thought stubbornly. For her plan to work, she needed to force him into close proximity.

Purchase links:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VU8L64K

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-wager-mary-gillgannon/1121799505?ean=2940151266314

The Wild Rose Press:  http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=195&products_id=6209

Bio:  

Mary Gillgannon is the author of fifteen novels, mostly set in the dark age, medieval and English Regency time periods. She’s married and has two children. Now that they’re grown, she indulges her nurturing tendencies on four very spoiled cats and a moderately spoiled dog. When not writing or working—she’s been employed at the local public library for twenty-five years—she enjoys gardening, reading and travel..

Website:  http://marygillgannon.com

Blog: http://marygillgannon.blogspot.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MaryGillgannonAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MaryGillgannon