Guest blogger: Anne Gracie

Twenty-five years ago last month, Gallant Waif, my first book, was published in the UK. It was quite a long road to publication. I was aiming for the US market, as at that time, there were no Regency romances published in Australia—only Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. I grew up on Heyer, loving her humour and vivid cast of characters, and I was hooked on the Regency era.

So I wrote off to a bunch of US publishers, offering them my ‘Regency romance’ and giving them a brief blurb. Every single one of them wrote back to say that they were no longer publishing Regencies. Rats! But the story kept nagging at me, so I kept writing.

Then I saw a hardback Regency romance in my local library—a green cover and a girl in regency costume. Mills and Boon was the publisher, so I wrote off to them. And waited.

I kept writing. Not fast, because I had a very busy job, and was also teaching adult literacy at night school two nights a week.

Six or seven months after I’d sent my first letter to M&B I got a reply asking me to send a partial (the first three chapters). I did. And seven months later I got an encouraging letter saying they liked my writing, and could I please send them the full manuscript. It needed to be no longer than 85,000 words.

Yikes! At that stage the book was well over 100,000 words and wasn’t finished. So I finished it, and then started cutting. I cut and cut and cut—and in the process realised the book was greatly improved for being tighter. But it was soooo hard. Eventually I got it down to 85,000 words, and sent it off.

Six months later a letter came saying they liked my writing, but thought the heroine wasn’t sympathetic enough, so could I fix that? Oh, and could I put in more historical background? Which was hard, because most of the story takes place in a run-down house in the country. So, more words, followed by more cutting.

Seven months later I got a fax—or rather my friends around the corner got it. I didn’t have one, didn’t even have email at that point. But Doug, my friend around the corner rang me at around 11 pm, and said, ‘Anne, we just got a fax. It woke us up, Anne!’ He was not a happy guy—even though he’d offered to let me use their fax number. And he would not tell me who the fax was from (I knew) or what the fax said (I was desperate to know). ‘Come around tomorrow morning,’ he said. ‘And bring fresh croissants from the bakery,’ and then he added, ‘Because it woke us up, Anne!’

So that was how I learned I was going to be published. No phone call, just a fax that faded. And with a bribe of croissants in order to read the fax.

In the meantime, with all that waiting, I’d written another book—Tallie’s Knight. I posted off the full manuscript, and within five days of the manuscript arriving in London I had a contract in my letterbox—not even a comment from the editor, just a contract in the mail.

Gallant Waif was a RITA finalist for Best First Book and the first of the M&B historicals to come out as a Harlequin Historical in the USA. And ironically, after my second book (Tallie’s Knight) came out, an editor from Avon Books wrote to me, said she’d read and loved my books and invited me to submit to them. I later learned that had I offered them my Regency historical romance they would have requested a partial. Terminology matters it seems. Ah well, water under the fridge. And so I acquired a US agent, who sold me to Berkley.

Things have changed so much since those first few books. It’s all electronic these days. And e-publishing came in, and because of that, all my books are still available to buy. Back then it was unimaginable to be able to buy books after 20 years—especially Mills and Boon books, which used to be pulped after one month on the shelves.

I’m enormously grateful to have made a career out of my writing. Which is why the dedication of my new book, The Heiress’s Daughter (out this week) reads:

This book is for all the lovely readers who have bought and read my books and who have generously shared their reading pleasure with me, and online. You are the wind beneath my writing wings.
Thank you.

Do you remember reading your first romance novel? What was it and what did you like about it? Leave a comment below to go in the draw to win a copy of The Heiress’s Daughter. The giveaway will close on 9 June. [UPDATED: the giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Rita!]

You can find Anne here: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The Heiress’s Daughter

He can have any woman in London—except the one he wants.

A dashing rake must prove he has changed to win his one true love from the arms of another, in this witty new Regency romance.

Clarissa Studley wishes to marry, and yearns to be loved for more than just her fortune. She has two firm rules: no rakes and no fortune-hunters — her father was both, and she’ll never forget the misery he caused.

So, when Race, Lord Randall, starts to pay Clarissa attention, she knows she mustn’t give in to him. Attractive and charming as he is, Race’s reputation precedes him. But for the first time in his life, Race is truly in love, and when a rival for Clarissa’s affections appears, he must convince Clarissa to trust him. Can a rake really change? And can Clarissa put aside her unhappy past and risk her heart on a rake?