Paula Xiberras
I recently spoke to Anne Gracie, writer of Regency romances about the latest novel in her ‘bride’ series ‘The Spring Bride’. Tasmania has a special place in Annie’s heart as it was in Tasmania, she had her first experience of independent travel. Nowadays Anne gets down to Tassie at least one a year.
Anne growing up as she did in a house of books found it difficult to believe there could be an existence without books!
It was while Anne was again travelling, in her 30s, that she started writing free hand stories in notebooks, these spanned a number of genres including children’s stories, short stories and novels.
Anne says that her dialogue comes to mind while she is doing housework or shopping and in one particular case while she was on the highway and she had to pull up to record her thoughts. Anne says in cases like this dialogue has to be written down in automatic pilot!
Anne keeps a notebook by her bed as scenes sometimes come to her in dreams! Anne’s notebook is filled with scribbles which later will be typed and edited.
Each of Anne’s novels in the bride series concentrates on one bride. Anne’s latest book ‘The Spring Bride’ has the character of Abby as the main protagonist and also includes guest appearances of ‘brides’ from the previous novels in the series.
Anne says that the romance writers in Australia are very supportive and consult each other on plot advice but as Anne says all the authors have a particular style of their own and so there is no concern that another author might borrow another’s ideas. So distinct are the authors’ individual styles that they are referred to in the individual author’s name such in Anne’s case ‘Anne Gracie novels’. Anne’s novels are set in the English Regency period from 1811 to 1820 and inevitably having happy endings.
Spring Bride is out now published by Penguin Australia.
