General Questions
1. Is Gaelen Foley your real name? How do you pronounce that?
Yes, it is my real name. It’s Irish, and it’s pronounced GAY-len.
2. How did you get started writing?
I was in high school when I made up my mind to pursue my dream career as a novelist. Getting started so young was a real help because I was able to orient my college education around my long term goal. I opted to major in Literature instead of Creative Writing because I believe it’s important to study the great masterpieces as part of laying the groundwork for learning how to write. Though this was a very effective use of my time, I still had years of actual writing practice ahead of me. After college, I worked nights as a waitress to pay the bills so I could keep my days free for writing and honing my craft. It took me five and a half years to sell my first book, which was actually my fifth completed manuscript. This became The Pirate Prince, which won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best First Historical Romance in 1998. That book is still in print, on something like it’s fourteenth printing, and the rest is history.
3. Why do you write historical romance?
Writing is my passion, and historical romance is just plain FUN. The drama, pageantry, swashbuckling adventure, glittering elegance, passionate sensuality, and intense emotion that work so well in Historical Romance are a perfect fit for my personality and my muse. Plus, I’ve always been a history buff, and the Napoleonic/Regency era is such a glorious setting to work with. But the most important reason I write romance is because I believe in the power of love to heal and transform people’s lives. My work celebrates the possibility of triumphing over the darkness of this world through the power of love.
4. In what order should I read your books?
I purposely write them so you could jump in at any point, but if you prefer to read <the Knight Miscellany> family series in order, it goes like this:
1. The Duke
2. Lord of Fire
3. Lord of Ice
4. Lady of Desire
5. Devil Takes a Bride
6. One Night of Sin
7. His Wicked Kiss
Then there are these three additional Knight books, <The Spice Trilogy>, featuring the Knight family cousins, who arrive in London from British-ruled India.
8. Her Only Desire
9. Her Secret Fantasy
10. Her Every Pleasure
As for my earlier works, the correct order for <the Ascension Trilogy> is
1. The Pirate Prince
2. Princess
3. Prince Charming
All my books are still in print and available. If for some reason you can’t find the GF book you want in your local bookstore, they can usually order it for you at the front desk and have it in within a few days. Makes a great gift! :P
5. Will you be writing stories about anyone else from the Knight series or Ascension?
I don’t have any plans to write more books in either series at this time. Both series feel complete to me at this point, and I’m eager to get on to the next project.
6. What are you working on next?
I have a sexy, new, dark-and-dangerous Regency Historical series in the works called The Inferno Club. Release dates are not yet set, but it’ll be a while. Much more to come! OMG, I’m having a blast working on this first book! ;P
