Regency author Anne Gracie - and A house is a home when...

A house is a home when…

What does a house or a home mean to characters in a book? With the upcoming release of my fourth book in the Swallow’s Fall series, The Turnaround Treasure Shop, I decided to go outside my four walls and ask my neighbours - authors of contemporary and historical fiction. 
Over the next ten days special guest authors talk us through A house is a  home when...

Today I'm welcoming Anne Gracie!
(And there's a giveaway too.)

"Anne Gracie writes fun, Regency-era romances (the same period as Jane Austen and  Napoleon.) A national bestseller in the USA her books have been translated into more than 16 languages." 

Australian cover for The Spring Bride

The Book: The Spring Bride, 3rd in the “Chance sisters” series. Coming in June 2015 and available for pre-order now.

Characters: Jane Chance and Zachary Black

Anne is offering one lucky person who leaves a comment the chance of a paperback copy of The Spring Bride. (USA cover - see below.) 

What makes a house a home for Jane Chance?

Character bio: Jane Chance, having had a desperately insecure childhood, wants to make a safe marriage to a rich, settled man. Zachary Black is all kinds of unsuitable – a spy currently disguised as a gypsy, he’s lived a vagabond life for the last 10 years. Jane knows she shouldn't look twice at him, but somehow she can't help herself.

The House: Jane has never had a home of her own - she was raised in rented rooms and an orphanage. Zachary never felt safe in his childhood home, so for both of them "home " is a concept. For Zach it's wherever he lays his head. But Jane has very definite ideas.

In Jane's own words...

Excerpt from The Spring Bride by Anne Gracie:

          "Those gypsy wagons you mentioned the other day," she said. "They look very pretty and colorful, but they must be very small —for a family, I mean." And for a man of his height. "Do your people really live in them, winter and all?"

            "Winter and all," he told her.

            She frowned. "But isn't it terribly cold?"

            He gave her a slow smile. "We snuggle up."

            "Oh." She felt her face heating. "Yes, I suppose so."

            "What about your house?" he asked. "Not that one,"—he gestured toward Lady Beatrice's house—"your dream house, the one you plan to live in one day. What would that be like?"

            "I want a home, not just a house."

            He slanted her a surprised glance. "What's the difference?"

            "A house is a building, a home is where a family lives, a place that's warm, comfortable and—" She stopped, feeling that what she'd been about to say would sound foolish. And embarrassing.

            "And?" he prompted.

            "Where children can play and grow up."

            "That's not what you were going to say."

            "No." They walked on and turned the corner, then slowed to watch a little boy rolling a hoop to his smaller sister. She kept dropping it and knocking it over, but the small boy never once lost patience. He showed her how to do it, over and over.

            "All children should be like that," she said quietly.

            "Patient?"

            "No, happy. Carefree." She felt him looking at her. "And safe. The difference between a house and a home," she added softly, her eyes on the two little children, "is love."

Being a national bestselling author in Australia and the USA, Anne is lucky enough to have two covers for her books. Here are the two covers for The Spring Bride:

Australian cover for The Spring Bride

USA cover for The Spring Bride

The Spring Bride back cover blurb:

On the eve of the London Season, Jane Chance is about to make her entrance into high society. Haunted by a childhood riddled with poverty and hardship, Jane is determined her own children will never suffer the same; she intends to make a good, safe, sensible marriage. All goes according to plan until a dark, dangerous vagabond helps her rescue a dog.

Zachary Black is all kinds of unsuitable—a former spy, now in disguise, he's wanted for murder. His instructions: to lie low until his name is cleared. But Zach has never followed the rules, and he wants Jane Chance for his own.

If that means blazing his way into London society, in whatever guise suits him, that's what he'll do. Jane knows she shouldn’t fall in love with this unreliable, if devastatingly attractive, rogue. But Zach is determined—and he's a man accustomed to getting what he wants.

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I can't thank Anne enough for coming over and sharing with us - and I've bought my pre-order copy. You can find all the links of where to pre-order your copy, and find out more about Anne Gracie and her bestselling Regency-romance books over on Anne's webpage: annegracie.com 

Leave a comment to go into the draw to WIN a copy of THE SPRING BRIDE (USA cover) 
courtesy of Anne. 
Open internationally to all. Good Luck! 

And pop back tomorrow to see the next of my special guest authors and discover what a house or home means to a character in Montana who is a 26 year-old single woman who has put her wild past behind her and is growing up...

Jennie, in the company of Anne Gracie x