Mary Gillgannon (38 page)

The Leopard
was originally called
Leopard’s Lady
. It was one of the first books I wrote and the second one published. Back then I liked my historical romances to be gritty and realistic. Re-reading them, I think I sometimes made them too realistic. Now that I’m older, I prefer to have the edges of life smoothed off a bit, and I have a more romantic viewpoint. I rewrote parts of this story with that sensibility.

But it’s still a raw, passionate tale. The medieval age was a brutal one. With the specter of early death haunting them from cradle to adulthood, I believe the people of medieval times were both much more pious and much more reckless than we are. This gives a vibrancy to their time period that I find very compelling. In
The Leopard
I sought to capture that mood of immediacy and
joie de vivre
. And for all the seriousness of some of my themes, it’s meant to be a fun book, a playful one.

In my fiction I contrive to portray the drama of life realistically and yet have a happy ending. I want to believe, like Astra, that good conquers evil, that generosity and kindness is stronger than greed and avarice. That sweetness and love can heal pain and anger and make us whole.

A fantasy, you say? Perhaps. But I’m a writer, and we’re crazy enough to believe that fantasies truly can make a difference in people’s lives!

Happy reading,

Dragon of the Island

Dragon’s Dream

The Dragon Prince

The Dragon Bard

Beyond the Sea Mist

Storm Maiden

Devil’s Own Bargain

Earl of Scandal

Saint Sin

The Conqueror

The Leopard

Mary Gillgannon writes romance novels set in the dark ages, medieval and English Regency time periods and fantasy and historical novels with Celtic influences. Her print books have been published in Russia, China, the Netherlands and Germany. Raised in the Midwest, she now lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming where she works full-time at the Laramie County Library.

She is married and has two grown children. When not working or writing she enjoys gardening, traveling and reading, of course!

She always enjoys hearing from readers. You may contact her through her website:
http://marygillgannon.com
. And please visit her blog at
http://marygillgannon.blogspot.com
.