The Daring Women of New York

And the daring woman who writes about them

This post is the kickoff of our October celebration! We start with an interview with author Gayle Callen on this, the release day for her newest novel. Then tomorrow, Love Me to Death, Chapter 1. You'll get all ten chapters of this novella in ten days culminating on Halloween! Also on Halloween, we'll draw the winner of all 19 volumes of the Wings in the Night series from amongst newsletter subscribers. Sign up to enter

Enjoy my chat with Gayle Callen. Meet you back here tomorrow!

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Gayle Callen's newest novel, The Daring Women of New York, is out today! The blurb begins, “For two hundred and fifty years, the Featherstone women have defended their families and Harbor House, the building that has sheltered and provided for them.”

I am so excited about this novel, I just had to interview Gayle for the blog and share it with my readers. So here's that discussion, with retailer links for the new book, and it's predescessor The Daring Girls of Guernsey.

Maggie: In the book, you tell the story of Featherstone women from three time periods, The American Revolution, US Prohibition, and the modern day. But all of them take place in this building that feels to me like the fourth main character, Harbor House.

 Tell me about Harbor House. I am so fascinated by the place.

Gayle: Thank you! I knew I wanted to try something different with this book. I was looking for something to tie three time periods together, and one of my critique friends said, “How about a building?” That was the proverbial light bulb moment, and I jumped into my research of buildings in New York City and found that there were still a few in the Seaport District that were at least from the 1790s. Since I really wanted to set one part of my book during the American Revolution, I made my building a little older. There really is a building that until Hurricane Sandy had been serving food since the 1790s. And that was the genesis of Harbor House. Pam, my present-day heroine, inherits the run-down building and has to figure out what to do with it, if she should keep it and renovate, or sell it. And while she’s working on it, she begins to discover hints of the past…

Maggie: Why the Revolutionary War? If I recall correctly, you have some historical romances set in that time period, don’t you? What is it about that period that speaks to you?

Gayle: You are right! The second book I ever tried to write was a historical romance set in that time period. What I didn’t realize was that the American Revolution wasn’t a big draw for romance readers—and hence editors aren’t fans either. And I’m sure I still had a lot to learn about writing, too. But there’s something about the beginning of our country that just drew me, and I did a ton of research. When I realized I wanted to set Daring Women in the U.S. in different time periods, I thought it was the perfect time to use all that research I gathered.

Maggie: Tell me about Abigail Featherstone from that period.

Gayle: Abigail was widowed early in the war, and now she runs her late husband’s tavern to support her two children. When the story opens, she’s being forced to quarter British soldiers in her upstairs rooms. We get a hint early on that she has already tried to find a way to aid the Patriot cause…

Maggie: I’m already hooked. Okay, same question, regarding the prohibition period. What pulled you to that particular part of US history? Did your research reveal anything surprising?

Gayle: Since Harbor House was used as a tavern in the American Revolution, I thought that led perfectly into it being a restaurant in the 1920s. But during Prohibition, without alcohol sales, restaurants really struggled. So their owners had to figure out another way to earn money. I learned a lot about the Harlem Renaissance, when Black and White people first began to socialize together. Women, too, were beginning to find careers and see themselves as the equals of men. (Not that men usually agreed…)

Maggie: And in the midst of all this, you place Lilian Featherstone. Tell me about her.

Gayle: Lillian is a college girl in the 1926 section of the book. Though I knew something about flappers, until I researched, I had no idea that flappers were the first truly modern young women, who dated men instead of waiting at home to be courted, who went to college (although where they could attend was still pretty restricted), who planned careers. The problem is, when Lillian’s father gets arrested, she’s forced to come home and manage the family restaurant, supporting her mother and siblings. Then she starts to uncover her father’s secrets, and she meets a man who should be forbidden to her.

Maggie: That’s fascinating, I didn’t know that! So flappers were really feminists.

 You also weave in a contemporary tale about Pamela Featherstone, a descendant of both Abigail and Lillian, inheriting Harbor House herself. Please fill us in on Pamela’s story. What is she like, and what’s her situation?

Gayle: Pamela is also a widow, fifty years old, who never had children, and is now discovering she doesn’t know what to do with the rest of her life. Harbor House seemed to compete for her dad’s attention when she was growing up, so she intends to sell the building as soon as it’s presentable. She meets Lucia, a teenager in foster care, who starts working for her, and the two of them begin to find clues to what happened in Harbor House over the last two hundred and fifty years. Pam draws strength from what the women of her family overcame.

Maggie: That just gave me chills. Readers, you should know I’ve read excerpts and I am in love with this novel!

How can readers follow you, Gayle, or get in touch to learn more?

Gayle: I love to hear from readers! You can find all the details at my website www.GayleCallen.com

Thanks so much, Maggie!

Maggie: Thank YOU, Gayle! And Happy Release Day!

 Everyone, this book is empowering, riveting, and wonderful. I think you’ll love it as much as I do. And it’s available now!

Here are all the buy links:

	All retailers

Visit GayleCallen.com