Welcome to our New Faces column, where we're pleased to feature debut authors in the romance genre. This time we welcome Colleen Gleason, whose first historical is A Whisper of Rosemary from Avid Press.

Colleen, welcome to TRR! Tell us about yourself.

I live in Michigan near Ann Arbor with my husband, three children and a dog. My middle child, Jonah, is 3 and has Cystic Fibrosis. Fortunately, my other two (both daughters) do not! My third child was born on May 31, and we had had an amniocentesis to find out if she was affected with the disease so we would know ahead of time. What a relief!

My life is more than a bit hectic right now with three children under 6. As you can imagine, it was a busy summer with me being off work (my day job) and having three little ones. I actually looked forward to going back to work....it'll seemed to be easier!

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

I still have a day job--I work as a Customer Solutions Manager (which is a fancy way of saying Sales/Account Management) for a healthcare/benefits software company. I was on maternity leave all summer--which was wonderful--but I started this job (a new one, actually) in mid-September. I enjoy the challenge of working outside the home, as it keeps me on my toes, allows me to talk to adults and gives me ideas for my books. Obviously, my dream would be to someday be able to devote my time to writing full time...but that is a long-term goal.

What led you to write romance?

I've been reading romance since forever. Even when I was reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, I always particularly liked the romance subplots (although it bummed me out that Nancy and Ned didn't ever get beyond holding hands!). Romance is so natural to write about...everyone has--or wants--love in their lives. It's part of being human. Writing and reading romance celebrates one of the most important, wonderful things about being human.

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

Lots. As my book is set in medieval England, I needed to know a lot about the time period--every nuance possible. I felt that if I was going to write a book set in a time period other than the one in which I live, I had better know every little thing about it. It's important for me to be able to set the scene firmly in the reader's mind, and to keep them there, transported, really feeling like they are learning about that time in history as well as being entertained. I hope I'm successful in doing that! For example, I read biographies of Eleanor of Aquitaine as well as Henry Plantagenet, even though they are minor characters because I wanted to make sure that I portrayed them as close to realistically as possible. I also had to do a lot of research about herbal medicine so that Maris (my heroine and a healer) would be accurate in her diagnoses of Queen Eleanor's ear infection, and her plot to escape from Bon de Savrille's castle.

I have about twenty books that I own (not counting the ones I borrowed from the library or the info I got from the Internet) that I used in researching A Whisper of Rosemary....and any mistakes are definitely my own! The good news is, the research aids in my current work in progress--Sanctuary of Roses because it's set in the same time period.

Who are your influences as a writer?

Roberta Gellis, hands down, for medieval romances. I have read and reread her Roselynde Chronicles at least a dozen times....some of the books probably two dozen. (Talk about a dark, angsty hero....Ian in Alinor is my favorite!)

Other than Roberta Gellis, my favorites include Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters and Nora Roberts, as well as Judith McNaught and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. They all influence me because they are all different and fresh.

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

LOL! As a matter of fact, since my sister, mother, aunts and grandmother all read romance, they think that it's wonderful! I will admit, however, that I was a bit taken aback by my mother-in-law's comment the other day....She was commenting to her sister-in-law that she was reading a book written by her daughter-in-law (me), but that the only thing that bothered her were the sex scenes. (Not that there are that many...nor are they particularly steamy and go on for pages and pages). I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just stood there looking foolish!

My husband likes to tell people that he gives me a lot of things to write about....and I let him think that that's true.

Tell us about plans for future books.

My current work in progress is another medieval entitled Sanctuary of Roses. It's about a woman who escapes with her mother from her evil father and stays hidden away in an abbey (a sanctuary of roses) until the hero, Gavin, finds her and forces her to return to court, unwittingly putting her back in the danger of her father's wrath.

I also write paranormal/ghost-like stories. I am currently seeking a publisher for a contemporary paranormal (think Jill Jones/Ciji Ware/Antoinette Stockenberg's earlier novels) about a woman who inherits a house and the Tarot cards of her dead aunt....and the cards keep trying to tell her something. It's one of my favorites!

How can readers get in touch with you?

Several ways....by visiting my website http://www.colleengleason.com
email colleen@colleengleason.com
writing me via my publisher, Avid Press

I love to hear from readers....both on good and bad points. And I always like to get ideas from them for future books/characters.

Colleen, thank you for joining us! Readers, Colleen would like you to know that all royalties from A WHISPER OF ROSEMARY will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We have a review on our Historical page. October 13, 2001