It’s release month! Actually, it’s almost the end of my release month. In November, a whole new crop of bright-eyed authors will be hoping you’ll notice their latest offering. But for a few more days, this month is all mine! And I’m hoping you’ll pick up a copy of The Making of a Gentleman. It’s the second in my Sons of the Revolution series. Maybe you read the first in the series—The Making of a Duchess. If not, no worries. The Making of a Gentleman can stand alone.

The Making of a Gentleman is the story of Armand Harcourt, comte de Valére. In some ways he’s your typical romance hero—handsome, alpha, great in bed. In other ways, he’s a bit unconventional. Armand was imprisoned at the age of 11 and remained imprisoned, in solitary confinement, for 12 long years. His crime? He had the unfortunate luck to be born a French aristocrat. When the peasants storm his family’s chateau at the start of the Revolution, Armand flees to Paris. While there he comes under the “protection” of two men who call themselves The Jacques. But when Armand learns their secret, they lock him away.

At the start of the book Armand is still adjusting to life outside prison. He doesn’t speak or have any manners. His brother hires a tutor, Felicity Bennett, and you can guess what happens next. But Felicity has her own demons, and Armand’s past is about to catch up with him.

Since it’s almost November, and my three seconds of fame are about up, I want to tell you a little secret—this was the hardest book I’ve ever written. Armand doesn’t speak for the first few chapters, and while I initially considered that a challenge, it was almost more of a challenge than I was ready for.

Now I’m not one of those authors who moans about how hard writing is. I love writing. I don’t want to do anything else, which is why when I finished Armand’s book—the hardest book ever—I really celebrated. I’d met the challenge and accomplished something I never had before.

It’s almost November. I hope you won’t wait to pick up The Making of a Gentleman. And let me know, what challenge have you successfully conquered recently?

Visit my website at www.shanagalen.com for excerpts and contests.