We chat with author Anna Cowan about The Duke, which is a sapphic regency romance about the duke who fears nothing… until the woman she never forgot walks through the door and brings her to her knees.
Hi, Anna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m an Aussie author who lives on Wurrundjeri land outside Melbourne with my husband and kids. The two items I’ve bought an embarrassing number of times before getting it right are strollers and guinea pig cages. You have an 80% chance of finding my nose in a book at any given time.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
It’s hard to think back far enough to distinguish “first”, but I can still recite whole sentences of stories I was writing at 8 years old. The tenor of my writing hasn’t changed all that much, to be honest. It seems I love an overwrought weirdo whatever age I am.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Probably a Faraway Tree book!
- The one that made you want to become an author: This one’s hard, because I’ve wanted to be an author since I was a kid. But when I think about deciding to write romance, I think of Julia Quinn. Let’s say The Secret Diary of Miss Miranda Cheever.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: In Memoriam by Alice Winn. !!!!!
Your latest novel, The Duke, is out April 28th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Hot lady duke in love.
What can readers expect?
The Duke will give you the best parts of an old-school historical – emotional intensity, high stakes, political machinations, an ocean’s worth of longing – with a queer twist: the icy, impenetrable duke is a woman. The audiobook version captures all these things perfectly, for those of your readers who like to listen!
Where did the inspiration for The Duke come from?
I was being plagued by a powerful, self-assured female character. I couldn’t quite get her right. I thought she was the daughter of a duke, but the whole thing clicked when I realised she herself was the duke.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The duke’s love interest, a French courtesan called Celine, was an absolute delight. I wrote three very different versions of this book before I got it right, and in every single one Celine poured onto the page. She’s at the lowest point in her life, where any wrong move will end in destitution then death, but she never gives up. I was moved by her burning desire to live.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I had to wade through some internalised homophobia and misogyny in order to reach the unapologetic final version of my duke. But I have wonderfully patient, kind and smart friends who shepherded me through without making me feel any worse about it than I needed to, while helping to make the book a hundred times better.
What’s next for you?
The Marquess of Royston appears in The Duke in all her scandalous imperfection. She’s a mess. She’s unhappy. She’s the reason mamas lock their daughters up at night. She is fighting me every step of the way, but she’s the most fun I’ve ever had on page. Her book The Rake is next.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
When I hear about a book I want to read I add it to my library holds and then forget about it until it pops up in my notifications like a present. The two books I’m most excited about are Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell and Hold Me Like A Grudge by Celine Ong.
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