Interview with Shana Galen, author of Traitor in Her Arms

What can you tell us about your new release, Traitor in Her Arms?

Traitor in Her Arms is a take-off on the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, except it tells the stories of the women in the Pimpernel’s league. Viscountess Gabrielle McCullough is the heroine of this book, and she’s been forced to steal to pay off her dead husband’s disreputable creditors. But then she’s approached by the Scarlet Pimpernel, who asks her to go to Paris and “steal” a woman and her child out of a French prison before the woman is guillotined. On the way to France Gabrielle meets an old friend, Ramsey, Earl of Sedgwick, but she has reason to be concerned that he’s not really her friend. She’s attracted to him, and he seems to feel the same, but she’s never really sure whether he’s an ally or the enemy.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

The Secret by Julie Garwood

The Wind and the Sea by Marsha Canham

The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol Adams

Who is your favorite couple from literature?

It has to be Eve Dallas and Roarke, the characters from JD Robb’s In Death series. I love how they support each other, even when they’re at each other’s throats.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

I like being alone and being in control. In my books, I can make anything I want happen. Since I don’t get to run the world, I like running it in my books.

What’s a typical day like for you?

I get up about 4:30, take the dog out, run with my running partners, then get my daughter to school. Then I write or revise until I meet my goal for the day and then tackle administrative stuff until 3 when I pick my daughter up and shuttle her to after school activities. Then I make dinner, walk the dog again, put my daughter to bed, and check on emails. Pretty glamorous, I know.

BAM. You’re a superhero. What’s your superpower?

My superpower would be the ability to go without sleep for days. Then I could watch all the TV shows and movies I never have time to watch and read all the books on my TBR pile.

What scene in Traitor in Her Arms was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene to write was when the heroine and hero, Gabrielle and Ramsey, arrive in Paris. They’re both British citizens masquerading as French citizens, and they’re attempting to enter Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror. I could imagine how scary it would be to wait in line for hours, never certain whether once you reached the soldiers you would be admitted or thrown into prison. To make matters worse, there is a problem when they reach the soldier at the gate. Gabrielle hasn’t quite pulled off her disguise.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Yes. It’s by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: “When we make compassion our barometer, we don’t settle for violence on a small scale. We aspire to kindness on a huge scale.”

Shana Galen is the author of the new book Traitor in Her Arms. 

Connect with Shana:
Author Website