What is the title of your latest release?
A SHOP GIRL’S GUIDE TO WOOING A LORD, first in the Heiress Hunters series
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A down-on-her-luck shop girl and the son of an earl find they have more in common than they thought, including their passion for each other.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
In the case of Shop Girl, my choice of heroine really decided that the book would be set in London (during the Regency period). Tamsin works in a coffee shop and is trying to save money to buy back her little brother and sister from indentured servitude to a chimney sweep. That’s a very London story.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely. Tamsin takes a lot more risks than I’m comfortable with, but that’s also what makes her fun. She can be pretty intense, but I like people who embrace their passions.
What are three words that describe your hero?
idealistic, outgoing, compassionate
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned about automatons in the early 1800s. I learned a bit about how they were made, especially the work of Henri Maillardet, who had a museum of automatons not far from where my fictional heroine resides.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
My process is different for every book, but for the most part, I wait until I am totally finished with the draft before editing.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Plant-Based Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Describe your writing space/office!
My office is a small room on the second floor of the house. My desk is right in front of a north-facing window that looks out onto the street where people often walk or cycle by. I have two huge bookshelves of my books, books I loved, and research books on one wall; photos and art on other walls; and a corkboard with inspirational quotes. I also have framed photos of me with Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Nora Roberts, who are two authors I really admire.
Who is an author you admire?
Besides the two mentioned above, I adore Loretta Chase. Her books are so smart, and her characters are clever and witty. I just revel in every book of hers I read.
Is there a book that changed your life?
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen. A student in my English class senior year did a book report on it, and she liked it so much that she convinced me to read it. I ended up staying up until 3am (on a school night) to finish it. I’d never had that kind of connection to history before, and I don’t think I’d really read a love story like that before. It made me want to read all of Austen’s books and learn more about the Regency Era, and here we are!
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
The call came when I was teaching English class to 6th graders in 2004. I knew my agent was negotiating with HarperCollins, so I had my flip phone on my desk in case he called. He called after lunch, and I stepped outside my classroom to answer. He told me I’d sold my first book, and I stood there in shock as he explained the terms, while inside my classroom my students were taking full advantage of my absence by yelling and throwing papers and generally behaving badly. But after that, I was in such a good mood, they didn’t even get in trouble.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love historical romance.
What’s your favorite movie?
The Princess Bride
What is your favorite season?
Spring, which I understand is statistically people’s least favorite season, but I like seeing the flowers blooming.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
My birthday is on Christmas Day, so I don’t really get much of a say. I always spend it with family, though, which is nice.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
If you haven’t seen Heated Rivalry, I highly recommend that TV show.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Probably Italian
What do you do when you have free time?
I read or sleep. Honestly, I don’t have much free time, and I’m always kind of tired and behind on reading.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on the second book in the Heiress Hunters series, which features the youngest Kildare brother, Daire.
The Heiress Hunters #1
A down-on-her-luck shop girl and the son of an earl find they have more in common than they thought—including sexual chemistry they can’t resist—in this fresh Regency romance by Shana Galen.
Tamsin Archer might just be having the worst year of her life. And that’s saying something, considering her father is dead, her mother was maimed at work, and her family regularly sleeps under London’s bridges. But when her younger siblings go missing, Tamsin decides it’s time to step up and fight.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Tamsin’s more than willing to take a few risks to reunite with her siblings. But while disguising herself to sneak into homes and steal from the rich, Tamsin is caught by Garret Kildare, the second son of an earl. Much to Tamsin’s surprise, Garret doesn’t want to turn her in. He wants to help her. Though Tamsin’s wary—she’s learned to never trust supposed “good luck”—the unlikely pair form an alliance, one that quickly muddles their class differences.
Garret knows he must be careful. Falling for a woman of a lower class could be the nail in the coffin for his family’s tenuous social standing, and there are eyes everywhere. Ignoring their attraction proves impossible, though, and soon the lines they’ve drawn around their partnership begin to blur. As more focus lands on Tamsin and Garret, they wonder if their red-hot connection means giving up everything—and everyone—they’ve ever known.
Romance Historical [ Berkley, On Sale: June 9, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9798217188512 / eISBN: 9798217188529 ]
Fast-paced, Adventurous Regency Romance
Shana Galen is three-time Rita award nominee and the bestselling author of passionate Regency romps. Kirkus said of her books: "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun." RT Bookreviews described her writing as “lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time, surrounded by four cats and one spoiled dog. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making.
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