What is the title of your latest release?
HOW TO FAKE IT IN SOCIETY
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A quiet shopkeeper accidentally becomes incredibly rich and finds himself targeted by scammers–including a particularly charming conman pretending to be a French count…
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
It’s about Regency society, so had to be London!
Would you hang out with your heroes in real life?
The thing is, there are some people where you go out for a quiet drink at the pub (Titus) and there are some people where you go out for a quiet drink at the pub and then it’s 4am two days later and you’re in a different country (Nico) and I fear I’ve got too old for that.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Titus: quiet, reliable, alarmed. Nico: loud, erratic, alarming.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about the manufacture of artists’ paints. Specifically, just how poisonous and/or disgusting their ingredients are. Especially the one made from ground-up human bodies. No, really.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I’m a former editor, so I love editing more than writing! I like to loop through the MS, editing as I go, until I get to about two thirds of the way through, to make sure I’m in the right place to blaze for the end.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Cheese. Food of the gods.
Describe your writing space/office!
I’m lucky enough to have a writing shed at the bottom of the garden. I use a walking desk because my back hurts, so basically the shed contains a treadmill and desk, plus half a ton of books. I get a view of the apple tree outside, which is currently full of blue tits, and see the occasional fox.
Who is an author you admire?
So many, but Beverly Jenkins is the undisputed queen of historical romance.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Well, I wrote THE MAGPIE LORD for fun when I had small kids, and now I’m a full-time author with 40 novels under my belt, so I’d have to say that!
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.
Actually, the one that sticks for me was giving “the call” to someone else. I was an editor at Mills & Boon, and since I was attending a romance writers’ conference anyway, I realized I could tell an author I was working with in person. Which I did and I have never seen anyone cry so hard in my life. We had people rushing up thinking she’d just heard terrible news, and she was crying too much to explain what was going on. It was brilliant.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Romance, fantasy, historical. The ones I write!
What’s your favorite movie?
Casablanca. The pining! The bromance! The Marseillaise scene!
What is your favorite season?
Spring and Autumn. I’m a temperate-climate person.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I prefer to draw a veil over those…
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I came very late to podcasts so I’ve just glommed The Magnus Archives with great enjoyment. I finally managed to watch Murderbot, which was a pretty good adaptation of an all-time favorite series. And I really liked Yours Celestially by Al Hess, a completely wild SF romance with Biblically accurate angel.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
It entirely depends on mood, weather, and location! Though, probably the most consistently amazing food I’ve ever eaten was in Vietnam.
What do you do when you have free time?
Read, always read.
What can readers expect from you next?
I’ve a non-fiction writing advice book called THINK, WRITE, EDIT, ROMANCE coming out in December, and then a fantasy novel with Tor next year, so it’s all go.
HOW TO FAKE IT IN SOCIETY by KJ Charles
Bridgerton meets The Goldfinch in How to Fake It in Society, a stunning queer romance by rising genre star KJ Charles.
It is 1821 and Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte is making a splash in London Society. The son of Jeanne de Valois de La Motte, infamous for stealing a priceless diamond necklace meant for Marie Antoinette, Nico hopes to restore his wronged mother’s reputation, if only he can raise the funds. But he must operate with great secrecy, because the Bourbon dynasty murdered his mother, and he fears for his life.
At least, that’s what he tells Titus Pilcrow. Titus was a simple shopkeeper, making and selling artists’ paints, when he found himself suddenly married to an immensely wealthy woman who wanted to disinherit her nephew on her deathbed. As word spreads of his fortune, Titus finds himself a target of every scammer and beggar in London…including one Nicolas-Marc, Comte de Valois de La Motte.
Nico is on his last legs, out of money, and on the run from some terrifying gangsters. When Titus offers Nico a space in his household, it’s the perfect chance for him to exploit London’s newest golden purse–until he falls in love with the man he needs to cheat. Still, Nico is sure they can have a happy ending together. If he can just find his way out of his own web of lies…
Romance Historical | Romance LGBTQ [ Tor, On Sale: April 28, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250395917 / eISBN: 9781250395924 ]
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About KJ Charles
KJ is a writer of romance, mostly m/m, historical or fantasy or both. She blogs about writing and editing. She lives in London, UK, with her husband, two kids, and a cat of absolute night.
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