1–What is the title of your latest release? DANGER ON THE ATLANTIC 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Jane Wunderly and her handsome companion Redvers take a transatlantic cruise to uncover a German spy, and wind up embroiled in the disappearance from the ship of a wealthy socialite’s husband. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? When I started the series, I had a sort of mental list of fun places or things that were associated with the 1920’s, and a transatlantic cruise was one of them. It was a golden age for large ships like this, and it was fun to write as a setting. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Oh, absolutely. We would have a fantastic time laughing over a few cocktails. I’m a little sorry she’s not real, actually. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? I’m so tempted to write tall, dark, and handsome, but I’m going to restrain myself. Instead, I’ll say Redvers is mysterious, smart, and compassionate. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I learned that the ship I set this on—the Olympic—had actual Turkish baths on board for…

  1–What is the title of your latest release? Murder at the Mansions   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A block of flats in 1920s London has all the modern conveniences . . . including murder. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The main character, Olive, has just moved into a service flat in London—think Whitehaven Mansions in the Poirot television show, and you’ll have a good idea of what I pictured as her new home. I read up on service flats and decided it would be a great setting for Olive’s next adventure. I’d written several country house mysteries in the series. Why not a mystery set in her new flat? The setting brought together a mix of characters with secrets and interesting backstories. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? Yes! I can see us going to tea at Harrods then Olive could give me a tour of London. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Determined, optimistic, energetic 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? I discovered all sorts of interesting things about service flats and well as trains. Olive has to chase…

1–What is the title of your latest release? Dead Dead Girls 2–What is it about? Dead Dead Girls is a prohibition-era about a tiny, tired Black lesbian who is forced into solving crime. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love the vibrancy and how alive the 1920s were. Even when the world was reeling, postwar, there is a generation that still grew and thrived on their own terms. 4–How did your main character(s) surprise you?  My main character, Louise Lloyd, surprised me by being so confident and determined. She is put into many different situations and still manages to come through as herself and stronger. 5–Why will readers relate to your characters?  I think readers will relate to my characters because they’re human. They get to make mistakes and have fun and be wrong and right. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  One of the biggest challenges while writing this book was getting the vibes exactly right. I was trying to get myself in the headspace of a woman who was born nearly a century before me, and has lived a completely different life. It’s impossible to…

How does a 17th-century British historian move from mead and murder ballads to cocktails and speakeasies? When I first announced my new series, The Speakeasy Murders set in 1929 Chicago, I was met with excitement and some questions. Why the big jump? After all, my first series was set in mid 17th century London. Some people, very sweetly, even asked if Gina Ricci (my new protagonist) was the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Lucy Campion (my original 17th-century protagonist)! I get the questions. I mean, on the one hand, as someone who has taught world history from the beginning of recorded time to present day, I can assure you that 260 years is not very long timespan at all! But on the other hand, the Roaring Twenties probably seems a thousand years away from the 1660s, with its decimating plague, religious warfare, and the Great Fire (After all, I used to half-joke that contemporaries referred to 1666 as the “Devil’s year.”) Socially, culturally, politically—these are very distinct eras, and I approached researching my new series very differently. While I did seek to familiarize myself through scholarly books with the general trends of the 1920s, and Chicago more specifically, I also spent a lot…