1–What is the title of your latest release? SOME TOUCH OF MADNESS 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Regency-era writer and dagger-wielding badass Miss Emmeline St. Germaine is the kind of woman you want on your side in a fight. But when her rights are stripped from her and she is sent to an asylum where murder is afoot, with enemies all around her, will she figure out whom to fight, and how? 3—Some Touch of Madness is a sequel to A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder; first, tell us a little about Book #1, and then, how did it being a sequel affect your writing of Some Touch of Madness? A GENTLEWOMAN’S GUIDE TO MURDER started with Miss Emmeline St. Germaine, who is determined to right wrongs in her Regency England society. She and her band of women – who call themselves the Crones – rescue abused scullery maids and young ladies being forced into unwanted marriages. Murder hits too close to home, and to save herself from being suspected and perhaps hanged for the crime, she needs to unearth the perpetrator. Some Touch of Madness finds Emmeline still advocating for the abused, but also in peril herself…

MURDER AT THE MAJESTIC HOTEL Copyright © 2022 Clare McKenna, Excerpt with Permission from Kensington   Stella rested her cheek against the pillow as Lyndy traced the length of her neck with hot, gentle kisses. She shifted to capture his lips with her own, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him to her. She couldn’t get close enough. “Bugger off the pair of ya!” A door slammed, and someone began pounding on it from outside in the hall. The hostility jolted Stella upright. Flashes of her father’s temper flooded her with emotions she hadn’t had to face in days—grief, guilt, fear. But Lyndy’s warmth as he wrapped his arm around her bare shoulders, pulling her protectively to him, eased it all away. “Horace, please,” a woman’s voice pleaded. “We need to speak with you.” “Confound it, Uncle, what’s going on?” a man’s voice demanded. The pounding continued. “Bloody hell,” Lyndy whispered as he flung the bedclothes off. For a moment, the sight of his skin, the well-formed muscles in his back glistening with sweat in the glow of the fire, made her forget there was an altercation taking place a few feet from their door. Then curiosity overcame…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE WINTER GARDEN 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A woman looking for a fresh start is haunted by the parallel life of a Tudor woman with secrets to reveal. 3–How did you decide to write about the Gunpowder Plot? As a historian, I’m always drawn to the women from the footnotes of the historical record. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 is such a male-dominated story on the surface. All the conspirators were men, and you seldom hear about the women whose lives were also affected by it. I wanted to find out about them and write about the turbulent Tudor years preceding the plot from their point of view. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’d be very happy to hang out with both my contemporary and my historical protagonist. Lucy, the present-day heroine, is trying to recover from a serious illness and build a new life. She’s a musician and I’d love to chat to her about everything from Mozart to history to the importance of family ties. Anne Catesby, my historical heroine, is someone with whom I identified closely when I was writing…

1–What is the title of your latest release? SECRETS OF THE NILE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, have joined his formidable mother on a holiday to visit the exotic treasures of Egypt. Their host, Lord Bertram Deeley, is a renowned amateur British collector of antiquities, who has invited his closest friends on a lavish cruise up the Nile to his home at Luxor. But on the first night of their journey, he suddenly collapses after offering a welcome toast, a victim of cyanide poisoning. Who amongst this group of his nearest and dearest would want to kill their generous host? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Egypt has fascinated me since I was a little girl, and my parents took me to the Tutankhamun exhibit at Chicago’s Field Museum. It was also an enormously popular destination for Edwardian travelers, so it made perfect sense to send Emily there. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Absolutely! We’d sit around eating Stilton and drinking port. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Intelligent, elegant, loyal 6–What’s something you learned while writing this…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MURDER AT THE SERPENTINE BRIDGE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? In this latest addition to my Wrexford & Sloane Regency-set historical mystery series, Charlotte and her husband, Lord Wrexford, find themselves caught up in a dangerous intrigue when the prototype for a revolutionary new weapon goes missing from a British military research laboratory during a gala international celebration that has brought the major European leaders to London. The weapon is being offered by secret auction to the highest bidder, and when the government asks Wrexford and Charlotte to help in recover it, they and their quirky inner circle of family and friends must outwit a cunning villain to prevent the situation from exploding into all-out war. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Real history gave me a more perfect setting for this mystery than I would have dared dream up on my own! The Peace Celebrations, held during the summer of 1814, was a non-stop two-week party filled with glittering balls, spectacular fireworks, mock naval battles on the lake in Hyde Park, horse races at Royal Ascot and champagne-fueled banquets and entertainments. The…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Anna Lee Huber! Writes: Anna Lee Huber writes novels that explore the mysteries of the past and the secrets of the heart. Her award-winning historical mystery series are intricately researched, beautifully written, and filled with twists and turns; but a rich and nuanced portrayal of human relationships lies at the heart of the stories. Her Verity Kent series takes place after the Great War and features a former British intelligence agent and her dashing war-hero husband, Sidney, who are working to rebuild their marriage after four years of separation and the heartbreak of a world war. Unfortunately, the intrigue doesn’t end with the armistice, and they find themselves ever drawn into murderous inquiries that not only threaten their friends and allies, but also the world’s fragile peace. About: USA Today bestselling author, Anna Lee Huber, was born and raised, and currently resides in the Great Lakes. She is a mother, a musician, a children’s choir director, a cat-lover, and a chaos organizer. She enjoys…

1–What is the title of your latest release? FLORA FLOWERDEW AND THE MYSTERY OF THE DUKE’S DIAMONDS!  A bit of a mouthful, but it suits this first in a new mystery series—a bit silly, a bit romantic, a bit caper-ish.  I loved writing it! 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Flora Flowerdew has a secret. The former Florrie Gubbins, music hall dancer, is now Madame Flowerdew, one of London’s most renowned spirit mediums. But it’s actually her beloved Pomeranian dog, Chou-Chou, who can see the ghosts. One of her most lucrative seances, for the wealthy Petrie family whose daughter is about to marry a handsome young duke, goes chaotically awry. The duke’s late, and very irate, grandfather demands Flora and his grandson Benedict find the long-missing family diamonds—even the search becomes littered with mayhem and murder! Can Flora discover the jewels before she loses her career, her sanity—and her heart? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I’ve always been a big fan of reading steampunk stories!  And even though “Flora…” isn’t steampunk (she lives in a very real Victorian London) I thought some of that foggy, gaslit atmosphere was just right 4–Would…

MISS ALDRIDGE REGRETS is set in 1936. What made you choose that time period? Originally, I was thinking of setting this book just after WWII, but I changed my mind because I love the glamour of the 1930s so much. I love the music of that era, which felt important since Lena is a jazz singer. Of course, I also really enjoy reading stories set in that period, Amor Towles’ RULES OF CIVILITY, for example. When I started writing the novel, back in 2019, I was also interested in how world politics back then could be compared to what’s been happening more recently.   I like mysteries set on ships or other settings in which the characters are kind of stuck in one place. What made you choose a ship for your setting – specifically the Queen Mary? MISS ALDRIDGE REGRETS started off as a short story about a jazz singer who witnesses a murder and then has to leave London. At the end of that story, she is on her way to board a ship to New York, but everyone who read it was more interested in what was going to happen to her on the ship than what…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MURDER AT THE MASKED BALL 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? When a dear friend is suspected of murdering an earl in 1923 London, intrepid debutante Kitty Worthington jumps in to investigate. Can she catch the killer before her friend dances one last jig at the end of a noose? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I set my mysteries in early 1920s London because the British post-Great War era, with its myriad of challenges, intrigues me. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Absolutely! Kitty Worthington has an irreverent sense of humor, and she constantly challenges societal mores. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? She’s smart, courageous, honorable, and kind. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? The historical aspects of family planning issues in 1920s England. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I divide my books into 4 parts. Each part is roughly 10 chapters. I write and edit each part before moving on to the next one. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Popcorn with lots of butter. 9–Describe…

1–What is the title of your latest release? IN PLACE OF FEAR 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Death stalks the streets of Edinburgh at the birth of the NHS. In this city of lawyers, who will risk a scandal in the name of justice? 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Easy – my home city. 4–Would you hang out with your sleuth in real life? Oh, in a heartbeat. I love her. But I wasn’t alive in 1948. 5–What are three words that describe your sleuth? Upstart, bewildered, determined 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? From contemporary accounts: of all the odorous places in this district of the city – tanning sheds, brewery, distillery, stables, slaughterhouse – the confectionary factory was the stinkiest of all. 7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? Answer: I wait till I’m done. I don’t even read as I go along. 8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? See’s Candy. 9–Describe your writing space/office! The color scheme is seafoam and terra cotta (my favorite) and it’s full of books – both mine and other people’s – and full of the…