DANGEROUS ALLIANCE centers on Victoria Aston, a 19th century girl who loves Jane Austen’s novels so much, she believes life should turn out exactly like an Austen novel. But then Vicky's older sister and role model, Althea, escapes her abusive husband and starts divorce proceedings. To keep their family home safe from her brother-in-law, Vicky has to enter London’s society and find a husband of her own. She soon finds the charming Mr. Carmichael to be her best prospect, but as strange accidents start befalling Vicky and her family, and her former best friend, Tom Sherborne, starts expressing his doubts about Mr. Carmichael’s intentions, Vicky starts to realize her own life might be much more complicated than the books she loves. 

Can I say all of them, because (other than the bad guys) that’s pretty much true?! I will say that the characters who were always the most fun to write were Vicky and Tom’s brother Charles. Charles’s morals are greyer than some of the others and his sense of humor is snarkier, so it was always entertaining finding amusing yet annoying things for him to do and say. 

As a young girl, I fell in love with classics by Austen, the Brontës, Alcott, and Montgomery. I was always one for a great romantic plot and my interest in history led me to reading a lot of historical romance when I was in college. I came up with the first idea for DANGEROUS ALLIANCE right around that time. I’ve also always really enjoyed action/adventure and mystery stories and films. So as I started writing and plotting DANGEROUS ALLIANCE, I decided to write an homage to Austen and all the female authors I love while infusing some of those adventure and mystery tropes into a slightly genre-bending story that I would have enjoyed as a teen. 

I don’t know if any one song could describe my book, but one I know makes me think of DANGEROUS ALLIANCE is All for Love by Bryan Adams. 

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

I feel like DANGEROUS ALLIANCE is very much a tea time book. Sitting in front of a roaring fire with your tea of choice and a slice of cake or a scone with clotted cream and jam would be a perfect accompaniment! 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish DANGEROUS ALLIANCE? 

Absolutely! I would of course say any of Jane Austen’s novels, though I do think PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is perfect for anyone who hasn’t read Austen before. NORTHANGER ABBEY is also great for anyone looking for something shorter, and its plot is basically the reverse of what I did in DANGEROUS ALLIANCE. If anyone’s looking for another YA historical, THE LAST WORD by Samantha Hastings has a very similar feel and aesthetic to DANGEROUS ALLIANCE. 

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book? 

For me the hardest part is always sitting in that chair and getting the words down. It’s especially hard when you have no outside deadlines. I tend to do everything else (brainstorming, research, plotting) in an effort to avoid looking at that blank screen. 

What’s next for you?

I’m working on more historical young adult books—this time with a speculative element—but there’s nothing I can discuss in detail yet unfortunately!