Launch days are my favorite days because now everyone can read the book I have been working so hard to write and promote!
The last installment of The Countess Chronicles, The Husband Plot is now available at your favorite book retailer!
This is my favorite book so far, and that’s not just because it is the most recent project I have worked on. Ever since I introduced Lisbeth in The Ideal Countess, I knew her book would be special, and once I started building Adrian’s character, he sparked a special chemistry with the story. I hope that everyone who reads it agrees!
To celebrate the release of The Husband Plot, I have been reflecting on some of the books and TV shows that influenced me while I was writing it. As far as historical romance goes, Adrian’s name (subconsciously) came straight from Courtney Milan’s After the Wedding - once I realized that, I tried out a few alternatives, but Adrian had already taken up too much space in my mind to change his name. I also thought about Julia Quinn’s The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever while writing a specific bookstore scene. You’ll know what I mean when you get there!
I also watch a lot of television, so it is inevitable that those shows influence my writing, too. The most obvious is Married at First Sight, which is a reality TV show about strangers who get married the moment they meet after being matched by “relationship experts.” I started watching it after starting the first draft of The Husband Plot and realizing I was writing a married at first sight premise. (In a similar vein, I have watched Love is Blind on Netflix multiple times and I cannot wait for the next season.)
Perhaps less obviously, I also count The Office as one of my TV influences. Yes, it is a modern comedy show rather than...anything...to do with historical romance. However, as a megafan, I’ve been listening to The Office Ladies podcast, and they talk about a theory that 90% of each episode could be comedy by 10% needed to speak to the characters’ emotions, whether that was moving along the Jim-Pam storyline or revealing some of Michael’s vulnerabilities. I know that my favorite historical romances are romance plus something else - mystery, comedy, or social commentary. So I tried to use this 90-10 rule in The Husband Plot as I investigated Adrian and Lisbeth’s relationships with slavery.
I am curious to hear from readers whether they pick up on any of these influences as they read - and let me know if you have recommendations for what I should watch next!