1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE QUEEN’S SPADE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Queen Charlotte from the Bridgerton series goes on a murderous rampage
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
History decided for me. Sarah Forbes Bonetta is a 19th century African princess given to Queen Victoria of England as a gift in the 1850s. Once I learned about her story, I just had to write her. I mean, why don’t we know about her? The world needs to know about her.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
LMAO I’d be too scared to say the wrong thing. She’s so Machiavellian and I’m a bit timid. I’d be terrified to piss her off.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Machiavellian, determined, ruthless
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I actually learned a lot about what life was like in 19th century Britain for BIPOC people and people of the working class. Even little things like how people groomed themselves. I also learned a bit too much about Queen Victoria’s complicated and very large royal family.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I can’t help but edit as I draft. I tend to be in my own head a lot, so I go back and re-write parts. Which is funny, because in the end I’ll end up doing entire re-writes after the whole thing is done anyway!
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
It used to be cupcakes but I’m a recovering cupcake addict and winning the battle day by day lol.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s my messy room. Or my office at the university I teach at, which is actually very clean and has some cute pillows for my couch. Yes, couch!
10--Who is an author you admire?
Lawrence Hill who wrote The Book of Negroes. He’s had to go through so many people who don’t get the title and have knee-jerk reactions that come from a place of ignorance or bigotry. He once came to my undergrad class and talked about how the American publisher had it published under a different title: Someone Knows My Name. He’s an award-winning Black author from my neck of the woods whose work continues to write and change lives even in the face of censorship.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
O.R. Melling’s The Hunter’s Moon. It was the first time I realized you could be a Canadian author and write a Final Fantasy as a YA book and get away with it.
12--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.
It was more like an email, and I was really happy when my editor was like, hey I want this book! And what I loved her enthusiasm for it and how she totally GOT the main character. I went “weee” afterwards.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Fantasy. It’s funny because The Queen’s Spade is my first non-fantasy book I’ve ever written.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I don’t think I have one. But I will say I just watched Sonic 3 in theatres and it as AWESOME.
15--What is your favorite season?
I find that if I say I have a favorite season, I’ll curse it and something bad will happen during that season. So I’ll say all seasons are seasons and forever they shall remain.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream. It HAS to be buttercream.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I watched Lovely Runner and Marry My Husband, both Korean dramas, and they were really enjoyable. Lovely Runner is more fluff, and Marry My Husband was time-travel-y and twisty.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Nigerian/Yoruba!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I watch anime or read manga to unwind these days.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I have two books coming out in 2025: The Queen’s Spade (January 14th) and in the fall, Livewire, the YA adaptation of the Valiant comic book. Then comes The Queen’s Spade’s companion novel in 2026! I’m a busy gal! You can keep track of everything at my website.
In this riveting historical thriller inspired by true-life events, Belladonna meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.
A young lady can take only so many injuries before humiliation and insult forge a vow of revenge. . . .
The year is 1862 and murderous desires are simmering in England. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial "humanitarianism," which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. From military men to political leaders, she’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions. The top of her list? Her godmother, Britain’s mighty monarch, Queen Victoria herself.
Taking down the Crown means entering into a twisted game of court politics and manipulating the Queen’s inner circle—even if that means aligning with a dangerous yet alluring crime lord in London’s underworld and exploiting the affections of Queen Victoria’s own son, Prince Albert, as a means to an end. But when Queen Victoria begins to suspect Sally’s true intentions, she plays the only card in Victorian society that could possibly cage Sally once again: marriage. Because if there’s one thing Sally desires more than revenge, it’s her freedom. With time running out and her wedding day looming, Sally’s vengeful game of cat and mouse turns deadly as she’s faced with the striking revelation that the price for vengeance isn’t just paid in blood. It means sacrificing your heart.
Inspired by the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, The Queen’s Spade is a lush and riveting historical thriller for fans of This Ravenous Fate, A Dowry of Blood, and Grave Mercy.
Young Adult Historical [Harper Collins, On Sale: January 14, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book , ISBN: 9780063344389 / ]
Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all.
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