I’m so excited to tell you a bit about my next series from Bethany House, which will begin in summer 2023. I know that sounds like a long way away, but in the publishing world, that’s how far ahead we plan, LOL. I just signed the contract a few weeks ago, and though I have three other books coming out in the meantime, I’ll start working on this one in just a few months. I’ve had a lot of people asking where I was going next, and the answer is finally here!

Here’s the idea for the series that I sent to my editor:

T H E   S E R I E S   C O N C E P T

The business cards can be found floating all around the most prestigious ballrooms and theaters, handed quietly from one gloved hand to the next. Whenever someone has a need to look into a fellow peer and doesn’t want to turn to the rabble of ordinary private investigators, the same name is whispered over and again: The Imposters, Ltd. Everyone assumes that this mysterious company of investigators must be talented actors who can, at least for a limited time, blend in among the ton while they find the sought-after secrets of the crème of society.

Little do they know that the Imposters are in fact two of their own—the esteemed brother and sister duo, Yates Fairfax, ninth Earl Fairfax, and his sister, Lady Marigold. Much like they don’t know that the Fairfaxes have turned to this work because of desperation—their father had squandered their wealth so completely with his constant seeking of diversions that they’re not only forced to earn money, but they’re even cooking their own food and dusting their own furniture. Only the four members of the Imposters know the truth—Yates, Marigold, and their friends Gemma and Graham. And no one else ever can.

Because knowing secrets can be just as dangerous as gathering them…especially when hearts become involved.

T H E   F I R S T   B O O K

Lady Marigold Fairfax is known throughout London for her audacious and seemingly endless collection of hats that grab the eye wherever she goes—the perfect cover for her clandestine work. She’s gained such a reputation that now only her hats have to appear somewhere, and everyone just assumes she’s with them; and “Lady M’s” whereabouts are reported in the gossip rags accordingly. Which means that her co-conspirator, Gemma, can make an appearance with a hat in one location while Marigold is in another, providing her with an alibi any time she does something risky. She’s completed countless jobs over the last five years, learning secrets about her peers that both sadden and enrage her. She and Yates are certainly not the only ones who wear a mask, and most are far more sinister than theirs. Then a new client hires them, and this time it’s personal. This time she and Yates have been tasked with digging into a good friend’s father.

She wants to believe that their client, Sir Merritt Livingstone, is only prying because he wants to make sure Livinia is a good match for him. But the more she learns, the more she wonders what the gentleman—himself rather mysterious—is really up to. Is he trying to join her friend’s father in his shady endeavors or stop them? And why does she begin to hope Sir Merritt has no interest in Livinia after all and that it’s Marigold he’s seeking out? But surely that’s a true fool’s errand. Because though she wears many hats—sister, friend, investigator, housekeeper, maid, and any disguise she has to don for her work—she knows better than to think wife will ever join the list, given their family’s fall from prosperity. But when the investigation takes a dangerous turn and her life is threatened, Sir Merritt proves why he was knighted with a streak of heroism that makes her believe once more that some well-kept secrets are noble. Will that be enough to bridge the gap between them?

The next books will follow her brother, Yates–Lord Fairfax–and then their friends Gemma and Graham. And they are going to be SO MUCH FUN. The means by which their father plunged them into debt–seeking entertainment and diversions–means that they grew up around actors and acrobats and circus performers, and of course these eager children picked up on the talents and skills of their constant guests. as well as their cast-off costumes and Edwardian era special effects. There will be hijinx and dering-do, acrobatics and theater gimmicks. There will be funny, clever excerpts from the dossiers they put together on their subjects and clients. And of course, there will be faith and romance.

This idea actually began years ago as a dream I had! I got up and wrote it down and have been letting it simmer for nearly three years now. I’m so excited to get to work on it in 2022, and I hope you’re excited to see what comes of it!

And because this is me, you’ll want to keep an eye out for some Easter eggs too…because you never know when some familiar faces and names may pop up among the society these new siblings are a part of! Who would you most like to see make a cameo appearance?