Now, withA Duke, The Lady, and a Baby,Riley is making her print debut.
EW debuts the cover for the novel, which hits shelves in July, below.
Amidst a cloud of suspicion, shes lost everything, including her fortune and her son Lionel.
Credit: Kensington Books
Strangely, it wasnt a historical figure or a real secret organization of widows that inspired this novel.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Your books are always so rich with historical detail.
I was watchingFirst Wives Club[the movie].
Kensington Books
That was somewhat of the genesis of it.
Often those women got married and like two or three days after their husband was killed in battle.
Because it was the only way to protect themselves.
The situation is really difficult.Its similar to divorcees that are trying to start over.
Its an interesting group of women.
Ive read so many stories of horror stories of guardians taking the children.
They need Lady Russell or Violet Crawley to tell them what to do.
This novel introduces us to the Widows Grace, a secret society of widows fighting back against society.
The help comes because women are helping women.
I love writing, right?
Thats my time to jam on the keyboards.
Im pretty much a rigorous person with scheduling.
Its a thrill to get the words on the page.
I pace myself to figure out when things need to be turned in.
Im religious about word counts.
I use metrics to figure out where I am and where I need to be in the story.
I keep pace on that.
Similarly, your previous covers have all featured models.
This is an illustrated cover.
So, first off, were you excited about that?
I met with the art directors earlier this year.
I wanted something different.
This is a little lighter series than Ive written to date.
I wanted to show the fun but yet have some intrigue.
The cover is amazing.
I take my hat off to their vision.
Theyre listening to me.
There are clues hidden to the story in the cover.
Its a great representation for how the series is going to be written.
Theres intrigue in that cover.
Its very inviting, with the color and stuff like that.
Was the bright yellow your choice?That may not have been my choice (Laughs).
But I love it.
You ever go shopping with a friend, right?
And theyre like, Oh, try this dress.
You put it on.
Its like, Wow, I would never have done this.
But I love it.
Its just so vibrant, and its got so much life to it.
Its a beautiful cover.
Is the illustrated factor also part of signaling that its lighter than your previous books?Yes.
The very last book,The Bewildered Bride, was a heavy lift.
It was dealing with some of the consequences of violence against women.
This is a lighter, lighter story.
Im an emotional writer, so it still has the emotional part to it.
Faith is an important part of your novels.
Its this element that says, Im going to be okay.
Its the thing that helps guide you morally, spiritually.
With this particular book, you get to see Patiences worldview because shes coming from the West Indies.
Shes bringing some of the gods that they worship into the scenario.
Then you have Busick Strathmore, the Duke of Repington.
Hes coming from the Anglican world, and hes bringing his faith into this.
You get a little bit of a battle of how theyre tested.
Thats a theme that everyone needs.
Your book is the story of a nanny and a guardian.
My hero is completely alpha.
Hes a reformed rake, but hes trying to live differently.
Hes trying to listen to his better angels.
The power dynamic of a duke and a nanny that was very present in my mind.
The change in their relationship from employer to something romantic has to be something that is mutually agreed upon.
For the most part, [it] needs to be her choice [and] her initiation.
My mother stressed that we read the classics.
So we were very much a Shakespearean, Emerson, Thoreau kind of household.
These really clever situations where you had people who are opposites, but they werent really opposites.
I lovePride and Prejudice,Persuasion,andEmma.Then I get toSanditon,and Im like, Im home.
You have a West Indian mulatto Miss Lambe.
Shes the wealthiest woman in the book, and people are scheming to marry her.
Jane Austen is a contemporary writer; shes writing what shes seeing.
This was a common thing.
Theres a whole piece that frankly has been missing.
Im glad to attempt to fill in the gap because its very diverse.
If you go back to its roots, and Jane Austen, its actually diverse.
