Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1)(88)

Piracy was a very real threat to British ships in the 1700s, although it was mostly curtailed by the British Navy during Jane Austen’s lifetime. Nonetheless, piracy wasn’t unheard of during the early 1800s—and who’s to say that an exceptionally clever woman couldn’t have found a way to outmaneuver the British Navy?

While most of the historical inaccuracies are intentional, some may be unintentional—in which case, those mistakes are completely my own. I hope Jane doesn’t mind that I brought a modern, feminist sensibility to her time period and characters, although I can’t possibly imagine what she would have thought about the murders.





Acknowledgments


Thank you to my wonderful agent, Taylor Martindale Kean. Your excitement for this series has sustained me through the hard writing days, and your support over the years means the world. Thank you also to Stefanie Sanchez Von Borstel for stepping in when needed, and the entire Full Circle Literary team.

I’m so grateful to my editor Claudia Gabel for shepherding me through this process, and for all of the patience and hard work it took to help me polish off this novel. Thank you for your invaluable insight, sharp eye, and for always encouraging me to amp up the romantic tension! Thank you to Stephanie Guerdan for helping to keep me organized, your wonderful suggestions, and offering comments on early drafts that made me laugh. Many thanks to the entire HarperTeen team for helping bring Pride and Premeditation to life: Sona Vogel, Jessica Berg, Jess Phoenix, Filip Hodas, and Corina Lupp for such a gorgeous cover! And thanks to all of the people behind the scenes who I’ve not had the pleasure of interacting with directly who have worked hard to transform this story from a Word document to a real book.

I’d be nowhere without my writing community and dear friends who keep me sane and inspire me to keep writing. Thank you to Monica Roe for always being ready and willing to read anything and talk through plot points, and thanks to Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Anna Drury Secino for a text chain full of entertaining GIFs and pep talks. Thank you to Kristin Sandoval, who is always enthusiastic and full of great advice. I’m so grateful to the entire Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA community, particularly my Craftographers, who made me feel like a real writer for the first time and who are some of the best people around. Thank you also to the 21ders debut group—it’s a privilege to be on this journey with you.

Thank you to all the wonderful libraries and bookstores who connect books with readers! I’m so lucky to have worked with Miriam Andrus, Chris Cook, and Emalie Schuberg—and I’m glad my library family was present when I got the news that Pride and Premeditation would be published. Thanks to Jenny Kinne at Books & Mortar for your early support and excitement, and mountains of gratitude ought to be heaped upon my fellow Book Rioters for all they do to support me and books everywhere.

Thank you to my amazing family, especially my parents, who didn’t seem overly concerned when I announced that I wanted to be a writer, and told me that if anyone could make it happen, it would be me. Thank you to my partner, Tab, who keeps me fed and watered and always makes sure my laptop is plugged in. You’re simply the best.

And most importantly—thank you to Jane Austen for writing six wonderful novels that have brought so many people such enjoyment for over two hundred years. I’m sorry about all the murders.