Hello dear readers! We’re finally starting the read-a-long. Thank you for doing this little experiment with me.

This week we are reading Chapters 1-3. (Priest voice) That’s pages 3-51 in your American first edition physical paperbacks.

Next week, I’ll start doing recaps of the previous week’s reading just to refresh everyone’s memory as we go 🥳

Want to chat with other read-a-long readers? Join the Discord server.

To kick things off, here’s a little conversation with me and my editor, Anna Kaufman.

Thank you for doing this, Anna! For the civilians in the audience, can you describe what you do in your job as an editor?

Oh boy. An editor wears many hats: we read submissions, hopefully seeking the next magical book that will spark joy in our hearts, and – ideally – many others’; we advocate for our books and authors within the publishing house, trying to get everyone all riled up with excitement to push the books out into the world with as much fanfare as possible; we coordinate between all the different departments that need to collaborate to make a book publication happen; and sometimes, if we’re lucky, we get to actually EDIT! That’s my favorite part – working with an author to help them realize a book and make it the very best version of itself. But mostly I answer emails.

Do you remember my unhinged elevator pitch for the sequel to A Gentleman’s Gentleman, A Lady for All Seasons? I certainly don't, but I do remember being shocked that you seemed to like it. Am I misremembering? 

Haha, what I remember is that while we were working on A GENTLEMAN’S GENTLEMAN, I made a comment in the margins about how I wanted more of Verbena…hint hint, and you were like, well about that…hint hint, and eventually we stopped flirting like lesbian sheep [author’s note: scREAM] and got on the same page about actually continuing Verbena’s story, which I think in our hearts we both knew HAD to happen! And then you were like, and what if Lord Byron was there… I don’t think either of us expected he would turn into the character he did. #TeamByron #ProblematicFave

Since this is more fresh in your memory, what was the process like for you reading that first draft of A Lady? Why did you decide to make an offer on it? (Very glad you did, by the way!) 

I should not say this. Is your agent reading this? [author’s note: almost certainly not, Larissa is so booked and busy] I was all in, baby, even before that first full draft (see above). Reading the first draft I think I was simply relieved and delighted that what you had concocted was even more delightful and shenanigans-filled than I could have hoped – and our buddy Byron was a much better wingman.

Things in publishing move very slowly, so it's been approximately 5000 years since we started working on A Gentleman's Gentleman together. Has anything changed in the industry since then? 

Oh god. Well, first of all, I can barely remember last week…but desperately struggling to recollect, I think I’m a little surprised that the rom-com book bubble hasn’t burst, and in fact it’s only grown. That’s great, because I love these kinds of books, but it does mean that each individual title needs to do more to stand out. Fortunately, as we know YOU are the funniest and most charming author on the planet – and while to my great delight the number of queer historicals has massively increased, I still think you are giving voice to queer characters who don’t usually get to play in that space.

To take things back even further, to like, the Mesozoic Era when I was a teenager (the ‘90s) – I remember a time when I could, and would, read pretty much every single queer book that came out. I could not do that today if I tried; there’s such a rich array, I could never find the time and instead get to decide that some may not be for me. Bliss! So those of us lucky enough to be inside the industry need to ensure this continues, even in a time of frustrating cultural pushback. I want there to continue to be far too many queer stories for even the most ravenous reader to ever get through.

Any books you're excited to have come out in the future? Besides A Lady for All Seasons, of course. 

Ahh, don’t make me choose between my children! Restraining myself to three in 2026: MONSTER OF A LAND by Lauren Hough is the modern, queer TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY I hope all of y’all didn’t know you needed; ANOTHER NAME FOR RED by Amber Blaeser-Wardzala is a deeply personal literary mystery about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, that’s also a beautiful celebration of family and community; and THE WATSONS by Claudia Gray is a cozy and clever continuation of Jane Austen’s sadly unfinished manuscripts about a family of impoverished siblings trying to choose between financial security and romantic love in classic Austenian fashion—balls! pining! love confessions! etc!

Hopefully that assortment offers something for everyone to read and enjoy – AFTER reading our LADY, of course!