Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today: History. Mystery. Heroines worth falling for. From windswept battlefields to candlelit conspiracies, Edale Lane crafts sapphic historical fiction, mysteries, and fantasy brimming with action, romance, and intrigue. An award-winning author with an MA in history, she brings every era to life with rich detail, unforgettable women, and stories where love and danger walk hand in hand.
Thanks so much, Edale, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Edale Lane: Typically, it takes me four to six weeks to complete a book, cover to cover. Two weeks for editing and formatting, and I try to have a new release every couple of months. However, some of my historical fantasy novels, exceeding 120k words, have taken longer. Likewise, I can pump out a short story or novella in about a week or two.
JSC: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
EL: In the modern world, I can’t conceive of writing a book without a computer and the internet. Back in the Stone Age, when I started, everything was done in notebooks with pencil and eraser, a dictionary and a thesaurus at my side. Research meant buying books or taking a trip to the library. While I still buy research books and take trips to libraries, my process has been greatly aided and accelerated with word processing and having all the information in the world at my fingertips. If you make your own covers, Canva, BookBrush, and Deposit Photos, or equivalent programs/services, are very helpful. For formatting, I recommend Velum or Atticus.
JSC: What was one of the most surprising things you’ve learned in writing your books?
EL: It’s been a while now, but I ran across something when writing Chaos in Milan, The Nightflyer book 3, that I would have never guessed existed. The Church of San Bernardino alle Ossa in Milan, Italy, whose origins date to the fourth century, has a bone chapel attached. The ossuary, added in 1210, had become an attraction by the Renaissance for my characters to visit. The chapel is decorated entirely in bones—skulls, long bones, small bones, arranged in patterns, frames, towering up high walls, over windows and doorframes—human bones everywhere. I found that surprising, unusual, and macabre. If you ever travel to Milan and want to see something you probably won’t find anywhere else, remember that name.
JSC: What advice do you wish you’d had before releasing your first story?
EL: Never, ever, under any circumstances, pay any outfit to publish your book. No vanity presses. No “legit” publishing houses that require you to contribute money to have your book published. Big red flag—stay away, no matter what they promise. Lies, all lies, and totally unnecessary when there are so many ways to self-publish for free now.
JSC: What were your goals and intentions in Arsonist’s Match, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
In Arsonist’s Match, I wanted to continue Flash and Athena’s story, build their relationship, and give them more fires and crimes to tackle. I used a serial arsonist case to bring them together professionally as well as personally. One thing I had envisioned from the start was the opening two-chapter scene of Flash fighting a wildfire. By the end, I think I was successful in having the characters work through some potentially relationship-killing issues woven into the backdrop of a compelling whodunit.
JSC: What secondary character would you like to explore more? Tell me about them.
The tech specialist on Athena’s FBI team, John Paulson, would be an interesting character to explore. Paulson, a career agent, took a bullet in the back in the line of duty, leaving him in a wheelchair. Don’t think he lets that slow him down. He’s been an integral member of the team since book one and is a knowledgeable, experienced agent whom Athena relies on.
JSC: What was the weirdest thing you had to Google for your story?
I was in constant research mode while writing this book, from the most modern techniques in fighting wildfires to the differences between firestarting, pyromania, and arson. One off-the-wall thing I looked up was the instances of abandoned buildings in Houston, what is done about them, and how long the process takes. So, if you ever wonder when somebody will tear down that decrepit structure in your neighborhood, the answer might be “not in your lifetime.”
JSC: What pets are currently on your keyboard, and what are their names? Pictures?
Piper! My almost three-year-old Havanese, who is also the inspiration for the character Snuffles in Arsonist’s Match. If you think watchdogs have to be big, think again. Piper is ten pounds of fearless protection—from inside the window.
JSC: What’s your drink of choice?
Iced tea with lemon. No, coffee with chocolate mint creamer. Usually both. I’ve also developed a taste for Growers’ pear ciders. Yum!
JSC: What are you working on now, and what’s coming out next? Tell us about it!
Ooooh, I’m excited about this! Frost and Iron, The Ashland Chronicles, Book One. Imagine a world a hundred years into the future, forty-five years after the bombs fall. (Do you think we’ll make it to 2074 before we blow ourselves up?) North America has been divided into five established countries with dead zones along the Eastern Seaboard and Mad Max wild wastelands in the prairies, not altogether unlike Game of Thrones without dragons. Beautiful Queen Azaleen Frost has a reputation for being an actual ice queen. Will Lark, a peerless acrobat, archer, and fighter from a small town, have what it takes to thaw the queen’s frozen heart? Political commentary, battle action, vivid worldbuilding, and a cast of believable characters drive this hopefully realistic dystopian tale of love and resilience. Sapphic age-gap, ice queen, rich girl/poor girl romance with bonus LGBTQ characters and villains you’ll love to hate.
And now for Edale’s new book: Arsonist’s Match:
One match. One mistake. One shot to stop a killer.
Arsonist’s Match, by award-winning, best-selling author Edale Lane, picks up where Cash Target left off.
Firefighter Flash Cash doesn’t back down—not from burning buildings or from an international hitman trying to silence her. However, readjusting after all that happened isn’t easy. When a harrowing new blaze raises red flags, she takes her suspicions to her girlfriend—FBI Agent Athena Bouvier.
Athena isn’t easily rattled. Cool under pressure and razor-sharp, she’s built a career on reading criminals—and hiding her own vulnerabilities. But when a series of calculated arsons rocks Houston, Athena finds herself juggling her professional responsibilities and the deepening bond she shares with the courageous firefighter.
As the city ignites with new threats and old secrets, Flash and Athena join forces to stop a cunning arsonist who always seems one step ahead. With lives on the line and tensions rising, they’ll risk everything to put out the flames. If they’re not careful, their romance—and their futures—could go up in smoke.
Arsonist’s Match is a sapphic romantic thriller featuring strong women, slow-burning trust, and a pulse-pounding investigation that tests love and loyalty. If you like fast-paced danger, emotionally complex leads, and crime stories where the women save the day, then grab your gear—this ride gets hot!
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Excerpt
Athena watched the women wind through tables of other patrons toward the door and figured she had five or ten minutes before they’d be back. She licked her bottom lip and was biting it, a pensive expression on her face, when Cam touched her hand. “What’s wrong? I thought you caught the bad guys?”
“I did, but …” Athena cast a doubtful gaze at Cam. “What if Flash is avoiding me? I mean, she’s been taking extra shifts and then volunteered to run off for a week to fight a wildfire in California. What if she regrets getting together with me and wants to move on, only she doesn’t want to hurt my feelings by telling me so?”
“What fantasy world are you living in, girl?” Cam angled herself to face her. “There’s no one dumb enough to dump a catch like you.”
The laugh that spilled from Athena’s lips was as genuine as it was humorless. “Cam, you’re sweet, but I’m not thirty anymore. I’m almost forty-five, bossy as hell, and just as tangled in a dangerous job as she is. Between her shift schedule and my cases, we’ve only gotten to spend a few nights together at my place in Piney Point Village since she moved back into her loft.”
“But she took you to meet her parents at Galveston Beach,” Cam reminded her in a comforting tone. “She wouldn’t do that if she wanted to break up with you.”
“That was a month ago.”
“Come on and spill,” Cam coaxed, her eyes dancing with the request. “Is she as terrific in bed as I imagine?”
The corners of Athena’s lips quirked up, and she felt heat rising in her cheeks. “Oh, yes, and then some. At first, when I was hurt—”
“Because you got smacked by your own SUV?”
“Very funny,” Athena deadpanned. “Anyway, she started out so tender and attentive, did all the work, made sure I was comfortable and satisfied. But once the doctor declared me a hundred percent, the tiger burst free and, my God, Cam, I had no idea any of that was possible!”
“Good for you, sweetie.” The glow of Cam’s smile told Athena she meant it.
“But I’m afraid I can’t keep up,” Athena worried. “We haven’t even been on a proper date yet, and—OK—she asked me to babysit Snuffles while she’s away, and that’s a big deal. She really loves that dog. Am I imagining things? You know I never cared before. If a woman wasn’t into me, that was her loss, not mine. But it’s different with Flash. I want to keep her.”
“Honey, she wouldn’t leave that puppy with you if she didn’t trust you more than Jesus,” Cam replied with assurance in her tone. “Do you think maybe there’s something else she’s trying to avoid besides you?”
Athena scratched a spot behind her ear, then smoothed down her hair. In confusion, she asked, “Like what?”
“Are her extra shifts at Firehouse Eight?”
“No, she’s just been filling in elsewhere,” Athena answered thoughtfully.
“And didn’t a friend of hers get blown up there, and another one lose his arm?”
“Oh, man,” Athena emitted with a sigh. “We’ve talked, and she shares her feelings with me, if she’s had a nightmare, but … Flash’s identity is wrapped up in being tough, invincible. She might not even realize that’s what she’s doing, but I’ll bet, whenever she walks in that building, she’s hit with flashbacks and tightness in her chest. She said she didn’t need counseling, that everything was fine.” But Athena understood the weight people carried was rarely visible until it cracked the surface.
Cam shook her head. “When I was younger, before I met you, I worked at a construction job. I saw a fellow get crushed when a crane’s chain broke, and a steel beam fell on him. I didn’t even know the guy, and it haunted me for a long time. No way she’s fine. But, like you say, she can’t accept anything she views as a weakness, so it’ll take all your smarts to handle this right.”
Athena nodded, picturing the bravest, strongest woman she’d ever met, and how devastated she had been right after the explosion. “Thanks, Cam.”