The Queen’s Spade and Ugly Rage by Sarah Raughley

Hello Women Writers. Have you ever wanted to rage?

I have. Oh so many times. Let’s see. When I’m told I’m a hag because I haven’t gotten married or had kids yet. Oh, when I’m shamed every year I get older. Oh, also that time I was on CNN and the only response a man in my life had was that I should’ve smiled more. Oh, oh, and every time some bigot runs into my DMs to tell me to stop talking about politics; it’s not nice.

It’s even worse being a Black woman. If you rage, people are automatically afraid of you. They call you an Angry Black Woman and that basically validates the unholy hell they will soon unleash upon you, from bullying to shaming to outright violence. The message society gives us is clear: as a woman, you’re not really a human. Like, not really.

That’s not surprising. I mean white women only gained the right to vote in the early 20th century. In 1861, white women were deemed “The Household General” in Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. Angels of the home whose only duty was to run her domestic home and nuclear family perfectly with a genteel smile. Sounds suffocating doesn’t it?

And yet even white women were treated a score better than Black women in Britain in 1861, even the princesses. Even Sarah Forbes Bonetta, the adopted African daughter of Queen Victoria who was essentially kidnapped from Africa and presented to Queen Victoria as a gift. A gift! A possession! Ew!

When I heard about her story, I was certainly angry. But what truly made me rage was the fact that I had never heard about her story before. The story of Britain’s African princess was not taught in schools. She was lauded as an example of Britain’s multicultural imperial providence, but then promptly erased as if her life meant nothing. Now, that is cause for rage.

That is cause for a book.

I wrote The Queen’s Spade as a what-if. What if Sarah Forbes Bonetta, forced to assimilate into elite British society as Britain’s favorite tool for colonial propaganda, actually put her sharp mind to making the people who disregarded her humanity pay in creative and horrifying ways? What if she wanted revenge? That’s how my YA/adult crossover historical thriller began. And as I wrote it, I realized that as my character was finding an outlet for her rage, I was finding an outlet for mine.

Look, if you’re a woman and you’re mad at the world, you’re not weird. There’s too much to be mad about. So much injustice. It’d be weirder if you weren’t. And telling people to just smile, be happy and be nice is giving Karen energy.

Don’t be a Karen.

Have you ever wanted to rage? Good. Me too.

So rage.

—

Sarah Raughley is the Nigerian-Canadian author of the Effigies series and the Bones of Ruin trilogy. An AuroraAward finalist, Raughley is also an English pro-fessor and public intellectual who has written for journals such as the Walrus, CBC, and Teen Vogue. Her creative work is inspired by a messy confluence of experiences, from being a huge fan girl blerd to being a postcolonial researcher and academic. You can find out more about her work at sarahraughley.com.

THE QUEEN’S SPADE

“You will bow before this queen.” —Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of Night of the Witch

“Revenge and justice have never been so satisfying!” — Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles

In this riveting historical thriller inspired by true-life events, Belladonna meets Bridgerton as revenge, romance, and twisted secrets take center stage in Victorian England’s royal court when Sally, a kidnapped African princess and goddaughter to Queen Victoria, plots her way to take down the monarchy that stole her from her homeland.

A young lady can take only so many injuries before humiliation and insult forge a vow of revenge. . . .

The year is 1862 and murderous desires are simmering in England. Nineteen-year-old Sarah Bonetta Forbes (Sally), once a princess of the Egbado Clan, desires one thing above all else: revenge against the British Crown and its system of colonial “humanitarianism,” which stole her dignity and transformed her into royal property. From military men to political leaders, she’s vowed to ruin all who’ve had a hand in her afflictions. The top of her list? Her godmother, Britain’s mighty monarch, Queen Victoria herself.

Taking down the Crown means entering into a twisted game of court politics and manipulating the Queen’s inner circle—even if that means aligning with a dangerous yet alluring crime lord in London’s underworld and exploiting the affections of Queen Victoria’s own son, Prince Albert, as a means to an end. But when Queen Victoria begins to suspect Sally’s true intentions, she plays the only card in Victorian society that could possibly cage Sally once again: marriage. Because if there’s one thing Sally desires more than revenge, it’s her freedom. With time running out and her wedding day looming, Sally’s vengeful game of cat and mouse turns deadly as she’s faced with the striking revelation that the price for vengeance isn’t just paid in blood. It means sacrificing your heart.

Inspired by the true story of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, Queen Victoria’s African goddaughter, The Queen’s Spade is a lush and riveting historical thriller for fans of This Ravenous Fate, A Dowry of Blood, and Grave Mercy.

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Category: On Writing