Abigail Trench follows a displaced schoolteacher in Revolutionary-era New York as she is drawn from daily survival into a dangerous world of espionage, political awakening, and self-invention. What drew you to tell a Revolutionary War spy story from the perspective of someone outside the usual circles of officers, generals, and famous patriots?

I’ve always been interested in history, especially the history of the American Revolution. I’ve read numerous books about the era, both fiction and nonfiction. What I’ve noticed about the best historical fiction authors, such as Ken Follett, is that they tell the story of the era through the eyes of everyday people, allowing readers to experience this period through the eyes of ordinary individuals. I chose a teacher as my protagonist in ABIGAIL in part because she gives readers someone to relate to. In my novel, readers do meet famous figures from the revolution, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Nathan Hale. But the real heroes of my story are teachers and merchants and pickpockets.

Abigail begins the novel as a teacher rather than a trained operative. How did you approach making her transformation into a spy feel believable?​

The truth is none of the members of the Culper Ring was a trained operative. With the exception of Benjamin Tallmadge, Washington’s Spymaster, who worked in the militia, none of the  other members had military or any other kind of training. So, in the story, when the British strip Abigail of her profession, her home and her virtue, she resolves to fight back. When her position gives her the opportunity to overhear certain secrets of the British, she turns her resolve to strike back against the Redcoats into a weapon.

The novel pays close attention to class, labor, danger, and street-level survival. What kinds of research helped you build that texture of Revolutionary-era New York?​

I’ve read quite a few books about this era and have gained insights from them, especially Gore Vidal’s historical novel, BURR. I also spent considerable time researching primary sources about some of the gritty details of life in colonial America in 1776. Some aspects of life in late 18^th century have been documented, e.g., the 1776 fire in New York City, the unsanitary conditions of life in the city, and the execution of Thomas Hinkle. Other details had to be fleshed out with my imagination, and that’s half the fun.

How did you balance real historical figures like Nathan Hale and Robert Townsend with Abigail’s fictional emotional journey?​

Overall, the historical record for most of what happened during this time is sparse. Of course, it has been 250 years. We have only few details and particulars on individuals like Nathan Hale and Robert Townsend. I was able to take some of those details—like the fact that Nathan Hale was also a teacher–and weave them into my tale of Abigail. In fact, the paucity of verified information gave me greater flexibility to develop my narrative of a woman who tutored officer’s children by day and carried intelligence to secret meetings at waterfront taverns at night.

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