Why Release The Secessionist’s Wife on July 4th, 2026?

A Fun Thriller and an Ode to the Country That I Love

After some setbacks and confusion about my publication date, it hit me that The Secessionist’s Wife could be officially released at the same time as the 250^th anniversary of the United States of America, and that it would be fitting to do so. Maybe it’s true that everything happens for a reason. For me, The Secessionist’s Wife is meant to be a fun thriller that you might pick up for a flight or a beach read—but it’s also an ode to the country that I love.

As the daughter of a proud American immigrant, I believe in the Melting Pot, the neighborhood BBQ, and the helping hand. I have always celebrated the Fourth of July with a keen awareness that this country offers unique opportunities, and that we can’t take democracy for granted. The Constitution of the United States is a remarkable document. We really do enjoy freedoms here—of speech, religion, press, assembly, and more—that are not so common around the world. We have a long tradition of the rule of law, which not only gives us a fair chance in court, but also allows us to enjoy a thriving economy. Our financial markets are so strong, in part, because people at home and abroad invest here, as they trust that our system will be stable and fair (and are therefore less likely to lose their money).

Certainly, there have been many times when we have failed to deliver the promised freedoms, and our history includes many violent and shameful chapters—from the genocide of Native Americans at the founding of our country, to centuries of enslavement of African Americans, to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, and many other times when we have not lived up to our ideals. We must be open about these events, so that we can process them, avoid them in the future, and make amends. Pretending wounds don’t exist only causes them to fester. Our ongoing immigration crisis, including unfounded deportations and the unjust arrest of tens of thousands of law-abiding immigrants without due process, as well as the cruel and inhumane treatment of countless others, including children, under horrendous conditions in overcrowded detention facilities, adds to this list.

Yet we Americans also have a tradition of setting the record straight. We speak up. We push back. We go off the map. We take to heart the offer of “liberty and justice for all” in the Pledge of Allegiance. And we gather comfort from our original motto on the Great Seal of the United States, E pluribus unum, “Out of many, one.” It is in this spirit on this special 250^th Fourth of July, at this momentous and precarious time in our history, that I am honored to release The Secessionist’s Wife.

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