Once and Future Princesses

Learn to read like a writer from books both new and older.

- AMY JONES

Frontlist
The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai by Janie Chang
(William Morrow, gothic historical fiction, February 2026)

SYNOPSIS: Set in Shanghai in 1911, Lisan Liu has just been hired to be the private secretary of a wealthy American woman, Caroline Stanton, who has recently moved into Lennox Manor, a once grand house with a dark history. But Lisan, who has been told she was found orphaned on the streets as a young child, now must convince her strict but kind guardian that she should be allowed to work outside his home. With permission granted, Lisan moves into Lennox Manor, where the other servants are convinced the ghost of a past resident contributes to the unsettled feeling in the mansion. Though Lisan doesn’t believe in ghosts, she has to admit, something isn’t right—unexplained nightmares from her childhood come back, and she starts seeing a mysterious woman in red on the grounds.

Meanwhile, Caroline intends to make the most of her new life in Shanghai. Her new husband seems to love her and leaves her to her own devices, and she can easily avoid secrets from her past she doesn’t want revealed. That is, until she hosts a party, bringing guests who threaten to expose her past—and make shocking, dangerous revelations about Lisan Liu’s childhood she’s been searching for.