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Attention all book groupies, here’s a intriguing and different read for you!

Benedict Arnold, traitor.  We don’t know much more about him besides that.  But what about the juicy backstory about his wife?…read on, book clubbers…

With her engaging tale, The Traitor’s Wife, Allison Pataki makes a big debut as a writer of historical fiction, highlighting the salacious story behind Benedict Arnold–how his young and beautiful wife, Peggy Shippen, co-conspired to (almost) stop the American Revolution in its tracks.

Jane and I got to know Alli and her husband Dave (pictured above) in 2011 when we photographed their wedding at her parents home overlooking West Point, NY.  Alli’s been on a big PR tour this past month, on the Today Show, Morning Joe, etc.  And she chatted with us via email…here’s some Q&A about Allison Pataki and her book, The Traitor’s Wife.  Kudos Alli!!

Did you always want to be a writer?  What draws you to historical fiction?

I’ve always loved a great story. I’ve always enjoyed writing and reading immensely. I love interviewing people and finding out what motivates them and how they respond and react to the events unfolding around them. I wrote news for several years before realizing that it was actually fiction writing that inspired me, more so than journalism.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, both as a reader and a writer. Historical fiction allows us to slip back into another time period, or to inhabit a completely new, foreign land. It really is what excites my imagination, more so than anything else. Plus, I think that sometimes history proves even more dramatic than fiction. Certainly in the case of Peggy and Benedict Arnold, the historical account was so tense and salacious that I could not have made up a juicier plot for The Traitor’s Wife!

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