Behind the Scenes: An Island Intrigue with Casey Cline

Step behind the scenes with Scrivenings Press author, Casey Cline,  for a closer look at the inspiration, research, characters, and creative journey that brought her newest release, An Island Intrigue, to life. In this special author feature, you’ll discover some of the stories behind the story and get to know the heart behind the book.

 

What inspired you to write this book?

My Bird’s-Eye View series is inspired by the real-life English explorer, Isabella Bird. Isabella gallivanted around the world in the mid- to late- 1800’s, mostly by herself, and in a time when it wasn’t common for women to do so. She wrote letters home to her sister Henrietta, which were then compiled and published into books that serve as the primary first-hand account of what happens in my novels.

Book 1 – The Wayfaring Widow – follows my fictional characters Harrison Wright and Victoria Clarke as they travel with Isabella on her 1854 trip to America (think Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Niagara Falls, and New York City).

Book 2 – An Island Intrigue – takes place 19 years later in the Hawaiian Islands in 1873. Harrison’s younger sister, Georgina, now 22, travels with the guarded and stoic, Dr. Joseph Livingston Jr. across seas, up volcanoes, and even to 400-foot-tall waterfalls. Of course, Isabella is there too to guide the adventure and help her comrades discover true love.

What do you hope readers will take away from this story?

The theme throughout my novels is that everyone is deserving of true love, flaws and all. That doesn’t necessarily mean romance love, but that is, of course, an important component of my historical romance novels. There’s love between friends and siblings, and the reminder that sometimes the one that needs unconditional love the most is ourselves.

What was your favorite scene to write without giving away any spoilers?

My favorite scene was the one where Georgina tracks down Joseph in the clearing while he is making poi with the other men. I won’t give away all the details, but since poi making is hard work and the islands are hot, Joseph might not exactly be fully turned out, so to speak. Georgina’s reaction is hilarious and awkward and further demonstrates her growing attraction to this man who is as confusing as he is intriguing.

Is there anything from your own life that found its way into the story?

I discuss it more in the Author’s Note, but there is a lot of me in Georgina. We are both determined and sometimes think and act before we’ve truly thought things through. We are also both animal lovers. The animal in the Epilogue is very similar to a fluffy black one we currently have in our house.

If you could spend an afternoon with one of your characters, whom would you choose and what would you do?

I would love to spend time with Isabella. Bringing a real person from history to life is a daunting prospect, and I hope I’ve been able to portray her true character well in my novels. It would be fun to see how she truly was in person, rather than simply reading her after-the-fact letters of her experiences. Though I’d be afraid she would out-adventure me. I tend to be more of a stick-in-the-mud.

What are you working on next?

Book 3 in the series, which follows Joseph’s younger sister, Jesse, on her trip with Isabella to the Rocky Mountains near Estes Park in September 1873. Timid and shy Jesse clashes with Winfield Penrose, the ranch owner who is as strong and rugged as the Rocky Mountains themselves. I’ve just about have the initial draft finished, which I’ll submit to Scrivenings by November, with a release date of September 7, 2027. It’s amazing how far ahead we have to plan in the publishing industry!

 

An Island Intrigue by Casey Cline

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: September 8, 2026

Other books in the Bird’s- Eye View Series: The Wayfaring Widow

A woman as untamed as the islands themselves. A guarded doctor who can heal every hurt but his own. Will their differences bind or break them?

For Georgina Wright, traveling to the Hawaiian Islands in 1873 with renowned explorer Isabella Bird is the adventure of a lifetime. After years of being watched over, protected, and quietly underestimated, Georgina is ready to see the world, fill her sketchbook, and prove she is capable of more than anyone believes.

But her journey comes with an unexpected condition: the presence of Dr. Joseph Livingston Jr.

Reserved, awkward, and determined to remain detached, Joseph believes his peculiarities make him a burden no woman should have to bear. Serving as Georgina’s medical escort is a duty, nothing more. The sooner he delivers her safely through the islands, the sooner he can return to the predictable comfort of isolation.

But Georgina’s spirited nature is difficult to ignore—and even harder to forget.

As stormy seas, volcanic craters, dangerous trails, and unexpected tenderness draw them closer, Georgina begins to see the man behind Joseph’s reserve. But loving him may require more than courage, and trusting her may cost Joseph the only safety he has ever known.

Perfect for fans of Mimi Matthews, Josi S. Kilpack, Jennifer Moore, and Joanna Barker, Island Intrigue is a Gilded Age historical romance filled with opposites-attract tension, real historical detail, and a tender love story of courage, surrender, and healing.