Alcott wrote passionate, fiery novels and sensational stories under the nom de plume A. M. Barnard. Among these are Jean Muir, Pauline"s Passion and Punishment. Her protagonists for these tales are willful and relentless in their pursuit of their own aims, which often include revenge on those who have humiliated or thwarted them. These tales marked the first in the series of "blood & thunder tales."