Margery and Me tells the mysterious true story of a medium who mystified scientists, challenged skeptics, and sparked a sensation across America and Europe. It is written by a psychology professor-turned-novelist Maryka Biaggio. And I can’t wait to read this one.
In the 1920s, Margery Crandon captivated both Boston society and psychic researchers with her astonishing seances. At her gatherings, her deceased brother Walter regularly appeared, entertaining the circle with his witty and cheeky remarks. Margery’s abilities earned her the admiration of luminaries, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Butler Yeats. But one man stood in opposition: Harry Houdini, the legendary magician, who was determined to expose her as a fraud.
Margery and Me tells the true story of the medium who mystified scientists, challenged skeptics, and sparked a sensation across America and Europe. As Houdini and Margery clashed in a battle of wits and wills, the question remained: Could the master illusionist unmask her, or would her extraordinary powers be enough to convert even the most resolute of doubters?
Maryka Biaggio
Author Bio:
Maryka Biaggio is a psychology professor-turned-novelist who brings forgotten lives back into the light. Specializing in historical fiction inspired by real people, she crafts emotionally resonant narratives anchored in careful research.
Her debut novel, Parlor Games (Doubleday, 2013), launched a distinguished career that includes Gun Girl and the Tall Guy and Margery and Me. Her work has earned numerous accolades, including the Willamette Writers Award, Oregon Writers Colony Award, Historical Novel Society Review Editors’ Choice, La Belle Lettre Award, and a Publishers Weekly pick.
Biaggio is celebrated for illuminating overlooked historical figures with psychological depth and narrative grace.
Richard Woulfe has just published Master Secretary: Robert Cecil, A Life in Fiction, a new collection of stories centred on one of England’s most intriguing historical figures. It’s an exciting release, and I’m delighted to share the news with you.
“Statesman, strategist, survivor: Robert Cecil stood at the very heart of England’s transition from Tudor to Stuart rule. Hunched-backed and underestimated in an age hostile to disability, he rose to become Master Secretary to Elizabeth I and James I, suppressing the Essex Rebellion, foiling the Gunpowder Plot, and negotiating peace with Spain.
In this richly imagined sequence of eighteen interlinked stories, Cecil’s voice is joined by those of his family, allies, and adversaries—Elizabeth I, Anthony and Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Ben Jonson, Arbella Stuart, and nameless spies and commoners whose lives brushed against his. From court intrigue to tavern gossip, from the grandeur of the Somerset House Peace Conference to a humble Limerick shop, these tales weave fact and fiction into a vivid portrait of one of history’s most remarkable political survivors.
Spanning his birth to his final conversation with the sculptor designing his tomb, Master Secretary opens a window onto the world Shakespeare inhabited—a world of politics and diplomacy, comedy and tragedy, faith and betrayal. Grounded in historical record yet alive with imagination, this is a compelling re-telling of the life of Robert Cecil: underestimated by many, unforgotten by all.”
Tell us about your book:
This is a cradle to almost-grave collection of stories relating to Robert Cecil, Secretary of State from 1586 to 1612, a role his father William Cecil had previously occupied. It begins on the day he was born, when William Cecil is trying to get home for news of the birth but is delayed by Queen Elizabeth and others, and ends with Robert discussing the design of his tomb with its sculptor. It covers the Lopez execution, the Essex Rebellion, the transfer of power from the Tudors (Elizabeth 1st) to the Stuarts (James 1st) and the Gunpowder Plot. Also included are Francis Bacon (Cecil’s first cousin), Ben Jonson, Walter Raleigh, Arabella Stuart. Other female voices include Cecil’s wife, Anne Bacon, Elizabeth Ist on her deathbed, an intelligencer, as well as the wife of a Limerick shop owner who had only vaguely heard of Robert Cecil.
Tell us about your research for this book. Did you discover anything unexpected?
The Lopez conspiracy was always baffling to me, as it seemed so obvious the man was innocent. Why had the Earl Of Essex persued it so doggedly? Now I realise that a motive was to discredit the Cecils and their intelligence network.
Something unexpected also related to the Earl of Essex, specifically his rebellion. The play Richard II was performed by supporters of Essex as a way of bolstering support, but when the rebellion failed Shakespeare’s company had to explain to the Privy Council why they allowed the play to be staged in the first place. I had always assumed Shakespeare himself needed to be at his imaginative best with his excuses but then found out he wasn’t actually there. No, it was an actor/manager who convinced Cecil of their innocence in that matter. Shakespeare was present though when Elizabeth ordered that a production of the play be performed one day before Essex’s execution.
What made you choose Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, as a subject?
I come from a drama background and knew Cecil to be Master Secretary when Marlowe, Shakespeare and Ben Jonson were writing. But there is a lot more; for example, Cecil was chiefly responsible for Walter Raleigh’s incarceration in the Tower, but visited Raleigh there just before his own death. What did they say to each other? This is where historical fiction excels; nobody knows what was said but I imagine Cecil not apologising but accusing Raleigh of being responsible for his own misfortune. And what was Elizabeth I thinking on her deathbed – all those whom she was convivial with dead, the succession already being orchestrated by her Master Secretary?
Or Francis Bacon, two years his senior. Francis Bacon went to Cambridge at 12, and it is reasonable to assume they two met when Francis was home. Two highly ambitious children, what did they talk about? And who get the better of who? Francis Bacon also sought the Queen’s patronage, but did their rivalry start from a younger age?
I have an admiration for Cecil – though his father helped him to rise in government, he still had to overcome so many difficulties, not least that his back was hunched. He was Secretary of State for 16 years (Thomas Cromwell by contrast only lasted 6), managed the transfer to the Stuarts despite his own father being instrumental in the death of James I’s mother (Mary Queen of Scots).
I also feel that telling his life via linked stories allows room for his defenders and critics to make their case. Cecil divided opinion in his own time, and still does.
What advice would you give new writers? Persevere. Writing and rewriting takes a hell of a lot of time, but you’ll get there if you’re confident there’s a story worth telling. Oh, and that writing is also enjoyable (most of the time).
What are you planning to write next?
The life of King Richard II, specifically from his coronation at the age of 10 to his deposition and death 22 years later. Now, there is somebody with no shortage of detractors.
“Statesman, strategist, survivor: Robert Cecil stood at the very heart of England’s transition from Tudor to Stuart rule. Hunched-backed and underestimated in an age hostile to disability, he rose to become Master Secretary to Elizabeth I and James I, suppressing the Essex Rebellion, foiling the Gunpowder Plot, and negotiating peace with Spain.
In this richly imagined sequence of eighteen interlinked stories, Cecil’s voice is joined by those of his family, allies, and adversaries—Elizabeth I, Anthony and Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Ben Jonson, Arbella Stuart, and nameless spies and commoners whose lives brushed against his. From court intrigue to tavern gossip, from the grandeur of the Somerset House Peace Conference to a humble Limerick shop, these tales weave fact and fiction into a vivid portrait of one of history’s most remarkable political survivors.
Spanning his birth to his final conversation with the sculptor designing his tomb, Master Secretary opens a window onto the world Shakespeare inhabited—a world of politics and diplomacy, comedy and tragedy, faith and betrayal. Grounded in historical record yet alive with imagination, this is a compelling re-telling of the life of Robert Cecil: underestimated by many, unforgotten by all.
Author Richard Woulfe
Richard has had two radio plays produced: one by RTE Radio based on James Joyce’s/Nora Barnacle’s time in Trieste, the other a Victorian drama by the Wireless Theatre Company. Stage plays of his have also been performed, and short stories published. Richard is from Limerick, and now lives in London.
Fool is a delicious, dark, intimate and surprisingly tender portrait of life on the margins of Henry VIII’s court.
Told through a narrator who is both invisible and indispensable. Kronos is the type of character that historical fiction rarely gives centre stage to, and that’s what makes it so compelling. Kronos is found on a midden heap, literally thrown out with the excrement at birth because of his disabilities. He is taken in by the monks at Thetford Priory and taught the basics of healing the sick in the infirmary.
Mary Lawrence builds the story around a simple but clever idea that the person who everyone overlooks can see everything.
Kronos’s voice is the novel’s greatest strength. He is sharp, observant and deeply wounded in a superstitious age when a disability is seen as bad luck or as a sign of sin. His perspective makes the Tudor court feel more claustrophobic and dangerous than the usual descriptions of pretty gowns and shallow conversations often found in Tudor novels.
The plot moves between Krono’s brutal past and the political crisis he is dragged into when he learns a secret that could destroy Queen Katherine Howard. The author handles this with restraint, never leaning on shock value. Instead, tension is built through the character of Krono, his fear, his passion, and his anger. What stands out is how human the story feels. Kronos is not a caricature or a novelty despite being a person with dwarfism.
He is a man shaped by trauma, humour and a lifetime of being underestimated. His resilience is quiet but powerful, and the emotional beats especially around abandonment and identity land with real weight.
The Tudor setting is richly textured without ever becoming a history lesson. The royal court is used as a pressure cooker and not just a glittering backdrop. The result is a novel that feels historically grounded and emotionally immersive.
Fool is a thoughtful, character-driven Tudor novel that succeeds because it dares to centre the person everyone else ignores. It’s tense, humane and unexpectedly moving. It’s a fresh angle on the Tudor era, and it’s a story that lingers long after the last page.
It’s a five star novel!
My trip to Thetford Priory:
These are the images I took on my trip to the ruins of Thetford Priory after reading the novel. The first two are of the infirmary where Kronos worked. It was amazing to stand here and think about Kronos and Brother Ulric clattering around in here and curing the sick. The third is an image of the buttery where ale and beer would have been stored. It later became the kitchen where the fire burned, and cauldrons bubbled, tended by the fictional Brother Trelli, who made the pottage. In the background, you can see a small part of the enormous Abbot’s house.
The fourth picture shows the steps that once led to the monks’ dormitory, which was destroyed during the reformation. The fifth picture shows an artist’s impression of what the abbey looked like in its prime. The last photograph is of the monks’ refectory, where they ate. Entry is free, and the paths are gravel. I had no issues using my mobility scooter here.
A Story of Secrets, Survival, and the Power of Being Overlooked
If you love historical fiction filled with tension, courtly intrigue, and characters who refuse to stay in the place the world assigns them, this novel delivers. Fool introduces a hero who has been ignored his entire life, only to discover that invisibility can be the sharpest weapon in a dangerous court:
Betrayal. Power. Perception. The most dangerous mind at court belongs to a fool.
From the author ofThe Alchemist’s Daughtercomes a dark tale of ambition and survival.
What others have said about Fool:
“One of the most vibrant characters I’ve encountered in years.“–Goodreads Ecostell
Kronos is a fool–mocked for his dwarfism, prized for his juggling, and underestimated by everyone who matters. But in a court ruled by paranoia and whispers, invisibility is its own kind of power.
When Kronos overhears a secret that could destroy Queen Katherine Howard, he becomes a liability the crown cannot afford. Silenced, mutilated, and left for dead, he survives–barely.
Rescued by an ambitious apothecary, Kronos soon realizes he has not escaped danger–he has merely changed masters. His secret is worth a fortune…and powerful men are willing to kill to control it.
But Kronos has spent his life being overlooked and he’s ready to use that to his advantage.
As rival factions circle and scheme, Kronos sets a plan in motion–one that could topple the mighty, rewrite his fate, and force his foes to reconsider which of them is truly…the fool.
Perfect for fans of C.J. Sansom and Philippa Gregory.
Praise for Fool:
“Vividly written and grounded in scrupulous research, Fool captures both the dark comedy and lethal danger of Henry VIII’s court.”
~ Nancy Bilyeau, author of The Crown and The Blue
“A masterclass in immersive storytelling.”
~ Tony Riches, author of the best-selling Tudor Trilogy
“A thoughtful and unsparing Tudor novel that reframes the court jester not as comic ornament but as a precarious witness to power.”
~ Megan Parker for IndieReader
A Snippet :
The monks had warned me that the secular world outside the priory could be unkind. Not just to men like me, but to anyone possessing half a heart of compassion. There is a coldness that comes with age and experience. To survive means to outwit.
Never should one take advantage of another’s weakness. After all, exploitation is human nature, and it is our struggle with evil not to take advantage of those less clever, less handsome than ourselves. However, it is better to outwit oneself—to be able to suppress one’s susceptibility in taking offence and feeling wounded. How well one builds his suit of armour determines his ability to endure the barbs of insult and misfortune. I would get plenty of practise.
My visit to London helped me realise that the breadth of human experience was immeasurable and I had seen only a little piece. Where would I find my corner of existence? Viewing the king’s opulent palaces of Whitehall and St. James only made me more determined that I should find my way inside one of them.
Mary Lawrence
Author Bio:
Mary Lawrence is the author of the Bianca Goddard mysteries, a 5-book series that takes place in the slums of Tudor London featuring the daughter of an infamous alchemist. Suspense Magazine named The Alchemist’s Daughter and The Alchemist of Lost Souls best historical mysteries of 2015 and 2017.
Her writing has been published in several journals, including The Daily Beast. When she is not writing, she tends a small berry farm in Maine with her husband and creates artisanal jams for sale at market.
Nicola Harris 