In the shadowed streets of ancient Rome, 37 CE, power is a blade that cuts both ways. Agrippina, a towering enigma of ambition, slips from Caligula’s gilded cage with her newborn son, Domitius, her mind a labyrinth of cold calculation. At her side prowls Messalina, a siren in scarlet, her seductive cunning as deadly as her blade. Together, they navigate a city teeming with decadence and deceit, pursued by whispers of treachery and the emperor’s wrath.
Their journey leads to the Temple of Fortuna where the enigmatic Prophet Cassandra unveils a cryptic fate – one that demands sacrifice and promises blood. As alleys echo with violence and forbidden passions ignite, Agrippina’s quest for dominion collides with Messalina’s ruthless desires. In a night where every step drips with danger, who will rise and who will fall?
VIA MALORUM is a visceral plunge into the heart of Roman darkness, blending historical intrigue with the chilling allure of giallo. Prepare for a tale where power bleeds red, and trust is a luxury none can afford.
Triggers: Some rough lesbian sex, moderate violence.
G.G. MacLeod
Author Bio:
The author is a 59-year-old Canadian male based in Calgary. The author has always had a tendency of combining genres like horror and action along with drama, psychological thrillers, giallo, and sometimes even comedy.
It really depends on how the author feels from moment to moment as they write because the author likes to entertain themselves first and then hope that a smattering of other people out there in the world will like it as well.
I’m delighted to have Tony Riches on the site today with his latest novel, Queen Anna, the first in his Stuart Queen series. It’s a book I’ve been quietly looking forward to: the story of a young woman navigating storms, suspicion and the uneasy politics of two kingdoms. Riches has a gift for bringing overlooked figures into clear focus, and Anna of Denmark is a fascinating choice. It promises to be a thoughtful, atmospheric beginning to the series, and I’m very pleased to share it here today.
A crown won in the eye of a storm.
A queen who refuses to be broken…
Princess Anna of Denmark sails for Scotland to marry King James VI, but storms ravage her fleet, igniting a deadly obsession with witchcraft in her new home. Arriving in a strange and paranoid court, Anna finds her new husband’s bed is a treacherous place.
Surrounded by whispering courtiers and shifting alliances, Anna refuses to remain a passive pawn. When the court takes her children to raise them away from her, the young queen draws her line in the sand.
From the windswept castles of Scotland to the glittering, dangerous English court, Anna is restored to her rightful place in history.
Author Bio:
Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter/X @tonyriches.
I would like to welcome my guest, Justin Newland, to my website. I’m delighted to be interviewing him about his novel. Before we begin, here is what the book is about:
From a land of milk,
And a Road of Silk,
To a ring of roses,
And a dance of posies,
Comes the tale of the spirit of the times!
In fourteenth-century Central Asia, Karia is a young woman living under the yoke of Mongol occupation. But she’s different. She’s a fighter with supernatural powers. She could use them to keep the Black Plague at bay and solve the mystery of the purple skies at dawn – if only she could overcome her self-doubt.
Travelling in caravans on the Silk Road, she faces dangers seen and unseen – from sandstorms and slave traders to the desert djinn and folk who believe she’s a witch. She fears losing Abi, her little cousin, who’s fascinated by roses and the dance of the Whirling Dervishes of Bukhara.
When Karia falls in love with an English sailor fleeing the Knights Hospitaller, they sail to England with Abi to unravel the meaning of the purple skies, a dance, a posy tree, and a ring of roses.
The Spirit of the Times is part history, part fiction and part speculation: on the origin of disease; the power of innocence; the unfortunate aspects of custom and dogma; and humanity’s ability to respond to the governing influence or spirit of the times.
During your research for The Spirit of the Times, did you come across anything that surprised you?’
Yes, many things. As I’m sure you know yourself, history is a table of plenty that’s packed with surprises.
Here’s one of them, a story about how karma works its way through the events of history – karma to mean the rebalancing of what is out of balance.
When they invaded the lands of Asia and Europe in the 13th century, the Mongol Empire had a strategy. A nomadic people, they prized gold, silver, precious jewels, silk and any other material plunder they would take back to their capital at Karakorum in Central Mongolia.
However, when they pushed into Europe, and defeated the Hungarian army at the Battle of Mohi in 1241, they found an impoverished people, with little carry-away riches to steal. As compensation, they enslaved the rump of the Hungarian army and sold them to the Venetians, who were one of the major slave traders of the time.
The Venetians then sold the Hungarian soldiers to the Sultan of Egypt. Then, in 1260 the Sultan’s army fought and beat the Mongols at the Battle of Ain Jalut. This victory permanently halted the Mongol advance into the Islamic world.
So, the same soldiers that the Mongols had enslaved returned to defeat their enslavers, yielding a surprising example of karma in history.
The Spirit of the Times takes readers across the Silk Road. What first sparked your interest in this period and place?
My novels have focused on periods of history when ‘after’ is substantially different to ‘before’, such as the Ming Dynasty in China, the Tudor Age in England, and the Great Enlightenment in Europe.
The 14th century was one such transitional time, when the great Chinese Empire had, through its own internal weakness, split into two and when Europe was dominated by famine and war, plague and social change.
As a novelist, I wanted to explore the mechanisms for this transition in the 14th Century, by asking and trying to answer questions like: How did it happen? Why did it happen? Was it meant to happen in the way that it did? Were there other possibilities at the time and, if so, what were they, and why weren’t they taken?
The Silk Road played a huge role in this transition. For their time, the Mongols were remarkably tolerant both religiously and socially, and they opened up the Silk Road to trade and most importantly, to ideas. It was travelled by camels and mules, as well as spies and emissaries, priests and Sufis, imams and monks. This was a road of silk, a road of ideas, of silken ideas that crossed from east to west, breathing the winds of change, some of which are still blowing today.
Your novels often weave history with the supernatural. This story touches on the mystery of the purple dawn skies and the coming of the Black Death. How did that idea find its way into the book?
I am always intrigued by coincidences in history and otherwise. Because a coincidence is really a combination of facts for which the connections have yet to be revealed. It’s a bit like fairy tales, myths, folk tales and nursery rhymes. Never accept them at face value. They are all intended to conceal a deeper truth. Somehow, we must peer through the glass darkly, and perceive and uncover the greater mystery.
One coincidence I discovered was that the Black Plague arrived in Melcombe Regis, near Weymouth, around 24th June 1348. Only two months before, on 23rd April, King Edward III instituted England’s ancient and most prestigious chivalric order. That was no coincidence. The English royal family, like most of the English population, knew that the plague was rampaging through France and that it was only a matter of time before it broached England’s shores. The King knew it was coming. So, why institute the Order of the Garter when he did?
That’s the joy of a historical fiction writer, because you can speculate on what those connections are.
It was the same with the purple skies at dawn. I read in a history book that the onset of the plague in the 14th century was preceded – or presaged – by this uncanny phenomenon, that features on the cover of the novel. So, what did that mean? Why purple? Why at dawn? Was there a connection between the plague and the purple skies at dawn. And if so, what was it?
Justin Newland
Author Bio:
Justin Newland’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres, from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.
Undeterred by the award of a doctorate in mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies. Next came The Old Dragon’s Head (Matador, 2018), set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (Matador, 2019) features the Great Enlightenment and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution. The Abdication (Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
At this point in his writing career, after four self-published books, Justin was offered a part-funded contract with the Book Guild.
The Mark of the Salamander (Book Guild, 2023) is the first in a two-book ‘The Island of Angels’ series. It tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (Book Guild, 2024), charts the uncanny coincidences of time and tide that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada.
His latest novel, The Spirit of the Times (Matador, 2026), is to be published in July. It tells the story of a young Kyrgyz woman’s journey westwards along the Silk Road. With purple skies at dawn, and a supporting cast of Genghis Khan, the Black Plague, a perplexing rhyme, a ring of roses, it explores the greatest mystery of all – the spirit of the times.
Justin’s enduring passion is to explore the origins of our current time. This prompted a broad research into what we’ve inherited from history – encompassing Egypt, China, Prussia and Tudor England. He also writes entertaining talks which he gives to the WI, U3A, Probus, Rotary and local historical associations. Please visit his website for a current list of the talks.
Alongside the talks, Justin promotes his work with regular book signings at TG Jones (ex. WH Smith) high street stores, selling over 3,500 books since 2019. He has sponsored over 40 UK and US blog tours, given frequent radio interviews and penned many guest posts.
His current book signing motto is: Enjoy, Imagine, Discover.
As a member of the Society of Authors, he has Public and Products Liability Insurance.
Born in Essex, England, three days before the end of 1953, he lives with his lady in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
Triggers: The story touches on the thorny and controversial subject of slavery. I felt it needed to be included, mainly because I wanted the story to be authentic, and slavery was a common feature in the 14th Century.
I would like to thank historian David Jepsen, Historium Press, and the Coffee Pot Book Club for allowing me to share an excerpt from David’s latest novel, Unbelonging, on my website.
Before we jump in, here’s a rundown of what the novel is about:
Seattle, 1945. The war is ending-but for many, the hardest battles are just beginning.
In a city transformed by global conflict, four families struggle to find their place amid rising tensions, buried prejudice, and shifting identities. Victory overseas has brought hope, but at home, fear, suspicion, and inequality continue to shape everyday life.
A female defense worker, newly awakened to injustice, risks everything as she steps into the dangerous world of labor activism-threatening not only her future, but the safety of those she loves. A decorated Black war hero returns home expecting honor and opportunity, only to face a different kind of battlefield, where racism and exclusion deny him the freedoms he fought to defend. A Japanese American, released from internment, discovers that the end of war does not mean the end of hatred, and that rebuilding a life in a community that no longer trusts him may be the greatest challenge of all. A hopeful British war bride arrives chasing the promise of a new beginning, only to learn that the American dream is complicated, fragile, and not equally shared.
As labor strikes ripple through the city, racial tensions simmer, and the first shadows of Cold War hysteria begin to take hold, Seattle reveals itself as a place both beautiful and deeply divided. Old prejudices harden even as new voices rise, demanding change.
This powerful, emotionally charged novel strips away the myth of an open and enlightened city, exposing the human cost of exclusion and the quiet courage of those who refuse to accept it.
A sweeping story of resilience, identity, and the search for belonging-welcome to the City on the Sound, where no one is quite sure where they belong.
Praise:
“Just a great read and anyone who picks it up is guaranteed to learn a thing or two: from Guadalcanal to local labor disputes.”
~ Mr. K, Amazon 5* review
Today’s excerpt:
“Mrs. Novak,” Judge Long said at last. “Police took your daughter, Natalie, and five other youth into custody last night in Volunteer Park. They violated the ten o’clock curfew for children under sixteen. Two adult males were also arrested. Most of them appeared to be intoxicated. Did you know the whereabouts of your daughter last night?”
“I didn’t know anything until a juvenile officer called me, your honor. Natalie wasn’t home when I returned from work. That’s when I called Holy Names, and learned she’d skipped school.”
“You work at Boeing, I understand.”
“Yes, your honor.”
“Mrs. Novak, I have tremendous respect for defense workers. They’re doing a great service in this country’s battle against tyranny. I’ve also come to accept, although reluctantly, that many women need to work these days. Unmarried women, divorced women, women who depend on a paycheck for rent and groceries. But I’m having a hard time understanding why you work. From what I can tell, your situation is far from desperate. You own a home in a nice neighborhood. Your children attend private school. Your husband is a commissioned officer in the Navy. He likely sends home most of his monthly paycheck. What do you need that is more important than your children?”
Joanne said nothing, looking at Judge Long. There’s that question again. One her mother made a point of asking almost daily. The fact is, I’m not sure anymore. Initially it was about patriotism, my love for this country, and a desire to support my husband. But I work now. I love it. I’m good at something besides cooking pork roast and cleaning house.
“Mrs. Novak, are you okay?”
“Yes, your honor, sorry.”
Long sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “So I ask again. Is money so important that your children have to return from school to an empty house?”
Why does he think this is about money? Yes, I earn more than most women. But it was never about money. This is another kind of need, a deeper one that I can’t fully understand, let alone explain to a judge. Some internal force is pulling me away from the life I always wanted or thought I wanted. It was enough at least for a while, until I discovered the world outside. Until I saw the endless possibilities waiting to be picked like apples from a tree. The transformation has altered the landscape of my life. It is like the eastern winds that blow down the Cascades every summer, stirring the dust, bending the poplars. How can I explain that to this judge?
“Mrs. Novak! I haven’t got all day,” Long snapped.
Joanne looked at the judge and around the courtroom. How long had she been standing there?
“Again, I apologize, your honor. I choose to work because. . .”
“Mrs. Novak, I don’t care why you work. My chief concern is for the welfare of your daughter and the dozens of other youth I see in here almost every day. Whether you want to buy a new dress or pearl necklace. . .”
“Your honor! I’m not buying . . .”
“Don’t interrupt me, Mrs. Novak. You have a fine daughter here, why are you letting her out at night, getting into the backseat of cars with boys, or should I say men? She’s a minor and . . . “
“I know how old my daughter is, your honor.”
“The facts say you don’t. When you’re at work, your children are coming home to an empty house. Some people think older kids don’t need as much attention, so it’s okay if Mom gets a job. But young people – these so-called eight-hour orphans – need someone to talk to about their day. They have problems at school, and need help with their homework.”
“I help them with their homework, your honor. They’re good students and good kids.”
“I’m sure they are, Mrs. Novak, but this recent event is troubling. “
Long returned his attention to the report, tapping his fingers on the desk while reading through the facts one more time. “Mrs. Novak,” he said, looking up. “As this is Natalie’s first offense, we’re going to drop the charges and hope we don’t see her in here again. Meantime, I suggest you rethink your priorities. Natalie will be released to you in about an hour. You’ll need to take her to the doctor to be tested for VD.”
VD? Did she hear that right, venereal disease? The words wouldn’t register. “Your honor, Natalie is a good Catholic girl. She’d never. . . “
“Mrs. Novak, do you know how many good Catholic girls I see in this courtroom? VD doesn’t care if you’re Catholic or Jewish, or where you worship. There’s practically a VD epidemic raging in the city. For your information, when police arrived at the park, Natalie was in the backseat of a car with an adult male. He’s now sitting in King County jail. Police waited until Natalie dressed before she could exit the vehicle. See a doctor, Mrs. Novak.”
David J. Jepsen is a historian, writer and educator teaching Pacific Northwest and U.S. history at Tacoma Community College. His novel about racial and labor conflicts in Seattle following WW II, titled Unbelonging, was released in April 2026.
He was lead author of Contested Boundaries: A New Pacific Northwest History (John Wiley and Sons, 2017), and he wrote and directed the award winning documentary Labor Wars of the Northwest, nominated in 2019 for Best Feature Film Made in Washington by the Gig Harbor Film Festival.
David writes a weekly post for the Washington State Historical Society titled “This Day in Washington.” He holds a master’s degree in history and a bachelor’s in communications from the University of Washington.
He lives with his wife, Jackie, in Gig Harbor, WA.
This title is available to read on Kindle Unlimited.
I would like to thank Anna Belfrage, Timelight Press, and the Coffee Pot Book Club for providing me with early access to Queen of Shadows for review. I received this novel for free, but my review is entirely honest
Blurb:
She should have stayed in the shadows—but Leonor de Guzmán yearned for the sun
Castile in the 1330s is a place of constant turmoil. King Alfonso must contend with the incursions from the Muslim Marinids eager to reclaim Al-Andalus while struggling with repeated rebellions against his firm rule.
When Alfonso needs respite, he finds it in the arms of his Leonor—the most beautiful woman in the realm. But while he may love Leonor over all others, his lawful wife, Maria of Portugal, is tired of being constantly displaced by the fair Leonor.
Leonor loves her man. She gives him healthy sons, a place to be himself. But she is only a mistress, even if Alfonso treats her like a queen. Leonor’s enemies watch and hate.
Flying too close to the sun comes at a high price. How much will Leonor’s love cost her?
Based on the true story of Alfonso XI and his complicated relationships to wife and life-long mistress.
My Review:
Leonor de Guzmán is a woman that history has attempted to sideline. Thanks to the author Anna Belfrage, the mistress of King Alfonso XI and fourteenth-century Castile become very much alive in this rich and exceptional novel.
Leonor is not the king’s passing favourite, but the love of his life and the woman he treated as his true partner. She bore him ten children, many of them sons, and held a place in his life that looked very much like queenship.
The difficulty was that Alfonso already had a wife. Maria of Portugal was the lawful queen, the political match, the woman with the crown, but she did not hold the king’s heart.
Alma, a young woman of mixed Castilian and Moorish heritage who serves Leonor, becomes the thread that reveals the deeper tensions of the kingdom. Through her, we see the uneasy coexistence of cultures and faiths, the contradictions people carry, and the quiet strength required simply to endure.
The author is equally skilled at evoking place. She gives us the stark northern plateau and the shimmering southern landscapes, the grandeur of palaces and the small, intimate details of daily life. Food, herbs, travel, the textures of work, and ritual all feel close enough to touch.
This is a story about power and love, about the cost of loyalty, about joy that sits beside fear. It is not a soft or romantic past. At times, it can be difficult to read, but it is an extremely rewarding one. These were people with familiar longings and sorrows, yet shaped by a world whose values can feel utterly foreign to us. The pacing, the tension and the vivid descriptions make this a rich and compelling read. I became utterly engrossed. This is a five-star review.
Anna Belfrage
Author Bio:
Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as two equally acclaimed medieval series; The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga ,which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering just how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding. . .
All of Anna’s books have been awarded the IndieBRAG Medallion, she has several Historical Novel Society Editor’s Choices, and one of her books won the HNS Indie Award in 2015. She is also the proud recipient of various Reader’s Favorite medals as well as having won various Gold, Silver and Bronze Coffee Pot Book Club awards.
“A master storyteller” “This is what all historical fiction should be like. Superb.”
Find out more about Anna, her books and enjoy her eclectic historical blog on her website, www.annabelfrage.com where you will also find her post about Alfonso and Leonor:
The lion has long been a symbol of courage, loyalty, and hope. A creature of power and, in some traditions, of the divine. We imagine it unflinching, unafraid. Yet the truest bravery is not found in the open, but within, where the lion lies hidden, waiting to be called upon. In moments of uncertainty or grief. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to face it. It is the moment when we would rather flee, but instead, find a strength we did not know we possessed.
These powerful and often emotional stories follow men, women, and children as they face profound adversity, the resilience to endure, cling to hope for the future, and the courage to change their lives forever.
Join these ordinary people as they uncover extraordinary strength and emerge, in their own way, lion-hearted.
Triggers: adult content: some violence, rape, difficult personal circumstances.
The Stories – in appearance order: (collated by Helen Hollick)
THE SENTRY by Alison Morton
Roman province of Noricum, AD 395
When danger strikes and you are on your own with only fear as a companion
THE SAXON by Derek Birks
Southern Britain, the frontier between the Belgae and the Atrebates. AD 471
When escape means more than just running for your life
THE PHOENIX by Marian L Thorpe
Ésparias, a fictional country bordering the western sea circa AD 900
A mother’s dilemma? To keep them safe – or let them go?
SIFLEDE by Judith Arnopp
London, October 1066
When the Normans come, Southwark’s residents need to fight, flee, hide or die
DAISY CHAIN by Annie Whitehead
England, 1141
A mother’s love. A mother’s grief
STEPPING BETWEEN by Anna Belfrage
Ludlow Castle, England, 1308
When all you can do is to endure
CONFRONTING PLAGUE by Carolyn Hughes
England, 1361
When courage must survive in the face of history’s cruellest plague
KATE’S LETTER by Patricia Furstenberg
Transylvania, Kingdom of Hungary, 1478
One letter, sealed in dragon’s wax
THE PORTRAIT’S SECRET by Amy Maroney
Paris, 1536
When a woman holds a secret, does she keep it, or share it?
LEGACY by Jean Gill
Tudor England, 1558
When a man loses everything, what is his legacy?
A TALETELLER’S TALE by Helen Hollick
Somewhere in the Caribbean, 1709
When the only sound is the song of the sea, do you listen? Or do you drown in the embrace of a mermaid?
THE GATE by Elizabeth St.John
London, 1900
When courage costs everything
DARKNESS RISING by Cathie Dunn
Venezia, June 1923
Can the mystery of a secluded island, and a murder, be solved before
time runs out?
A SACK OF POTATOES by Antoine Vanner
Groenhorst, outskirts of Amersvoort, The Netherlands
November 11th, 1954
Courage meant survival for many – but others relied on greed
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Author Bios:
Helen Hollick: About Helen – (anthology compiler)
Originally first published in 1993, and now known for her captivating storytelling and attention to historical detail, Helen’s historical fiction, nautical adventures, cosy mysteries and short stories, invite readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between fiction and history blend together. Her historical novels span a variety of periods, with a particular focus on the Early Medieval. Her Pendragon’s Banner series offers a vivid portrayal of the King Arthur story set against a plausible reality setting, while the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings shows her ability to bring historical figures and settings to life. Her novel about Queen Emma (The Forever Queen – USA title) became a USA Today best-seller.
In the Sea Witch Voyages, she subtly weaves in elements of supernatural fantasy against the Golden Age of Piracy, creating an immersive and addictive nautical adventure experience.
Her Jan Christopher cosy mystery series is set during the 1970s, based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant. Her 2025 release of Ghost Encounters, co-produced with her adult daughter, Kathy, reveals some benign ghosts of North Devon where the family moved to in 2013. Helen has written several short stories, further exploring the echoes of the past, all with her compelling and convincing signature style.
Cathie Dunn: About Cathie – Cathie is an award-winning, Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, mystery, dual-timeline, and romance set in Scotland, England, and France. Her latest release, Ascent – the story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking – is her sixth novel, and she is currently working on the sequel, Treachery. In her House of Normandy series, Cathie seeks to showcase the forgotten women behind the famous warriors who forged early medieval Normandy. Cathie lives in the south of France with her husband and two rescue pets, enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and visiting the many historic sites whenever she can. Find her across social media and on http://www.cathiedunn.com Amazon author page: https://author.to/CathieDunn
Judith Arnopp: About Judith – Multi award-winning author, Judith Arnopp’s novels are set in the late medieval and Tudor period. Her main focus is on the women of the era, her meticulous research offering deep psychological analysis of well-known figures such as Margaret Beaufort, Marguerite of Anjou, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII himself. She has also written non-fiction How to Dress like a Tudor.
Anna Belfrage: About Anna – Had Anna been allowed to choose, she’d have become a time-traveller. As this was impossible, she became a financial professional with three absorbing interests: history, romance and writing. Anna has authored the acclaimed time travelling series The Graham Saga, set in 17th century Scotland and Maryland, as well as the equally acclaimed medieval series The King’s Greatest Enemy which is set in 14th century England, and The Castilian Saga, which is set against the medieval conquest of Wales. She has also published a time travel romance, The Whirlpools of Time, and its sequel Times of Turmoil, and is now considering how to wiggle out of setting the next book in that series in Peter the Great’s Russia, as her characters are demanding.
Derek Birks: About Derek – Derek writes character-driven, action-packed fiction. His debut historical novel, Feud, is the first of a series of eight books and one novella, entitled The Wars of the Roses. which follows the fortunes of the fictional Elder family. He has also written the Amazon bestselling series, The Last of The Romans, which focuses on the real fifth century Romano-British character of Ambrosius Aurelianus. His first non-fiction book is: A Guide to the Wars of the Roses. Under the pen name Tom Hadley, he has also written the Liv Fisher modern thriller series, which begins with Eyes Like Blades.
Derek has written and produced over 40 podcasts on the Wars of the Roses, and now co-hosts the podcast series, A Slice of Medieval, with historian, Sharon Bennett Connolly.
Cathie Dunn: About Cathie – Cathie is an award-winning, Amazon-bestselling author of historical fiction, mystery, dual-timeline, and romance set in Scotland, England, and France. Her latest release, Ascent – the story of Poppa of Bayeux, handfasted wife of Rollo the Viking – is her sixth novel, and she is currently working on the sequel, Treachery. In her House of Normandy series, Cathie seeks to showcase the forgotten women behind the famous warriors who forged early medieval Normandy.
Cathie lives in the south of France with her husband and two rescue pets, enjoying the Mediterranean sunshine and visiting the many historic sites whenever she can.
Patricia Furstenberg: About Patricia – Patricia is a Romanian-born, South Africa-based author of character-driven historical fiction set in medieval Eastern Europe. Her latest novel, When Secrets Bloom, part of the Blood of Kings, Heart of Shadows saga, explores the turbulent world of Vlad the Impaler, weaving meticulous research with moral complexity, faith, and the quiet resilience of women navigating power and peril. Her short stories, poetry, and travel features have appeared in anthologies and online publications. Patricia blogs about overlooked corners of history and cultural heritage on her
Jean Gill: About Jean – Award-winning Welsh author and photographer Jean Gill lives in Provence with the best scent-hound in the world, a Nikon D750 and a man. Best known for writing epic medieval adventures in The Troubadours and The Midwinter Dragon series, Jean has published twenty-seven multi-genre books since 1988, including the dog bestseller Someone To Look Up To.
For many years, she taught English, and was the first woman to be a secondary headteacher in the Welsh county of Dyfed. She is mother or stepmother to five children so life is hectic. With Scottish parents, Welsh and French residence and an English birthplace, she can usually shout for the winning team in sporting events.
Kathy Hollick-Bater: About Kathy – Kathy is severely dyslexic and struggles with her reading and writing. Her passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy is now a Devon farmer’s wife, runs Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues. She hopes to extend her training in order to help ex-servicemen overcome PTSD.
Kathy regularly competes at British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals. She also has the ability to see, hear and talk to friendly ghosts, several of whom share our 1769 farmhouse.
Carolyn Hughes: About Carolyn – Carolyn is the author of The Meonbridge Chronicles series, historical fiction set in fourteenth century England. The first Chronicle, Fortune’s Wheel, is set in the immediate aftermath of what we call The Black Death. Times of social change are always fascinating, and trying to depict the great upheaval in society brought about by the plague was the inspiration for the book. In the subsequent novels, Carolyn has sought to reveal the lives of mostly ordinary medieval folk through stories that tell of experiences especially pertinent to the time but which also resonate today. The stories focus particularly on the lives of women, if only because women in history often have not had much opportunity to “speak”.
There are now eight books in the series. More will follow.
Amy Maroney: About Amy – Amy lives in Oregon, U.S.A., and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail; and the Sea and Stone Chronicles, which features strong, talented women seeking their fortunes in the medieval Mediterranean. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy Maroney’s community of readers on her website: https://www.amymaroney.com/
Alison Morton: About Alison – Alison writes the thrillers she always wanted to read – ones featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her eleven-book Roma Nova thriller series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue.
All six full-length Roma Nova novels have won the BRAG Medallion, the prestigious award for indie fiction. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO and JULIA PRIMA have been selected as Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. The Bookseller selected SUCCESSIO as Editor’s Choice in its inaugural indie review.
Six years’ military service, a fascination with ancient Rome and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction have inspired her writing. She lives in Poitou in France, the home of Mélisende, the heroine of her contemporary thrillers, Double Identity, Double Pursuit and Double Stakes.
Elizabeth St.John: About Elizabeth – Elizabeth’s critically acclaimed historical fiction brings to life the stories of her ancestors—extraordinary women whose close connections to England’s kings and queens offer an intimate perspective on Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times. Inspired by family archives and historic residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, she explores ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens—and occasionally encounters a ghost. Discovering a whole different family history in The Gate, Elizabeth expands her storytelling into the early 20th century, adding a new era to her repertoire.
Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park and curator of The Lydiard Archives, where she is always searching for inspiration for her next novel. Her works include The Lydiard Chronicles, set during the English Civil War, and The Godmother’s Secret, exploring the mystery of the princes in the Tower. In The King’s Intelligencer, set in the court of Charles II, a young woman must decide what she is willing to risk to reveal the whereabouts of the missing princes.
Marian L Thorpe: About Marian – Marian’s novels are historical fiction of an imagined world, one that is close to Britain, Northern Europe, and Rome, but isn’t any of them. Her short stories, either in multiple-author anthologies or her own collections range from urban fantasy to historical fiction, slice-of-life to climate fiction.
After two careers as a research scientist and an educator, she decided it was time to do what she’d always wanted, and be a writer. Her first book was published when she was in her mid-50s. Her life-long interest in Roman and post-Roman European history provided the inspiration for her first series, while her other interests in landscape archaeology and birding provide background.
Antoine Vanner: About Antoine – Antoine spent four decades in international business, latterly at senior executive level, and lectured in academia afterwards. He lived through military coups, a guerrilla war, negotiations with governments, storms at sea and life in mangrove swamps, tropical forest, offshore oil-platforms, and the boardroom. He has lived and worked long-term in eight countries, has travelled widely in all continents except Antarctica and is fluent in three languages.
He has a passion for nineteenth-century political and military history and has a deep understanding of what was the cutting-edge technology of the time. His knowledge of human nature and his first-hand experience of the locales – often surprising – of the most important conflicts of the period provide the impetus for his chronicling of the lives of Royal Navy officer Nicholas Dawlish and his magnificent wife, Florence. There are thirteen volumes so far in the Dawlish Chronicles series, the actions set in the period 1858 to 1915.
Vanner now lives in Britain with his wife, Eva Lagassé (a journalist by background), their dog and five horses.
Annie Whitehead: About Annie – is a prize-winning writer, historian, and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and has written four award-winning novels set in ‘Anglo-Saxon’ Mercia. She has contributed to fiction and nonfiction anthologies and written for various magazines. She has twice been a prize winner in the Mail on Sunday Novel Writing Competition, and won First Prize in the 2012 New Writer Magazine’s Prose and Poetry Competition, a finalist in the Tom Howard Prize for nonfiction and shortlisted for the Exeter Story Prize and Trisha Ashley Award 2021. She was the winner of the inaugural Historical Writers’ Association HWA/Dorothy Dunnett Prize 2017 and subsequently a judge for that same competition. She has also been a judge for the HNS (Historical Novel Society) Short Story Competition, and was a 2024 judge for the HWA Crown Nonfiction Award and chaired the same panel in 2025.
Her nonfiction books are Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom (a #1 Amazon Best-seller, published by Amberley books) and Women of Power in Anglo-Saxon England (Pen & Sword Books). In 2023 she contributed to a new history of English monarchs, published by Hodder & Stoughton, and in 2025 Murder in Anglo-Saxon England was published by Amberley Books.
In February 2026 she signed a contract for a new nonfiction book about the Anglo-Saxons, to be published by The History Press in 2027.
With an introduction by Lorna Fergusson: About Lorna – Lorna Fergusson is an award-winning short story writer and novelist. Founder of Fictionfire Literary Consultancy, she is an experienced editor, writing coach and speaker. She has taught on various Oxford University writing programmes since 2002. Her stories have won an Ian St James Award, the Historical Novel Society’s Short Story Award, and been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, Pan Macmillan’s Write Now prize and the Historical Novel Society’s First Chapters prize. She was twice runner-up for the Mogford Prize. Author of The Chase and An Oxford Vengeance, her latest book is a collection of stories set in France, One Morning in Provence. She is currently developing one of the Mogford stories as a novel, as well as working on poetry and a book on mindset for writers. Born in Scotland, she is married with two sons and lives in Oxford, England.
Under a brutal regime, what price must be paid to preserve truth, treasure and love in a world built on lies?
WWII Berlin. Freyja Bremer, a patriotic museum assistant, marries Kaspar Voigt, an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. Yet she is unaware her husband is instrumental in Himmler’s twisted quest for Aryan supremacy.
As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist who exposes the moral decay beneath the Regime’s myths. Her awakening drives her into perilous resistance — aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien’s sister — while uncovering Kaspar’s role in the SS’s darkest programs, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
As Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, Freyja, caught between duty, deception and desire, must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies.
A heartbreaking yet triumphant love story, Fables & Lies shines light on lesser-known aspects of the Nazi Regime. It gives voice to the complex moral struggles of German women, the forgotten resistance of Gentiles married to Jews, the dangers of contested history, the evils of Himmler’s racial studies program and the unsung bravery of German museum curators who saved their nation’s treasures.
Perfect for readers of Kelly Rimmer, Anthony Doer and Laura Morelli.
Praise for Fables & Lies:
“A heartrending story of a young woman caught in the machinations of the Third Reich and in the web of a regime-compliant family. The novel is meticulously researched and emotionally resonant, sure to delight readers who love a hearty feast of history in their fiction.”~ Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night
“A powerful and heartbreaking story set in war-torn Berlin, FABLES & LIES charts the slow dawning horror of a young woman as she realises all she has been taught about Hitler and the Third Reich is a lie. Impeccably researched and sensitively rendered, Elisabeth Storrs has shone a light on little-known aspects of life in Germany under the Nazi regime.”
~ Kate Forsyth, bestselling author of Bitter Greens
“Written from the little explored German viewpoint, FABLES & LIES is a gripping account of the quest to save the world’s great antiquities during WW2 and an ode to those women and men who risked all for freedom. A beautifully written novel. I’ve never read anything like it.”
~ Nicole Alexander, author of The Limestone Road
“Elisabeth Storrs has indeed broken the mould by writing ‘from the other side’. Evocative, detailed and heart-rending as the heroine journeys through disillusion and danger in the Third Reich.”
~ Alison Morton, author ofthe Roma Nova series
“A chilling and meticulously researched journey into the shadow world of the Ahnenerbe. Blending historical rigor with gripping fiction, FABLES & LIES reminds us of the devastating consequences when history is twisted to serve power.”
~ Leah Kaminsky, author of The Hollow Bones
Elisabeth Storrs
Author Bio:
Elisabeth Storrs has a great love for history and myths. She is the award-winning author of A Tale of Ancient Rome trilogy which was endorsed by Ursula Le Guin, Kate Quinn and Ben Kane.
Now her obsession lies with Trojan treasure and twisted Germanic prehistory in her new release, Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel.
Elisabeth is also the founder of the Historical Novel Society Australasia and the $155,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize. She lives in Sydney with her husband in a house surrounded by jacarandas.
Triggers: The book contains offensive Nazi ideology together with graphic war imagery (including rape), stillbirth and bereavement. Audiobook Narrator: Lucy Tregear.
Thank you to Carol McGrath, Headline Accent and the Coffee Pot Book Club for my advanced copy of this novel. I received it at no cost, but my review is entirely honest.
This novel follows the life of Elizabeth, the sister of Queen Jane Seymour. It opens in the Yorkshire countryside, where the recently widowed Elizabeth, only nineteen, is already a mother, the manager of Kexby Manor and is becoming an enterprising cloth merchant and employer.
The story gives a vivid sense of what the religious upheavals of the sixteenth century must have felt like for ordinary people and how easy it was to be swept up in the changes and to fall into danger. I also felt the slower rhythm of Tudor life very clearly. Gossip travelled slowly, and the seasons and the church shaped every part of daily existence.
Elizabeth is still reeling from the news of the sudden arrest of Anne Boleyn when news arrives of the queen’s execution. Elizabeth was once Anne’s maid of honour, and the moral injustice of her former mistress’s fall feels very real. The shock of that moment is powerfully drawn. We know it is coming, reading in the comfort of the twenty‑first century, but Elizabeth has no such luxury. For her, it is a seismic event, made even more astonishing when she learns that her sister Jane will be the next queen of England.
Soon, news comes from her brother, Edward Symour, who encourages her second marriage to the son of Thomas Cromwell Gregory. It is a delicious second marriage for Elizabeth, and the joy she shares with her new husband shines through every scene. She sits for a painting with Hans Holbein, a moment that underlines just how elite her new family is.
But her marriage brings her into the shadows of courtly plots and secrecy, at the same time as religious change across the country threatens the traditions and values she has always lived by.
This is an exceptionally well written and well researched novel, and it stands out as a work worth reading. This is a five Star novel.
Portrait of a lady, probably a Member of the Cromwell Family, perhaps Elizabeth Seymour. c. 1535-40, Hans Holbein the Younger
Blurb:
A mother, a wife, a woman of substance… At nineteen, Elizabeth Seymour is already a mother, has been recently widowed, and seen her Queen, Anne Boleyn, lose her life. Against the wishes of her father, she heads North, away from Wulf Hall and the court in London to Yorkshire, determined to establish a new beginning as a landowner and business woman. As her family in Wiltshire curry favour with King Henry, aided by Thomas Cromwell, Elizabeth makes Kexby Manor her home, finding loyalty among her people there.
Soon, news comes to Elizabeth of the King’s desires for her sister, Jane and while her brother, Edward, encourages her own betrothal to Gregory Cromwell, son of Thomas. It is a happy second marriage for Elizabeth, but it brings unwanted involvement in the dark plots and secrecy of the court, while in the wider country, changes in religious practice threaten to alter the traditions and values of all she has known…
THE QUEEN’S SISTER vividly imagines the story of the woman possibly portrayed in Hans Holbein’s beautiful painting ‘Portrait of a Lady,’ and is a colourful, meticulously researched novel of Tudor life behind the scenes.
What readers say about Carol McGrath’s novels:
‘Another beautifully crafted, well-researched work of historical fiction from Carol McGrath’
‘Brimming with intrigue, tension and adventure, The Lost Queen is a powerful Medieval tale full of atmosphere, danger and emotion and transports the reader to another world’
Carol McGrath
Author Bio:
Following a first degree in English and History at QUB, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London. She is published by Headline.
The Handfasted Wife, first in a trilogy about the royal women of 1066 was shortlisted for the RoNAs in 2014. The Swan-Daughter and The Betrothed Sister complete this highly acclaimed trilogy. Mistress Cromwell, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman, Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. The Silken Rose, first in a Medieval She-Wolf Queens Trilogy, featuring Ailenor of Provence, saw publication in April 2020. This was followed by The Damask Rose. The Stone Rose was published April 2022. The Stolen Crown 2023 and July 2024 The Lost Queen about Berengaria of Navarre and The Third Crusade. The Queen’s Sister, sequel to Mistress Cromwell sees publication in June 2026.
Carol writes historical non-fiction as well as fiction. Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England was published in February 2022 by Pen & Sword. She speaks at Conferences and gives interviews.
I’m pleased to host Deborah Swift today for a discussion about her new novel, The Enemy’s Wife.
Welcome Deborah, tell me what first drew you to this particular historical moment and the real events that underpin the story?
In my previous book, Jewish refugees who arrived from Eastern Europe, ended up in Japan. But what happened to them then? The research told me that they were moved again after the events of Pearl Harbor, to Shanghai. The more I read about wartime Shanghai, the more interesting it got – it was such a melting pot of cultures and loyalties.
I remembered wartime Shanghai from the film, Empire of the Sun, and decided to set the book in the International Settlement which featured in the film. This was the Western city within a city, an island dominated by the British and American businessmen and ruled by an Anglo-American council. Shanghai was known as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ for its wealth, its bustling port, its Hollywood-esque film industry, and luxurious lifestyle. South of the settlement was the French Concession, where many wealthy ‘Shanghailanders’ lived in palatial houses waited on hand and foot by the much poorer Chinese population. In the book, one of my characters, Theo, lives here.
Surrounding the settlement was the Chinese nation controlled by the Chinese central government in Nanking, but there were many anti-government rebels too, and a lot of corruption. I wanted to tell the story of what happened when China and the settlement was invaded by the Japanese. Zofia married her Japanese husband before the war, and suddenly finds she has become the wife of the enemy.
Your books involve complex cultural and political settings. How do you approach research to ensure authenticity without overwhelming the narrative?
The story is king, and all the research I do is to support the story. It is never just ‘background.’ For example, I needed a hub where poor people and rebels against the government in Shanghai might meet and exchange news, so I initially thought of a doctor’s waiting room. However, doctors had been culled by the communist regime, so it had to be a pharmacy. This led me to research and write scenes set in a Chinese traditional pharmacy – something I would never have thought of doing without the research. But the scenes were driven by the plot needing some place people could meet to exchange views on politics and the changing regime. I researched what that might be, and ended up with a pharmacy, which was in fact much more interesting as a setting.
For broader political background, I read widely around the subject, and hope that the reading gives me ‘authority’ in the voice, even if all the facts I’ve discovered don’t end up on the page.
War and displacement put enormous pressure on relationships. What interests you most about writing characters whose loyalties are tested by circumstance?
I suppose it is that they could be us. I am of a culture and a generation that has not had to deal with war, and yet by writing the books I am constantly asking ‘in that situation, what would I do?’ Perhaps I am practising for the event – I hope not.
People who have different ideologies can think they have nothing in common until those ideologies are tested – and the reverse. You can think someone is not like you at all, until you stand in their shoes. Or you can think you are ‘on the same page’ until they do something you would never conceive of doing. Stress affects everyone in different ways, and if war is one thing, it is stress. These situations bring about enormous amounts of tension and that’s exactly what you need to keep a novel rolling along, and to keep the reader interested.
What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
There are several things I can’t do without. First up – my bookstand! This allows me to prop open my research books on my desk as I’m typing. It really is one of the most useful things for a historical novelist, and costs peanuts. Second, the index tab stickers that you use to mark pages in books. Again, cost is negligeable, but I use them all the time to mark bits of research I need to keep. Third – a week away with writer friends. This is definitely the most expensive – but invaluable for keeping up with what’s happening in other parts of the publishing world, sharing experiences good and bad, and getting moral support from other writers who understand. Before going back to your lonely desk!
Looking ahead, what do you feel your next project might be?
I’m working on a sequel in which my two main characters, Theo and Zofia, think they are safe and happy in America. But even within a safe society, tensions can arise – particularly if you have come through Russia and China, during the Red Scare.
Praise and blurb:
‘A fast-paced, beautifully written, and moving story. Refreshing to read a book set in a different theatre of war. Wartime Shanghai jumped off the page’ CLARE FLYNN
A poignant story of the impossible choices we make in the shadow of war, for fans of Daisy Wood and Marius Gabriel.
1941. When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.
Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.
As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer. But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.
Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?
Readers love The Enemy’s Wife:
‘A gorgeous novel that will truly pull at your heartstrings‘ CARLY SCHABOWSKI
‘I loved The Enemy’s Wife – a gripping, fast-paced and evocative story about the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WW2 – and really rooted for the brave and selfless central character, Zofia. Highly recommended’ ANN BENNETT
‘Such an emotional and moving read, grounded in immaculate research that never overshadows the heart of the story’ SUZANNE FORTIN
Deborah Swift
Author Bio:
Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. Deborah has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com.
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.
Her WW2 novel Past Encounters was a BookViral Award winner, and The Poison Keeper was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Book of the Decade.
It’s my great pleasure to welcome Heidi Gallacher to my website to answer questions about her novel, A Theory in Vennia:
Tell us about your novel:
The novel tells the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a 19th-century doctor whose simple, lifesaving discovery was ignored in his own lifetime. My interest was piqued when I came across him during my research for a previous historical novel.
So, set against the emergence of modern medicine, A Theory in Vienna follows a man who proves something undeniable, yet who lacks the language, authority and cultural awareness needed to be believed. At its heart, the book isn’t just about medical history; it’s about what happens when the truth arrives too early. It explores obsession, resistance, and the quiet loneliness of being right in a world that isn’t ready to listen. Semmelweis’s story is tragic, but it’s also urgently human – a reminder that progress often depends as much on humility and courage as it does on evidence.
Was there a part of Semmelweis’s struggle that resonated with you on a personal level? Did that connection change the way you wrote about him?
Yes – what resonated most with me was the experience of not being heard, even when the evidence is clear. It’s probably happened to each one of us, at some time of our lives. Semmelweis’s struggle isn’t only about science; it’s about communication, timing, and the pain of watching something urgent fail to land. That connection shaped the way I wrote about him. I became less interested in presenting him as a flawless hero and more focused on his inner world – his frustration, his rigidity, and the ways his certainty both sustained and damaged him.
Semmelweis is often portrayed as a tragic figure. How did you approach writing a man whose brilliance and frustration shaped both his legacy and his downfall?
I tried to resist the temptation to turn Semmelweis into either a martyr or a warning. His tragedy lies in the fact that his brilliance and his frustration were inseparable; the same intensity that allowed him to see what others missed also made it difficult for him to persuade them. He isn’t undone by ignorance alone, but by the way repeated resistance hardens him and isolates him. His discovery endures, but the human price he paid gives the story its emotional weight.
Semmelweis fought for a truth no one wanted to hear. Have you ever had a moment in life where you’ve had to hold your ground in the face of doubt or resistance?
Yes – though on a far smaller scale. What I recognised in Semmelweis was the quiet determination it takes to stay with an idea when external validation doesn’t arrive. There were moments while writing this book when I had to trust the story despite uncertainty and resist the urge to soften it to make it more palatable.
Three centuries passed from the first epidemic of childbed fever until the early 1900s. More lives were lost across the world from this fever than lives were lost in all of the wars during that time.
If you could sit with Semmelweis for five minutes, as a woman and a writer, what would you want to ask him or tell him?
I would want to tell him that the women he fought for are no longer invisible – that their tragic lives are now understood as the true measure of his work. As a writer, I’d ask whether he ever sensed the cost of being right, and whether he would still have chosen that path knowing where it led.
What do you hope modern readers will take away from A Theory in Vienna, especially in a world that still debates science, evidence and public health?
I hope readers come away with a renewed sense of attentiveness – to small actions, to overlooked voices, and to the quiet ways care can save lives. Semmelweis’s insistence on something as simple as handwashing reminds us that progress often arrives through everyday acts of responsibility and compassion. More than anything, I hope the book leaves readers feeling that change is possible – and that listening, humility, and care still matter.
Blurb: Imagine you’d discovered something. Something that could save hundreds of thousands of lives. But they wouldn’t let you tell anyone. Wouldn’t it drive you mad?
Young Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis uncovers the real reason thousands of young women are dying after childbirth. Yet, in mid-19th-century Europe, his simple methods are ridiculed. Semmelweis faces the battle of his life to convince others that the cause is simple…
Based on the true story of a forgotten hero, A Theory in Vienna brings the remarkable story of this man to life.
‘I bring to light a truth, which was unknown for many centuries with direful results for the human race.’ – Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis.
Heidi Gallacher
Author Bio:
Heidi was born in London in the Sixties. She grew up in South Wales, UK and moved to Paris as a young adult where she taught English for two years. She currently lives in Switzerland and recently completed an MA in Creative Writing.
Her first short story was published in Prima magazine (UK) in 2018. Heidi now writes historical fiction. Her first novel, Rebecca’s Choice is set in Tredelerch– an old house in Wales that belonged to her family generations ago. This novel won an award from The Coffee Pot Book Club in 2020, Debut Novel Bronze Medal.
Her second novel, A Theory in Vienna, is set in 19th century Vienna and Budapest. It tells the incredible story of unsung hero Ignaz Semmelweis, whose life-saving discovery was ridiculed at the time.
Heidi enjoys travelling (the further North the better!), singing and writing songs, and spending time reading and writing at her Swiss chalet where the views are amazing.
