Alis Hawkins writes fiction based in two centuries and two places: England in the 14th century and West Wales in the 19th. But, as she tells Historia, shuttling between the two is easier than you might think. Congratulations on The Black and the White being published! Tell us a bit about your latest novel. My […]
Historia extract: Lionheart by Ben Kane
We’re very pleased to publish a specially-chosen extract for Historia from Ben Kane’s newest book, Lionheart, ahead of its publication on 28 May, 2020. And if you enjoy reading this preview, there’s more Lionheart news to come. 1179. Henry II is King of England, Wales, Ireland, Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine. While they reign supreme, there […]
Review: A Map of the Damage by Sophia Tobin
When Historia asked acclaimed author Antonia Hodgson to review Sophia Tobin’s latest novel, there was only one problem. She’d love to do it, she said, but her copy wasn’t where she could get at it. Sophia’s publisher, like so many others during these difficult times of lockdown, was efficient and helpful and sent an ebook […]
Finding the spark: one author’s inspiration for a second novel
When Gill Thompson’s publishers gave her a deadline for her second novel, she reached into her emotional response to a historical event in order to find the spark that ignited The Child On Platform One. My first novel, The Oceans Between Us, came out of a chance discovery about the child migrant story whilst listening […]
Review: The Lost Outlaw by Paul Fraser Collard
Jack Lark has fought for the British in Crimea and India. He’s fought alongside the French Foreign Legion at the battle of Solferino and on both sides in the American Civil War. Now, though, he is facing a personal crisis. After a bullet nearly ended his life in the Civil War, does he still have […]
Historia interviews: Diane Setterfield
Diane Setterfield’s outstanding novel Once Upon a River won the HWA’s Gold Crown Award for best historical fiction in 2019. Based on and around the River Thames, it is a story rich in folklore, mystery and romance and has deservedly been a Sunday Times bestseller. Three journalism students from Bath Spa University caught up with […]
At the National Archives in Kew, the past comes alive
The historian Eric Lee, author of Night of the Bayonets: The Texel Uprising and Hitler’s Revenge, April – May 1945, looks back at – and forward to – the pleasures of research at the National Archives. One of the great advantages of writing history in the UK is being able to use the National Archives […]
Opus Anglicanum: the beauty of medieval English embroidery
Some of the most prestigious fabrics of the 13th and 14th centuries were produced by women, in secular workshops as well as in religious orders throughout England. Carol McGrath writes about the luxurious garments that gave her the background for one of the characters in her latest novel, The Silken Rose. English embroidery was once […]