In which I talk about just a few of the books I'm looking forward to in 2021, including: Band of Sisters, by Lauren Willig The Women of Chateau Lafayette, by Stephanie Dray The Steel Beneath the Silk, by Patricia Bracewell The Rose Code, by Kate Quinn Hour of the Witch, by Chris Bohjalian The Children's Blizzard, by Melanie Benjamin Wild Women and the Blues, by Denny S. Bryce Meet Me in Bombay, by Jennie Ashcroft ..read more

I was delighted to talk to Mary about her gorgeous book, Revelations, a biographical historical novel about the 15th century English mystic, Margery Kempe. I was captivated from page 1—following Margery's brushes with religious persecution and her adventures on pilgrimage. It's out on April 27th! And Mary has lots of events coming up. See the all at her website: https://marysharratt.com/main/upcoming-events ..read more

Such a fun conversation with Jeri Westerson about her new Steampunk historical mystery/fantasy/adventure! Lots of imaginative characters, a hint of romance, and a liberal sprinkling of magic, all set in a fictional Victorian London. The book comes out on October 31 (Halloween!!!). Jeri's having lots of fun events, including a Facebook Live launch and a YouTube launch ..read more

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I had a great chat with publisher Linda Cardillo of Bellastoria Press. Full disclosure: Bellastoria published the first two volumes of my Orphans of Tolosa Trilogy and will be publishing the third and final volume in 2021. Linda is fabulous to work with and a terrific author too. We talk about the ins and outs of hybrid publishing, the options for publishing today, and how Bellastoria has carved out a niche recently publishing historical fiction. We also mention the fabulous Jane Friedman, whose industry knowledge and wonderful online seminars about topics of great use to writers are well wor ..read more

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I had a really wonderful chat with two of my favorite historical novelists! Anne Easter Smith, most recently author of This Son of York, along with five other books that take place in England during the Wars of the Roses; and Patricia Bracewell, author of the Emma of Normandy trilogy about Anglo Saxon Britain. The third volume, The Steel Beneath the Silk is out March 2! Both are published by Bellastoria Press. So here's the thing: We all agree that Hilary Mantel is a remarkable writer, but one of us didn't love The Mirror and the Light, the final book in the trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. The ..read more

A first for me—interviewing an author on the other side of the world! Australian author Meg Keneally got up at sparrow fart (5:45am her time) to talk to me about her fabulous novel, Fled. It's totally engrossing and exciting, and in case you thought the name was a bit familiar, her father is Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's Ark, the book on which the movie Schindler's List was based. (We talk about her childhood a bit too, which is fascinating ..read more

Tracy and I had a terrific conversation about the nature of writing series, and what ways it can be easier and harder at the same time. Her Fraser-Rannock historical mystery series is 19 volumes long! And she just keeps going with this smart, well-researched, intriguing stories. Enjoy ..read more