historical fiction

A two-sailed Egyptian boat on a river of gold surrounded by pyramids, sand, and palm trees under a night sky with a full moon; cover of Rachel Louise Driscoll's The House of Two Sisters

Interview with Rachel Louise Driscoll

Interview with Rachel Louise Driscoll, whose debut historical novel The House of Two Sisters came out in June from Ballantine Books

cplesley

2 days ago5 min read

A lit wax candle twined with roses and other plants, set against a crimson background; cover of Kate Khavari's A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge

Interview with Kate Khavari

Interview with Kate Khavari, author of the historical mystery series featuring Saffron Everleigh, the fourth of which has just come out with Crooked Lane Books

cplesley

Jul 46 min read

London's Westminster Hall and Big Ben, with the bridge and Thames River in front of them, seen through a multi-paned window; cover of David Lewis's A Beacon in the Night

Interview with David Lewis

Interview with David Lewis, whose A Beacon in the Night, the second in his Secret Churchill Files, set during World War II, has just come out with Kensington Books

cplesley

Jun 273 min read

An old-fashioned two-sail boat on a golden river against a backdrop of desert, palms, pyramids, and a night-time sky with a full moon; cover of Rachel Louise Driscoll's The House of Two Sisters

Bookshelf, Summer 2025

Novels on my bookshelf, Summer 2025, historical fiction by Rachel Louise Driscoll, Kathleen Kaufman, Kate Khavari, Laurie R. King, Sarah Landenwich, and David Lewis

cplesley

Jun 205 min read

Against a stark but beautiful background of sea, rock, and sky, a young, dark-haired woman in a white blouse and long red skirt waves a tartan shawl; cover of Karen Swan's The Midnight Secret

New Books Network Interview: Karen Swan

New Books Network interview with Karen Swan about her historical novel The Midnight Secret, which concludes her Wild Isle series, set in Scotland between 1925 and 1935

cplesley

Jun 132 min read

A man in a cardinal's red robes and a brimmed hat seen from the back walking along the corridor of a Gothic cathedral; cover of Alison Weir's The Cardinal

The Tudor Cardinal

A look at Alison Weir's latest historical novel, set in Tudor England and featuring Cardinal Thomas Wolsey

cplesley

May 302 min read

Two young women in Regency dress, one wearing a top hat, stand in a rural scene featuring woods, a pond, and a pair of swans; cover of Joanna Lowell's A Rare Find

Interview about A Rare Find

Interview with historical romance writer Joanna Lowell about her latest novel, A Rare Find, exploring gender diversity in Regency England

cplesley

May 288 min read

A man in old-fashioned Russian noble dress rides a flying carpet. One hand supports a gilded cage containing a glowing bird. Owls fly over a slow-moving river set against a pastoral backdrop and a sky clouded in pink; cover of C. P. Lesley's Song of the Steadfast

Book Release: Song of the Steadfast

Book release announcement for C. P. Lesley's historical fiction novel Song of the Steadfast, due out in June 2025 from Five Directions Press

cplesley

May 233 min read

A stylized drawing of a rowboat with eight oars, atop a watery backdrop with ripples representing the number 8 and two swans facing each other; cover of Joanna Miller's The Eights

New Books Network Interview: Joanna Miller

New Books Network interview with Joanna Miller, whose debut historical fiction novel has just come out with G. P. Putnam

cplesley

May 163 min read

A mountain of sand set against a night sky with a full moon supports a single tree and a young woman in a starlit robe, her hands raised in prayer; cover of k.m. huber's Call of the Owl Woman

Interview with k.m. huber

Author interview with k.m. huber, whose historical novel Call of the Owl Woman will soon come out with Sparkpoint Studio

cplesley

May 95 min read

A gold design that looks like the nib of a fountain pen, displayed against Art Deco skyscrapers against a dark green background; cover of Danielle Teller's Forged

Interview with Danielle Teller

Author interview with Danielle Teller's latest historical novel, "Forged," due out from Pegasus Books in May 2025

cplesley

May 24 min read

An Indian woman in a gold-embroidered green sari, long black hair partially obscuring her face, stands against the background of a tiled hallway; cover of Alka Joshi’s Six Days in Bombay

New Books Network Interview: Alka Joshi

New Books Network interview with Alka Joshi, whose latest historical novel, Six Days in Bombay, just came out with MIRA Books

cplesley

Apr 252 min read

A young Chinese woman in traditional dress and holding a round red fan on a stick gazes at the reader. Behind her is a brocade, gold embroidery against green silk with a pattern of dragons and flowers in gold; cover of Jane Yang's The Lotus Shoes

Interview with Jane Yang

Interview with Jane Yang, whose historical novel The Lotus Shoes, set in imperial China, came out from Park Row Books in January 2025

cplesley

Apr 118 min read

A filled bookshelf with three shelves sits against a beige/pink background. At the left of the top shelf and middle of the bottom one sit two dollhouses, lit from within. Cover of Elise Hooper's The Library of Lost Dollhouses

Interview with Elise Hooper

Interview with the historical novelist Elise Hooper, whose The Library of Lost Dollhouses, has just come out with William Morrow

cplesley

Apr 44 min read

A woman towers over a drawing depicting a street filled with New York brownstones. She is reading a hard-cover book, while around her and on her long skirt, couples are dancing, musicians are playing, and a painter is drawing her; cover of Victoria Christopher Murray's Harlem Rhapsody

New Books Network Interview: Victoria Christopher Murray

New Books Network interview with the historical novelist Victoria Christopher Murray, whose Harlem Rhapsody just came out with Berkley

cplesley

Mar 282 min read

A beautiful woman in a green sari, long dark hair partially covering her face, stands in an opulent room; cover of Alka Joshi's Six Days in Bombay

Bookshelf, Spring 2025

My Spring 2025 bookshelf, with historical fiction by Alka Joshi, Joanna Lowell, Mimi Matthews, Joanna Miller, Kathleen Renk, and Karen Swan

cplesley

Mar 216 min read

Against a dimly perceived background of arches and buildings, a trim mannequin stands next to a stool holding a small pile of fabrics; cover of Kate Maruyama's novel Alterations

Interview with Kate Maruyama

Interview with Kate Maruyama, whose latest historical/contemporary novel is just out with Running Wild Press

cplesley

Mar 146 min read

Surrounded by flames, a young Chinese woman with a ponytail and black Mao jacket is drawn against a green background with a pagoda and river; cover of Su Chang's The Immortal Woman

Interview with Su Chang

Interview with Su Chang, whose debut novel The Immortal Woman has just come out with House of Anansi

cplesley

Mar 75 min read

New Books Network Interview: Elyse Durham

New Books Network interview with Elyse Durham, whose Maya and Natasha, a novel about Soviet ballet, will soon be out from Mariner Books

cplesley

Feb 212 min read

Interview with Andrea Pickens

Interview with Andrea Pickens, whose historical romances are being reissued by Oliver Heber Books throughout 2025

cplesley

Feb 145 min read

C. P. Lesley, Novelist

Interview with Rachel Louise Driscoll

Interview with Kate Khavari

Interview with David Lewis

Bookshelf, Summer 2025

New Books Network Interview: Karen Swan

The Tudor Cardinal

Interview about A Rare Find

Book Release: Song of the Steadfast

New Books Network Interview: Joanna Miller

Interview with k.m. huber

Interview with Danielle Teller

New Books Network Interview: Alka Joshi

Interview with Jane Yang

Interview with Elise Hooper

New Books Network Interview: Victoria Christopher Murray

Bookshelf, Spring 2025

Interview with Kate Maruyama

Interview with Su Chang

New Books Network Interview: Elyse Durham

Interview with Andrea Pickens