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C. P. Lesley, Novelist

A young biracial man and two women—one Black, the other biracial—in Victorian dress against a backdrop of multicolored flowers; cover of S. Isabelle's The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick

A young biracial man and two women—one Black, the other biracial—in Victorian dress against a backdrop of multicolored flowers; cover of S. Isabelle's The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick

Interview with S. Isabelle

Interview with YA author S. Isabelle, whose latest novel, a historical romance set in Victorian Britain, just came out with Storytide, a HarperCollins imprint

cplesley

Aug 1, 20255 min read

Against a hazy backdrop of Moscow and planes in flight, a young woman in a Red Army uniform is seen from the back, a sparrow perched on her right shoulder; cover of Shelly Sanders, The Night Sparrow

Against a hazy backdrop of Moscow and planes in flight, a young woman in a Red Army uniform is seen from the back, a sparrow perched on her right shoulder; cover of Shelly Sanders, The Night Sparrow

Interview with Shelly Sanders

Author interview with Shelly Sanders, whose latest World War II novel, The Night Sparrow, came out recently with Harper

cplesley

Jul 25, 20256 min read

A piano keyboard with burned matches in place of the ebony keys; cover of Sarah Landenwich's The Fire Concerto

A piano keyboard with burned matches in place of the ebony keys; cover of Sarah Landenwich's The Fire Concerto

New Books Network Interview: Sarah Landenwich

New Books Network interview with Sarah Landenwich, whose debut novel about three generations of female concert pianists has just come out with Union Square Publishing.

cplesley

Jul 18, 20252 min read

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

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

Jul 11, 20255 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

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 4, 20256 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

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 27, 20253 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

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 20, 20255 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

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 13, 20252 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

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 30, 20252 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

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 28, 20258 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

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 23, 20253 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

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 16, 20253 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

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 9, 20255 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

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 2, 20254 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

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 25, 20252 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

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 11, 20258 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

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 4, 20254 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

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 28, 20252 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

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 21, 20256 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

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 14, 20256 min read

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