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C. P. Lesley, Novelist

Against a green floral backdrop resembling wallpaper, a pair of white-gloved hands light a match to a tiny armchair; cover of Katie Tietjen's Murder in Miniature

Against a green floral backdrop resembling wallpaper, a pair of white-gloved hands light a match to a tiny armchair; cover of Katie Tietjen's Murder in Miniature

New Books Network Interview: Katie Tietjen

New Books Network interview with Katie Tietjen, whose second historical mystery featuring Maple Bishop has just been published by Crooked Lane Books

cplesley

Oct 102 min read

Against a medieval map of the Mediterranean, a portrait of a woman in a tall black hat that straps under her chin, wearing a necklace and twelfth-century blue satin dress looks off to one side; cover of Lucy Pick's The Queen's Companion

Against a medieval map of the Mediterranean, a portrait of a woman in a tall black hat that straps under her chin, wearing a necklace and twelfth-century blue satin dress looks off to one side; cover of Lucy Pick's The Queen's Companion

New Books Network Interview: Lucy Pick

New Books Network interview with Lucy Pick, whose historical novel The Queen's Companion, about Eleanor of Aquitaine in the Holy Land, has just come out with Cuidono Press

cplesley

Sep 122 min read

Against the background of a brick arch surrounded with pink and purple flowers, a young man in spectacles and a woman, both in Victorian-style clothes, gaze flirtatiously at each other; cover of Liana De la Rosa's Gabriela and His Grace

Against the background of a brick arch surrounded with pink and purple flowers, a young man in spectacles and a woman, both in Victorian-style clothes, gaze flirtatiously at each other; cover of Liana De la Rosa's Gabriela and His Grace

Interview with Liana De la Rosa

Author interview with Liana De la Rosa, whose latest historical romance, Gabriela and His Grace, has just come out from Berkley Romance

cplesley

Aug 294 min read

A background of machinery and a dimly visible US flag, covered in red, with a yellow hammer and sickel on the top; cover of Dave Schechter's A Life of the Party

A background of machinery and a dimly visible US flag, covered in red, with a yellow hammer and sickel on the top; cover of Dave Schechter's A Life of the Party

Interview with Dave Schechter

Interview with journalist Dave Schechter, whose fictionalized biography of his great-aunt came out in 2024

cplesley

Aug 86 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 132 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 252 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 282 min read

Weaving a History of Silk

Weaving a History of Silk

Weaving a History of Silk

A glimpse into the history of wild silk and its possible relevance to my forthcoming novel, Song of the Silk Weaver

cplesley

Oct 11, 20244 min read

The Ick Factor in History

The Ick Factor in History

The Ick Factor in History

On the not so nice parts of history and their inclusion in historical fiction

cplesley

Aug 16, 20243 min read

The Traveling Salesmen of History

The Traveling Salesmen of History

The Traveling Salesmen of History

On the value of merchants' travel accounts as sources for historical fiction, or what we can learn from the traveling salesmen of history

cplesley

Aug 9, 20246 min read

Interview with Michelle Moran

Interview with Michelle Moran

Interview with Michelle Moran

Interview with the author Michelle Moran, whose latest novel, "Maria," explores the true story behind "The Sound of Music"

cplesley

Aug 2, 20244 min read

The Rabbit Hole of Historical Research

The Rabbit Hole of Historical Research

The Rabbit Hole of Historical Research

The joys and perils of historical research when writing fiction, with special attention to the author's next Songs of Steppe & Forest novel

cplesley

Jul 26, 20244 min read

Interview with Eliza Knight

Interview with Eliza Knight

Interview with Eliza Knight

Author interview with Eliza Knight about her latest novel, The Queen's Faithful Companion, about Elizabeth II and her corgis

cplesley

Jun 14, 20246 min read

Interview with Clare McHugh

Interview with Clare McHugh

Interview with Clare McHugh

Interview with Clare McHugh, author of The Romanov Brides, a novel about the future Empress Alexandra and her siblings

cplesley

Mar 15, 20247 min read

Interview with Stephanie Dray

Interview with Stephanie Dray

Interview with Stephanie Dray

Interview with Stephanie Dray about her latest novel, about the life of Frances Perkins: "Becoming Madam Secretary"

cplesley

Mar 8, 20245 min read

The Longue Durée of Russian Imperialism

The Longue Durée of Russian Imperialism

The Longue Durée of Russian Imperialism

A look at long-term historical attitudes that contribute to Russian imperialism, including in modern-day Ukraine

cplesley

Feb 2, 20244 min read

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