women | cplesley

Snow-covered fir trees against a blue sky shading into pink

Annual Roundup, 2025

Annual roundup of what I did in 2025 and hope to accomplish in 2026

cplesley

Dec 26, 20253 min read

The silhouette of a woman in late Victorian clothing, steadying a bicycle is outlined against the background of a several-story house surrounded by trees and a wrought-iron fence; cover of Misery Hates Company by Elizabeth Hobbs

Interview with Elizabeth Hobbs

Interview with the author Elizabeth Hobbs, whose historical mystery series featuring a student at Wellesley in the 1890s is published by Crooked Lane Books

cplesley

Nov 21, 20255 min read

A line drawing of a tired, stressed woman in a brown dress with a Puritan collar, draped in a red shawl or cloak. She has red hair and wears a Tudor-style cap; cover of The Bailiff's Wife, by Maren Halvorsen

New Books Network Interview: Maren Halvorsen

New Books Network interview with Maren Halvorsen, whose debut novel, a murder mystery and character study set in 17th-century England has just come out with Cuidono Press

cplesley

Nov 14, 20252 min read

A swirling drawing of waves beneath a yellow sun, a red sky, and several seabirds; cover of Mirta Ojito's Deeper Than the Ocean

Interview with Mirta Ojito

Interview with Mirta Ojito, whose first novel, Deeper Than the Ocean, comes out in November 2025 from Union Square Publishing

cplesley

Oct 31, 20257 min read

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 10, 20252 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

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 12, 20252 min read

Line drawing of a nomadic tent, with smoke coming out the center of the top, on the steppe with four men, two on horseback, one holding a horse, one on foot, with more horses visible in the background

Writing the First Revision

Updates on my writing process, specifically the rough draft and the first revision, with reference to Song of the Silk Weaver

cplesley

Aug 22, 20252 min read

A pair of hands and an assortment of animals and flowers against a backdrop of black, shaped like a door and surrounded by gold; cover of Kathleen Kaufman's Nora Grey

New Books Network Interview: Kathleen Kaufman

New Books Network interview with Kathleen Kaufman, whose latest historical/fantasy novel just came out with Kensington Books

cplesley

Aug 15, 20252 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

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 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

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

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 silhouette of a woman wearing a full-skirted, tight-waisted dress and carrying a parasol against a blood-red background with gold curlicues at each corner. Against the curlicues are two knives, a diamond ring, and a "Votes for Women" badge; cover of April J. Skelly's A Lethal Engagement

Interview with April J. Skelly

Interview with April J. Skelly, whose new historical mystery series, set in the Gilded Age, is appearing with Crooked Lane Books

cplesley

Apr 18, 20255 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 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

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

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

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

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 7, 20255 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 21, 20252 min read

Bookshelf, Winter 2025

Novels on my bookshelf, Winter 2025, by Su Chang, Elyse Durham, Lora Jones, Kate Maruyama, Victoria Christopher Murray, and Jane Yang

cplesley

Jan 24, 20255 min read

C. P. Lesley, Novelist

Annual Roundup, 2025

Interview with Elizabeth Hobbs

New Books Network Interview: Maren Halvorsen

Interview with Mirta Ojito

New Books Network Interview: Katie Tietjen

New Books Network Interview: Lucy Pick

Writing the First Revision

New Books Network Interview: Kathleen Kaufman

Interview with Shelly Sanders

Book Release: Song of the Steadfast

New Books Network Interview: Joanna Miller

New Books Network Interview: Alka Joshi

Interview with April J. Skelly

Interview with Jane Yang

Interview with Elise Hooper

New Books Network Interview: Victoria Christopher Murray

Interview with Kate Maruyama

Interview with Su Chang

New Books Network Interview: Elyse Durham

Bookshelf, Winter 2025