Photo copyright: Karolina Webb
Barbara Erskine
Agent: Isobel Dixon
Assistant: Sian Ellis-Martin
Biography: Barbara Erskine is the acclaimed author of many internationally best-selling novels beginning with the much-loved classic, LADY OF HAY, which has been continuously in print for almost 40 years. In addition to her novels, Barbara has also written three bestselling volumes of short stories. Her books have been published around the world in English and also in more than 25 other languages.
Barbara’s writing demonstrates her masterful storytelling abilities and her fascination with history and the supernatural. She lives with her family in an old police station in Hay-on-Wye, a setting which features in LADY OF HAY, SLEEPER’S CASTLE, THE DREAM WEAVERS and her forthcoming book.
Visit Barbara Erskine's website to read more.
‘Will thrill, enchant and intrigue those who love history and the supernatural. Barbara Erskine’s grasp of time, place and atmosphere is second to none, the storytelling a masterpiece.’ – Alison Weir
‘Stephen King meets Ruth Rendell.’ – Frank Delaney
‘Fascinating, absorbing, original. But perhaps the most suitable word is hypnotic.’ – SHE
‘Erskine never disappoints.’ — Historical Novel Society
‘My perfect storm of escapist bliss.’ – Saga
‘The acknowledged queen of the historical time-slip novel.’ – Daily Mail
‘Whether you class her as historical or supernatural, she is certainly a first-rate storyteller.’ – The Bookseller
THE DREAM WEAVERS
Historical time-slip, 560 pages, HarperCollins Publishers, April 2021
Mercia, 788 AD
In the grand Saxon halls of Mercia, King Offa rules with cold ambition. His youngest daughter Eadburh is destined for an arranged marriage, but with reckless spirit her heart is taken by a Welsh prince, a man she can never be matched with and who is quickly and cruelly taken from her.
Eadburh inherited her father’s ruthless ways but it’s the gifts passed down from her mother that are far more dangerous. She is determined to carve her own place in the world, yet her path could cause war.
Offa’s Dyke, 2021
In a cottage hidden amongst the misty Welsh hills of Offa’s Dyke, Bea Dalloway is called to help Simon Armstrong, who is searching for peace. Instead he finds himself disturbed by unsettling noises and visions.
It isn’t long before Bea is also swept up by haunting dreams. The past is whispering to them, calling out for the truth to be told at last. And as dreams and reality weave closer together, Bea and Simon must be strong to resist the pull of the past – and its desire for revenge…
WHISPERS IN THE SAND Historical time-slip, 417 pages HarperCollins Publishers, 2000
Recently divorced Anna Fox decides to cheer herself up by retracing a journey her great grandmother Louisa made in the mid-nineteenth century – a Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan. Anna carries with her two of Louisa’s possessions: an ancient Egyptian scent bottle and an illustrated diary of the original cruise that has lain unread for over a hundred years.
As she follows in Louisa’s footsteps, Anna discovers in the diary a wonderful Victorian love story – and the chilling secret of the little glass bottle. Meanwhile two men from the tour party develop an unfriendly rivalry for her attention, while showing a disturbing interest in Louisa’s mementoes. Most frightening of all, Anna finds herself the victim of a spectral presence that grows in strength and threat as the dramatic stories from three different eras intertwine in a terrifying climax.
THE GHOST TREE
Historical time-slip, 592 pages
HarperCollins Publishers, August 2018
Ruth has returned to Edinburgh after many years of exile. Left rootless by the death of her estranged father, she is faced with the daunting task of sorting through his possessions. Amidst the dust of her old life, Ruth discovers a hidden diary from the eighteenth century, written by her ancestor, Thomas Erskine. As she sifts through the ancient pages of the past, Ruth is pulled into a story that she can’t escape.
As the youngest son of a noble family Thomas’ life started in genteel poverty, but his extraordinary experiences propel him from the high seas to Lord Chancellor. Yet, on his journey through life, he makes a powerful enemy who hounds him to the death – and beyond.
Ruth has opened a door to the past that she can’t close, and meets a ghost in her family tree who wasn’t invited. She will have to draw upon new friends and old in what will become a battle for her very survival…
MIDNIGHT IS A LONELY PLACE Historical time-slip, 448 pages HarperCollins Publishers, 1994
A gripping romantic thriller set in a remote corner of Essex, as hate, jealousy, revenge and passion do battle across the centuries.
Broke and homeless after splitting up with her lover, author Kate Kennedy rents an isolated country cottage to write a biography of Lord Byron. But her work is interrupted by a sullen teenage girl excavating an old Roman gravesite and by Kate's landlord, a temperamental artist who resents her intrusion into his cottage.
The two locals plot to scare the incomer off with tales of ghosts, but Kate dismisses their stories – until strange noises fill the night, gremlins invade her computer and a vandal raids her dwelling. In her lonely cottage, terrorised by mysterious forces, Kate realises that she is being confronted by warring ghosts from the disturbed gravesite: Marcus Severus Secundus and his wife. Marcus is determined to safeguard a centuries-old secret, while Claudia is equally set on exposing her husband's evil deed. Should the truth about the violent events of long ago be exposed or remain concealed?
The ensuing spectral possession and the ghosts' struggle for supremacy will keep readers on the edge of their seats, as Kate struggles for her life against earthbound spirits and ancient curses.
A bestseller sold in more than 18 countries. Leave the lights on while reading
SLEEPER’S CASTLE Historical time-slip, 545 pages HarperCollins Publishers, 2016
Two women, centuries apart. Linked in a place haunted by its history… Separated by more than six hundred years of history, two women are drawn together by Sleeper’s Castle, a house steeped in memory and magic. This is an epic tale of forbidden love, cruel revenge and a war that time can’t forget.
KINGDOM OF SHADOWS Historical time-slip, 736 pages HarperCollins Publishers, 1988
In a childless and unhappy marriage, Clare Royland is rich and beautiful – but lonely. And fueling her feelings of isolation is a strange, growing fascination with an ancestress from the distant past. Troubled by haunting inexplicable dreams that terrify – but also powerfully compel – her, Clare is forced to look back through the centuries for answers.
In 1306, Scotland is at war. Isobel, Countess of Buchan, faces fear and the prospect of untimely death as the fighting surrounds her. But passionate and headstrong, her trials escalate when she is persecuted for her part in crowning Robert the Bruce, her lover.
Duncairn, Isobel's home and Clare's beloved heritage, becomes a battleground for passions that span the centuries. As husband Paul's recklessness threatens their security, Clare must fight to save Duncairn, and to save herself from the powers of Isobel…
THE DARKEST HOUR
Historical time-slip, 576 pages
HarperCollins Publishers, 2014
In the summer of 1940, eyes are focussed on the skies above the South of England: the Battle for Britain has just begun. But Evie Lucas has eyes for no-one but a dashing young pilot called Tony. Evie has a glittering career as an artist ahead of her but seems only to be fascinated in sketching portraits of him...
Seventy years later, recently widowed art historian Lucy is putting the pieces of her life back together, and to do that she needs to uncover the mystery surrounding a painting in her home. As Lucy ties up the loose ends of one lifetime, she stirs up a hornet s nest of history in another. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself in danger from people past and present who have no intention of letting an untold truth ever surface.
Some stories are buried in the darkness forever. Some are just waiting to be told...
LADY OF HAY
Historical time-slip, 768 pages, HarperCollins Publishers, 1986
Set now and in the 12th century, LADY OF HAY explores the life of Joanna, a journalist investigating hypnotic regression. Is she really reliving the life of Matilda, Lady of Hay, or is it her fertile imagination leading her to ignore today's problems by escaping into the past? Record figure paid at auction for UK paperback rights in 1986. Still a bestseller after nearly four decades in print.