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 celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2026, having been continuously in print since its first publication. 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 in an old police station in Hay-on-Wye, a setting which features in LADY OF HAY, SLEEPER’S CASTLE, THE DREAM WEAVERS, THE STORY SPINNER and her latest novel, THE VALLEY OF THE RAVENS.
THE STORY SPINNER was an immediate No.1 Sunday Times bestseller in 2024. HarperCollins published THE VALLEY OF RAVENS in 2026.
Visit Barbara Erskine's website to read more.
‘There are few things as exciting as a new Barbara Erskine novel. In fact, I’m beginning to think that she writes especially for me, because her stories, so multi-layered, gliding smoothly from present to past, with intriguing and often quite scary paranormal threads, are exactly what I crave in a book. No one does the paranormal like Barbara and I love her for it. She’s a kindred spirit and I soak up every word with unadulterated pleasure. THE VALLEY OF RAVENS is Barbara at her best – she’s been at her best for years, really, she hits that high pitch of perfection every time. She’s a master storyteller and a wise woman. Long may she continue to entertain, fascinate and give great joy to her many readers!’ – Santa Montefiore
‘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 VALLEY OF RAVENS
Historical time-slip, 512 pages HarperCollins, July 2026
Present
Eve, desperate for a fresh start, arrives in the Valley of Ravens to restore a long-abandoned cottage.
Everyone knows the place is cursed. Why else would it be called The Witch’s House?
As Eve begins her renovations it becomes clear the place has a secret waiting to be uncovered, if only she can make the connection with the past.
Wales, 1260
Alys, a healer living in the depths of the valley, discovers Llewelyn – last true Prince of Wales – lying wounded on the battlefield. She tends him and her fate is forever bound to his.
Her vow to keep his final secret will echo through the centuries…
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…
THE STORY SPINNER
Historical time-slip, 512 pages, HarperCollins, Aug 2024
The land of the Silures, 382 AD
Elen is a princess promised to a general of Rome. Macsen came to Wales seeking an alliance that would advance his quest for power.
Despite warnings her marriage is destined for heartache, Elen is determined to honour her vows.
But this union will change her destiny forever…
Camp Meadow, 2024
Cadi is a writer who has discovered Elen’s lost story. As she puts pen to paper, she hears the sound of ghostly marching feet.
Opening the gate to the ancient meadow behind her cottage, could the secret behind Elen’s fate lie closer than she thinks?
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.
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…
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…
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
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.