Sphere have acquired three more historical fiction titles by Elizabeth Chadwick in a World English language deal struck with Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann.
Elizabeth Chadwick is a prize-winning historical novelist and New York Times bestseller, published in 22 languages, with over 1 million copies of her work sold in the UK alone. THE ROYAL REBEL, the first of her new novels, is slated for September 2024 and tells the story of Jeanette, a young royal who refused to let history happen to her, defying the odds – as well as war, plague, and even her king – to blaze her own trail and be reunited with the man she loved.
Molly Walker-Sharp said: ‘Elizabeth Chadwick is renowned for her ability to sweep readers away to a time and place they can hardly imagine, and these novels are no exception. We are so proud to be working hand-in-hand with her to introduce readers to two headstrong heroines that time has all but forgotten.’
Elizabeth Chadwick said: ‘I am so delighted to be working with my wonderful editor Molly-Walker-Sharp and the team at Sphere on this contract for three historical novels set in the fourteenth century – a time of massive social and political upheaval, including a devastating pandemic that has so many parallels with our lives today. At the heart of the novels are two women: Jeanette – known mostly to history as Joan of Kent – a remarkable young woman, pressed by her family into moulds of expectation that she was always going to break, and Katherine Swynford, royal mistress, often vilified in her own time, but a woman of influence, indomitable strength and lasting fascination.’
Isobel Dixon said: ‘Elizabeth Chadwick has an uncanny knack of identifying fascinating historical figures and bringing them vividly to life, enthralling readers in many countries and languages. I am delighted that Sphere will be bringing the stories of Jeanette and Katherine to her fans on both sides of the Atlantic and further round the world.’
Elizabeth’s previous novel, THE KING’S JEWEL, was published in hardback by Sphere in April 2023 with the paperback edition to be published in April 2024.
About Elizabeth Chadwick
Elizabeth Chadwick lives in Nottingham with her husband and two sons. Her historical research is meticulous. She works with primary and secondary sources, visits the locations and for many years has been a member of Regia Anglorum, an early medieval re-enactment society with emphasis on accurately recreating the past. She tutors in the skill of writing historical and romantic fiction.
Elizabeth won a Betty Trask Award for THE WILD HUNT, her first novel, and has been shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Award several times, winning in 2011 for TO DEFY A KING. THE SCARLET LION was selected by Historical Novel Society founder Richard Lee as one of his 'Ten Landmark Historical Novels of the Last Decade'.
Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick
‘An author who makes historical fiction come gloriously alive.’ – The Times
‘I rank Elizabeth Chadwick with such historical novelist stars as Dorothy Dunnett and Anya Seton.’ – Sharon Kay Penman
‘When I read Elizabeth Chadwick's novels I always feel as if I'm looking through a window onto actual historical events, her writing is so vivid, and her research so superb.’ – Jane Johnson
‘Chadwick's depiction of the Middle Ages is sure and subtle, and her skill in imagining the private conversations that lead to the great decisions of their time is enjoyable.’ – Publisher’s Weekly
‘Chadwick’s research is impeccable, her characters fully formed and her storytelling enthralling.’ – The Historical Novel Review
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Visit Elizabeth Chadwick’s website.