COSTANZA – Rachel Blackmore’s acclaimed Renaissance Rome-set debut novel – has been longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown award. The prestigious HWA Awards celebrate the best historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, and its ability to engage, illuminate, entertain and inform legions of readers. To be considered, the bulk of the work must take place at least thirty-five years prior to publication.
‘Hypnotic, sensual, heartbreaking, and shocking, COSTANZA is flawless in execution and is set to be a classic for years to come,’ wrote the HWA in their statement. ‘A rich and compelling evocation of art and obsession in 17th-century Rome.’
A passionate feminist retelling of a true seventeenth-century tale, COSTANZA brings the tragic muse of famed sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini to vivid life. The novel was published by Renegade Books in August 2024, with a paperback published worldwide in July earlier this year, and translation rights have so far sold in eight languages. Rachel’s next novel will be published by Renegade Books in Summer 2026.
Longlisted alongside Rachel are THE WICKED OF THE EARTH by A. D. Bergin, THE INSTRUMENTALIST by Harriet Constable (Bloomsbury), NEPTHYS by Rachel Louise Driscoll (Harvill Secker), MURDER IN CONSTANTINOPLE by A.E. Goldin (Pushkin Press), WINTER OF SHADOWS by Clare Grant (Black Spring Crime), A POISONER’S TALE by Cathryn Kemp (Bantam), SPITTING GOLD by Carmella Lowkis (Doubleday), THE EIGHTS by Joanna Miller (Fig Tree), A LITTLE TRICKERIE by Rosanna Pike (Fig Tree), THEY DREAM IN GOLD by Mai Sennaar (Picador), and A CASE OF MICE AND MURDER by Sally Smith (Bloomsbury).
The winner will follow in the footsteps of last year’s honouree, Blake Friedmann’s own Bridget Walsh, who was recognised for her Victorian London crime novel THE TUMBLING GIRL, and 2023 winner THE SECRET DIARIES OF CHARLES IGNATIUS SANCHO by Paterson Joseph. The shortlists will be announced on 15 October, ahead of the awards ceremony in Central London on 19 November 2025.
Congratulations Rachel!
About COSTANZA
Rome, 1636: In the scorched city of Rome, the cobbled streets hum with gossip and sin... Costanza Piccolomini is a respectable young wife - until she meets Gianlorenzo Bernini, the famed sculptor and star of Roman society, whose jet-black gaze matches his dark temper. From the second they set eyes upon each other, a fatal attraction is born.
Their secret love burns with a passion that consumes them. But with every stolen kiss and illicit tryst, Costanza's reputation is at stake. Meanwhile, Bernini has a dangerous desire: he wants to make Costanza immortal. He vows to possess her not just in body and soul, but also in marble.
When Bernini unveils his sculpture of Costanza, she is exposed as his lover, marking the undoing of their affair - and the beginning of a scandal which will rock Roman society. For Bernini would rather destroy Costanza than let her go.
Betrayed. Abandoned. Banished. This was meant to be the end of Costanza's story. But Costanza is no ordinary woman: from the ashes, she will rise...
History calls her a Muse. Temptress. Fallen woman. This is her story. Based on a true story, COSTANZA brings to life a feminist icon who has been written out of history.
Photo: Nicolas Laborie
About Rachel Blackmore
Born in Birmingham the daughter of a theatre director and a teacher, Rachel developed her love of language and storytelling at a young age. She went on to study Early Modern History, before embarking on a career in politics which morphed into a long bout as a speechwriter – a craft she now teaches.
Rachel spent more than a decade working and raising a family, before taking a career break to write historical fiction about marginalised women, as a way of looking at contemporary issues.
In 2021 she was a runner up in Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition and won the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair in 2022. Her debut novel, COSTANZA, a historical novel set in Renaissance Rome telling the story of Costanza Piccolomini, the muse of Bernini, was published by Dialogue Books imprint Renegade in August 2024.
She lives in London with her three teenagers, two cats and one dog.
Praise for COSTANZA
‘Spent my week immersed in this stunning piece of historical fiction, COSTANZA… This gorgeous, intimate portrayal of Costanza herself, reminded me of THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT in its melding of art & artistry with the lives of the women of the time’ – Jennie Godfrey
‘Wonderful… This novel took over my life for the time I was buried in it. Powerful and deeply affecting storytelling bringing us a new perspective on a famous story’ – Paterson Joseph
‘Sumptuous, immersive and bold, Costanza breathes life into a woman frozen in marble for three hundred years, finally giving her a chance to speak… Costanza is both a cathartic cry and a clarion call for justice for generations of forgotten women’ – Hesse Phillips
‘COSTANZA by Rachel Blackmore is a mesmerising, powerful tale of a young woman’s seeming rise to power and riches as the muse of a famous artist, only to come crashing down as his true nature is revealed.’ – Laura Shepperson
‘The substance, the textures the feel of the city was so immediate and immersive. It’s one of those historical novels that transports the reader straight to the time and place… A fabulous, evocative novel with plenty of food for thought.’ – Elizabeth Chadwick
‘I was mesmerised by COSTANZA, a searing, fierce tale of obsession, revenge, and resilience. Blackmore’s lush, sensuous prose evokes seventeenth-century Rome superbly, from its seamy underbelly to the glamourous Bernini circle. An unforgettable debut novel.’ – Naomi Kelsey
‘A shocking story… It is most persuasively written, obviously deeply felt and the detail is excellent. Quite apart from anything else, I will look at Bernini in a new light.’ – Elizabeth Buchan
