Photo credit: Chris Norton
HarperFiction has acquired two new sweeping historical novels from multi-million copy bestseller Barbara Erskine. Kimberley Young, formerly Managing Director at HarperFiction, bought World English Language rights from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency. Editorial Director, Belinda Toor, has taken on publishing Erskine following Young’s departure last year.
Erskine has been mesmerising readers for decades, combining her historical expertise with a hint of the supernatural to create dual timeline mysteries that stay with readers long after the final page. She is the bestselling author of sixteen previous novels, eight of which have reached the Sunday Times Top Ten, and three short story collections. Her first book, LADY OF HAY, is an enduring classic and has sold over three million copies worldwide. It has never been out of print since it was first published almost forty years ago.
The first book in the new deal, THE STORY SPINNER – Barbara’s twentieth book – will be published in hardback, eBook and audio in August 2024. A time-slip set in the heart of the Welsh countryside; the reader meets novelist Cadi Jones as she is researching her latest project – the tale of a Welsh queen, lost to the pages of history. As Cadi writes, she stumbles across an undiscovered story, one that takes the reader to Roman Britain, Arthur’s Legend and even the Holy Grail.
The second novel in the contract, THE VALLEY OF RAVENS, will be released in hardback, eBook and audio in 2026.
Belinda Toor said: ‘Barbara is a masterful storyteller, and her novels are timeless. She has been delighting readers for decades and THE STORY SPINNER promises to deliver all that readers love from her previous work and more. It’s brimming with rich historical detail and flavour, characters you champion from the first page, and a ghostly connection to the past that has become Barbara’s trademark. I couldn’t be more thrilled to work with such a master of the craft!’
Barbara Erskine said, ‘I’m so pleased to be heading off once more into the past with the wonderful HarperCollins team. THE STORY SPINNER has been enormously exciting to write and I hope my readers find it as compelling and intriguing as I did. I can’t wait to see it out there.’
Isobel Dixon said, ‘Barbara Erskine herself is a story spinner par excellence, and we all loved this story, right from Barbara’s first mention. The arrival of the manuscript was a moment of great excitement and the vivid characters and dual past-and-present worlds soon cast their totally absorbing spell. We can’t wait for legions of readers around the world to experience that Erskine magic again too.’
You can pre-order THE STORY SPINNER here.
About Barbara Erskine
Historian and novelist Barbara Erskine was the first writer to become a major bestseller with dual-time-period novels. Her debut, LADY OF HAY, catapulted her to international success and has been constantly in print for nearly forty years. Barbara’s work is published all around the world in English and in 26 other languages. Her books are regular Sunday Times bestsellers in both hardback and paperback, with millions of copies sold. Her nineteenth book, THE DREAM WEAVERS, was published by HarperCollins in April 2021 and flew straight into the Top 5 on the Sunday Times hardback bestseller chart. The paperback hit the Top 20 in its first week of sale.
She lives in an old police station in Hay-on-Wye, the setting of LADY OF HAY and SLEEPER’S CASTLE and near Offa’s Dyke, a key location in THE DREAM WEAVERS.
Praise for Barbara Erskine
‘Fascinating, absorbing, original. But perhaps the most suitable word is hypnotic.’ – SHE
‘Erskine never disappoints.’ – Historical Novel Society
‘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
‘The acknowledged queen of the historical time-slip novel.’ – Daily Mail
Visit Barbara’s website.