The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) is delighted to announce the Crown Awards longlists for 2026, celebrating the best in historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, published during 2025–2026. There are three awards categories: HWA Gold Crown, HWA Non-fiction Crown, and HWA Debut Crown, and 12 books in each category. Read on to find out about all […]
Offa of Mercia, a powerful king
Offa of Mercia was a powerful English king. And, as James Turner argues, he was also a monarch with enough importance in Western Europe to be of interest to his contemporary, Charlemagne. Around 789, the Frankish king Charlemagne wrote to King Offa of Mercia to propose a marriage between his eldest son, Charles the Younger, […]
Forever Amber, scandalous historical fiction that lasts… for ever
To mark the publication of a new edition of Kathleen Winsor’s scandalous historical novel, Forever Amber, the publisher Elizabeth Smith argues that this “brilliantly accurate” book is still relevant over 80 years after it first delighted – and challenged – readers around the world. “[Forever Amber] is not only brilliant – once you start, I […]
Three authors on how small discoveries had big impacts on their stories
Three writers of Roman historical fiction reveal how seemingly minor research discoveries inspired their stories. Sit any three historical fiction authors around the table and ask them about their research and you’ll be there for a week. Narrow it down to the specific ‘minor discovery’ that changed the course of the narrative and you might […]
Dismantling the misogynistic Marilyn Monroe myth
How does a historian challenge the ‘misogynistic Monroe myth’ of lateness, drinking, and emotional fragility? Not by denying it, says Lucy Jane Santos, but by showing that memories can be faulty, stories retold and reshaped for their audience – and Marilyn’s own words are largely missing. And by remembering that history, like memory, is not […]
Plantagenet princesses in the troubled late Middle Ages
How did the daughters of Plantagenet Kings of England deal with the tumults of the late Middle Ages? Sharon Bennett Connolly, historian and author, explains how they responded to the challenges of plague, rebellion, war — and marriage into other royal dynasties. Until writing Princesses of the Later Middle Ages: Royal Daughters of the Plantagenets, […]
The women of the Blitz (and what I learned from them)
Who were the real hero(ine)s of the Blitz? “The wartime mothers of the East End,” one former doctor, who saved many lives, told author Kate Thompson. Kate writes about the lessons she learned from interviewing East London women who’d survived the bombs: the daughters of childminders, abortionists, money-lenders; the costermonger, the butcher, the singer. These […]
Agrippa, Augustus’ friend and fixer
Marcus Agrippa was Emperor Augustus’ right-hand man. From humble birth, Agrippa rose to become Augustus’ friend and fixer, married his daughter and helped build the Empire. As Agrippa’s biographer, Lindsay Powell, says, the former Octavian would likely neither have triumphed nor held on to power without Agrippa by his side. To rule effectively, a national […]