September 1939, and war is declared. For Bob and Annie Kelty, life will never be the same again, not least because they are forced to foster 12-year-old Ellen Laing, an evacuee from Finnieston in Glasgow. Amid growing tensions between the Glasgow evacuees and the residents of the sleepy village of Crieff, the feisty and quick-tempered […]
Degrees of Affinity by CF Dunn
By 1472, England has settled into an uneasy peace. The Lancastrian King Henry VI is dead and Yorkist Edward IV has been restored to the throne. Edward is supported by his younger brothers, George, Duke of Clarence and Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But the two men could not be more different. Meanwhile, Isobel Fenton has […]
The 2025 HWA Crown Awards shortlists
The Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) has great pleasure in revealing the 2025 Crown Awards shortlists, celebrating the best in historical writing, fiction and non-fiction, published during 2024–2025. There are three awards categories — HWA Gold Crown, HWA Non-fiction Crown, and HWA Debut Crown — and six shortlisted books in each category. The books shortlisted for […]
The Peculiar Incident at Thistlewick House by Jenni Keer
Norfolk in 1895. When renowned spiritualist Edward Blackmore receives a desperate message from his cousin Barnabas, begging him to come to the coastal village of Thistlewick Tye, his first thought is to ignore the request. Despite his cousin’s insistence that his wife is possessed by a malevolent spirit, Edward has no time for the man […]
Dominion of Dust by Matthew Harffy
AD 797, and we’re in Cyprus. Warrior-monk Hunlaf and his crew are on a voyage to acquire an important Christian relic before it falls into the hands of Byzantium’s scheming Empress Eirene. Hunlaf’s crew receive unexpected help as they seek their treasure, but soon find themselves betrayed. About to leave for home empty-handed, the adventurers […]
The Twelve by Liz Hyder
At the stroke of midnight on winter solstice, Libby disappears – vanishing from the face of the Earth. Only her older sister, Kit, and a mysterious boy named Story remember that she ever existed. To find Libby and bring her safely home, the pair must embark on a perilous journey into the distant past, across […]
The 2025 HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition winner and shortlist
It gives us great pleasure to announce the winning and shortlisted stories in the 2025 Historical Writers’ Association (HWA) Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition. The winning story in the 2025 HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition The winner of the 2025 HWA Dorothy Dunnett Short Story Competition: Final Score by Sean LuskThe judges say: “A […]
Shield of Mercia by MJ Porter
Following a brutally cold winter, King Wiglaf of Mercia is in the ascendancy in 836. Even Wessex’s Archbishop of Canterbury ventures to Mercia to broker a religious accord. But can the hard-won peace prevail? Viking raiders threaten Wessex. These bloodthirsty warriors are fast, skilful and have no reticence about killing those who stand in their […]