London, October, 1956. A glittering Royal Film Premiere. The whole world is watching. Tonight, Elizabeth II will formally greet an array of stars. Though she was not born to be Queen, this young mother and wife has embraced her patriotic duty and its unforgiving demands. A limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling […]
Historian or novelist? Writing fiction based on facts
Is the historical fiction author a historian or novelist? Julie Owen Moylan considers her own experience of writing a novel based on the known facts about two iconic women in the 1950s. Writing about real people is a challenging enterprise for both novelist and historian. How can we best sum up a life of many […]
Circus of Mirrors by Julie Owen Moylan
It’s Berlin in 1926. After the death of their parents, sisters Leni and Annette only have each other. Desperate, but dreaming of better days, Leni finds work at a notorious cabaret: the Babylon Circus. From the dancer’s barely-there costumes, to the glimmering mirrors that cover the walls, the Babylon Circus is where reality and fantasy […]
73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan
West London, 1958. 73 Dove Street is a shabby house in a shabby street. But this boarding house’s attic room suits newcomer Edie Budd very well. It’s somewhere to hide. Tommie, on the second floor, is up in Soho every night. There’s a man she’s pursuing – whether he wants her or not. Landlady Phyllis […]
Christmas reading 2023 – historical books to give or ask for
We asked 13 well-loved authors to each recommend a couple of historical books for Christmas 2023 to give, receive, or treat yourself with. There’s fiction and non-fiction, most published recently, with a few old favourites as well. We hope these suggestions help to inspire your Christmas reading. Tracy Borman Henry VIII: The Heart and the […]
73 Dove Street by Julie Owen Moylan
When Edie Budd arrives at a shabby West London boarding house in October 1958, carrying nothing except a broken suitcase and an envelope full of cash, it’s clear she’s hiding a terrible secret. And she’s not the only one; the other women of 73 Dove Street have secrets of their own… Tommie, who lives on […]