Book Launch ~ Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames, by Lara Maiklem

Available on Amazon UK and Amazon US

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

Mudlark (/'mAdla;k/) noun A person who scavenges for usable debris in the mud of a river or harbour

Lara Maiklem has scoured the banks of the Thames for over fifteen years, in pursuit of the objects that the river unearths: from Neolithic flints to Roman hair pins, medieval buckles to Tudor buttons, Georgian clay pipes to Victorian toys. These objects tell her about London and its lost ways of life.

Moving from the river's tidal origins in the west of the city to the point where it meets the sea in the east, Mudlarking is a search for urban solitude and history on the River Thames, which Lara calls the longest archaeological site in England.

As she has discovered, it is often the tiniest objects that tell the greatest stories.

'Driven by curiosity, freighted with mystery and tempered by chance, wonders gleam from every page' Melissa Harrison

'The very best books that deal with the past are love letters to their subject, and the very best of those are about subjects that love their authors in return. Such books are very rare, but this is one' Ian Mortimer

'Fascinating. There is nothing that Maiklem does not know about the history of the river or the thingyness of things' Guardian

'A treasure. One of the best books I've read in years' Tracy Borman

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About the Author

Lara Maiklem, known as 'London Mudlark', moved from her family's farm to London in the 1990s. She now lives with her family on the Kent coast within easy reach of the river, which she visits as regularly as the tides permit. Mudlarking is her first book. Lara is on Facebook and Instagram @london.mudlark and you can find her on Twitter: @LondonMudlark 

Guest Interview with John Drake, Author of Traitor of Treasure Island

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

I'm pleased to welcome author John Drake to The Writing Desk"

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest is Traitor of Treasure Island a book for adults, which pretends that Stevenson’s ‘Treasure Island’ was a pack of lies, mischievously written by Jim Hawkins: a thoroughly naughty boy who spent Sundays, not in church but among the whores of Bristol, and later grew into Sir James ‘Slippery Jim’ Hawkins, perpetual member of parliament for Trelawney West.

Thus my book reveals ‘the truth hidden for 170 years!’   as given in the journal of Dr Livesey, surgeon to the Treasure Island expedition. There’s romance, buried treasure, storm and adventure, deadly perils, John Silver’s beautiful wife Selena (once a plantation slave) and Long John himself revealed as a far better man than anyone ever knew.

What is your preferred writing routine?

I get up at 05.00 hours (yes, that’s 5 am) and I am at the computer, typing by 05.30.  Then I work non-stop apart from cups of tea, until 12.30. Then I devote the rest of the day to life.   I do that as routine.  What I do not do is wait for inspiration to fall upon me out of the clouds.  It’s a job.  It’s hard work,  but fortunately I love it.

What advice do you have for new writers?

First of all, good luck to you, God bless you and may you prosper.   Go for it heart, soul, mind and strength.   Write about what you know, which means either something from your own personal experience, or something that you have researched long and hard.

If you’re not writing from experience, then research is vital as the source of ideas, and the means by which you will never have to wonder what to write next.  Then add the values that you love, the things that move you to tears, the things that make you angry, and the things that make you laugh. Then, when you’ve finished the piece, set it aside for a week, and go back and polish it. Then do the same again until you know that it’s the best you can possibly deliver.  Do all that and never, never, never give up.

What have you found to be the best way to raise awareness of your books?

Honesty is not only morally righteous, but is invincible. So I have to admit that I have no ‘cunning plan, my Lord’ to raise awareness of my work.   But I do know that if a writer wants to be known to the reading public then he or she must be already famous, as some celebs are who chose to write.  If not, then someone must pay for an expensive publicity campaign with adverts on  TV, radio, busses, bill-boards, London Underground etc. There is no ‘yellow brick road’, or if there is I have never found it.

Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research

The fact that buried treasure is a nonsense.  It never happened.  Pirates were violent, young, feckless men who lived short, dangerous lives.  The famous Blackbeard, had a career of just eighteen months before the Royal Navy caught him and killed him.  So pirates did not plan for retirement and when they got money they blew it on women, drink, food, gambling and fun.

When the money ran out they went back to sea and got some more, until they got caught.  They did not plan for retirement.  They did not bury their treasure.  They did not leave maps.  So buried treasure is purely a fictional device, but a damn good one, and well done Robert Louis Stevenson for making it famous.

I can’t really answer that question, because I never worry over scenes in the way that the question supposes.   I think that this is because of the writing method that I use.  Thus I write historical adventure fiction, and do extensive research before I start writing.  This means that the only problem I get when writing is worrying how I can fit into each chapter, all the things that I want to say.  After that, the process of writing each scene is a craft work,  like that of a cooper making a barrel.   It’s a technical matter,  so I do not wring my hands in torment,  nor do I agonise over words, nor suffer for my art,  and then finally bugger off and make a cup of tea.  I just make the barrel.

What are you planning to write next?

How long have you got?  The ideas are queuing up in my mind with the characters shouting to be let out.  It could be any of the following: a young-adult book with elves, hobgoblins and a charismatic witch;  or a detective story in 1st Century Roman Britannia; or a Hornblower-style Georgian navy adventure;  or even science fiction.   If only I had the time because ars longa vita brevis: the art is long but life is short.

John Drake

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About the Author

John Drake trained as a biochemist to post-doctorate research level before realizing he was no good at science. His working career was in the television department of ICI until 1999 when he became a full-time writer. John's hobby is muzzle-loading shooting, and his interests are British history and British politics (as a spectator), plus newspapers, TV news, and current affairs. He is married with a son and two grandchildren. Find out more at https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/john-drake/

Book Launch Spotlight; A Conspiracy of Wolves (An Owen Archer mystery) by Candace Robb

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

When a prominent citizen is murdered, former Captain of the Guard Owen Archer is persuaded out of retirement to investigate in this gripping medieval mystery.

1374. When a member of one of York's most prominent families is found dead in the woods, his throat torn out, rumours spread like wildfire that wolves are running loose throughout the city. Persuaded to investigate by the victim's father, Owen Archer is convinced that a human killer is responsible. 

But before he can gather sufficient evidence to prove his case, a second body is discovered, stabbed to death. Is there a connection? What secrets are contained within the victim's household? And what does apprentice healer Alisoun know that she's not telling?

Teaming up with Geoffrey Chaucer, who is in York on a secret mission on behalf of Prince Edward, Owen's enquiries will draw him headlong into a deadly conspiracy.

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About the Author

Candace Robb did her graduate work in medieval literature and history, and has continued to study the period while working first as an editor of scientific publications and now for some years as a freelance writer. Candace has published 13 crime novels set in 14th century England, Wales, and Scotland. Candace was born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has lived most of her adult life in Seattle, Washington, which she and her husband love for its combination of natural beauty and culture. Candace enjoys walking, hiking, and gardening, and practices yoga and vipassana meditation. She travels frequently to Great Britain. Find out more at her website and follow Candace on Twitter @CandaceMRobb

Book Launch Guest Post: Silent Water (A Jagiellon Mystery), by P.K. Adams

Available from Amazon UK and Amazon US

The Tudor era is one of the most popular in historical fiction, and for a good reason. The 1500s were the century of the Renaissance, a time when hundreds of years philosophy and art were turned on their heads. The European worldview shifted from the pursuit of earthy perfection and the focus on the afterlife to celebrating the temporal world and its beauty, as well as the possibilities of the mind and pleasures of the body. 

It was also the century during which the monopoly of the Catholic Church ended in the religious sphere. Henry VIII in England and Martin Luther in Germany both turned their backs on Rome, and millions of people followed their example. In many ways, it was an age of a radical transformation that laid the foundation for the modern world.

No wonder then that the men (and a few women) who made their mark on the 16th century continue to fascinate and excite the imaginations of so many authors of historical fiction. In my new mystery novel Silent Water, I propose to expand the scope of 16th century fiction. The novel, while dealing with the many familiar themes of the era—the dawn of the Renaissance and the rise of religious conflicts, to name a few—is set at the royal court in Cracow. 

While the Tudors and the Borgias are immediately associated with the 1500s, another powerful dynasty ruled over much of Eastern Europe at that time. I am talking about the Jagiellons (pronounced Ya-ghye-lohns), who ruled the union of Poland and Lithuania (as well as, at various times, Hungary, Bohemia, and several minor principalities and territories) for more than two hundred years.

Longer-lasting then the Tudors (founded in 1387 and dissolved in 1596), at its heyday the Jagiellon monarchy presided over a territory stretching from the Baltic in the north to the Black Sea and the Adriatic in the south. The reign of its last two kings– Zygmunt I (the Old) and Zygmunt II (August)—was the period in Polish history known as The Golden Age: never before or after, until the late 20th century, would Poland be so prosperous and peaceful as it was in the first seven decades of the 16th century. 

Interestingly, one of the most powerful and consequential Jagiellon monarchs was not actually Polish. Bona Sforza, who married Zygmunt I in 1518, was an Italian noblewoman who arrived in Cracow as a young royal bride, bringing with her new fashions, customs, and cuisine. But it was her ambition, forceful personality, and political astuteness that made the biggest mark on her adoptive country. She reformed its agricultural sector, patronized artists, founded schools, built roads and bridges, and in the process accumulated a massive fortune. She was by all accounts a fascinating but also a tragic figure. 

With Silent Water (A Jagiellon Mystery Book 1) I aim to bring to the English-speaking audiences a place that was just as dynamic, glamorous, and dangerous as the Tudor court. I also hope that it will help spur interest in Eastern European history and historical fiction. I would love to see more authors who write in English set their stories in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and many other countries whose pre-modern history was just as complex and multifaced as that of their Western counterparts. 

P.K. Adams 

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About the Author

P.K. Adams is a Boston-based historical fiction author, whose debut novel The Greenest Branch is the first in a two-book series based on the life of Hildegard of Bingen, Germany’s first female physician. She has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia and a master’s degree in European Studies from Yale. When not reading or writing, she can be found hiking, doing yoga, and drinking tea (though usually not at the same time). Find out more at her website https://pkadams-author.com/ and follow her on Twitter @pk_adams

Historical Fiction Spotlight: The Devil's Slave, by Tracy Borman

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Compelling, sensual, suspenseful, The Devil's Slave 

is a standalone sequel to The King's Witch 

Frances Gorges has already survived the accusation of witchcraft. But if her torturers at the court of King James knew of her love for Tom Wintour, one of the executed members of the gunpowder plot, it would mean certain death.

Pregnant with Tom's child, hiding under the reluctant protection of her spiteful and ambitious brother, Frances lives in fear - until she is offered the chance to make a respectable - if loveless - marriage and return to court.

She will not be expected to sleep with her husband. The only price she must pay for safety is to give up the cause for which her lover died.

But old loyalties are hard to deny, and soon Frances is drawn back into the snake-pit scheming of the factions trying to take the throne.

Everywhere she turns, it seems that someone has the power to force her deeper into danger until, all too late, Frances hears the warnings of her own heart.

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About the Author

Tracy Borman is joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull and was awarded a PhD in 1997.  Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books, including Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad. She lives in Surrey with her daughter. Find out more at tracyborman.co.uk and follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyBorman

Book Review - Edward the Elder: King of the Anglo-Saxons, Forgotten Son of Alfred, by Michael John Key

New on Amazon UK 

and for pre-order at Amazon US

History has been unkind to 'the forgotten' Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Elder, son of King Alfred the Great and father of Æthelstan. Part of the reason for Edward the Elder's low profile is the lack of contemporary biographical records, so this new book by Michael John Key is therefore a good way to help put the record straight.

For me, the most useful section of this book deals with the analysis of Edward's legacy. Without Edward's successes, Æthelstan would have had a very different life, so his contribution to British history is not to be underestimated.

Edward the Elder emerges from this fresh examination of the evidence as an effective administrator with a good grasp of strategy - ideal qualities for the emerging political class of kingship. Perhaps the one quality he lacked was the talent for self promotion which created our most memorable kings. 

I was interested in what Michael John Key has to say about Edward the Elder's final resting place. It seems the story of labourers accidentally breaking into his undisturbed tomb is a myth, although advances in scientific analysis mean we might have a small piece of Edward's pelvic bone - but even that could belong to Alfred the Great.

Well researched and engaging, I feel much better informed after reading this book and recommend it  to anyone with an interest in the Anglo-Saxon kings. 

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Michael John Key has spent his professional career in the oil, gas, and petrochemical Industry. After retiring to concentrate on writing he has researched and studied medieval history for many years, with a particular interest in the Anglo-Saxon period. He has a BA History Honours Degree. He was born in Leigh, Lancashire, but now lives in Hampshire, where he has spent most of his life.

Book Launch: Transfer, by Apple Gidley

New on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Transfer traces the lives of those on Anna’s Fancy, the Clausen estate on Saint Croix in the Danish West Indies, handed down through three generations. An historical novel and the sequel to Fireburn (OC Publishing 2017), Transfer sees Niels Clausen, the illegitimate child of a Danish landowner and his black mistress who both died as a result of the 1878 worker revolt, leave his adoptive mother’s sugar plantation and sail to England to continue his education.

With the help of Toby, a British aristocrat, Ivy, a lady’s maid turned lady and her botanist husband, Timothy, Niels challenges the perceptions on the streets of London of a black man at the turn of the 20th century. His development as a writer and political protagonist continues as he travels to Denmark and France where he meets up with childhood friends, Javier and Fabiana Gomez, before returning to Saint Croix.

The Danish West Indies face an uncertain future as the declining sugar industry lessens Denmark’s interest in their colonial outpost. Niels becomes increasingly involved in the future of the islands as war looms and concerns grow that Germany might covet a presence in the Caribbean. Will the islands’ security be guaranteed by the transfer of power to America?

The highs and lows of Niels’ life are punctuated by the crossing of oceans and cultures as well as the political manoeuvrings of a turbulent time in Europe, the United States and the Caribbean.

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About the Author

Apple Gidley is an Anglo-Australian author whose life has been spent absorbing countries and cultures, considers herself a global nomad. She currently divides her time between Houston, Texas and St Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. She has moved 26 times, and has called twelve countries home (Nigeria, England, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Papua New Guinea, The Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Thailand, Scotland, USA, Equatorial Guinea), and her experiences are described in her first book, Expat Life Slice by Slice. Her roles have been varied - from magazine editor to intercultural trainer, from interior designer to Her Britannic Majesty’s Honorary Consul. Now writing full time, Apple evocatively portrays peoples and places with empathy and humour, whether writing travel articles, blogs, short stories or full-length fiction. Find out more at Apple’s Blog and find her on Facebook and Twitter @expatapple.

Book Launch: Louis XIV: The Real King of Versailles, by Josephine Wilkinson

New on Amazon UK

Louis XIV’s story has all the ingredients of a Dumas classic: legendary beginnings, beguiling women, court intrigue, a mysterious prisoner in an iron mask, lavish court entertainments, the scandal of a mistress who was immersed in the dark arts, and a central character who is handsome and romantic, but with a frighteningly dark side to his character.

Louis believed himself to be semi-divine. His self-identification as the Sun King, which was reflected in iconography of the sun god, Apollo, influenced every aspect of Louis’s life: his political philosophy, his wars, and his relationships with courtiers and subjects.

As a military strategist, Louis’s capacity was debatable, but he was an astute politician who led his country to the heights of sophistication and power – and then had the misfortune to live long enough to see it all crumble away. As the sun began to set upon this most glorious of reigns, it brought a gathering darkness filled with the anguish of dead heirs, threatened borders, and a populace that was dangerously dependent upon – but greatly distanced from – its king.

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About the Author

Dr Josephine Wilkinson is an author and historian. She received a First from the University of Newcastle where she also read for her PhD. She has received British Academy research funding and has been scholar-in-residence at St Deiniol's Library, Britain's only residential library founded by the great Victorian statesman, William Gladstone She now lives in York, Richard III's favourite city. She is the author of The Princes in the Tower, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, and Richard III (all published by Amberely), and Katherine Howard (John Murray). You can find Josephine on Twitter @Jo_History 

Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI, by Lauren Johnson

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

A thrilling new account of the tragic life and troubled times of Henry VI.

First-born son of a warrior father who defeated the French at Agincourt, Henry VI of the House Lancaster inherited the crown not only of England but also of France, at a time when Plantagenet dominance over the Valois dynasty was at its glorious height.

And yet, by the time he was done to death in the Tower of London in 1471, France was lost, his throne had been seized by his rival, Edward IV of the House of York, and his kingdom had descended into the violent chaos of the Wars of the Roses.

Henry VI is perhaps the most troubled of English monarchs, a pious, gentle, well-intentioned man who was plagued by bouts of mental illness. In Shadow King, Lauren Johnson tells his remarkable and sometimes shocking story in a fast-paced and colourful narrative that captures both the poignancy of Henry's life and the tumultuous and bloody nature of the times in which he lived.

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“Lauren Johnson has done something extraordinary. The Shadow King is the best life of Henry VI now in print: a triumph of elegant and spirited biography, deeply researched and beautifully written.”
- Dan Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Plantagenets

“Vivid, absorbing, and richly detailed, The Shadow King is an intriguing account of a monarch who has often seemed no more than a cypher, putting him back at the heart of his own dramatic reign.”
- Helen Castor, author of She-Wolves

About the Author

Lauren Johnson is a historian and costumed interpreter with a first-class degree from Oxford University. Her debut novel The Arrow of Sherwood, an origin story of Robin Hood rooted in a real, brutal medieval world, was named one of Medievalists.net’s books of the year. Lauren has appeared on Channel 4, BBC4, BBC Radio Bristol and BBC Radio Somerset. Lauren is co-founder of Untold, a theatre company that creates ensemble-driven devised work and new writing to tell stories that have been marginalised in history and the modern day. Lauren has worked in live costumed interpretation since 2008, based at major heritage sites including the Tower of London and Hampton Court Palace. She has also worked with Historic Royal Palaces, the charity who administer Hampton Court Palace, the Tower of London, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Hillsborough Castle, chairing historical debates and creating on-site digital missions for families and schools. Find out more at Lauren's website and find her on Twitter @History_Lauren

Book Review: The Tudor Cookbook: From Gilded Peacock to Calves' Feet Pie Paperback, by Terry Breverton

Available for pre-order from Amazon US 

and Amazon UK

Terry Breverton has clearly enjoyed bringing together over two hundred and fifty recipes from surviving records of the Tudor period. 

He suggests this is a splendid starting point for the adventurous cook - although some are a little alarming by modern standards, such as the secret of how to make a pie from which live birds emerge to delight the diners. (The origin of the nursery rhyme, four and twenty blackbirds.)

This little book is packed with fascinating details of authentic Tudor food. I was intrigued to learn how wide-ranging and exotic many of the ingredients were, showing the extent of medieval global trade. 

There is a useful list of references at the end, although I would have also liked to see an index. I will keep this on my bookshelf as a useful reference book, rather than as a source of recipes.

Tony Riches

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About the Author

Terry Breverton was born in Birmingham in 1946 to Welsh parents, and brought up in Wales before attending universities in England. He worked in over twenty countries before moving to acadaemia, lecturing in Milan, Bologna and Wales before escaping into full-time writing. A Fellow of the Institutes of Consulting and of Marketing, he has given the prestigious Bemis Lecture in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and has spoken twice at the National Festival of Wales in America and Canada. He has been awarded the Welsh Books Council's 'Book of the Month' five times. You can find Terry on Facebook. 

(A review copy of this book was kindly provided by Amberley Publishing)

Book Launch Guest Post: Inspiration For Writing We Shall See the Sky Sparkling, by Susana Aikin

New on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Set in London and Russia at the turn of the century, Susana Aikin’s debut introduces a vibrant young woman determined to defy convention and shape an extraordinary future.

Like other well-bred young women in Edwardian England, Lily Throop is expected to think of little beyond marriage and motherhood. Passionate about the stage, Lily has very different ambitions. To her father’s dismay, she secures an apprenticeship at London’s famous Imperial Theatre. Soon, her talent and beauty bring coveted roles and devoted admirers. Yet to most of society, the line between actress and harlot is whisper-thin. With her reputation threatened by her mentor’s vicious betrayal, Lily flees to St. Petersburg with an acting troupe
—leaving her first love behind.

If there was one mysterious, spellbinding female member in our family tree to look up to when I was growing up, it was our great grand aunt, Gertrude Throop Cable. The mention of her name in family gatherings always created tension. But whenever my four sisters and I, who lived in Madrid, Spain, got together with our four paternal cousins, who lived in Manchester, it was only a matter of time before speculation about Lily’s adventurous life would begin to bubble up. 

Gertrude in theatrical dancing costume

The men in the family were not thrilled with Gertrude’s story. My father and his brothers shifted uncomfortably in their chairs when the topic was brought up. ‘She was no lady’, was their unwavering verdict. They were conservative, and having a ‘bad girl’ in the family disquieted them. Although, it had originally been one of my uncles, a passionate genealogist, who had spent years collecting photographs, letters, official certificates and older family members’ testimonies, trying to assemble the puzzle of Gertrude’s story.

Gertrude Throop Cable

And the legend that emerged from his research went something like this: in 1898, Gertrude, then only seventeen, one of the beautiful and talented daughters of our strict Mancunian family, left the house against her father’s will to become an actress. She worked at the Imperial Theatre in London for a year or two before she joined a traveling theatre company that ended up in St. Petersburg, Russia. There she met a handsome Russian aristocrat, Sergei Nikolayevich Latvin, fell in love with him and followed him all the way east to Vladivostok, where they settled and had a baby daughter out of wedlock, Olga.

Olga, 1 year old

The story got blurry at this point. For some reason, she and Sergei were separated, and Gertrude was forced to return to St. Petersburg with baby Olga. She arrived in a very bad state of health, and was diagnosed with terminal tuberculosis, after which the Russian sanitary authorities demanded she leave the country immediately. Gertrude then left her child Olga behind with Sergei’s mother, and traveled all the way back to England where she died very soon after her arrival. Her sisters kept her letters, her jewels, and the amazing fur coat she brought with her which had been a gift from her beloved. She died in 1906 at the age of 24, and the death certificate declared her to be spinster and theatrical dancer, and to die of pulmonary phthisis. 

After that, all trace of baby Olga was lost to our family.

Back of picture sent from St. Petersburg, Russia, 1904.

Gertrude’s tragic death and her disappeared child were sources of a lot of speculation in our family conversations, especially the fate of baby Olga. What had happened to the little girl? Did she perish afterwards in the Russian Revolution? But Gertrude’s charisma outshone all else—to have an ancestress who had defied all conventions to pursue an artistic career bestowed a very particular badge on the women of the clan.

Years later, after I left my family and my homeland and moved to New York to become a filmmaker and a writer, I thought many times about Gertrude and her solo flight across Russia at the end of the 19th century. Plowing through the hardship of growing into an artist in a difficult, competitive world dominated –still today- by men, is a hard predicament for any woman at any time and place in history.

Only recently did it occur to me, one idle Sunday evening, to google Gertrude’s name, and when she popped up immediately under ancestry.com’s website, I knew I was in for a trip down the rabbit hole. The first surprise was to find her photograph uploaded onto another family tree: the descendants of her daughter Olga listed her as their grandmother. I learned instantly that Olga had survived and lived an interesting, rich life, had married into a wealthy Ukrainian family and migrated eventually to the US in the 1950s.

The picture her family had uploaded onto the site was very similar to the photo my mother kept on top of her writing desk in the living room. In both images, Gertrude is richly dressed in a long elegant coat with a fur stole that reaches below her knees, and a large, elaborate hat dressed with something resembling ostrich plumes, or some other exotic bird’s feather. Both photographs were taken in Saint Petersburg in 1900.

I immediately got in touch with her grandchildren, who were very generous in providing information to fill in the gaps of her story. The most important piece I obtained was the copy of a short life memoir written by Olga herself, in which besides narrating her own life, she recounts everything she knew about her mother. This is how it starts:

I was born in Vladivostok, Maritime Province of the Russian Far East, on January 6, 1903. My father was Sergei Nikolayevich Latkin, Commissioner of the Customs for the Far East. My mother was Gertrude Throop-Cable.

During the Russo-Japanese war in 1904 my mother took me to St. Petersburg, while my father remained as a war correspondent there. The Trans-Siberian railroad had not been built, or completed at that time. We had to cross the Lake Baikal on sleighs, it was winter and my mother contracted a cold, which due to her weak lungs developed into tuberculosis... I do not remember her, since I was only 1 1/2 years old… From what I was told and the photography I have, she was a beautiful woman. Artists always asked my father to have her sit for a painting.

The moment I started reading this document, I thought about writing a novel.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Susana Aikin

"Aikin's novel is expertly plotted and rife with historical details in both its English and Russian settings, making for a rich story of the prejudices women faced at the turn of the 20th century and how the class disparity in Russia ignited the flame of revolution."~ PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 

"Beginning and ending with letters written to her family, this novel has the feel of a serial drama. Readers of Pam Jenoff and Eva Stachniak will appreciate the strong-willed and artistically driven female character who finds her own way through difficult times."~ LIBRARY JOURNAL

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About the Author

Born in Spain of an English father and a Spanish mother, Susana Aikin is a writer and a filmmaker who has lived in New York City since 1982. She was educated in England and Spain; studied law at the University of Madrid, and later Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. In 1986 she started her own independent film production company, Starfish Productions, producing and directing documentary films that won her multiple awards, including an American Film Institute grant, a Rockefeller Fellowship and an Emmy Award in 1997. She started writing fiction full time in 2010. She has two sons, and now lives between Brooklyn and the mountains north of Madrid. Find out more at Susana's website https://www.susanaaikin.org/ and find her on Twitter @Susana_Aikin