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news and features
Meet the Judges of the 2020 HWA Crown Awards
Read about our judges here ... more
Dorothy Dunnett / HWA Unpublished Short Story Competition
The Competition is NOW OPEN. All writers, published and unpublished are invited to submit an unpublished short story of up to 3500 words set at least 35 years in the past. All genres welcome. Entry £5 (via PayPal). Read more and enter... more
HWA / Sharpe Books Unpublished Novel Award Winners
We’re delighted to announce the winner of the first HWA/Sharpe Books Unpublished Novel Award. She’s Maggie Richell Davies, whose gripping story, The Servant, came first in a very strong field. Once again the judges wish to stress how... moreauthor showcase
Melanie Backe-Hansen
Melanie Backe-Hansen is an independent historian, writer, and speaker, specialising in the social history of houses across the United Kingdom. The main focus of Melanie’s work involves original research for homeowners and corporate clients to provide bespoke house history books and research reports. Melanie is a research consultant for A House Through Time (BBC Two) and to accompany the popular series, Melanie has co-written A House Through... more
Carolyn O’Brien
Carolyn O'Brien's debut novel THE SONG OF PETERLOO was published in the UK on 1 August 2019 with Legend Press, to coincide with the bicentenary of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester. Described as ‘vivid, gripping and so evocative’, it follows the story of Manchester mill-worker, Nancy Kay. Desperate to provide for her ailing mother and sensitive son, Nancy is inspired to join the growing agitation for political reform. But as she risks... more
Karen Lee Street
KAREN LEE STREET is a British/ American dual national currently living in Australia. She is the author of a mystery trilogy that pairs Edgar Allan Poe and ur-detective C. Auguste Dupin. Edgar Allan Poe and the London Monster (Oneworld, 2016) is her debut novel, set in 1840 London, with flashbacks to the reign of the infamous London Monster who slashed the dresses and derrieres of over fifty women from 1788 - 1790. Book II, Edgar Allan Poe and... more
Lucy Jane Santos
Lucy Jane Santos is a freelance writer and historian with a special interest in popular science and the history of everyday life. She writes & talks (a lot) about cocktails and radium. Lucy grew up in Norwich before attending UCL to graduate in Egyptian Archaeology. Since then she has received a MA in Museum Management, a MRes in Modern British History and a Diploma in Journalism. Lucy’s career began in museums and private members’... more
