Margaret Skea is an award-winning novelist and short story writer. Growing up in ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland much of her writing is concerned with living within conflict, and the pressures that places on families, relationships and on personal integrity.

Her Scottish trilogy, centred on the most notorious feud in Ayrshire’s history is a sweeping tale of compassion and cruelty, treachery and sacrifice; set against the backdrop of feuding clans, the French Wars of Religion and the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597.

The first volume, Turn of the Tide, took the Beryl Bainbridge Award for Best First Time Author; the second A House Divided, was longlisted for the international Historical Novel Society New Novel Award 2016. The third By Sword and Storm, was released in July 2018.

Her most recent awards are for Katharina: Deliverance, a fictionalised biography based on the life of the reformer Martin Luther’s wife, which placed 2nd in the international Historical Novel Society New Novel Award 2018 and the sequel, Katharina Fortitude, which was shortlisted for the BookBrunch Prize 2020.

She is passionate about providing an authentic ‘you are there’ experience for readers and relishes the challenge of bringing to life significant, but shadowy historical figures.

An Hawthornden Fellow and award winning short story writer – recent credits include: Neil Gunn, Winchester Short Story, Historical Novel Society Short Story, Mslexia, Fish Short Story and Fish One Page Prize.  Her short stories have been published in a range of magazines and anthologies in Britain and the USA.