Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a historical fiction author but have always enjoyed actually making things as well as writing. In the past, I was a theatre designer, so I was often immersed in recreating antique objects for the stage. Our versions werenā€™t the real thingā€“but it meant researching old crafts and then imitating them to build a convincing fake version. My research filled me with great admiration and respect for the real craftsmen of the pastā€“their skill and artistry, and I only have to look at our old cathedralsā€“so lovingly created, to be inspired all over again.


I wrote

Book cover of The Poison Keeper: An enthralling historical novel of Renaissance Italy

What is my book about?

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her motherā€™s apothecary shop, but Mamma refuses to tell her the keys toā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Glassblower of Murano

Deborah Swift Why did I love this book?

I loved the descriptions of the craft of glassmaking, especially the fact that something so hard could be made out of something so hot and molten. A big part of my enjoyment of this book rested on the descriptions of glittering glass, which seemed to mirror the Venetian Lagoon.

Another thing I loved was the fact I felt a connection to Nora, who was transported from her ordinary life to a life in Venice where everything was shifting because of its watery nature. There was great attention to detail in the writing that brought the seventeenth-century past to life on the island of Murano, a closed world where no one could leave.

By Marina Fiorato,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Glassblower of Murano as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Venice, 1681. Glassblowing is the lifeblood of the Republic, and Venetian mirrors are more precious than gold. Jealously guarded by the murderous Council of Ten, the glassblowers of Murano are virtually imprisoned on their island in the lagoon. But the greatest of the artists, Corradino Manin, sells his methods and his soul to the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, to protect his secret daughter. In the present day his descendant, Leonora Manin, leaves an unhappy life in London to begin a new one as a glassblower in Venice. As she finds new life and love in her adoptive city,ā€¦


Book cover of The Illuminator

Deborah Swift Why did I love this book?

I loved the portrait of late 14th-century feudal England in this story of a master illuminator and his forbidden English translation of the Bible.

There are not many books set in this period, and it really immersed me in the time. Lady Kathryn of Blackingham Manor is a character that is both strong and vulnerable, and I was really rooting for her and for her relationship with Finn, the craftsman, to work out. The monastic life is excellently described, as is the craft of illumination.

This is a book that stayed with me for a long time with its rich portrayal of the past.

By Brenda Rickman Vantrease,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Illuminator as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A glowing first novel that brings us "historical fiction in the grand epic manner, beautifully felt and written"

It is England, in the fourteenth century -- a time of plague, political unrest and the earliest stirrings of the Reformation. The printing press had yet to be invented, and books were rare and costly, painstakingly lettered by hand and illuminated with exquisite paintings. Finn is a master illuminator who works not only for the Church but also, in secret, for John Wycliffe of Oxford, who professes the radical idea that the Bible should be translated into English for everyone to read.ā€¦


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Book cover of Secret St. Augustine: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Secret St. Augustine by Elizabeth Randall,

A look at the wild, unknown, wacky world of overlooked symbols, emblems, sites, and events in America's oldest ancient city.

Book cover of The Silk House

Deborah Swift Why did I love this book?

I used to work as a costume designer, so I admit I have a bit of a thing for old textiles. I couldnā€™t resist this book, which features the silk trade and has a mystery at its heart.

The three women whose fates are linked by the Silk House in a quiet market town are all interesting characters, and their lives are linked together well by the author over the span of the 17th to 21st centuries.

The book contains two of my favourite interests, the historical silk trade and the ancient healing powers of herbal medicine. It also rattles along at a good pace and has a lovely surprise of an ending. 

By Kayte Nunn,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Silk House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Oil and Marble: A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo

Deborah Swift Why did I love this book?

Every Renaissance fan loves a bit of Leonardo, donā€™t they? And I was intrigued by the relationship between the older, established artist Leonardo and the hot-headed Michelangelo.

This is a brilliantly written book with lots of glorious details about art and painting. These are two giants of their time, and it was a brave subject to tackleā€“Storey manages to convey their intellect as well as their art.

Reading about the sheer labour involved in carving a block of stone into something human was really awe-inspiring, and Stephanie Storey does a great job of getting inside the heads of these two men.

By Stephanie Storey,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Oil and Marble as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In her brilliant debut, Storey brings early 16th-century Florence alive, entering with extraordinary empathy into the minds and souls of two Renaissance masters, creating a stunning art history thriller. From 1501 to 1505, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. Leonardo was a charming, handsome fifty year-old at the peak of his career. Michelangelo was a temperamental sculptor in his mid-twenties, desperate to make a name for himself.

Michelangelo is a virtual unknown when he returns to Florence and wins the commission to carve what will become one of the most famous sculptures of allā€¦


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Book cover of Dulcinea

Dulcinea by Ana Veciana-Suarez,

DolƧa Llull Prat, a wealthy Barcelona woman, is only 15 when she falls in love with an impoverished poet-solder. Theirs is a forbidden relationship, one that overcomes many obstacles until the fledgling writer renders her as the lowly Dulcinea in his bestseller.

By doing so, he unwittingly exposes his museā€¦

Book cover of The Painter's Apprentice

Deborah Swift Why did I love this book?

I loved the detail of the craft of gilding in this book, a craft that is little known today. I was interested, too, in the effect that the plague had on the city of Venice. Another plus for me was that Mariaā€™s love interest was a Moor, Cristiano, and this added to the slow-burn tension of the relationship.

For me, this was the sort of historical fiction I donā€™t read oftenā€“immaculately researched with plenty of insider details that could only be known by an expert. Though the story doesnā€™t move particularly fast, it did make me think and immersed me in the period. 

By Laura Morelli,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Painter's Apprentice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Would you rather sacrifice your livelihood, your lover, or your life?

When the Black Death comes knocking on your door, you'd better decide quickly.

ERIC HOFFER GRAND PRIZE FINALIST

EDITOR'S CHOICE, HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW

Venice, 1510. Maria Bartolini wants nothing more than to carry on her fatherā€™s legacy as a master gilder. Instead, her father has sent her away from the only home sheā€™s ever known to train as an apprentice to Master Trevisan, a renowned painter.

Maria arranges to leave the painterā€™s workshop to return to her family workshop and to a secret lover waiting for her back home.ā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Book cover of The Poison Keeper: An enthralling historical novel of Renaissance Italy

What is my book about?

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her motherā€™s apothecary shop, but Mamma refuses to tell her the keys to her success. But the day Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade.

Giulia escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her Aunt Isabetta, a courtesan. Naples is in the grip of Domenico, the Dukeā€™s brother, who controls the city with the ā€˜Camorra,ā€™ the mafia, and Isabetta, under his thrall, insists that she should be consort to him. Based on the legendary Renaissance life of Giulia Tofana, an artisan poisoner, this is a story of hidden family secrets and the value of human life.

Book cover of The Glassblower of Murano
Book cover of The Illuminator
Book cover of The Silk House

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