Historical fiction that puts women centre stage is having something of a moment, with authors like Pat Barker and Madeleine Miller challenging exclusively male accounts of both real and imagined pasts. 

With her book, Cecily, Annie Garthwaite has made a stunning contribution to the genre, exploring the Wars of the Roses from the viewpoint of Cecily de Neville, a woman at the centre of power at a time of corruption, ambition, treason and betrayal. 

Hear from Annie as she tells us why she chose Cecily as the subject of her debut novel and how she has so expertly captured a world of war as women fight it. She’ll also give us a glimpse into her next novel – The King’s Mother, schedule for publication in July 2024 –  that returns us to Cecily’s world and introduces us to three more brilliant 15th century women. 

Annie Garthwaite grew up in a working-class community in the north-east of England. She studied English at the University of Wales before embarking on a thirty-year international business career, eventually establishing her own communications consultancy. In 2017 she studied for an MA in Creative Writing at Warwick University and, during two years of study, wrote her debut novel Cecily which was published by Penguin in 2021. Cecily was named a ‘top pick’ by The Times and Sunday Times and a ‘Best Book of 2021 by independent bookshops and Waterstones. Annie lives in rolling countryside close to the border town of Ludlow.