Ask the Author: Karen Maitland
Answered Questions (22)
Karen Maitland
Dear Diana,
Thank you so much for reading the Daniel Pursglove series and for your lovely comments. I am so delighted that you enjoyed the books.
Unfortunately, my writing has had to go on hold for a while following an accident, but I am trying to make good use of the enforced time off by reading, listening to audio-books and rinsing my my mind out before I start again with renewed inspiration and energy. Hopefully not long now!
warmest wishes,
Karen
Thank you so much for reading the Daniel Pursglove series and for your lovely comments. I am so delighted that you enjoyed the books.
Unfortunately, my writing has had to go on hold for a while following an accident, but I am trying to make good use of the enforced time off by reading, listening to audio-books and rinsing my my mind out before I start again with renewed inspiration and energy. Hopefully not long now!
warmest wishes,
Karen
Karen Maitland
Hi Amanda, I didn't know this, but I've tried to order a number of books by my favorite authors in the UK and got the same response about coronavirus making books unavailable at the moment, so I guess it is likely since many books from UK publishers are printed abroad. I'll try to find out and let you know. But thank you so much for getting all the others.
Karen Maitland
Thank you so much, Sharon. I am so delighted to hear that you've enjoyed the novels. As it happens, I am in the middle of checking the proof pages for my new novel which will be published by Headline in April 2021. It's called 'THE DROWNED CITY' and this historical novel will be the first of a series, which is a new direction for me, because all my previous novels have been stand-alone ones.
It is very strange going through the proofs because for the last few months my head has been full of the characters and plot of the second in the series which I am currently writing, so I find myself reading through the proof pages thinking wondering what's about happen, because I've almost forgotten what I wrote. It's as if I'm reading book by another author. I wonder if other writers also get this strange sensation. Weird! But I do hope you will enjoy this new series.
It is very strange going through the proofs because for the last few months my head has been full of the characters and plot of the second in the series which I am currently writing, so I find myself reading through the proof pages thinking wondering what's about happen, because I've almost forgotten what I wrote. It's as if I'm reading book by another author. I wonder if other writers also get this strange sensation. Weird! But I do hope you will enjoy this new series.
Karen Maitland
I couldn’t afford to buy books as a teenager, so I devoured the historical novels that were available in the local library, binging on anything I could lay my hands on by Jean Plaidy, Georgette Heyer and Norah Lofts, before moved on to authors such as Robert Graves (‘I Claudius’) and Edith Pargeter (who later, as Ellis Peters, wrote the Cadfael series.) I read any novels I could find about King Arthur, a particular favourite being T.H. White’s ‘Once and Future King’ and Rosemary Sutcliff’s Arthurian series, as well as her ‘Eagle of the Ninth’ series in which King Arthur features.
But I have a student teacher to thank for my love of historical fiction. (I don’t know if he ever became a teacher in the end for, he vanished from our lives very abruptly and never returned.) He took over our class as a student teacher for about a term, when I was 10 years old. I don’t know what he was supposed to be teaching us, but every afternoon he read historical novels to us, mostly by Henry Treece. Once I remember him taking us to an old iron-age fort and us sitting down on the top while he read scenes of invasions and battles from novels to us. I actually convinced myself I could see the sun glinting off the weapons and hear the shouts and yells as the enemy charged up the hill. I wonder if he ever realised what a positive influence he had on one wide-eyed little girl.
But I have a student teacher to thank for my love of historical fiction. (I don’t know if he ever became a teacher in the end for, he vanished from our lives very abruptly and never returned.) He took over our class as a student teacher for about a term, when I was 10 years old. I don’t know what he was supposed to be teaching us, but every afternoon he read historical novels to us, mostly by Henry Treece. Once I remember him taking us to an old iron-age fort and us sitting down on the top while he read scenes of invasions and battles from novels to us. I actually convinced myself I could see the sun glinting off the weapons and hear the shouts and yells as the enemy charged up the hill. I wonder if he ever realised what a positive influence he had on one wide-eyed little girl.
Karen Maitland
Thank you so much! I love the fact that readers all seem to choose different favourite books by an author. It reminds me always that every story is a unique collaboration between the author and each individual reader. As an author, I find it impossible to choose a favourite of my own books, because I have favourite elements in the each of them. In THE PLAGUE CHARMER, I grew very fond of the character of Will, the fake dwarf, who is a rogue, but at the same time the cruelty that has been inflicted on him, makes him a very compassionate man, though he'd never admit it.
When I was writing THE VANISHING WITCH, I thoroughly enjoyed having one of the narrators as a ghost, who is being amorously pursued by the ghost of a lecherous old woman, because it enabled me to draw on the legends of the haunted streets of Lincoln that I knew so well.
THE RAVEN’S HEAD, well, I’d always wanted to write about alchemists ever since as a child I had read that wonderful description of an alchemist laboratory in Mary Norton’s children’s book BED-KNOB & BROOMSTICK.
COMPANY OF LIARS, that is a favourite too, because of the plot twists and the malicious characters of Narigorm and Zophiel. And of course, every parent has a soft spot for their newest baby, A GATHERING OF GHOSTS, in this case because it allowed me to give a voice to an unknown character who has haunted me ever since as a child I first ventured onto the wilderness of Dartmoor. But I equally I have favourite elements in the other books too. Ma Margot and the wicked little mandrake in THE GALLOWS CURSE; the volcanic cave I went down in Iceland which is lies at the heart of FALCONS OF FIRE AND ICE, and the beguines in THE OWL KILLERS who first inspired my interest in the Middle Ages.
Is that why authors go on writing, I wonder, in the hope that one day they will write the perfect book in which all their favourite elements come together? The trouble is, of course, then it wouldn’t be the perfect book for the reader, because the reader’s favourite elements in any book are bound to be different from the author’s.
I’d really love to know what your favourite is so far, Peter.
When I was writing THE VANISHING WITCH, I thoroughly enjoyed having one of the narrators as a ghost, who is being amorously pursued by the ghost of a lecherous old woman, because it enabled me to draw on the legends of the haunted streets of Lincoln that I knew so well.
THE RAVEN’S HEAD, well, I’d always wanted to write about alchemists ever since as a child I had read that wonderful description of an alchemist laboratory in Mary Norton’s children’s book BED-KNOB & BROOMSTICK.
COMPANY OF LIARS, that is a favourite too, because of the plot twists and the malicious characters of Narigorm and Zophiel. And of course, every parent has a soft spot for their newest baby, A GATHERING OF GHOSTS, in this case because it allowed me to give a voice to an unknown character who has haunted me ever since as a child I first ventured onto the wilderness of Dartmoor. But I equally I have favourite elements in the other books too. Ma Margot and the wicked little mandrake in THE GALLOWS CURSE; the volcanic cave I went down in Iceland which is lies at the heart of FALCONS OF FIRE AND ICE, and the beguines in THE OWL KILLERS who first inspired my interest in the Middle Ages.
Is that why authors go on writing, I wonder, in the hope that one day they will write the perfect book in which all their favourite elements come together? The trouble is, of course, then it wouldn’t be the perfect book for the reader, because the reader’s favourite elements in any book are bound to be different from the author’s.
I’d really love to know what your favourite is so far, Peter.
Karen Maitland
All of the books on my list are new. Some of the books are already out, others are coming out shortly. A non-fiction book that has just been published is ‘A SECRET SISTERHOOD’ by Emily Midorikawa and Emma Clair Sweeney. I’ve read this one at the proof stage, but I am really going to enjoy rereading it. It’s about the suprising hidden literary friendships between Jane Austin and Anne Sharp, Charlotte Bronte and Mary Taylor, George Eliot and Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Wolf.
On my fiction list is 'A MASK OF SHADOWS' by Oscar de Muriel about the staging of Macbeth in 1889, when death strikes for real, but is it the old curse of the play or a human that lies behind it?
'Mr PRENDERGAST'S FANTASTIC FIND' by John Brassey, is a new comic novel about a retired bank clerk who thinks he’s discovered the find of a lifetime on ebay, if only he can get his hands on it.
Coming out in August is 'THE WOMAN IN THE SHADOWS' by Carol Mcgrath a historical novel about Thomas Cromwell’s wife Elizabeth. There have been a number of novels about Cromwell, but what was it like to be married to a man like him? And it seems his wife has her own secret past, which could cost Elizabeth her life in Henry VIII’s England.
Another historical novel to be published shortly which is also based on a true story is 'THE GOOD DOCTOR OF WARSAW' by Elisabeth Gifford, about the little-known hero of World War II, Dr Janusz Korczak, who tried to protect hundreds of orphaned children in the Warsaw ghetto.
Last but not least on my reading list is 'WOKEN', a collection of short stories by Sue Hampton. I loved her last anthology 'RAVELLED'. Her stories are so unusual and thought provoking, and because they are short, they're just perfect for a lazy summer’s afternoon in a deckchair.
On my fiction list is 'A MASK OF SHADOWS' by Oscar de Muriel about the staging of Macbeth in 1889, when death strikes for real, but is it the old curse of the play or a human that lies behind it?
'Mr PRENDERGAST'S FANTASTIC FIND' by John Brassey, is a new comic novel about a retired bank clerk who thinks he’s discovered the find of a lifetime on ebay, if only he can get his hands on it.
Coming out in August is 'THE WOMAN IN THE SHADOWS' by Carol Mcgrath a historical novel about Thomas Cromwell’s wife Elizabeth. There have been a number of novels about Cromwell, but what was it like to be married to a man like him? And it seems his wife has her own secret past, which could cost Elizabeth her life in Henry VIII’s England.
Another historical novel to be published shortly which is also based on a true story is 'THE GOOD DOCTOR OF WARSAW' by Elisabeth Gifford, about the little-known hero of World War II, Dr Janusz Korczak, who tried to protect hundreds of orphaned children in the Warsaw ghetto.
Last but not least on my reading list is 'WOKEN', a collection of short stories by Sue Hampton. I loved her last anthology 'RAVELLED'. Her stories are so unusual and thought provoking, and because they are short, they're just perfect for a lazy summer’s afternoon in a deckchair.
Karen Maitland
I spent my early childhood in Malta and lived an old house which had been divided into two apartments. Several strange incidents occurred there. Some of our high rooms had curtains with rods threaded instead of doors and several times we discovered these curtains lying on the floor, but the brass rods were still firmly in place, though they were impossible to reach without a ladder.
I often told adults that I woke in the night to see a strange man standing at the foot of my bed in this house. Naturally no one believed me until one night our neighbour, who lived in the apartment below, was minding me. His front door led into the hallway of the house and he'd left it ajar so he could hear if I called out. The neighbour saw a man climbing the stairs and though he knew the door to the street was locked, he thought someone had broken in. He was solider, so he grabbed something heavy and charged after the intruder and found him standing at the foot of my bed watching me. As he challenged him, the stranger simply vanished into the air. The neighbour was apparently shaking when his wife and my mother returned.
There was a sealed urn on the windowsill on the stairs cemented in place. We always thought it was just ornamental, until one day it was broken during some repair work. Ash and charred human bones spilled out, together with a stiletto dagger. So was our ghost the victim of a murder? Was he the murderer or had the knife been laid with the bones in an attempt to keep a restless spirit from walking?
I often told adults that I woke in the night to see a strange man standing at the foot of my bed in this house. Naturally no one believed me until one night our neighbour, who lived in the apartment below, was minding me. His front door led into the hallway of the house and he'd left it ajar so he could hear if I called out. The neighbour saw a man climbing the stairs and though he knew the door to the street was locked, he thought someone had broken in. He was solider, so he grabbed something heavy and charged after the intruder and found him standing at the foot of my bed watching me. As he challenged him, the stranger simply vanished into the air. The neighbour was apparently shaking when his wife and my mother returned.
There was a sealed urn on the windowsill on the stairs cemented in place. We always thought it was just ornamental, until one day it was broken during some repair work. Ash and charred human bones spilled out, together with a stiletto dagger. So was our ghost the victim of a murder? Was he the murderer or had the knife been laid with the bones in an attempt to keep a restless spirit from walking?
Karen Maitland
Thinking about this made me realise how few truly happy couples there are in novels, with the exception of pairs like Ma and Pop Larkin from the Darling Buds of May. Usually, the book ends when we get to the point where the lovers finally get together. We will never know if Cinderella would have finally have got fed up with her husband's foot fetish, or if Romeo, had he lived, would have a middle-age crisis, decided he couldn't take any more aggravation from the in-laws, left Juliet and run off with a good-looking Italian pageboy.
So, I think my favourite couple would have to be Mr and Mrs Weasley from the Harry Potter series. They clearly love each other very deeply, have remained strong and devoted through the most terrible of times, stood shoulder to shoulder to fight the dark forces, and though Molly Weasley gets exasperated with her husband's tinkering with muggle artefacts, she is distraught when she thinks he might be hurt and Arthur Weasley would lay down his life without a moment’s hesitation to protect her. They are not well-off, can never afford anything new, but Molly never complains about that and Arthur fondly admires and wears the awful jumpers and scarves she knits for the family. If that's not true love, I don't know what is.
So, I think my favourite couple would have to be Mr and Mrs Weasley from the Harry Potter series. They clearly love each other very deeply, have remained strong and devoted through the most terrible of times, stood shoulder to shoulder to fight the dark forces, and though Molly Weasley gets exasperated with her husband's tinkering with muggle artefacts, she is distraught when she thinks he might be hurt and Arthur Weasley would lay down his life without a moment’s hesitation to protect her. They are not well-off, can never afford anything new, but Molly never complains about that and Arthur fondly admires and wears the awful jumpers and scarves she knits for the family. If that's not true love, I don't know what is.
Karen Maitland
Thanks for your question Sarah and for reading the novel. We know that in the Middle Ages they did try to create fake dwarfs. Herbals and grimoires of the period describe herbs and parts of certain animals that could be used to restrict growth and Shakespeare seems to allude to this in Midsummer Night’s Dream, referring to knot grass as one such ‘dwarfing’ herb. Today it’s known that certain substances can stunt a baby’s growth or cause malformations, so it is possible that some herbs would have this effect if fed to the child in large enough quantities especially if the child had a poor diet causing rickets. If the right pressure was consistently applied to young bones lacking in calcium, it would be easy to cause malformations.
It was accepted practise in the Middle Ages that some masters who were training very young children to be acrobats and jesters would dislocate certain joints in the hope of making them more bendy and others used metal frames to mould the skull of a baby to create the facial features they wanted in a jester or entertainer. Unscrupulous beggar-kings or even parents would deliberately maim a child by cutting off a limb or crippling the child in some way to turn them into professional beggars who could bring in money. But then this was the age in which the Church had hundreds of boys castrated before puberty to preserve their ‘angelic’ voices for the choirs.
But of course, we will never know how ‘successful’ the practise of making dwarfs was or how many children died in the process, because the traders were trying to produce ‘fakes’ to sell to wealthy families who would who would have taken violent action if they had discovered they been cheated, so the dwarf-makers wouldn’t ever have kept records of such activities. The babies would have been the orphaned or abandoned children or children of poor families who might be forced through debt to sell them, so no one would have bothered to find out what became of them.
It was accepted practise in the Middle Ages that some masters who were training very young children to be acrobats and jesters would dislocate certain joints in the hope of making them more bendy and others used metal frames to mould the skull of a baby to create the facial features they wanted in a jester or entertainer. Unscrupulous beggar-kings or even parents would deliberately maim a child by cutting off a limb or crippling the child in some way to turn them into professional beggars who could bring in money. But then this was the age in which the Church had hundreds of boys castrated before puberty to preserve their ‘angelic’ voices for the choirs.
But of course, we will never know how ‘successful’ the practise of making dwarfs was or how many children died in the process, because the traders were trying to produce ‘fakes’ to sell to wealthy families who would who would have taken violent action if they had discovered they been cheated, so the dwarf-makers wouldn’t ever have kept records of such activities. The babies would have been the orphaned or abandoned children or children of poor families who might be forced through debt to sell them, so no one would have bothered to find out what became of them.
Karen Maitland
Hi Heather, I'm so delighted you are enjoying the novels. I agree with you about e-books. I can't read them either, which is a bit bizarre since it means I can't read my own e-books. I'll ask the publishers if there are any plans to print this.
Karen Maitland
Thank you so much. Great idea about the website. I'll ask my publishers.
Karen Maitland
I wanted to leave the reader with a final shiver if possible and get them to wonder and maybe imagine what happens next. I think in novels we are only looking at a slice of the characters life, and hopefully we can feel they go on after we closed the book. So, no sequel, but I did write a e-book short, called LIARS AND THIEVES, which has a new adventure featuring the Company of Liars characters when they were all together on the road.
But going back to the question of a sequel. I remember listening to a talk by the brilliant author, Margaret Atwood, talking about 'The Handmaid's Tale'. She was asked if she was going to write a sequel to reveal if the girl escapes or is caught? She said 'when I'm in a happy mood I like to think she escapes and when I'm not, I know she doesn't.' I can't better that answer.
But going back to the question of a sequel. I remember listening to a talk by the brilliant author, Margaret Atwood, talking about 'The Handmaid's Tale'. She was asked if she was going to write a sequel to reveal if the girl escapes or is caught? She said 'when I'm in a happy mood I like to think she escapes and when I'm not, I know she doesn't.' I can't better that answer.
Karen Maitland
Thanks so much for your question. It should be out towards end of this year (2016), I believe. I am really looking forward to seeing the cover designs for it. That always comes as a surprise for me.
Karen Maitland
Hi Paola,
Many thanks for your question. I'm afraid there are no plans to release The White Room on e-book. It was the first novel I had published and was a futuristic novel about terrorism inspired by my experiences working in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles there and in Nigeria when bloody conflict erupted. So it nothing at all like the historical thrillers I have written since. I think those readers who enjoy my medieval novels wouldn't want to read The White Room. It is completely different kind of novel. But I am hard at work finishing the next medieval thriller.
warmest wishes,
Karen
Many thanks for your question. I'm afraid there are no plans to release The White Room on e-book. It was the first novel I had published and was a futuristic novel about terrorism inspired by my experiences working in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles there and in Nigeria when bloody conflict erupted. So it nothing at all like the historical thrillers I have written since. I think those readers who enjoy my medieval novels wouldn't want to read The White Room. It is completely different kind of novel. But I am hard at work finishing the next medieval thriller.
warmest wishes,
Karen
Karen Maitland
Dear Mothwing,
Some of the ones I find most useful are - "The Medieval Traveller" by Norbert Ohler - that gives really good picture of medieval life including river craft, horses and pack animals, inns and lodgings, travel inside Britain and pilgrimages, the medieval highway code and many accounts of journeys made by medieval travellers who wrote about their adventures. Packed with fascinating detail.
"Life in a Medieval Village" - by Frances and Joseph Gies, in contrast details everyday life at home in one medieval village, including fines for stealing grain by hiding it in secret pockets during harvest etc.
"The Medieval Underworld" by Andrew McCall is great favourite of mine - exploring the lives of people on the margins of society - criminals, witches, prostitutes and beggars, both in England and Europe. Lots of stories taken from the contemporary accounts - those who got away with crimes and those who didn't. How brothels were inspected and who owned them etc.
"Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine" by Nancy G. Siraisi covers everything from medical training to surgery and helps you to understand what medieval people knew about anatomy and medical treatment which was often surprisingly advanced.
Finally, there is a new book, which has just been published which has been recommended to me by several historical fiction writers - "The Middle Ages Unlocked. A guide to life in the Middle Ages 1050-1300" by Gillian Polack & Katrin Kania. I haven't seen this one yet, but I'm told it is a really good guide, if you are interested in the early centuries too.
I hope that gives you a few ideas. Thank you for your question.
Some of the ones I find most useful are - "The Medieval Traveller" by Norbert Ohler - that gives really good picture of medieval life including river craft, horses and pack animals, inns and lodgings, travel inside Britain and pilgrimages, the medieval highway code and many accounts of journeys made by medieval travellers who wrote about their adventures. Packed with fascinating detail.
"Life in a Medieval Village" - by Frances and Joseph Gies, in contrast details everyday life at home in one medieval village, including fines for stealing grain by hiding it in secret pockets during harvest etc.
"The Medieval Underworld" by Andrew McCall is great favourite of mine - exploring the lives of people on the margins of society - criminals, witches, prostitutes and beggars, both in England and Europe. Lots of stories taken from the contemporary accounts - those who got away with crimes and those who didn't. How brothels were inspected and who owned them etc.
"Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine" by Nancy G. Siraisi covers everything from medical training to surgery and helps you to understand what medieval people knew about anatomy and medical treatment which was often surprisingly advanced.
Finally, there is a new book, which has just been published which has been recommended to me by several historical fiction writers - "The Middle Ages Unlocked. A guide to life in the Middle Ages 1050-1300" by Gillian Polack & Katrin Kania. I haven't seen this one yet, but I'm told it is a really good guide, if you are interested in the early centuries too.
I hope that gives you a few ideas. Thank you for your question.
Karen Maitland
Hi Michael,
Thank you so much for your question. I've just returned from a round of festivals including Asparawriting at Evesham, where I was very proud to receive my own Asparagus badge for taking part. I also took part in a brand new book festival at Tiverton and the 13th Festival on the Beach at Le Havre, dedicated to all things noir. Sadly, I missed the Sidmouth festival as I got stuck in France on the way back! (I wonder if Le Havre being the 13th festival was a warning!)
My next confirmed appearance will be to lead an Historical Crime and Thriller Writing Workshop at the 'Noirwich' Festival at the Writer's Centre, Norwich on 12th September, I'm hoping to do a signing at Waterstones or The Book Hive while I'm there.
Between then and now I am leading a week-long residential writing course for Avon with the brilliant historical novelist Manda Scott in August and the rest of the time locked in my office working frantically on the new novel over the summer.
But if any more talks or festivals are confirmed, I'll post news of them here first!
Thank you so much for your question. I've just returned from a round of festivals including Asparawriting at Evesham, where I was very proud to receive my own Asparagus badge for taking part. I also took part in a brand new book festival at Tiverton and the 13th Festival on the Beach at Le Havre, dedicated to all things noir. Sadly, I missed the Sidmouth festival as I got stuck in France on the way back! (I wonder if Le Havre being the 13th festival was a warning!)
My next confirmed appearance will be to lead an Historical Crime and Thriller Writing Workshop at the 'Noirwich' Festival at the Writer's Centre, Norwich on 12th September, I'm hoping to do a signing at Waterstones or The Book Hive while I'm there.
Between then and now I am leading a week-long residential writing course for Avon with the brilliant historical novelist Manda Scott in August and the rest of the time locked in my office working frantically on the new novel over the summer.
But if any more talks or festivals are confirmed, I'll post news of them here first!
Karen Maitland
Hi Archgallo,
I usually get ideas for my novels from some issue that is happening in the news at the moment that captures my imagination and which reminds me of something that has happened before in medieval times. That is often the trigger for me.
I think the Middle ages has some remarkable similarities with the time we are living in now - drastic climate change, religious wars, economic meltdown, mass migration of people, pandemics - all kinds of things. In The Raven's Head, for example, I was struck by the similar goals of medieval alchemists and modern scientists both trying to manipulate aspects of the body to prolong life and stop aging. I'm fascinated by seeing history repeating itself. Its tragic in some ways, but also reassuring in that we've survived these problems before, so maybe we will again.
I hadn't thought of looking at the early Middle Ages, but now you have put it into my head. It might well be time for me to move back a couple of centuries and explore that. Actually, at the weekend, before I read your question, I happened to find myself on a archaeological walk which focussed on this earlier period, so maybe you and the gods are all nudging me in the same direction! Thank you.
I usually get ideas for my novels from some issue that is happening in the news at the moment that captures my imagination and which reminds me of something that has happened before in medieval times. That is often the trigger for me.
I think the Middle ages has some remarkable similarities with the time we are living in now - drastic climate change, religious wars, economic meltdown, mass migration of people, pandemics - all kinds of things. In The Raven's Head, for example, I was struck by the similar goals of medieval alchemists and modern scientists both trying to manipulate aspects of the body to prolong life and stop aging. I'm fascinated by seeing history repeating itself. Its tragic in some ways, but also reassuring in that we've survived these problems before, so maybe we will again.
I hadn't thought of looking at the early Middle Ages, but now you have put it into my head. It might well be time for me to move back a couple of centuries and explore that. Actually, at the weekend, before I read your question, I happened to find myself on a archaeological walk which focussed on this earlier period, so maybe you and the gods are all nudging me in the same direction! Thank you.
Karen Maitland
Hi Jackie,
Thanks so much. I'd be thrilled to come. Kennaway House looks absolutely wonderful. What a great place to meet.
Whenever you are ready, please do contact me through via email
karen@karenmaitland.com and suggest some dates and times that would suit your group.
By the way, you've mentioned three of my very favourite authors.
Thanks so much. I'd be thrilled to come. Kennaway House looks absolutely wonderful. What a great place to meet.
Whenever you are ready, please do contact me through via email
karen@karenmaitland.com and suggest some dates and times that would suit your group.
By the way, you've mentioned three of my very favourite authors.
Karen Maitland
The Vanishing Witch should be available in e-book form in the US at the same time as in the UK via my publishers Headline. There are sadly no plans yet to release it in print book form in the US, as I don't have a US publisher at the moment. I do hope this will change soon.
Karen Maitland
I am delighted to say that I have just been advised that all the right buttons have now been pushed, so 'Liars and Thieves' ebook should now be available in the USA and Canada or, if not, within the next couple of days. Thank you to everyone for you patience. I do appreciated it and I do hope you will enjoy meeting the characters from 'Company of Liars' again.
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