Ta-da

So excited to see this pre-publication copy land on my desk - the absolutely brilliant AGE OF ALCHEMY by Kit Chapman and published by @profilebooks.bsky.social It's already sold in several international territories, and is out in the UK 30 April. @watsonlittle.bsky.social

Lovely, albeit sad, article which I've just come across in the NS by my former boss at Penguin, Simon Winder www.newstatesman.com/diary/2025/1...

New episode drop! Today @enortonhistory.bsky.social has 15 mins to tell you why you need her book on a global history of female rulers! As ever, Patreon members get 15 minutes more on how the book was written! @donaldwin.bsky.social @boneyabroad.com

Calling #LiteraryFiction writers! The following #Agent121 dates are available to chat about your stories shaped by voice, interior lives and quiet tension. www.iaminprint.co.uk 8 Jan - Sarah Williams 13 Jan - @donaldwin.bsky.social 19 Jan - Imogen Pelham 23 Jan - Ciara McEllin #LitFic #Literary

Being part of the research and discussion behind this report was so interesting - and the picture continues to change almost daily. www.thebookseller.com/news/publish...

I'm on the front page of The Scotsman today with my article about why we still love to go ghost-hunting. All front pages should always have a designated spooky corner, I think.

Huge thanks to the organisers, the judges, our fellow nominees, the excellent host Bex Lindsay, all the wonderful people we met, our brilliant publishers @wfhowes.bsky.social and @walkerbooksuk.bsky.social, my agent @donaldwin.bsky.social, and everyone who has supported the book along the way

I am thrilled that Kandake Amanishakheto of Kush has sent me this photograph of her and her friends enjoying my new book, Women Who Ruled the World: 5000 Years of Female Monarchy at their weekly book club. Thanks Amanishakheto! @wearefootnote.bsky.social #womenwhoruledtheworld #bookclub

A double page spread in the Daily Express! As well as looking at the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, I also discuss some other reigning queens, including Ranavalona I of Madagascar and Margrete I of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. #womenwhoruledtheworld

Looking forward to reading this new tome from Elizabeth Norton - it looks like a great global history of women in power

Learn more about Bev, the haunted doll @alicevernon10.bsky.social bought on Ebay in my newest episode with her! We talk about her new nonfiction book GHOSTED too, about ghost hunting, the historical and cultural context of poltergeists, and more! She was so fun to talk to 😁

Today is the day! 😁The official release of Ring of Fire in the United States! @alexchurchill.bsky.social and I are super excited, and hope you'll all enjoy it! And if you are able to come, we will be in Kansas City on the 23rd to celebrate it! Details blow!😁 @donaldwin.bsky.social

This terrific talk by Jackie Uí Chionna on the incomparable Emily Anderson (as featured in QUEEN OF CODES) to the International Spy Museum is free to view - and absolutely riveting www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8yu... @watsonlittle.bsky.social @headlinebooks.bsky.social

Very excited about this! @watsonlittle.bsky.social

Female kings have always been a rarity, an oddity, or an undesirable outcome. Across the globe a male ruler was preferred to a woman, with female inheritance vanishingly rare and frequently disputes. In spite of this, women have secured crowns - or fought for them - over several millennia Out 4 Sept

Amazing review of RING OF FIRE in The Observer! @watsonlittle.bsky.social @alexchurchill.bsky.social @pikegrey1418.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social

In the Observer today! @theguardian.com Thank you @alexlarman.bsky.social 🥰 @pikegrey1418.bsky.social @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social You can buy from a variety of outlets (or preorder in US for August) here: geni.us/RingOfFire

Great to see RING OF FIRE featured in Edinburgh Waterstones! @waterstones.bsky.social @alexchurchill.bsky.social @pikegrey1418.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social

Congratulations, Ian!

Read early reviews here: www.netgalley.com/catalog/book... Order from multiple vendors here: geni.us/RingOfFire @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social @pikegrey1418.bsky.social @thehistoryguy.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social

Don’t forget our Saturday keynotes come from self and @pikegrey1418.bsky.social as we celebrate the release of our book “Ring of Fire” and we will also be signing copies @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social

Looking forward to reading the pitches today for #scotwriterpitch2025 !

We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems. As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting. But what can authors do? Read here: societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...

The Atlantic's report on LibGen, the pirated book database which Meta has used without permission from authors, is essential reading. See if your book is included here: www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Also, anyone who is registered with Netgalley can request to review an early copy… @pikegrey1418.bsky.social @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social www.netgalley.co.uk/catalog/book...

I've written a piece for The Bookseller on the AI and Copyright consultation, discussing why the opt-out model is completely unsuitable for protecting our creative industries and calling people to action through three simple steps! Please take a read! www.thebookseller.com/comment/a-ca...

It was a fascinating, invigorating morning, exploring the possibilities and dangers of AI to the future of the novel. And lots of excellent company there too!

This feels absolutely spot on www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

📢 COMING JUNE 2025 💥 Rebel Grrrls: The Real Story of Women and Punk is the untold story of the women who lived punk—from the front row to the mosh pit. @mollytie.bsky.social dives into how female fans shaped the scene & found community in rebellion. Pre-order: omnibuspress.com/products/reb...

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼📚🎙️💥🤓 General sale tickets now available for the whole weekend… greatwargroup.com/product-cate...

Let the sad stalking of our book commence @pikegrey1418.bsky.social 😂 We made it inside the top 10 of one of the American new release charts with five months till stateside publication 😂 @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social

Very much enjoying reading this @profilebooks.bsky.social

Physical copy. In. My. Hand. @pikegrey1418.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social Preorder here: UK: geni.us/RingOfFire USA: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ring-of-fi...

Would you look at that! It's no longer just a pile of notes, a word doc or a pdf. It's real! @alexchurchill.bsky.social @donaldwin.bsky.social @headofzeus.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social Preorder: UK: geni.us/RingOfFire USA: barnesandnoble.com/w/ring-of-fire…

Exciting news! www.thebookseller.com/rights/lucie... @watsonlittle.bsky.social @lmcknighthardy.bsky.social @johnmurrays.bsky.social

Lovely to see this paperback beauty come in - published on 20 February! @mhtaylor.bsky.social @watsonlittle.bsky.social

Unnerving stuff www.thebookseller.com/news/authors...

Congratulations to Michael Taylor on being shortlisted for the Duff Cooper Prize!

Excited to share my 2025 summer course! The World Turned Upside Down: The Stuart Dynasty, 1603-1714 19 July 2025 - 26 July 2025 Uni of Oxford (Dep of Cont Ed) Enrolment is now open: www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/the-...

It's time for another book recommendation over on my YouTube channel! This time, an incredible collection of short stories you might have missed...Dead Relatives by @lmcknighthardy.bsky.social from @deadinkbooks.bsky.social 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSup...

F. Scott Fitzgerald conjugates "to Cocktail" in a 1928 letter to Blanche Knopf (thx to Jeremy Wayne Tate for this)

Mostly posting for the joy in this headline www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

It’s Nollaig na mBan or Women’s Christmas in Ireland. Traditionally it was a day off for women who had worked to make Christmas great for their families. Nowadays it’s also a time to remember + celebrate women. So here’s a funny podcast on Gráinne O Malley I was in. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

Contract signed so I can tell! I will be writing a new biography of Gráinne O Malley aka Granuaile/the Pirate Queen for Yale @yalebooks.bsky.social @yalepress.bsky.social Looking forward to working on it with the fab @jogodfrey.bsky.social Gráinne image @ciaraioch.bsky.social

It's very rare but occasionally spam emails make me giggle, like this one from Thriftbooks which had the subject: "Pre-Order the Latest From Fyodor Dostoevsky" So happy to hear he's coming out with a brand-new novel!

This is brilliant stuff - high praise for a brilliant book, HOTEL LUX by @mauricejcasey.com. @watsonlittle.bsky.social

Wild to see my book appear on Ireland AM this morning! Thank you so much to newscasting legend Eileen Dunne for bringing along a copy of Hotel Lux and speaking about it. What a lovely surprise.