Please join us for What's New in Historical Fiction, a regular panel series featuring historical novelists with new and upcoming titles. Moderated by Colin Mustful, founder of History Through Fiction, this special panel includes:

Jennifer Ryan, author of The Underground Library
K.D. Alden, author of Lady Codebreaker
Sara Donati, author of The Sweet Blue Distance
Lora Chilton, author of 1666

Jennifer Ryan grew up in the British countryside with a penchant for climbing trees and a wonderful grandmother who told her hilarious stories about the Second World War. Her debut novel, The Chillbury Ladies' Choir, became a national bestseller. Her latest novel, The Underground Library, tells the story of three young women who must use their fighting spirit during The Blitz in London to save the community’s beloved library.

K.D. Alden is the award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels for major publishers. She grew up in Austin, Texas, is a graduate of Smith College and resides in south Florida with her husband and two rescue greyhounds. Her first historical novel, Lady Codebreaker, is a gripping historical novel based on the true story of the woman who used her codebreaking skills to bring down Prohibition gangsters and WWII Nazis, and who ultimately helped found the present-day CIA.

Sara Donati is the author of twelve historical novels set in the United States between 1790 and 1885, including Homestead which won the PEN/Hemingway award, and the international bestseller Where the Light Enters. Her lastest novel, The Sweet Blue Distance, tells the story of a young midwife who travels west to the New Mexico Territory to care for women in need and faces dangers more harrowing than the ones she’s fleeingis. It is an unforgettable story of one woman’s courage to heal herself, her family, and the women entrusted to her care.

Lora Chilton is a storyteller with roots in the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia through the lineage of her father. From nursing to small business ownership, elected office to non-profit leadership, her life’s journey has taken many forms. Now, as an accomplished author, she continues to celebrate the spirit of her people through her words. Her novel, 1666: A Novel, is the imagined story of the indigenous Patawomeck women who lived through the decimation of their tribe in the summer of 1666.