This episode of History Through Fiction: The Podcast features Finola Austin, author of the wildly popular historical novel Brontë’s Mistress. Austin, who is also known as The Secret Victorianist, talks with host Colin Mustful about her love of nineteenth century English literature, her transition from academia to becoming a novelist, and the moment she knew she had a story to tell.

About the Author

Finola Austin is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical novelist. A lover of 19th century literature she has a Bachelor of Arts in Classics and English from the University of Oxford’s Merton College and a Master of Studies in English Literature from the University of Oxford’s Corpus Christi College. She is the founder of the literary blog The Secret Victorianist and she currently works as a Creative Strategist for Facebook. Her debut novel, Bronte’s Mistress, was published by Atria Books in August, 2020.