I’m an author, award-winning classicist and speaker—and I’m passionate about recovering the lost stories of the women of the ancient world.
I’m thrilled to announce that my new book, Ancient Love Stories, is out now in bookshops across the UK – retelling real love stories from history that really are truer than fiction. I've given talks at universities, schools and libraries throughout the UK and internationally, unravelling the mysterious, fascinating myths of the ancient world and leading workshops. I have also given interviews on BBC local and national radio, and my work was featured in The Guardian alongside Colm Tóibín and Natalie Haynes.
I have a PhD in Classics from Yale, was a Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows at Harvard University, and am now a Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter.
I write historical fiction and conduct research into the lives of the women of ancient Greece and Rome, finding their hidden stories—from decoding graffiti scribbled on a wall in the buried city of Pompeii, to retelling the tales of the women of the Trojan War. I passionately believe that these are tales that need to be told, and that they can bring to life a history that is more relevant than ever.
My first historical fiction novel retelling the stories of the women of Troy, For the Most Beautiful, was published internationally in January 2016 (Penguin Random House). I went on to write two more books in the Golden Apple trilogy: For the Winner (2017), and For the Immortal (2018).
A N C I E N T L O V E S T O R I E S
A BEAUTIFULLY-ILLUSTRATED RETELLING OF SOME OF THE GREATEST LOVE STORIES in HISTORY
COMING SEPTEMBER 2023
EXCERPT | Find out more | Buy
1250 B.C.
The must-read historical novel for anyone caught up in the epic new BBC/Netflix series 'Troy: Fall of a City' . . .
Three thousand years ago a war took place that gave birth to legends - to Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, and Hector, prince of Troy. It was a war that shook the very foundations of the world. But what if there was more to this epic conflict? What if there was another, hidden tale of the Trojan War?
Now is the time for the women of Troy to tell their story . . .
1260 B.C.
Some 3,000 years ago, in a time before history, the warriors of Greece journeyed to the ends of the earth in the greatest expedition the world had ever seen.
One woman fought alongside them.
Abandoned at birth on the slopes of Mount Pelion, Atalanta wins a place on the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts in search of the legendary Golden Fleece. And it is here, in the company of men who will go down in history as heroes, that Atalanta must battle against the odds – and the will of the gods – to take control of her destiny and change her life forever.
1265 B.C.
Thousands of years ago, in an ancient world where the gods control all and heroes fight to have their names remembered down the ages, two extraordinary women become entangled in one of the greatest heroic tales of all time. . .
. . . and must face how much they are willing to risk for immortality.
As battle lines are drawn between the Greeks and the Amazons, two women soon learn the inevitable truth – in war, sacrifices must be made; especially if they are to protect the ones they love most . . .
