avg_rating: 3.86
name: Catherine Czerkawska
about: I’m a novelist, historian and experienced professional playwright, living and working in Scotland. I write warm, intelligent and grown-up stories - some historical, some contemporary and some a mixture of both. I have more than 100 hours of BBC radio drama to my name as well as many professional theatre productions. My fiction and non-fiction is mainly published by Saraband, and my plays by Nick Hern Books.New for 2019 was my non fiction exploration of a murder in Victorian Leeds, published by Saraband under the Contraband imprint. Titled A Proper Person to be Detained, this is the intricate and harrowing tale of a murder in my own family - and its terrible aftermath for those left behindMy recent fiction includes The Physic Garden, a Scott I’m a novelist, historian and experienced professional playwright, living and working in Scotland. I write warm, intelligent and grown-up stories - some historical, some contemporary and some a mixture of both. I have more than 100 hours of BBC radio drama to my name as well as many professional theatre productions. My fiction and non-fiction is mainly published by Saraband, and my plays by Nick Hern Books.New for 2019 was my non fiction exploration of a murder in Victorian Leeds, published by Saraband under the Contraband imprint. Titled A Proper Person to be Detained, this is the intricate and harrowing tale of a murder in my own family - and its terrible aftermath for those left behindMy recent fiction includes The Physic Garden, a Scottish historical novel about an early nineteenth century gardener, his love for weaver's daughter Jenny and his friendship with botanist Dr Thomas Brown. Set in Glasgow, this is a moving and engrossing story of friendship and betrayal. The Jewel, published in May 2016 is a luscious historical novel, bringing to glorious life the dramatic years of Jean Armour and Robert Burns's courtship and their tempestuous, married life against a background simmering with political intrigue and turmoil. For Jean is a selection of poems, songs and letters written by the poet with Jean Armour in mindThe Curiosity Cabinet is set on the small fictional inner Hebridean island of Garve, and involves parallel stories, three hundred years apart. Henrietta Dalrymple is kidnapped and held on Garve by the fearsome laird, Manus McNeill, while in the present day, Alys returns to the island where she spent childhood holidays, and renews an old friendship. While Henrietta must decide who she can trust, Alys must earn the trust of the man she loves. But for both women, the tug of motherhood will finally influence their decisions. The Posy Ring set on the same small fictional Hebridean island as the Curiosity Cabinet, was published by Saraband in 2018 and is the first in a planned series titled The Annals of Flowerfield. I’ve held Creative Writing fellowships and residencies and spent four years as Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the University of the West of Scotland. I enjoy giving readings and talks about all aspects of my work and love chatting to my readers so please don't be shy about contacting me. I collect and deal in antiques, mainly textiles, in my spare time - quite often they find their way into my fiction. ...more