Lyrical, Gothic and Historical: Kate’s Letter Receives Praise from the Historical Novel Society #TueNews

Courage HNS Historical Novel Society review, Kate's letter a tour-de-force

J Lynn Else, reviewing for the Historical Novel Society (HNS), wrote a wonderul critique for our anthology COURAGE: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope, highlighting Kate’s Letter, my contribution: “Woven with magic and folklore, this beguiling tale unfolds with haunting grace.”

18/06/202618/06/2026

Now With Helen Hollick: What Happens When One Story Might Be True

Kate's Letter by Patricia Furstenberg in the historical fiction anthology Courage: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope

Yesterday our historical fiction anthology Courage: Tales of History, Mystery & Hope was published and today the celebration continues.

I’m delighted to be visiting Helen Hollick’s blog, where I’m talking about my contribution to the anthology, Kate’s Letter, and sharing an excerpt.

22/05/202622/05/2026

What Did Medieval Epistles Really Look Like? And Kate’s Surprise Letter

There is something haunting about an old letter.

While writing Kate’s Letter for the anthology Courage: Tales of History, Mystery and Hope (OUT JUNE 17), I found myself drawn not only to the emotions within the letter, but to the physical reality of medieval correspondence itself. How did people protect private messages before envelopes existed? What did secrecy look like in an age of spies, kingdoms, and fragile loyalties?