One of the joys of writing – and reading – historical fiction is the sense of tracing the thread of a single life through the broader fabric of the past, and discovering the ways that individual people are affected by historical events. To describe the experiences of one man or woman, especially in a dramatic and volatile period, and follow them over the course of a novel or a continuing series of novels, is to sense the motion of the past and the ways that the great events and towering personalities of history influence and impact human lives.

Fay Weldon answered your questions on a live webchat with the Guardian, and talked about her  life in writing, her faith and feminism, family and her latest work, Mischief, a collection of her short stories spanning her whole writing career. 

Read it here. 

Alex Larman takes us through the Earl of Rochester's life, poetry, politics and all the sauciness in between. 

'Hugely enjoyable. The author winds up tension into an explosion of fast-paced events.' Conn Iggulden

We’re excited to announce that Mary Gibson’s debut novel, Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts, has been chosen for World Book Night 2015.  The story of a factory girl in Bermondsey through WW1 is one of 20 novels selected by The Reading Agency to take part in the event, which aims to shine a light on volunteering and social action.

It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Colleen McCullough today. Col has been with Head of Zeus since its inception three years ago, but our connection goes back much further -- Anthony Cheetham and Rosie de Courcy first worked with Col when they published THE THORN BIRDS at Futura in 1977.

Anthony writes: