Hello,
I'm Antonia Senior
Writer, Journalist and Book Critic
A little about me
I am a writer, journalist and critic. I review historical fiction for the Times, and have written for The Times, The Guardian and The Spectator among other publications. I am the author of three critically acclaimed novels. My debit was picked for the WHSmith Fresh Talent initiative, and my third was long-listed for the HWA Gold Crown Award.
I have judged the HWA crown awards three times, and regularly chair events and interview writers. I am currently working on a non-fiction book. In a previous life I was deputy business editor of The Times and I launched and edited the Times' science magazine, Eureka! I live in London with three children, a dog and a cat
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'Vivid and enjoyable... skilfully mixes fierce dynastic warfare with a personal tale fo love, betrayal and sacrifice'
Nick Rennison, BBC History Magazine
Nick Rennison, BBC History Magazine
August 2021
The Winter Isles
In Twelfth-century Scotland, far removed from the courtly manners fo the Lowland, the Winter Isles are riven by vicious warfare, plots and battles. Into this hard, seafaring life is born a boy called Somerled. The son of an ageing chieftain, Somerled must prove his own worth as a warrior. he will rise to lead his men into battle and claim the title of Lord of the Isles- but what must he sacrifice to secure the glory of his name?
'Senior's fresh, forceful writing breathes new life and relevance into the most destructive dangerous era in English history. Totally gripping'
Kate Saunders, The Times
Kate Saunders, The Times
March 2021
Treasons Daughter
London, 1640. fifteen-year-old Henrietta Challoner dreams of adventure, of a life lived at the gallop, of the opportunities afforded to her brothers, Ned and Sam. She cannot know how devastatingly real these dreams will become , as the country slides towards vicious civil war ... The crisis threatens to tear Henrietta's family apart. As religious and political tensions spill into the streets, they all must decide what comes first - their family, their country or their desires. But while she strives to maintain the peace at home, Henrietta becomes embroiled in a deeper plot: to hand London over to the King.
'[Senior's] vivid characters [capture] this chaotic era with a lively sense of how it must have felt to those living through it'
The Times
The Times
February 2018
The Tyrant's Shadow
England, 1652: When Patience Johnson meets preacher Sidrach Simmonds, she believes her destiny is to become his wife and help him spread the Lord's word. Simmonds sees things quite differently. Patiences's brother Will has been bestowed the role of lawyer to Oliver Cromwell. Tasked with aiding England's most powerful man, he must try to overcome his grief after the loss of his wife. Then Sam Challoner, Will's brother-in-law, returns unannounced after years in exile, forcing Will and Patience to question their loyalties: one to a ruler, the other, a spouse. Who do they choose to save? Themselves, their loved ones or their country...