I’m more than a little psyched to be taking part in this discussion next Tuesday. If you are in the NYC area, consider registering for this free event at the historical Jefferson Market Library. Here are the details:
From Joan of Arc to a Lady Knight: Fearless Women Warriors
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 6:30pm. In-person event! Doors open at 6pm.
Register for this free event: https://subscribepage.io/RE3N5m
Our “Authors Under 40” series begins in April! Join Katherine J. Chen, LCW Allingham, and moderator Leslie Carroll for a modern reimagining of iconic warrior women of the 15th century. In Chen’s Joan, the legendary Joan of Arc is transformed into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. This meticulously researched novel is a sweeping narrative of Joan’s life, from a childhood steeped in both joy and violence, to her meteoric rise to fame at the head of the French army. As Joan navigates the treacherous battlefield and royal court, she draws suspicion from all corners, while fame and glory leave her vulnerable to her own powerful ambition. Allingham’s Lady opens during a lull in the War of the Roses. Lady Rosalynde, the Baron Alexander FitzRoland’s young wife, is recovering from a stillbirth as her husband lies dying. When the castle gates are threatened, the proper thing for Rosalynde to do is to pray and succumb to despair. Instead, she puts on her husband’s armor and rides out in disguise to confront the enemy—balanced on the thin razor wire between duty and destiny.
Moderated by author Leslie Carroll. Sponsored by the Historical Novel Society’s NYC Chapter at the Jefferson Market Library, 425 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011. Doors open at 6pm for a meet and greet with the authors, light refreshments, and book signings. A short Q&A will follow the panel.
Bios:
Katherine J. Chen is the author of Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc (Random House US / Hodder & Stoughton UK), which won the 2023 American Library in Paris Book Award and has been translated into nine languages, and Mary B (Random House US). Her essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, the Times Literary Supplement, The Telegraph, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Electric Literature, Literary Hub, and other publications, with forthcoming work elsewhere. She is a graduate of Princeton University and Boston University’s MFA program in Fiction and is pursuing her doctoral degree in English at Brown University. Her next book, which received a grant from The de Groot Foundation and is under contract with Random House, will explore through a realist lens the complex and violent world of Arthurian legend, focusing on the sibling dynamic between Morgan le Fay and King Arthur.
Publisher website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2169407/katherine-j-chen/
LCW Allingham is an award-winning author, artist, and editor. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and publications. She is the executive editor of Speculation Publications and a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Horror Writers Association. In 2024 she published her debut horror novella, Muse, and her debut historical novel, Lady, which won a 2024 Critters Reader Award. She resides in Bucks County with her family, her animals, and her ever-growing art collection.
Website: https://lcwallingham.com/
Lady: https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Lcw-Allingham/dp/1998360059
Leslie Carroll is the author of twenty-two books in three genres: women’s fiction, historical nonfiction, and historical fiction under the pen names Amanda Elyot and Juliet Grey. Confessions of Marie Antoinette, the final novel in Grey’s Marie Antoinette trilogy, begins with the Paris fishwives’ march on Versailles and transports the reader through the tumultuous events of the French Revolution from the optics of both royals and rebels. Leslie is also a professional actress and an award-winning audiobook narrator. Her novels have been translated into several languages and optioned for film and television. A native New Yorker, Leslie and her husband reside a stone’s throw from Central Park.
Website: www.lesliecarroll.com
Confessions of Marie Antoinette: https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Marie-Antoinette-Juliet-Grey/dp/0345523903
LC W. Allingham 
Leave a comment