Join History Through Fiction a live Zoom preorder event featuring authors Tim Schooley and Jane D. Cairns.

Taking place on Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 PM Central, this live Zoom event invites readers into two richly imagined historical worlds—one shaped by spectacle, the other by industry—each animated by deeply human questions of ambition, freedom, loyalty, and belonging.

In Circus of the Vanishing Elephant, Tim Schooley brings readers into the struggling world of a 1974 circus, where a dazzling vanishing act gives way to a story of family fracture, moral reckoning, and the search for freedom. In Exalted Objects, Jane D. Cairns transports readers to nineteenth-century New Hampshire, where the expansion of the railroad collides with artistry, brotherhood, and the personal cost of progress.

Guided by Colin Mustful, this conversation will explore the historical inspiration behind each novel, the emotional stakes at their core, and the ways in which spectacle and industry alike can shape—and strain—the lives within them. The event will include brief readings from both authors, followed by a live audience Q&A.

This event also marks the beginning of preorder season. Both novels officially release on September 15, 2026, but readers who preorder directly from the History Through Fiction online store will receive paperback and ebook editions on or shortly after July 15 through the press’s early access program. (Hardcover editions will be available through other retailers.)

If you’re drawn to historical fiction that blends immersive settings with emotional depth, this conversation offers an early and engaging look at two unforgettable upcoming novels.