Please join History Through Fiction for What's New in Historical Fiction, a regular panel series featuring historical novelists with new and upcoming titles. Moderated by History Through Fiction editor, Colin Mustful, this special panel features:

Addison Armstrong, author of The War Librarian
Madeline Martin, author of The Librarian Spy
Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Switchboard Soldiers
Alyson Richman, co-author of The Thread Collectors
Shaunna J. Edwards, co-author of The Thread Collectors

Addison Armstrong graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2020 with degrees in elementary education and language and literacy studies and received her master’s degree from Vanderbilt in Reading Education in 2021. Her new novel, The War Librarian, is a dual timeline narrative set among the first female volunteer librarians in 1918 during World War I and the first women accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy in 1976.

Madeline Martin is a New York Times and International Bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance. She describes herself as a die-hard history lover who will happily lose herself in research any day. Her latest novel, The Librarian Spy, is a poignant and suspenseful historical novel inspired by the true history of America’s librarian spies of World War II.

Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two novels, including critically acclaimed historical fiction and the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. Her newest novel, Switchboard Soldiers, is a a bold, revelatory novel about the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.

Alyson Richman is the USA Today bestselling and #1 international bestselling author of several historical novels. Her latest novel, The Thread Collectors, co-authored with Shaunna Edwards, is the story of two women who risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War. When their paths converge, an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us.

Shaunna J. Edwards is a former corporate lawyer who majored in Literature at Harvard College and now works in diversity, equity and inclusion and talent development. Her debut novel, The Thread Collectors, co-authored with Alyson Richman, is the story of two women who risk everything for love and freedom during the brutal Civil War. When their paths converge, an unexpected encounter leads them to discover that even the most delicate threads have the capacity to save us.