Angela Ranson

The first time I submitted a novel for publication, it became embroiled in a fraud scandal, so the manuscript ended up being used as evidence in the trial. I was informed by the US authorities that it was in a jail cell in Texas, and there it would remain.

After that, I spent many years focusing on non-fiction. In 2014, I earned a doctorate in the history of sixteenth-century England from the University of York, and spent several years publishing articles about the early years of Queen Elizabeth I. Most recently, I acted as editor and contributing author for the book Defending the Faith: John Jewel and the Elizabethan Church (Penn State Press, 2018). I also work with the York Literature Festival, often acting as an interviewer for both historical and crime writers.

In 2022 I was a runner-up in a contest for historical fiction authors, which led to a contract with Sapere Books. We have now published four books in the series, with the most recent one released in March 2026. Entitled Grave Merriment, it follows Lady Catrin Surovell as she tries to solve a complex mystery during the Christmas festivities at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.