Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Westchester

VIRTUAL - March 31 - Historical Fiction Panel: Educating Readers About the Past, Moderated by Lynda Cohen Loigman '90

Join us as we speak with popular historical fiction writers Lauren Willig, Fiona Davis, Elise Hooper, Susie Orman Schnall, and Nicola Harrison about their most recent novels, the intricacies of their research, and the challenges of writing in this beloved genre.

Lauren Willig is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty works of historical fiction, including “Band of Sisters,” “The Summer Country,” “The English Wife,” the RITA Award-winning Pink Carnation series, and three novels co-written with Beatriz Williams and Karen White. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best, and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association’s annual list of the best genre fiction. An alumna of Yale University, she has a graduate degree in history from Harvard and a JD from Harvard Law School. She lives in New York City with her husband, two young children, and vast quantities of coffee.

Fiona Davis is a New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction set in iconic New York City buildings, including “The Lions of Fifth Avenue,” which was a Good Morning America book club pick. She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and she's based in New York City.

A native New Englander, Elise Hooper spent several years writing for television and online news outlets before getting a MA and teaching high-school literature and history. She now lives in Seattle with her husband and two daughters and has written three novels: “The Other Alcott,” “Learning to See,” and most recently, “Fast Girls.”

Susie Orman Schnall is the award-winning author of the novels “We Came Here to Shine,” “The Subway Girls,” “The Balance Project” and “On Grace.” Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, HuffPost, Popsugar, Writer’s Digest, Harper's Bazaar, and Glamour; and she is also a frequent speaker at women’s groups, corporations, libraries, bookstores, and book clubs. Susie grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and now lives in New York with her husband and their three teenage sons.

Nicola Harrison is the author of the bestselling novel "MONTAUK." Born in England, she is a graduate of UCLA and received her MFA from Stony Brook. She lives in Manhattan Beach, California with her husband, two sons and two high-maintenance chihuahuas. “The Show Girl,” which will be released August 2021, is her second novel.

 Lynda Cohen Loigman received a A.B. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a law degree from Columbia Law School. Her first novel, “The Two-Family House,” was a USA Today bestseller and a nominee for the Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards in Historical Fiction. Her second novel, “The Wartime Sisters,” was chosen as one of Real Simple’s Best Books of 2019, one of PopSugar’s Best Books of Winter, and was a Woman’s World Magazine Book Club Pick.

NOTE: To join the Webinar, you will need to RSVP below, and a link for the  session will be sent to you 24-48 hours in advance of the talk.