Georgia Piggott makes her fiction debut this month with gripping historical novel Just Causes. The first in a series, the star of the story is Alice, a young woman who is on her own and fighting for all that she holds dear.
Dorset in 1625 is a rural and isolated place – it still is! – and Georgia perfectly captures the atmosphere of a village reeling from a fresh wave of the deadly plague. Charles the 1st has just claimed the throne and Civil War is still an unknown prospect on the horizon. For the people in the village, their day-to-day hope lies in herbs and remedies. But sickness is not the only danger.
What stood out for us when Georgia first approached us, was the scale of her storytelling. There is mystery – Alice must trace the history of the mysterious child who has fallen under her care, and the shadow of an old murder may still be at work in the neighbourhood. The historical detail is magnificent – for example, have you heard of medlars, a popular fruit from the era? And the London Treacle, one of the only treatments for the bubonic plague, and sulphur fires in the streets, designed to stop the spread of the infection, with an odour that permiates everything?
Costume and atmosphere unite to forge a gripping emotional narrative. Under pressure to marry, Alice is impatient, impulsive, sometimes intolerant and judgmental, and to start with at least, a know-it-all. Society expects her to be quiet, submissive, deferential to authority, and she is none of these things. But she is well-intentioned, quick witted, determined, intelligent, kind and friendly, and capable of maturing.
In a novel that combines fast-paced storytelling with a subtle mystery and coming of age, it’s the sort of book which will leave readers wanting more. And happily, we’re delighted to share the news that Georgia has signed a two-book deal with us, and Alice’s story will be continuing in a sequel with further details to follow soon.
Just Causes is out now in paperback and ebook.
Georgia Piggott lives and works in Dorset, where her book is set. She is a former business systems analyst in retail, airlines and telecommunications. Her specialism is tailoring IT systems for non-technical Users. It is this passion for translation and language that has inspired her to explore seventeenth century England.
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