Historical fiction

What’s New in Historical Fiction?

Do you want to know what’s new in historical fiction? Join me at History Through Fiction’s event this coming Sunday and hear about my book, WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT, as well as the intriguing books of three other amazing authors! It all happens at 2 p.m. EST and registration is FREE! All you have to do is register at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-new-in-historical-fiction-tickets-908223118797

I hope to see you there!

Tomorrow is Pitchfest!

It’s almost here – your opportunity to hear about 18 new titles from the authors themselves and get your fall reading sorted! It’s PITCHFEST, put on by Adventures by the Book, and it’s like speed dating for your next read. If you are looking for titles for your book club, this is the perfect way to create a short list!

It all happens tomorrow at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST and you can attend for FREE. Books are also available to order and have them shipped to you (in the US).

 

Interview with Genevieve Graham!

 

To celebrate the paperback launch (Canada) of WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT, I sat down with the lovely Genevieve Graham for a chat about the Halifax Explosion, my journey to writing historical fiction, and what’s next… and I also do a reading! Check it out on her Facebook page!

Paperback Release Day in Canada!

Bookstores have already been receiving their stock and sneak peeks of books on the shelves have been popping up in my feeds, and today is the official paperback release day of WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT in Canada!

I’m beyond pleased at the Canadian response to this book! Check out your local Chapters/Indigo, your favourite indie bookshop, or Amazon. Fantastic news… it’s also been picked up by Costco Canada! You can find links by visiting the HarperCollins Canada site here.

If you happen to see a copy on your shopping travels, snap a pic and send it to me with the location through my socials – either tag me or send it in a DM. I’ll feature your snap in my stories!

Thanks for celebrating with me, and happy reading!

Celebrate the paperback release with me at the Halifax Public Library!

Tomorrow is the “official” release date for the Canadian paperback of WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT, and so if you’re in the Halifax area, I’d love for you to join me and my fellow author B.R. Myers for a fun evening tomorrow night! I’ll do a reading from the book, and then we’ll sit for a chat about the book, my process in writing it, and maybe even some random things about both of us. Bookmark on Spring Garden is the bookseller for the evening, and I will be around to sign your copy!

It all happens at 7 p.m. at the Central Library on Spring Garden – I hope to see you there!

 

Paperback Release Day – US and UK!

Huzzah! It’s the first of August which means it’s release day for the paperback of WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT in the US and UK!

Check your local bookseller in the US and if it’s not on the shelf, you can have it ordered in! Are you more into libraries? Request it at your local branch! Libraries have limited budgets, but reader requests help. And if you prefer to shop at an indie bookshop, check out Bookshop.org and support indies.

In the UK, head on over to my publisher’s page at One More Chapter and click on the drop down for retailers – you’ll get a lovely list of places where you can find it.

If you happen to be out and about (imagine me saying that in my best Canadian accent!), and you spy a copy of WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT, snap a pic and send it to me letting me know where you saw it – you can tag me on socials or send it in a dm – and I’ll post it to my stories!

 

Happy Publication Day to Me!

As my best friend, Barb Wallace, pointed out, I have officially made my career pivot as WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT releases today! I guess that’s reason enough to celebrate!

It’s out in Ebook and Audio today, with paperback coming in the US and UK on August 1 and in Canada on August 6. Get it at Amazon or look for it wherever you purchase your books!

My favourite books to read are ones where ordinary people do extraordinary things. In WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT, the characters don’t change the tide of the war, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t heroic. When your entire world is turned upside down, finding the strength and resilience to go on, to rebuild your life despite huge obstacles, is a big thing. Even bigger when the choices you make come with heart-wrenching sacrifice.

Early reviews are lovely… I’m just so pleased this is now available for you all! Happy reading!

A Canadian Tragedy…

This is high praise for WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT from Lecia Cornwall, another Canadian historical fiction author. Thank you Lecia! I’m still blushing at the “brilliant writing” bit…
If you haven’t tried any of Lecia’s books yet, I highly recommend trying THE WOMAN AT THE FRONT which is on sale at amazon.com for under $10 in paperback. It’s beautiful. https://amzn.to/3zpFH9A

Prepare to fall in love…

Many many years ago, I held a first chapter contest for unpublished authors, and the winner would get me as a mentor for the year. Soraya was one of my first mentees and went on to sell with Harlequin Romance – where I was writing. She then also wrote stories for St. Martin’s – and then I went there too! Then I kept writing rom and she branched out in an entirely new direction – historical fiction! Now, here I am, a total fan of her hist fics with my first one coming out in July. She has gone on to have a BRILLIANT career and when I asked if she’d read and blurb my book, she readily agreed. Thank you, Soraya – and congratulations on your new release, THE BERLIN SISTERS!

Preorder your copy of WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT!

 

A stunning historical fiction debut…

It feels weird to call this a debut, when I’ve been publishing for so long, but I have to admit, writing historical fiction is VASTLY different than writing romance, and in addition to the process, the journey to publishing it has also felt like that “first time” all over again, with tons of excitement.
Eliza Knight is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and she sent along her thoughts about WHEN THE WORLD FELL SILENT:

“WHEN THE WORLD WENT SILENT is a richly detailed look into the lives of women on the home front during WWI, and how their lives were irrevocably changed following a tragic ship collision that resulted in an explosion in the Halifax Harbour Narrows. Donna Alward has penned a stunning historical fiction debut you don’t want to miss. A fascinating tale of resilience!” ~Eliza Knight, USA Today and international bestselling author of Starring Adele Astaire

Thank you, Eliza, for reading this labour of love and giving it your thumbs up! For those of you who might want to grab Eliza’s books, she just had a new one out with Denny S Bryce called CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS, about the friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald. And her next is coming soon – THE QUEEN’S FAITHFUL COMPANION.

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