Witchcraft, Revenge & Legendary Women with Rosie Hewlett and Cathryn Kemp

Tickets £5 - 16.99

This is a live, in-person event.

Location: The Edinburgh Bookshop, 176 Bruntsfield Pl

We are delighted to welcome Rosie Hewlett and Cathryn Kemp to talk about their stunnng new books, Medea and A Poisoners Tale -  two stories of incredible women, witchcraft and revenge... Just in time for the commencement of spooky season.

About the books

Medea

Shunned. Persecuted. Tormented.

Fierce. Powerful. Sorceress.

She will have her revenge and everyone will know her name…

Throughout her life Medea has been shunned by her mother, separated from her sister, and tormented by her father and brother. All because she possesses a mysterious and powerful gift – magic.

But when a dashing young hero, Jason, arrives to claim the famed Golden Fleece that her father fiercely protects, Medea sees her opportunity for escape. Her offer to help Jason overcome the trials set by her father sets in motion a journey that will test every ounce of her strength, magic and loyalty; a journey that will see her battle monsters, dethrone kings and fall in love. But when faced with the ultimate betrayal, Medea is driven to an act of desperation so brutal it rips apart the lives of everyone involved...

Though Medea has been immortalised by Euripides in his renowned play, she is often only relegated to the footnotes of Jason’s myth – until now. In this dark and epic feminist retelling, the Witch of Colchis’ full story is brought to the forefront, from her early years to her brutal, infamous ending.

From the award-winning author, Rosie Hewlett, Medea is an unmissable mythology retelling which explores Ancient Greece’s most powerful and complex woman in a bold and unflinching new way.

A Poisoner's Tale

Outcast. Whore. Witch. Poisoner.

Daughter. Mother. Survivor. Healer.

Rome, 1656

In the shadowy backstreets of the Eternal City lies an apothecary – a place for women to take their heartbreaks and troubles. Herbs for childbirth. Tarot readings to tell their fortunes. An undetectable poison that can kill in four drops.

Alongside her circle of female poisoners, Giulia Tofana dispenses her deadly potion to free the downtrodden women of Rome from their abusive husbands. 

But even in a time of Plague, it does not go unnoticed when the men of Rome begin to fall like flies. 

With a newly-elected Pope hell-bent on ridding the city of heretics and witches, and the Holy Office of the Inquisition on her tail, Giulia is in more danger than ever…

How far will she go for the women who need her help?

About the authors

Having secured a first-class honours degree in Classical Literature and Civilisation at the University of Birmingham, Rosie Hewlett has studied Greek mythology in depth and is passionate about unearthing strong female voices within the classical world. Her self-published debut novel, Medusa, won the Rubery Book of the Year award in 2021.

Cathryn Kemp is a Sunday Times bestselling ghostwriter and author, with a prolific career writing celebrity, inspirational, true crime, addiction and nostalgia titles. Her personal memoir Coming Clean won the Big Red Read Prize for Non-Fiction.

A Poisoner’s Tale is her first foray into historical fiction. She was awarded a Foundation Grant by the Society of Authors to pursue the research for this book, leading her to the secret archives of the Vatican and Holy Inquisition. When not researching dark, dangerous and beguiling women from history, Cathryn can be found on the south coast with her son and familiar, a ginger cat called Gingey.