Fantasy novelist, short story author and poet, BB Elsin says:
Heroes and Traitors is the result of an unusual journey for me. I came to novel-writing late in life, as a response to mental and physical health challenges. It owes a lot to the patience of generous writing tutors, supportive friends, and two wonderful local writing groups who refused to let me give up.
As a business academic and author of several non-fiction books, I assumed that the leap to creative writing would be straightforward. I was spectacularly wrong. The learning curve proved almost as steep as my PhD—perhaps steeper in some ways. “Show, don’t tell” became my nemesis, especially as part of my autism profile is that that I process the world literally.
My passionate interest in the English Civil War and England’s brief republic drove my world-building, and I drew characters from across early modern Europe including a foreign hero-General, a deposed queen, a national father-figure, a spymaster and a veteran who wants to hold them all to account. They are faced with a totally new post-war world, trying to find a way forward. If you want to find out how well they get on, please read it!
BB Elsin can be found at:
Below are the recordings from the panels BB has kindly taken part in…
The 5pm: Science-fiction (SF), fantasy (F) and horror (H) panel, the eighth panel of the 25 Jan 2026 Festival …
The 2 Feb 2026 Mini-Fest – Moderators panel…
Then the Monday 2nd March 2026: characters panel…
And the Monday 9th March 2026: settings panel…
You’ll also be able to meet BB at the 26 Apr 2026 festival in Aylesbury where she’ll be one of many authors not on a panel but in the audience. Do come along if you’re able.
And do watch Morgen’s chat with BB about her writing journey: