THE WOMAN AND HER STARS is inspired by the true story of Caroline Herschel who, in 1787, became the first woman to earn an income as an astronomer. It will be published by Sourcebooks Landmark on March 3, 2026.
Caroline Herschel has always lived in the shadows. Beholden to her wildly popular older brother, William, who rescued her from servitude, she has worked hard to build a life for herself – one where she can go unnoticed and repay the debt she believes she owes. But when her brother becomes obsessed with sweeping the heavens, everything changes.
Newly appointed as the King’s Astronomer, William is rushed away from the bustling streets of Bath to the quiet countryside of Windsor. When Caroline makes a discovery that could send her right back to the people she was rescued from, she has no choice but to leave her carefully constructed life and follow her brother. Taking up the position as William’s assistant, Caroline resolves to learn everything she can about astronomy. But the more she understands, the more she falls in love with her telescope, and soon, she discovers that she might be good at the science, great, even, and that the stars could offer her the freedom she has always secretly wanted. When it’s clear that Caroline is just as much the astronomer as her brother, she realizes she must break free from the life she has lived and find her own place in the night sky.
Based on the true story of Caroline Herschel, THE WOMAN AND HER STARS shines a light on a woman who was raised to believe she was worth nothing more than to serve others, but whose genius and resolve made her one of the world’s leading astronomers. An awe-inspiring story set within the societal boundaries of the Georgian era, it’s a hopeful journey of self-discovery, familial bonds, and passion.
Pre-order your copy of THE WOMAN AND HER STARS from a store near you here or here.
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FOLLOW ME TO AFRICA is inspired by the life of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world’s most distinguished paleoanthropologists.
It’s 1983, and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archaeological site at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.
Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archaeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey commissions her to illustrate a book, she doesn’t expect to fall in love with the older married man. Mary then follows Louis to East Africa, where she falls in love again, this time with Olduvai Gorge, where her work defines her as a great scientist and allows her to step out of Louis’s shadow.
In time, Mary and Grace learn they are more alike than they thought, which eventually leads them to the secret that connects them. They also discover a mutual deep love for animals, and when Lisa, an injured cheetah, appears at camp, Mary and Grace work together to save her. On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her.
From the acclaimed author of THE INVINCIBLE MISS CUST and THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL comes an adventurous, dual-timeline tale that explores the consequences of our choices, wisdom that comes with retrospection, and relationships that make us who we are, based on the extraordinary real life of Mary Leakey.
Order FOLLOW ME TO AFRICA from a bookstore near you here or online here.
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Now available, THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL is inspiring historical fiction based on the real life of Bertha Benz, whose husband built the first prototype automobile, which eventually evolved into the Mercedes-Benz marque.
“Unfortunately, only a girl again.”
From a young age, Cäcilie Bertha Ringer is fascinated by her father’s work as a master builder in Pforzheim, Germany. But those five words, which he wrote next to her name in the family Bible, haunt Bertha.
Years later, Bertha meets Carl Benz and falls in love—with him and his extraordinary dream of building a horseless carriage. Bertha has such faith in him that she invests her dowry in his plans, a dicey move since they alone believe in the machine. When Carl’s partners threaten to withdraw their support, he’s ready to cut ties. Bertha knows the decision would ruin everything. Ignoring the cynics, she takes matters into her own hands, secretly planning a scheme that will either hasten the family’s passage to absolute derision or prove their genius. What Bertha doesn’t know is that Carl is on the cusp of making a deal with their nemesis. She’s not only risking her marriage and their life’s work, but is also up against the patriarchy, Carl’s own self-doubt, and the clock.
Like so many other women, Bertha lived largely in her husband’s shadow, but her contributions are now celebrated in this inspiring story of perseverance, resilience, and love.
Order THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL here, add it to your to-be-read list on Goodreads or add to your wish list on BookBub here.
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Aleen Cust has big dreams and no one—not her family, society, or the law—will stop her.
Available now from Landmark Sourcebooks, THE INVINCIBLE MISS CUST is Penny Haw’s debut historical fiction.
Born in Ireland in 1868 to an aristocratic English family, Aleen knows she is destined to work with animals, even if her family is appalled by the idea of a woman pursuing a veterinary career. Going against their wishes but with the encouragement of the guardian assigned to her upon her father’s death, Aleen attends the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh, enrolling as A. I. Custance to spare her family the humiliation they fear. At last, she is on her way to becoming a veterinary surgeon! Little does she know her biggest obstacles lie ahead.
THE INVINCIBLE MISS CUST is based on the real life of Aleen Isabel Cust, who defied her family and society to become Britain and Ireland’s first woman veterinary surgeon. Through Penny Haw’s meticulous research, riveting storytelling, and elegant prose, Aleen’s story of ambition, determination, family, friendship, and passion comes to life. It is a story that, even today, women will recognize, of battling patriarchy and an unequal society to realize one’s dreams and pave the way for other women in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
Find THE INVINCIBLE MISS CUST at a bookstore near you here, order it here and add it to your to-be-read list on Goodreads here.
Worldwide rights for THE INVINCIBLE MISS CUST and a second work of historical fiction by Penny (for publication in 2023) were acquired by Sourcebooks’ Editor, Erin McClary from Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
An audio version of THE INVINCIBLE MISS CUST is narrated by Lucy Rayner and produced by Blackstone Publishing. Listen to a sample and buy it here.
The Chinese translation rights for Mainland China have been purchased by Adagio Culture.
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THE WILDERNESS BETWEEN US was released internationally as part of a traditional publishing deal with US publisher Köehler Books on July 31, 2021. In September 2022, it won the 2022 STAR Award in the general fiction category of the annual Women’s Fiction Writers Association competition.
Here’s what the book is about:
Faye Mackenzie and her friends’ anorexic daughter, Clare are thrown together when a flood separates them from their hiking group in the remote, mountainous Tsitsikamma region of South Africa. With Clare critically injured, Faye is compelled to overcome her self-doubt and fear of the wild to take care of the younger woman, who opens her heart to Faye.
As their new friendship takes the women on an unexpected journey of discovery, the rest of the group wrestles with the harrowing aftermath of their own near tragedy.
Juxtaposing physical and psychological intrigue, THE WILDERNESS BETWEEN US is a tale of two fragile women who unexpectedly find clarity, independence and renewed purpose as they fight to survive. It is a vivid, moving story about family, friendship, adventure and the healing power of nature and compassion. As with all my writing, it also expounds the author’s love of animals and the outdoors.
It is available internationally from Amazon here. You will also find it on Indie Bound here.
As part of a distribution agreement with Karavan Press, wholesale/trade purchases in South Africa are available from Booksite Afrika.
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NICKO, THE TALE OF A VERVET MONKEY ON AN AFRICAN FARM is an animal story based on the true account of the author’s grandmother, Alice Kirk and her life with a vervet monkey and a menagerie of other animals on her farm in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands of South Africa. It is told in Alice’s voice.
Abandoned as a baby, Nicko was brought to Alice to raise. Because she expected him to return to the wild once he was old enough to take care of himself, Alice never caged or confined the little monkey. The result? Nicko became a lifelong and important part of the farmyard, befriending the dogs, cats and other animals, and accepting them as his new troop.
Told over almost 180 pages, Nicko and friends get up to series of hilarious, heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching escapades and antics. There’s tension too, as the monkey learns to be careful when Ruskie, the borzois (also known as a Russian wolfhound) is around; Ruskie is bred to hunt and finds it difficult to see Nicko as anything other than prey. But, what happens when Nicko goes missing after he and his friends encounter a strange pack of vicious dogs on the farm, is the ultimate surprise.
Reminiscent of classic animal stories like Jock of the Bushveld, The Incredible Journey and Old Yeller, the book is written for animal lovers of all ages. It’s ideal as a self-reader for children aged 8 to 12, and as a chapter a night bedtime story for younger children. Nicko is a gentle story that describes unlikely friendships across species, provides thought-provoking insights into animal-life and will pull a little at your heartstrings as you wonder whether Nicko will eventually include Alice in his special circle of loved ones.
Watch the book trailer here.
As part of a distribution agreement with Karavan Press, wholesale/trade orders of NICKO in South Africa are available from Booksite Afrika. You can order the Kindle version of the book here.
Penny Haw 