The Golden Hour: Absolutely gripping historical fiction for 2024 by the author of the Richard and Judy Book Club Pick The French House

Jacquie Bloese is a writer of historical book group fiction, originally from the Channel Island of Guernsey. She draws her inspiration from atmospheric locations with intriguing histories, and people – both real and imaginary – whose stories are calling out to be told. Her first novel The French House, set during the German Occupation of Guernsey in the second World War, was a Richard and Judy Winter 2022 book club pick, and a finalist in the Mslexia Novel Award. Her second novel The Golden Hour is inspired by the seaside town of Brighton, where Jacquie currently lives, and tells the stories of three women from different classes who become caught up in the underground world of erotic photography in 1890s Victorian England. Jacquie began her professional life teaching English, in Turkey and Spain, before returning to the UK to work in ELT publishing for a number of publishers, including Scholastic, Oxford University Press and Penguin Random House. She now works freelance as an educational consultant, writer and editor. In her spare time, Jacquie loves reading, walking, socialising, travel, theatre, cinema and daydreaming!