Essie was born and raised in Herefordshire, and studied English Literature at Sheffield Universtity.

Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. The Fascination was a Sunday Times best seller. Dangerous, a crime mystery featuring Lord Byron’s time in Venice, was also selected as a Times Book of the Month.

Essie has lectured at the V&A, the Westminster Library, and National Gallery in London. She also hosts a podcast called Talking the Gothic.

To contact Essie please email her literary agent: david.headley@dhhliteraryagency.com. or her publisher: Karen@orendabook.co.uk

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

CATHERINE: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights

FEBRUARY 12TH, 2026, at 6pm

Publication launch event in the Haworth parish church

Tickets available here

WATERSTONES FINCHLEY ROAD 02

Friday February 13th

5pm – 7.00pm

BOOK SIGNING AND READING

More details in this link

WATERSTONES WINDSOR

Saturday February 14th from noon

VALENTINE’S DAY SIGNING

More details in this link

GRANITE NOIR

THURSDAY 19TH FEBRUARY, 2.30 PM

JOIN ESSIE AND D.V. BISHOP TO DISCUSS ‘HISTORICAL DEEDS’,

talking about Essie’s crime thriller novel, Dangerous

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE

STRAWBERRY HILL HOUSE

This very special event will take place on the evening of Friday February 27th, with a tour of this gloriously gothic house, and then an interview with Essie about her interest in all things gothic, and her novel, Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights.

Ticket are available via this link

SUBSTACK LIVE WITH ELEANOR ANSTRUTHER

Join Essie and Eleanor for an in depth discussion about writing and publication at 1pm on

Saturday, February 28th

More details to follow

BRONTE LOUNGE ONLINE EVENT on Thursday 2 April

Essie will be discussing the inspiration for her novel, Catherine, with the Bronte Parsonage Museum.

A link to the event is here

More events will be added as soon as times and dates have been confirmed – including the Bookclub Tour Podcast, an appearance at Toppings in Edinburgh, the Grantham Literary festival, the Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival, an online event with Warwick’s bookshop in California, the Scarborough Literary Festival, the Capital Crime Festival in London, the Bradford Literary Festival, the Historical Novels Association Conference in Maynooth as a keynote speaker, and The Edinburgh International Book Festival