The Second Round Judges

The second round judges are Historical Novels Review book editors or conference organisers. They will read the shortlisted category entries and decide on winners in each category.

Katherine Mezzacappa is part of the HNS 2026 conference organisation team. From Carrickfergus, she now lives in Italy where she writes mainly historical fiction.

Writing under her own name, The Maiden of Florence was published in 2024 by Fairlight Books (in Italian with Piemme), followed in 2025 with The Ballad of Mary Kearney (Histria) and in 2026 with Lucie Dumas (Stairwell).

As Katie Hutton, she is the author of The Gypsy Bride (2020), The Gypsy's Daughter (2021), Annie of Ainsworth's Mill (2022) and The Maid of Lindal Hall (2023), all with Zaffre.

Katherine was on the organising team of the 2022 HNS conference in Durham and the 2024 conference in Dartington.

Website: https://katherinemezzacappa.com/

Tracy Barrett is an HNR Reviews Editor (US). She is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, several of them historical fiction, including Anna of Byzantium and King of Ithaka. Her favorite settings are ancient Greece and Rome, and medieval Europe. She is formerly the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Regional Advisor for the Midsouth and SCBWI's Regional Advisor Coordinator. Tracy also taught Italian language, literature, and civilization at Vanderbilt University.

Website: https://www.tracybarrett.com/

Sarah Johnson has been an editor with the Historical Novels Review since 2000. An academic librarian and readers’ advisor, she has been reading and collecting historical novels for many years and also reviews for Booklist and CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. Her articles and reviews have appeared in NoveList, The Globe and Mail, Bookmarks Magazine, Library Journal, and other popular and scholarly publications. In 2012, she won the American Library Association’s Louis Shores Award for excellence in book reviewing. She has authored three nonfiction books, most recently Historical Fiction II: A Guide to the Genre.

Website: readingthepast.com

Ben Bergonzi is an HNR Reviews Editor (UK). After a varied career in education and heritage, including spending time as a museum curator and as a manager of historical document digitisation, he now works as a reviewer and writer. His first published novel, A Cruel Corpse, came out from Holand Press in June 2025. Previously he published a non-fiction book, Old Gramophones and Other Talking Machines. Born in the north of England, he has lived since in the Midlands and the south; currently he lives with his family on the cusp of London and Chiltern Hills. His favourite historical eras are the 14th century, because of Katherine, his favourite historical novel; the 18th century, because of Barry Lyndon, his favourite historical film; and the 17th century, because of all the time he spent in muddy fields bringing that century to life as a re-enactor of the English Civil War.

X/Twitter: @BergonziBen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/8531512?ref=nav_mybooks

Kate Braithwaite is an HNR Reviews Editor (US). She is the author of four historical novels, including The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph, and The People Next Door, a contemporary thriller. Originally from Scotland, Kate studied English at Leeds University and has subsequently lived in Canada and the US. A long-time book reviewer and feature writer for HNS, Kate leans toward biographical and literary historical novels, focusing on untold or forgotten women’s history - although a good gothic mystery or witty romance will always catch her eye. Her Substack publication, Sis-Stories, features notable historical sisters and novels, new and old, where sister stories take center stage.

Website: https://sisstories.substack.com

Bonnie DeMoss is an HNR Reviews Editor (US). She retired from The Department of Defense, where she worked as a federal background investigator. She graduated from Florida State University in 1998 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. Bonnie has been an HNR reviewer since 2021. She also writes under the name Bonnie Douglas with her husband Doug. They have published a short story together and are planning their first novel. She lives in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, where she soaks up the history of her ancestors who lived there before. You can find her reviewing books and occasionally sharing original stories on her blog.

Website: bonniereadsandwrites.com

J. Lynn “Jessi” Else is an HNR Reviews Editor (US). She is a Minnesota author who’s self-published two historical fiction novels set in ancient Egypt, The Forgotten: Aten’s Last Queen (an HNS Indie Editor’s Choice book for 2016) and The Forgotten: Heir of the Heretic, as well as a sci fi novella, Strangely Constructed Souls, about a human zoo on an alien world. Through Inklings Publishing, she’s authored the “Awakenings” YA fantasy trilogy, which includes Descendants of Avalon (2018), Lost Daughters of Avalon (2019), and Prophecy of Avalon (2021). She’s been a reviewer with the Historical Novel Society since 2016, and loves reading about awesome women from antiquity. Besides history, she also gets nerdy with Star Wars, Star Trek, MST3K, and X-Files. She believes in unicorns and practicing random acts of awesome.

Website: www.teasippinnerdymom.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/teasippinnerdymom

X/Twitter: @JLynnElseAuthor

Instagram: JLynnElseAuthor

Ann Lazim is an HNR Reviews Editor (UK). She was Librarian at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education in London for 29 years, retiring in 2021, and having previously worked in school and public libraries. She has an MA in Children’s Literature and continues to be involved in promoting children’s books, mainly through IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People). Ann has always had an interest in ‘hidden histories’ and local history, especially linked to East Yorkshire where she grew up and to the Peckham and Dulwich area of south London where she lives.

Rebekah Simmers is an HNS Sponsored Interviews Editor. She coordinated the HNS 2024 First Chapters Competition. She is the author of The King’s Sword, the first novel of The Metzlingen Saga. Largely inspired by medieval and renaissance periods and her own family history, Rebekah loves to incorporate details into her writing from her years living, researching, and traveling abroad. As a military child and spouse, former public servant, and special needs parent of five children, Rebekah strives to honor the unique voices and perspective – the perseverance, resilience, struggles, experiences, and grace – of those who live a life of service both inside and out of the home. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and co-admin for a private group of international writers.

Website: https://rebekahsimmers.com/

Tracey Warr is an HNS Sponsored Interviews Editor. She led the HNS 2024 Conference team. She divides her time between France and the UK. She has published six novels set in early medieval Europe and based on the lives of real women who earn brief mentions in chronicles and charters. Almodis the Peaceweaver (2011) focuses on an 11th century countess of Toulouse and Barcelona. The Viking Hostage (2014) is based on the true story of a French viscountess kidnapped by Vikings. The Conquest trilogy – Daughter of the Last King (2016), The Drowned Court (Impress Books, 2017), and The Anarchy (2020) – centre on the tumultuous life of the Welsh princess, Nest ferch Rhys. Love's Knife (2024) is the first in a medieval murder mystery series featuring the trobairitz sleuth, Beatriz de Farrera. Tracey’s writing awards include a Literature Wales Writer’s Bursary and an Author’s Foundation Award.

Website: https://meandabooks.com

Adele Wills is an HNR Reviews Editor (UK) She studied English Literature to MA level and has taught for over 30 years at post-16 level in the UK. She has published a textbook for Advanced Level students called Texts through History which looks at the impact of historical context on literary production. She is an avid reader of historical fiction and, now semi-retired, is relishing the opportunity to read and review even more books. She has previously written reviews for WhatsOnStage and also enjoys theatre and music.