Really excited to announce that the Kindle edition of my new book ‘The King’s Command’ has just been published. It’s my first book for adults and is an historical novel very loosely based on the experiences of my Huguenot ancestors, Lidie and Samuel de la Fargue.   Lidie and her mother fled to England in 1692 and I am her direct descendant.This is the culmination of two years’ research which has been absolutely fascinating and included a visit to Castillon-la-Bataille, in South West France, where the family lived. Here’s a little bit about the book:

16 year old Lidie Brunier has everything; looks, wealth, health and a charming suitor but there are dark clouds on the horizon. Lidie  and her family are committed Huguenots and Louis XIV has sworn to stamp out this ‘false religion’ and make France a wholly Catholic country. Gradually Lidie’s comfortable life starts to disintegrate as Huguenots are stripped of all rights and the King sends his brutal soldiers into their homes to force them to become Catholics. Others around her break under pressure but Lidie and her family refuse to convert. With spies everywhere and the ever present threat of violence, they struggle on. Then a shocking betrayal forces Lidie’s hand and her only option is to try and flee the country. A decision that brings unimaginable hardship, terror and tragedy and changes her life for ever.

I’ve already had a terrific response to it from a lovely audience at Thaxted Festival which, for the first time, held a literary event and invited me to speak at it.

My new publisher, who specialises in historical fiction, sells largely online, though there will also be a print edition and this will be out shortly. Meanwhile, the ebook edition can be downloaded from here:

 The King’s Command: For God or Country eBook : Hayes, Rosemary: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

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