Robyn Cadwallader is an award winning Canberra-based author  - with three historical novels to her name, along with poems, prize-winning short stories and a non-fiction book based on her PhD thesis about virginity and female agency in the Middle Ages.

Robyn’s first novel, ‘The Anchoress’ was published in 2015 to critical acclaim and was awarded the Canberra Critics Circle Award for fiction and the ACT Book of the Year People’s Choice Award.

Her second novel, Book of Colours followed in 2018 - winning the 2019 ACT Book of the Year Award along with another Canberra Critics Circle Award AND it was shortlisted for a Voss Award. 

In early May, Robyn’s third novel ‘The Fire and The Rose’ was released by HarperCollins. 

And listeners, what a book it is.  A deeply moving, mesmerising and timeless story about a forbidden love.  A story about the power of words and a women’s fight to be with the man she loves:  going against her Church, against the law and against her King. 

A novel that explores prejudice and racism along with faith, this book left a deep and lasting impression on me.

And so it was with great delight that I welcomed Robyn to the podcast recently to chat about her marvellous new book.