Official Website of International Bestselling Saga Author
Emma Hornby
Emma Hornby was born and raised on a tight-knit, working-class estate in Bolton, England. She is a mother of three fantastic children, servant to a demanding cat, and fiancée to one very patient man.
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History has always been Emma's passion and she grew up with her nose buried in sagas. Before pursuing a career as a novelist, she had a variety of jobs, from care assistant for the elderly to working in a Blackpool rock factory. She later wrote short stories and non-fiction pieces for the internet, print and stage, and also worked as a freelance poet.
Emma's books are gritty historicals set in Victorian and WWII Bolton and Manchester, which she began writing after researching her family history. The colourful folk she unearthed gave her plenty of inspiration; like the characters in her novels, many generations of her family eked out life amidst the squalor and poverty of Lancashire's slums. Her first book, A Shilling for a Wife, was the bestselling debut saga novel of 2017. Her debut WWII book, Her Wartime Secret, was shortlisted for the 2022 RNA Romantic Saga Award. Emma's other titles regularly appear in the official bestsellers' charts.
Her new saga, A Northern Lass, is published November 2025. She is currently writing her thirteenth.
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Discover more by following Emma on Facebook and Twitter.
Press release - where it all began!
In London to meet my agent and editor
My boy Jerry, my biggest fan :)
Press release - where it all began!