Best-selling author makes Herefordshire home

The river, the history, the hills: It's easy to see why this writer fell in love with the county, which has proved the setting for many of her thrillers.

Barbara Erskine has been keeping readers hooked for decades. She's one of Britain's best-loved historical novelists, with millions of books sold around the world and translations in more than 25 languages.

It's 40 years since her debut, Lady of Hay, and her 18th book - The Valley of Ravens - was launched in July 2026.

She tells Toni McDonald how the novel is set around Hay-on-Wye, where Barbara lives, and takes readers on a journey between present-day Wales and the world of Llywelyn, the last true Prince of Wales, in the 13th century.

Image credit: Chris Norton