If you're new to my books, you may be unaware that in 2007 and 2012, I published two short stories in popular quilting magazines. Or perhaps you're a longtime reader, but you missed them the first time around. Or maybe you enjoyed them when they were first published and ... Read more »
How Did FATES AND TRAITORS Get Its Title?
Since Shakespeare was so important to this family of actors and writers, I wanted my novel to have a title inspired by Shakespeare’s plays. Julius Caesar was the clear choice, not only because of the themes of assassination and betrayal, but because the only time the three ... Read more »
BookBub: 12 Historical Fiction Books About First Ladies
Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker and Mrs. Grant and Madame Jule both made BookBub's list of recommended historical novels about first ladies! For the complete list, visit the BookBub Blog. ... Read more »
Tudor Hall, Home of the Booth Family
To celebrate his success on the American stage, the renowned thespian Junius Brutus Booth, John Wilkes Booth's father, built his family a gracious residence on the grounds of their Maryland farm. However, tragedy would prevent Junius from ever living in the home he called ... Read more »
Ford’s Theatre
Displayed in the museum at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC is an autograph quilt created in 1864 to raise money for the US Sanitary Commission. Among the signatures are those of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. ... Read more »
F&T: Trib Live
Best-Selling Author of 'Quilt' Titles to Stop at Sewickley Bookshop: “For Fates and Traitors,” Chiaverini tackles the life of John Wilkes Booth through the women who knew him best: Mary Ann, his mother; his sister and confidante, Asia; Lucy Lambert Hale, the daughter of a ... Read more »
Happy Book Birthday to Fates and Traitors
Today is the official publication day of my twenty-sixth novel, Fates and Traitors. I can't wait to share this exciting new story with you, and I hope you'll enjoy reading Fates and Traitors as much as I enjoyed writing it. Be sure to see the Events page for details about my ... Read more »
The Surratt Boardinghouse
Mary Surratt, widow and Confederate sympathizer, ran the Washington, DC boardinghouse where John Wilkes Booth and his fellow conspirators plotted to bring down President Abraham Lincoln. On the left is a photo of the boardinghouse taken between 1861 and 1865 (source: Library ... Read more »
F&T: Middleton Times Tribune
A Conversation with Author Jennifer Chiaverini: Jennifer Chiaverini’s new novel starts with a bang. Literally. John Wilkes Booth has just shot history’s most beloved U.S. president in the back of the head. Booth, convinced he has rid the world of a brutal tyrant, is on ... Read more »
Asia Booth, John Wilkes Booth’s Sister
Have you been curious about the mysterious woman appearing with John Wilkes Booth on the cover of Fates and Traitors? Meet Asia Booth, one of his two elder sisters, his confidante and childhood companion. Asia adored her younger brother even as she became increasingly ... Read more »
Online Research Sources for Fates and Traitors
In the Acknowledgments to Fates and Traitors, I mention several excellent online resources I consulted while researching and writing the novel. Some of the most useful include the archives of digitized historic newspapers at the Library of Congress and Genealogybank.com, ... Read more »
Many Thanks to Four Wonderful Authors
Here's a glimpse of the back cover of Fates and Traitors: I'm deeply grateful to Sara Gruen, Allison Pataki, Anton DiSclafani, and Amy Stewart for their generous advance praise for Fates and Traitors! ... Read more »