Maybe not in the same league or genre but hey, I am on the same page as Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh 😆 #bookreviews #theabsentheart #scottishwriting #thebottleimp
Read the review here www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2025/12/the-...

Fanny Stevenson Barges In: #BeyondtheBook #TheAbsentHeart When I first encountered Fanny Osbourne, she appeared as a footnote in Louis Stevenson’s story—emotionally fragile, grieving, and overshadowed. But the more I read, the more she demanded centre stage. Like my own heroine Frances Sitwell, Fanny was shaped by loss and resilience, but unlike Frances, she courted controversy and defied convention with unapologetic strength. Camille Peri’s A Wilder Shore and other biographies have only deepened my fascination with this remarkable woman—adventurer, writer, and the fierce force behind one of literature’s most celebrated figures. Without Fanny, there may have been no Louis as we know him.

Fanny Stevenson Barges In: #BeyondtheBook #TheAbsentHeart

When I first encountered Fanny Osbourne, she appeared as a footnote in Louis Stevenson’s story—emotionally fragile, grieving, and overshadowed. But the more I read, the more she demanded centre stage. Like my own heroine Frances Sitwell,…

Sidney Colvin: an unlikely hero #BeyondtheBook #TheAbsentHeart Adapted from my my Beyond the Book newsletter of September 2024. Sign up for future issues here. If Frances Sitwell is my heroine, who is the hero? It would be easy to argue for Louis Stevenson (who has a way of taking centre stage even when he isn’t present!) but chief contender for male lead must surely be the third member of that curious love triangle, Sidney Colvin, Frances’s ‘companion’ for most of her life, also R.L.S.’s friend and literary mentor.

Sidney Colvin: an unlikely hero #BeyondtheBook #TheAbsentHeart

Adapted from my my Beyond the Book newsletter of September 2024. Sign up for future issues here. If Frances Sitwell is my heroine, who is the hero? It would be easy to argue for Louis Stevenson (who has a way of taking centre stage…

On the left, author Ali Bacon tells author Jane Anderson (right) about her book.

At last night's event at the @edinburghbookshop.bsky.social - @alibacon.bsky.social tells @janeandersonwritet.bsky.social and the audience about her fabulous book #TheAbsentHeart.

A view of Edinburgh from Calton HIll

3d image of book cover 'The Absent Heart" showing woman in Victorian dress holding a letter

Mrs Sitwell goes to Edinburgh! Join me and @janeandersonwritet.bsky.social at the Edinburgh Bookshop on Thursday evening. On Friday I'll be talking at the Robert Louis Stevenson Club (members only). #theabsentheart www.edinburghbookshop.com/events-1/ali...

Happy book birthday to @alibacon.bsky.social!

THE ABSENT HEART (Linen Press, 2025) is a compelling read about figures close to Robert Louis Stevenson.
#TheAbsentHeart
#HistoricalFiction #RobertLouisStevenson

Interested in Robert Louis Stevenson? This book is for you 👌

Bristol people - sign up for the launch! tr.ee/9wbC8P6yq4
@alibacon.bsky.social #TheAbsentHeart

Biographical fiction: the pleasure and pain of writing about real lives Explore the rules and guidelines for writing fiction featuring real historical characters

Writing historical fiction based on real-life characters? You'll enjoy this article by Ali Bacon, whose #TheAbsentHeart is out from @LinenPressBooks in March. #histfic #newbooks #WritingCommunity thehistoryquill.com/biographical...

Image of book-cover The Absent Heart, showing woman in Victorian dress reading a letter.

@philipmiller.bsky.social Hi Philip. Great to see Shona Sandison going strong. I've been raking around in the life of R.L.S. If you'd like to have a read of the outcome, let me know. More on my profile. 🙂🙏 #TheAbsentHeart #historicalfiction

I thought this would be good and it was!
Lovely exploration of Edinburgh past and present (with interesting casting of Louis and Fanny🤔)
Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Jekyll, Hyde & Hunter #whoknew
#robertlouisstevenson #theabsentheart
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Image shows woman reading a letter with her hand on her heart

Image shows newsletter heading: 'The Absent Heart; Beyond the Book, Issue 6 January 2025, Mrs Sitwell's London

Later today will see the next issue of my Beyond the Book newsletter with background, research, and characters in #TheAbsentHeart Sign up here to subscribe (and get a bonus chapter too). #shamelessselfpromo #historicalfiction #robertlouisstevenson
eepurl.com/iTCrNc