Anna Sarah Mazzola (born July 1978) is an English author and lawyer best known for writing historical crime fiction. Her debut novel The Unseeing (2016) won an Edgar Award. She also writes legal thrillers under the name Anna Sharpe.

Early life

Mazzola is from Croydon, Greater London and attended Croydon High School.[1] Her father was born in Palermo and grew up in Naples before moving to England.[2] Mazzola graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English from Pembroke College, Oxford[3] and a Postgraduate Diploma and LPC from the University of Law.[4] She later enrolled in the Novel Studio at City, University of London.[5]

Career

Mazzola began writing short stories while on maternity leave. She continued to work for the law firm Bindmans as she pursued writing professionally, later moving to Birnbergs and CWJ.[6] Ahead of the publication of her debut novel, Mazzola was a runner-up in the 2014 Grazia first chapter competition and the Brixton Bookjam Debut Novel competition. In a 2015 auction and a two-book deal, Tinder Press (a Headline Publishing Group imprint) won the rights to publisher Mazzola's debut novel The Unseeing in summer 2016.[7] The novel is based on the 1837 murder of Hannah Brown by James Greenacre, also known as the Edgware Road murder, and the life of Sarah Gale.[8][9] The Unseeing won an Edgar Allen Poe Award and was shortlisted for the Historical Writers' Association's Debut Crown.

The second novel in Mazzola's deal with Tinder Press, titled The Story Keeper, followed in 2018.[10] Set on the Isle of Skye in 1857, the novel is inspired by Gaelic folklore.[11] The Story Keeper was longlisted for the Highland Book Prize.

In 2020, Mazzola moved to Orion Publishing Group in 2020,[12] through which she published her third novel The Clockwork Girl in 2022. The novel is set in 1750 Paris and features the class divide of pre-Revolutionary France. The Clockwork Girl was shortlisted for the Gold Dagger and the Historical Dagger at the 2023 Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Dagger Awards.

Mazzola's next gothic novel The House of Whispers was published in 2023, set in 1938 Rome as the rise of fascism threatens a piano teacher and her friends.[13][14] The House of Whispers won the Fingerprint Award at the Capital Crime Festival. Antonia Senior and Nick Rennison of The Sunday Times named The House of Whispers one of the twelve best historical fiction novels of 2023.[15]

That same year, Orion acquired two further novels from Mazzola, including the gothic novel The Book Keeper, published in February 2024.[16] Set in 17th-century Rome, the novel is based on the real life Gironima Spana case. In March 2024, The Book Keeper featured on The Sunday Times list of new historical fiction.[17]

As announced in 2022, Orion also acquired the rights to publish two legal thriller novels under Mazzola's pseudonym Anna Sharpe.[18] The first of these was Notes on a Drowning in 2025, which the author based on her own experiences working as a lawyer. The second is Lie for Your Life in 2026.[6]

Personal life

Mazzola lives in Camberwell with her husband and their two children.

Bibliography

Novels

  • The Unseeing (2016)
  • The Story Keeper (2018)
  • The Clockwork Girl (2022)
  • The House of Whispers (2023)
  • The Book of Secrets (2024)

As Anna Sharpe

  • Notes on a Drowning (2025)
  • Lie for Your Life (2026)

Accolades

Year Award Category Title Result Ref.
2017 Historical Writers Association (HWA) Awards Debut Crown The Unseeing Longlisted [19]
2018 Edgar Awards Best Paperback Original Won [20]
Highland Book Prize The Story Keeper Longlisted [21]
2023 Dublin Literary Award The Clockwork Girl Longlisted [22]
Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Awards Gold Dagger Shortlisted [23]
Historical Dagger Shortlisted
2024 Fingerprint Awards Historical Crime Book of the Year The House of Whispers Won [24]

References

  1. ^ "Alumnae Spotlight: Anna Mazzola". Croydon High School. February 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Meet the authors... Anna Mazzola". Venice Noir. 9 September 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Pembroke on the Sofa". Pembroke College, University of Oxford. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Anna Mazzola - Senior Solicitor at Bindmans LLP". The Org. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  5. ^ Gleave, Josie (23 December 2016). "Criminal Justice Lawyer secures debut historical novel deal after her creative writing course". City, University of London: City Short Courses. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b Mazzola, Anna (31 January 2025). "My legal life: Anna Mazzola, Centre for Women's Justice". The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  7. ^ Carpenter, Caroline (10 August 2015). "The Unseeing won at auction for 'healthy sum'". The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  8. ^ Harker, Meghan (7 February 2017). "Review: The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola". Criminal Element. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  9. ^ Clements, Katherine (7 July 206). "The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola". Historia. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  10. ^ Xenos, Natalie (25 July 2018). "Book Review: The Story Keeper by Anna Mazzola". CultureFly. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. ^ "The Story Keeper takes us to Skye...Anna Mazzola". The BookTrail. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
  12. ^ Hackett, Tamsin (6 September 2020). "Orion heads to Louis XV's Paris with Anna Mazzola". The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  13. ^ Norfolk, Pam (18 October 2023). "The House of Whispers by Anna Mazzola: A gorgeous slice of gothic fiction – book review". Lancashire Post. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  14. ^ Svenne, Jasmina. "The House of Whispers". Historical Novel Society. Retrieved 10 March 2025.
  15. ^ Rennison, Nick; Senior, Antonia (24 November 2023). "12 best historical fiction novels of 2023". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  16. ^ Brown, Lauren (21 March 2023). "Orion Fiction nabs two new 'spine-tingling' novels from Mazzola". The Bookseller. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  17. ^ Senior, Antonia; Rennison, Nick. "New historical fiction for March — an art heist in Nazi-occupied Italy". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  18. ^ Brown, Lauren (7 September 2022). "Orion pre-empts two 'gripping' legal thrillers by Mazzola". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  19. ^ "The Historical Writers' Association announces the longlist for its 2017 Gold, Debut and Non-Fiction Crowns". Historical Writers' Association. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  20. ^ "The 2018 Edgar Award Winners". CrimeReads. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Highland Book Prize 2018 longlist announced". BBC News. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  22. ^ "The Clockwork Girl - Anna Mazzola". Dublin Literary Award. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  23. ^ Mitchell, Erin (2023-05-12). "2023 CWA Dagger Shortlists Revealed". Crimespree Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  24. ^ "Lisa Jewell, Louise Candlish and Lynda La Plante win at 2024 Fingerprint Awards". The Bookseller. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Mazzola
No tags for this post.