Joanna Courtney

Joanna Courtney is a bestselling author of historical fiction, who discovered her passion for ancient history while studying medieval literature at Cambridge.

It was whilst researching Cordelia, a tribal leader in middle England c500 BC, that she realised Cleopatra, a famous 'ancient' queen, ruled far later than Cordelia, coming to her throne in 52 BC, and a new idea was born - to explore the stories of three vital women, living and ruling in the vibrant and heated world around the Eastern Mediterranean in the years either side of the birth of Christ. Salome is the second in this series, exploring the events of Jesus' life through the eyes of a woman trapped at the heart of the controversy, and Mary of Magdala takes that story on into the early years of the Christian church - under-reported years, with a far greater female influence than the current churches seem prepared to admit.

Find out more by visiting her website www.joannacourtney.com or find her on Facebook/joannacourtneyauthor or Twitter @joannacourtney1.