Cover Reveal! - The Aziola’s Cry by Ezra Harker Shaw

Jan 3

History Through Fiction, author Ezra Harker Shaw, and cover designer Christine Horner of The Book Cover Whisperer, are proud to share with you the cover design for our forthcoming title, The Aziola’s Cry: A Novel of the Shelleys (May 7, 2024). Featuring Il Barbagianni by Valentine Cameron Pinsep, the cover depicts a young woman giving a loving caress to a barn owl which is often seen as a symbol of death. This imagery encapsulates the young lives of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and Percy Byssche Shelley—lives filled with love and tragedy. In the novel, Harker Shaw shares with readers a daring love affair that is quickly fraught with tumultuous challenges. In their quest for freedom and expression, Mary and Percy immerse themselves in experimental notions of free love and join forces with the enigmatic and infamous Lord Byron. Amidst these thrilling encounters and adventures, the young lovers are confronted by heart-wrenching tragedies that test their resilience and resolve. As their circumstances become increasingly dire, their shared passion for writing emerges as the sole lifeline that binds them together. Through their literary endeavors, they become each other's guiding force, ultimately crafting timeless masterpieces that will etch their names into the annals of literary history.

With beautiful prose and captivating poetry, The Aziola's Cry by Ezra Harker Shaw is a heartrending, lyrical tale of love, defiance, and the power of words.

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Praise for The Aziola’s Cry

“Harker Shaw shows us the terrible joy of life lived on the very precipice of love and art's volcano. The poetry is here, and the personalities, and the storms – meteorological, social and familial – that readers will expect, but also a historical frame that holds us at enough of a distance that we aren't consumed along with those poor, suffering lovers. And wound through it all they give an innovative poetic dialogue that, in the end, shows us Mary and Bysshe afresh – triumphantly, tragically – as equals in love and words.”
– Jonathan Gibbs, author of The Large Door, and Randal: Or the Painted Grape

**About the Author**

Born in Scotland and now living in London, Dr. Ezra Harker Shaw is a non-binary writer who loves all things Gothic. While earning their PhD, Harker Shaw explored the collaborative writing of Percy Byssche Shelley and Mary Shelley, a project that led them to write *The Aziola’s Cry*. A celebrated performance poet, Harker Shaw regularly hosts poetry nights in London and was nominated for the Outspoken Prize for Poetry. Harker Shaw has also showcased their talent as a playwright with works such as *Tolstoy Tried to Kill My Partner* and *The Grouchy Octopus Story*, both of which were performed in London by the esteemed Pajoda Theatre Co. Possessing a profound passion for teaching, Harker Shaw often conducts university lectures and workshops with aspiring young writers. To further inspire and educate others, Harker Shaw hosts the *Meliorist Writes* podcast, where they provide valuable writing tips and engage in insightful interviews with fellow creatives.

Colin Mustful

Colin Mustful is the founder and editor of History Through Fiction, an independent press dedicated to publishing historical narratives rooted in factual events and compelling characters. A celebrated author and historian whose novel “Reclaiming Mni Sota” recently won the Midwest Book Award for Literary/Contemporary/Historical Fiction, Mustful has penned five historical novels that delve into the complex eras of settler-colonialism and Native American displacement. Combining his interests in history and writing, Mustful holds a Master of Arts in history and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. Residing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he enjoys running, playing soccer, and believes deeply in the power of understanding history to shape a just and sustainable future.