Press Release - Forsberg Set to Publish Companion Novel with History Through Fiction
December 5, 2024
For Immediate Press Release
Jillian Forsberg to follow-up the success of “The Rhino Keeper” with a companion novel.
Mpls, MN – History Through Fiction is proud to announce the signing of Jillian Forsberg to a traditional book publishing contract for her forthcoming novel The Porcelain Menagerie. Set in 18th-century Dresden, The Porcelain Menagerie tells the true history behind a king's dangerous obsessions shape the court and the lives of those held captive, both people and animals.
Jillian Forsberg is a historian and author with a master's degree in public history from Wichita State University. She was the editor for Wichita State's The Fairmont Folio and has written essays published in academic journals. Jillian is also a dedicated small business owner living in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband, child, and pets. Her debut novel, The Rhino Keeper, was published by History Through Fiction in 2024. Her second novel, The Porcelain Menagerie, a companion to The Rhino Keeper, is set to be released by History Through Fiction on October 21, 2025.
Based on real history and thorough research, The Porcelain Menagerie is a dual narrative weaving together the lives of Johann Kändler, a young artist, and Fatima, a Turkish handmaiden, as they navigate the dangerous whims of King Augustus the Strong. Johann's future hinges on creating a lifelike porcelain menagerie to satisfy the king's relentless demands, with help from allies Maria and her daughter Katharina. Decades earlier, Fatima must survive the court's intrigues and maintain her identity while crafting a menagerie of exotic animals. Both timelines reveal how ambition and survival are as fragile as porcelain under the king's obsessions.
Forsberg becomes the second author signed to multiple contracts by History Through Fiction, an independent publisher of historical fiction launched in 2019. By publishing compelling stories that are rooted in detailed and accurate historical research, History Through Fiction seeks to address the gap between history and storytelling. Offering traditional contracts with an advance on royalties, History Through Fiction also has a hybrid imprint, HTF Publishing, which seeks to meet the needs of authors and readers alike by providing a professional publishing experience while creating high-quality, engaging historical narratives. Books by History Through Fiction and HTF Publishing bring history to life while also acting as important historical resources.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact the editor at editor@historythroughfiction.com.
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Still haven’t read The Rhino Keeper?
Latest five star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The Rhino Keeper wonderfully brings life to its characters, modern and historical, and seamlessly weaves narratives between two time periods. Each character is well developed, most of all Clara herself, who, by the end of the novel, the reader will empathize with just as much as any of the human characters.
The themes that the book discusses are relevant to this day. The protection and conservation of wildlife is a discussion that continues, and The Rhino Keeper blends these themes with historically grounded stories that feel real, and tug at the heartstrings. Animal-lovers, history-lovers, and fiction-lovers will enjoy this book, I highly recommend putting this on your reading list!”
