Bristol-based author Martin J. Powell will be talking about his new historical novel Maid of the Haystack at Heron Books in The Clifton Arcade, Bristol  on Saturday May 20.

The book tells the story of Louisa, who sat in a haystack at Flax Bourton, North Somerset, for four years from 1776 becoming something of a celebrity among the fashionable folk of Clifton and Hotwells, who used to take trips to visit her.

Her story went viral sparking an 18th Century conspiracy theory touching on the most powerful people in Europe. Martin J. Powell a Bristol journalist and writer, first heard about the Maid of the Haystack in the 1980s and since then has researched her history and the novel bringing her story alive.

The cast of characters in the book include Hannah More, John Wesley, David Garrick , Joshua Reynolds and the crowned heads of Europe. The book’s themes include 18th Century attitudes to mental health the treatment of women and acts of charity by the rich and famous.

The event will be at Heron Books at 5pm on Saturday May 20. Entry is free. RSVP to read@heronbooks.co.uk so the bookshop can keep track of audience numbers.