My second novel The Other Hoffmann Sister is published in paperback today.
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The novel opens in 1902 as Ingrid Hoffmann's family move her and her sister Margarete to German Southwest Africa. In the face of casual racism, tensions with local tribes and the family's strange relationship with the aristocratic von Ketzes, Ingrid worries increasingly for her sister's declining mental health, until a shocking murder forces the family back to Germany. There, Margarete's health improves and she becomes engaged to Emil, the new Baron von Ketz. But on her wedding day on the eve of the First World War, Margarete disappears. After the war, in the midst of revolution, Ingrid returns to the von Ketzes' crumbling estate determined to find out what really happened to her sister.

You can order The Other Hoffmann Sister in paperback now from your local bookstore, or online from Foyle's, Waterstones, Amazon, WHSmith and many other retailers.

"An engrossing exploration of the ways that secrecy, racism and snobbery take their toll on its finely realised characters." (The Sunday Times​)

"A richly accomplished work with a fascinating central character." (The Independent)

"A fascinating look at racism and snobbery. Broken postwar Germany is superbly drawn and events in Africa are eye-openingly horrific." (The Times)

On Monday 20th November, I will be joining Victoria Gosling in The Reader salon. As well as reading from The Other Hoffman Sister, I will be in conversation with Victoria. I'm also teaching an Advanced Fiction Weekend Workshop for The Reader on the 18th and 19th.
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Monday 20th November – 7pm to 9pm
Cellar bar and library
Circus Hostel
Weinbergsweg 1A,
10119 Berlin

Visit www.theberlinreader.com for more information.

On 18 and 19 November Ben will be running a weekend seminar with The Reader Berlin on Advanced Fiction. Covering both long- and short-fiction, the session will focus on discussions, practical exercises and prompts to help you hone your sentences, develop character and iron out the bumps in your writing. The seminar will cover tricky skills from using research, building character, maintaining tension and pulling off endings, as well as different approaches to ruthlessly editing your texts.

All writers are welcome. You’ll get the most out of this seminar, though, if you’ve already attended at least one creative writing workshop or course or have already attempted some fiction, whether in novel or short-story form.

For more information, and to book, visit www.thereaderberlin.com

I was on the jury for the HWA Debut Crown 2017 and the Historical Writers Association have just published the shortlist of incredible authors in the running for this year's prize.

Emma Darwin, Chair for the HWA Debut Crown Crown, said: "The shortlist for the HWA Debut Crown shows just how exciting the new voices are in historical fiction. From judicial murder in the Essex marshes, to Bohemia in 1930s Melbourne, here is a range of passion, historical imagination and sheer storytelling skill which bodes well not just for these hugely talented writers, but the future of the genre as a whole."

You can read more about the wonderful books shortlisted for the HWA Debut Crown here: hwacrowns.co.uk/2017-shortlists.

The Other Hoffmann Sister has been reviewed in The Independent, with Jeff Robson describing the book as: "a richly accomplished work with a fascinating central character. And like the best historical novelists, Fergusson combines the ability both to bring the past to life with grippingly immediate vignettes, and use it to illustrate themes such as betrayal, prejudice and the deceptive nature of memory, which remain universal."

It was also included in The Independent's '10 Best Bookclub Reads': "The evocative setting and the quick-paced plot takes the reader on a whirlwind tour through South Africa, to Berlin and back again."

My second novel, The Other Hoffmann Sister has been published today, with The Sunday Times already describing it as "an engrossing exploration of the ways that secrecy, racism and snobbery take their toll on its finely realised characters."

You can order The Other Hoffmann Sister now from your local bookstore, or online from Foyle's, Waterstones, Amazon, WHSmith 
​and many other retailers.

"The Other Hoffmann Sister confirms the talent for atmospheric, morally complex historical fiction that Fergusson showed in his first novel. [...] It develops into an engrossing exploration of the ways that secrecy, racism and snobbery take their toll on its finely realised characters."

Nick Rennison in The Sunday Times

You can read the full review on The Sunday Times website here.

Ben has been invited to be on the jury for the HWA Debut Crown 2017. He will be joining novelist Emma Darwin, journalist Ayo Onatade and the founder of The Book Trail Susan Heads to pick the best debut historical novel of the year. Run by the Historical Writers Association, the award will this year be joined by two new crowns, rewarding the best historical novel and the best non-fiction historical book published in the UK during the judging period.

Ben was himself the winner of the HWA Debut Crown in 2015. "It's a huge honour to be judging the HWA Debut Crown 2017. Winning the award in 2015 was one of the most joyful experiences of my literary career so far, and it will give me a huge amount of pleasure to bestow a new crown on another writer this year. I'm very much looking forward to a spring filled with reading the best historical fiction being published at the moment."

You can find more information about the award here: http://hwacrowns.co.uk/hwa-debut-crown/