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/