She moved through the fair is out on 25 March 2025

A huge hello to our medieval murder mystery fans. As you may have noticed, we at MadeGlobal have been working hard in the background to bring Susanna M. Newstead’s books to a new audience. That means we’ve been re-editing books that she wrote many many years ago, redesigning the covers for a new audience, and getting them available as paperbacks and e-books worldwide.

Oh, and we’ve also been continuing to publish new books from Susanna’s Savernake forest series for her loving fans.
Who is Susanna M. Newstead

For those who don’t know Susanna M. Newstead, as a child, she wrote little stories rooted in history, with her teachers eagerly awaiting the next instalment. Her love of history—particularly the reign of King John (1199–1216)—shaped her writing from an early age. To her, this period marked the beginning of significant national development, making it the natural backdrop for her stories.

The Savernake series has been over forty years in the making, though MadeGlobal hasn’t been publishing them that long! It began during her twenties, when she was a student of speech therapy, writing the first book by hand in a small orange notebook—long before the days of computers. That notebook was tucked away in a drawer, where it remained for more than four decades, quietly waiting. Now, she lives quietly in a small Northamptonshire town, writing her devilishly fascinating medieval murder mysteries

Why MadeGlobal Publishing took on the Savernake forest series

At MadeGlobal, we’re always on the lookout for authors with a strong story to tell. Sue was recommended to us and she was looking to change publishers… we read her books and loved them! On top of that, Sue has written many more books that haven’t yet been published… what publisher could resist.

We’ve re-published books 1 and 2 from the series (“Belvoir’s Promise” and now “She moved through the fair”) and we’re working on book 3 from the series (“Down By the Salley Gardens”) so that we can get new readers into this amazing series. BUT we’ve also published the brand new books “Worldes Blis” (book 14) and “Alysoun” (book 15) so we can keep Susanna’s readers happy. As you can imagine, it’s a LOT of organisation and work. But the series deserves it.

About the Savernake Forest Series

Savernake Forest lies on the southern edge of Marlborough in Wiltshire and remains accessible to visitors today. It can be reached via the A4 toward Newbury or the A346 toward Salisbury. Though significantly smaller than in the 13th century—when it stretched across some 150 square miles—Savernake still holds a rich history. Today, it is managed by the Forestry Commission, yet uniquely, it remains Britain’s only privately owned forest, with a hereditary warden, the Marquess of Ailesbury.
Now a forest of mixed woodland, Savernake looked quite different in the 13th century. The vast beech trees seen today were planted in the 17th century and, sadly, are now reaching the end of their lives. However, the oaks are of considerable age. One of the oldest, Big Bellied Oak, was already around two hundred years old when King John rode past it.
During King John’s reign, the L’Estourmi family served as wardens of the forest. Historically, Geoffrey L’Estourmi fell out of favor with King Richard after supporting Prince John’s uprising, leading to a substantial fine. The name Belvoir—pronounced Bell-voir rather than Beaver, as it is today—originates from a small town in eastern France. The modern English pronunciation evolved over centuries due to the Anglo-Saxons’ struggle with Norman French. A castle bearing the same name still stands there, once belonging to a noble family of that region.
It’s the perfect backdrop for this murder mystery series.

The latest book and how it fits into the series and why this launch date?

On 25 March, book 2 – “She Moved through the fair” will be on sale. It’s available on pre-order now from all good bookshops in both paperback and e-book.

But why this launch date? Well, Susanna M. Newstead tells us, “Aumary’s birthday is 25th March. I chose this date because I wanted my character to be an Aries – decisive, brave, a natural leader and honest. Also the Medieval new year began on March 25th. So that’s the first day of the new year.”

What’s next for MadeGlobal and Susanna M. Newstead?

As we mentioned, we have the manuscript for “Down By the Salley Gardens” and it’s nearly been edited to our liking. As soon as that’s complete, we’ll be working on the cover design, which of course has to be in keeping with the whole series, and also get people to want to read the books… we LOVE a good murder mystery series, so this is all great news!

Thank you to all the fans of Susanna M. Newstead for being so patient as we publish and re-publish these books. It’s a legacy that’s well worth waiting for.