Betrothal and Betrayal

Janet McGiffin divides her time between her apartment in Manhattan, her family in Washington State, and her friends in Athens, Greece. She was born in Fairfield, Iowa into a newspaper family and learned to write copy as a teenager by writing obituaries for the Ellensburg Daily Record in Washington state. After university, she worked for the Milwaukee Health Department where she gained first-hand knowledge for her best-selling mystery series published by Fawcett Press, NY, featuring Doctor Maxine St. Clair, an ER doctor in an inner-city hospital. She worked as a press officer for the Washington state senate, then moved to Athens, Greece where she wrote grant proposals for small non-profit women’s organizations in Mediterranean countries. She also wrote a humor column for the Athens News newspaper with field archaeologist Adrian Vrettos, wrote two English language easy readers for Cambridge University Press, UK, and a series of hiking articles for greecetravel.com. She researched her Byzantine-era Empress Irini Series through extensive travel in Greece, followed by six months of research at the Bodleian libraries in Oxford, England. She enjoys hiking in Greece, England, Wales, and Scotland. Harry Pizzey is a set and costume designer based between Cardiff and London. After studying architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture he went on to graduate from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama with a master’s degree in Design for Performance in 2019. In the same year he was also a finalist for the Linbury Prize for Stage Design working with Birmingham Royal Ballet as part of the competition. Whilst studying he collaborated with director, Polly Graham to design Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff. He is a creative associate of the Watermill Theatre and credits there include the recent stage adaptation of Brief Encounter. He has worked with companies such as English Touring Opera, Longborough Festival Opera and Gothic Opera and enjoys making work across a range of disciplines including opera, animation and installation. This is his first book illustration commission.

'A stunning YA historical read set in 8th century Byzantium Empire...  I would binge all the sequels if I had them in my possession.'- Karla Black McClatchey, Reviewer and Great Reads Award 2023 panelist  'A strong feminine story that packs a punch.'- Emma Hardy, Goodreads Reviewer  'Empress Irini of Athens is perhaps one of the most fascinating women from the Byzantine era, if not all of medieval history...  I look forward to reading the next in the series, “Poison is a Woman’s Weapon’.'- Miriam Smith, Goodreads Reviewer  'Oh I absolutely adored this one! It sucked me in from the very first page... The book really immerses you in Thekla’s world, it reads a bit like a fantasy in some ways, the mentions of the old Roman empire etc are very evocative.'- Lisa, Goodreads Reviewer  'Janet really had me hooked from the start... With vivid descriptions of what the characters were wearing to the scenes that surrounded them you can feel yourself going back in time while devouring this story.'- Tyler Marshall, Goodreads Reviewer  'Thekla is an absolute gem of a character and I loved her spirit and attitude to life... I would definitely recommend [Betrothal and Betrayal] to history enthusiasts of all ages.'- Mai Taylor, blogger  'I love the setting... It’s really well researched, focusing on the daily life of people in the eastern Roman Empire.'- Damien, Goodreads Reviewer  'Never before have I had such a beautiful detailed book, well besides a Tolkien book... totally immersive reading.'- Debbie (Mystic Moon), blogger  'As someone who loves reading about other ancient cultures this ticked all the boxes... Janet is a wordsmith when it comes to really elevating your surroundings.'- Joe (South Sea Reads), blogger