James Blake Wiener of the Ancient History Encyclopedia speaks to historian and writer Dr. María Lara Martínez, about her award winning novel on St. Helena, “The Veil of Promise” (El Velo de Promesa).

Dr. María Lara Martínez is a native of Guadalajara, Spain and a prominent Spanish historian and writer. She earned her doctorate in philosophy from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha with academic honors. Currently, Dr. Lara Martínez is a professor of social history and anthropology at the Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA). Previously, she was also an Associate and Fellow at Harvard University -- working at the Widener Library and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology -- and a research instructor at L'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, CNRS, in Paris, France.

El Velo de la Promesa, Dr. Lara Martínez's debut novel, won the "Ciudad de Valeria" historical novel prize in 2011 and is now in its sixth edition. Her latest publication is Brujas, magos e incrédulos en la España del Siglo de Oro. She is writing her next novel, which will continue the saga of Helena presented in The Veil of Promise. In 2014, Helena will return to meet readers and also AHE.

Read the complete interview here.