Patricia M Osborne

I’m delighted to share details about Lucy’s brand new collection. Lucy is not only a brilliant poet but one I consider as a friend. Please join me in congratulating Lucy on the publication of Daughter of Fire (Yaffle Press)

Daughter of Fire is Lucy Heuschen’s powerful debut collection, launching on 13th April 2025 with the highly regarded Yaffle Press. The poems in the collection are a vivid retelling of the life and legacy of Margaret of Anjou: medieval queen consort during the Wars of the Roses, Shakespeare’s “She-Wolf of France” and the alleged inspiration for Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones.

(cover design: Nick Steel. Image: agsandrew/Shutterstock.com)

This collection seeks out the woman behind the slander. The female experiences that the chronicles left out. These poems trace Margaret’s path as daughter, bride, mother, queenly icon, political leader and warrior woman. Along the way they ask urgent questions about female agency and power, the weight of expectations and the judgment faced by women who dare to challenge convention.

Alongside Margaret, we meet noblewomen and village girls; jailbirds and saints; writers and thespians; activists and world leaders; women giving birth and women grieving pregnancy loss; women in workplaces, relationships and hospital wards; on the bus and in chatrooms; dancing women and dragon-girls. Their stories echo into today. In Daughter of Fire, the poet calls out the maligning of women over centuries and celebrates their bold, messy, beautiful resilience.

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What readers say

“Daughter of Fire is a stirring poetic biography of Margaret of Anjou, a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, and yet often pushed to the margins. Margaret becomes much more than the she-wolf of Shakespeare’s stereotype — strategist, firebrand, trailblazer. Heuschen’s language is direct, robust, fierce: fitting for the woman she brings to life so vividly.” (Rishi Dastidar)

“Heuschen’s expansive poetry finds connections across historical figures, Shakespeare, feminism, motherhood, queenship, and pop culture. Daughter of Fire is a brilliant accomplishment: an incisive and moving work, full of treasure after treasure; one that promises to reward subsequent re-readings.” (Charlene V. Smith)

“A book of immense heat and power, not “just” in the subject matter, but in the fierce and searing lyrical voice of a gifted and courageous poet.  This is extraordinary writing and a must-read book.” (Anna Saunders)

“In this jewel of a collection, Margaret’s story is brought bang up to date as Heuschen urgently shows us how history is relevant to today. A terrific book that demands to be read.” (Edwin Stockdale)

“I have no hesitation in recommending such thought-provoking poetry. Daughter of Fire is evocative, innovative and intriguing. A wonderful collection of poetry recalling the majesty and challenges of Margaret of Anjou, the atmosphere of the 15th century and the Wars of the Roses.” (Sharon Bennett Connolly)

“Poems about coming of age and ageing, about illness, about the mad world and how we can live in it. Heuschen truly claims, this is your story too.” (Karin Molde)

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Find out more about Lucy Heuschen HERE