An introduction to Louisa

As this is my first ever Substack, I wanted to say hello and thank you for joining me here.

As this is my first ever Substack, I wanted to say hello and thank you for joining me here. The paperback of my latest novel, The Paris Muse, is out today!

To celebrate, I am giving away two copies. To enter, just reply to this Substack with your name and we’ll be randomly picking a winner in two weeks’ time.

I am the author of four novels about real, trailblazing women in history. I stumbled into writing their stories by chance—through a friend’s question, an art history crush, and a chance discovery in a library. But now, uncovering and sharing the lives of extraordinary, often overlooked women has become my passion.

Writing these novels has reinforced a truth: while progress has been made for women, many battles remain. In Islamic states, women still face extreme oppression. Closer to home, domestic and sexual violence, workplace discrimination, and the gender pay gap persist. The fight for equality is far from over.

This is why I write historical fiction—not only to honour the achievements of my heroines and amplify their voices but also to highlight the patterns that continue to shape our present. History isn’t just a collection of distant events; it’s a living narrative we continue to relive. And these stories demand to be told. These are the novels:

The Lodger

While researching Virginia Woolf for my thesis, I discovered the writing of her peer, Dorothy Richardson, a personality I found so extraordinary that she inspired my debut novel, The Lodger.

Dorothy defied societal norms, embarking on affairs that broke taboos, including a relationship with the married HG Wells, and a same-sex relationship in an era when homosexuality was illegal. Her literary innovations were equally bold – she pioneered stream-of-consciousness before James Joyce or Virginia Woolf. When her first novel was published in 1914, its radical, free-flowing form shocked the literary establishment.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lodger-Louisa-Treger/dp/1448217717/ref=sr_1_1?crid=HIPAPMQHDWT5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ev9LHBwJRPSMMzLq_yi7mA.J-s0amdl0bl4BKEAqKtuC5bBY1ddI6UcDn6au9x-r3g&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+lodger+louisa+treger&qid=1743065756&sprefix=the+lodger+louisa+treger%2Caps%2C73&sr=8-1

The Dragon Lady

My second novel, The Dragon Lady, is based on the life of Lady Virginia Courtauld. It unfolds on a vast international scale – from the glamorous Italian Riviera before the Great War to the Art-Deco splendour of Eltham Palace in England, and the eastern highlands of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). This story too began by chance. In 2016, a friend mentioned a “secret Monet” allegedly hidden in Zimbabwe’s National Gallery to protect it from then-president Robert Mugabe. On a trip to Harare, I saw works by Renoir and Dürer, part of a collection donated by Virginia Courtauld and her husband, Sir Stephen Courtauld. In total, they had given 93 works, including pieces by Rembrandt, Goya, and Pissarro.

This mystery led me to write a novel based on the life of Courtauld, a woman as unconventional as Richardson. At her Catholic school, she put mice under the nuns’ habits. In her late teens, she got a black snake tattoo, rumoured to end in a place only her husband knew! She lived a life of adventure and political activism across Europe and Africa. “She was full of character and life,” said her niece, Margaret Bernard, following her death, aged 77, in 1972. “She didn’t care what she said to anyone, or what she did.”

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Lady-Louisa-Treger/dp/1448217407/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NKKZRMBHWVK9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EQj3HrtuhyCMLZi2Zo8OAw.FaymiKPg68QYAxGwvoFt16NogA3bF7En-KHx43u00Mc&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+dragon+lady+louisa+treger&qid=1743065803&sprefix=The+Dragon+Lady+louisa+treger%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1

Madwoman

This fearless spirit also defines the heroine of my third novel, Nellie Bly – America’s first female investigative journalist. In the late 19th century, women reporters were limited to fashion, arts and society gossip. Determined to change this, Nellie devised an audacious plan: she feigned insanity to infiltrate an asylum and expose the appalling conditions. Her subsequent articles sparked outrage and led to major reforms. Beyond improving mental healthcare, Nellie revolutionised journalism, pioneering investigative reporting and creating space for women in the field.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Madwoman-Louisa-Treger/dp/1448218020/ref=sr_1_1?crid=VFTMMW4Y2YCW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6-Ar03-VCXmSG0NqQlvTqbCNKw3K1nbtLCmOz3HzJXcgOAvwxz6DgeqOxoLy6N1m.O06ScFJtxUYS9N7DGhe1tbPvoWtO8bplG5wMFYoBfJM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Madwoman+louisa+treger&qid=1743065908&sprefix=madwoman+louisa+treger%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-1

The Paris Muse

Dora Maar was pioneering photographer, painter, poet, and political activist. She exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York before she met Picasso in 1936. Her photographs are radical and fantastical.

Her nine-year relationship with Picasso was tumultuous. A notorious womaniser, he was involved with another woman, Marie-Thérèse Walter, when he met her. He merged their features in his paintings as he viewed all of his relationships as material for his art. Dora challenged him, influencing his politics and his masterpiece, Guernica. However, when he left her for Françoise Gilot in 1943, she suffered a breakdown and was treated by the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. Though she eventually found solace in religion and continued working until her death in 1997, her legacy remains overshadowed by Picasso’s.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paris-Muse-Louisa-Treger/dp/1526639262/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BBMYHHCX6LC8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OCt--DSBMLSDm2fuB78FX9-NquuaziBkaDAxHiHbDbyGFz8Cj_b39ZIJkwYbT_y6.OF_YDqnNEruFhMJ06_h1tKIQDOJjwa7xVsUBMZ1iLro&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+paris+muse+louisa+treger&qid=1743066008&sprefix=The+Pari+louisa+treger%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1

LOUISA RECOMMENDS

I love giving and receiving recommendations, so there will always be at least one recommendation on here, and do send me yours

My recommendation for this month is Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, on until 5 April. Directed by Jamie Lloyd, it is set in 1990s clubland, and is mad, audacious and bursting with energy, while never compromising Shakespeare’s language. You can practically see sparks flying between Beatrice and Benedick, played by Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston, who have teased their romance into a poignant story about middle aged loneliness and being left behind as your friends settle. The set is intentionally bare, lit by neon pink strobe lighting and paired with Ibiza classic tunes, with drifts of pink confetti falling through the air. It’s utterly brilliant and I left feeling exhilarated.

Thank you again, so much, for being here. Look out for guest author posts, trailblazing women, and much more.