Dr Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. She recently completed her fifth book, Solstice, the final part of The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy. The trilogy was inspired by the witch trials of 1650 where fifteen women and one man were hanged as witches. Despite the Newcastle witch trials being one of the largest mass executions of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Helen trained in herbalism. The Running Wolf tells the tale of a group of master swordmakers who defected from Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword.