Liz Trenow is a renowned author who grew up surrounded by a rich history of silk weaving, as her family has been engaged in this craft for almost three centuries. Her childhood home was adjacent to a silk mill, which served as the inspiration for her debut novel, "The Last Telegram." The mill is still operational, producing silk for high-end fashion houses and royal commissions. Trenow's family business is one of only three such companies still operating in the United Kingdom.
Trenow's silk heritage has been a significant influence on her writing, serving as the inspiration for many of her four novels, including "The Silk Weaver" (UK pub Jan 2017), published in the US as "The Hidden Thread" in May 2017. This novel is set in London in the 1760s and tells the story of the unknown early life of Anna Maria Garthwaite, a pre-eminent silk designer who lived in the same era. The plot is set against the historical backdrop of racial tension and industrial unrest, featuring beautiful illustrations of Anna Maria's designs throughout.
In addition to her novels inspired by silk weaving, Trenow has written other historical novels, including "Searching for my Daughter," which tells the heartbreaking story of a refugee seeking her only daughter after the devastating disruption of World War II. This novel has powerful resonances with today's refugee crisis in Ukraine.
Before turning to fiction, Trenow worked as a journalist for fifteen years, spending time on regional and national newspapers, as well as on BBC radio and television news. She has since published seven novels, which have been translated into multiple languages and have become New York Times and USA Today top 20 bestsellers. Trenow's books have been published worldwide, and she maintains an active online presence, with a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account, where readers can learn more about her and her work.