Marie

Benedict

Bestselling Historical Novelist

Literary Archeologist

Travels from: Pittsburgh, PA

“Marie is an energetic, engaging speaker who draws readers into history through fascinating real-life characters.” — Medina Library

Marie Benedict is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of eight works of historical fiction. A lawyer with more than ten years’ experience at the country’s premiere law firms, she found her calling in unearthing the hidden historical stories of women. Her mission is to excavate from the past the most important, complex and fascinating women of history and bring them into the light of present-day where we can finally perceive the breadth of their contributions as well as the insights they bring to modern day issues.

She is the author of The Only Woman in the Room, The Mystery of Mrs. Christie, Carnegie’s Maid, The Other Einstein, Lady Clementine, Agent 355, Her Hidden Genius, The Mitford Affair and, with Victoria Christopher Murray, the Instant New York Times Bestseller and Good Morning America Book Club pick, The Personal Librarian. They have been translated into over thirty languages, and her books are often not only Indie Next and Library Reads picks but chosen by national books clubs such a Good Morning America, Barnes & Noble, Target, and Costco.

Marie’s most recent novel with co-author Victoria Christopher Murray was another Instant New York Times Bestseller The First Ladies. Is is the story of the friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune. During a time of segregation and Jim Crow, these tow women found a way to forge a friendship…and change some things in this world. New newest novella, Agent 355, released in January 2024.

Marie has a forthcoming novel, The Queens of Crime (February 2025) that is a thrilling story of five of the greatest women crime writers and their race to solve a murder, and the power of friendship among women.

Marie's Featured Titles

The Daughter of Egypt

Writing DAUGHTER OF EGYPT has been the culmination of a lifelong fascination with ancient Egypt and the early era of archaeology. On one level, the book explores a mystery that’s haunted me for years: why was the mighty Pharaoh Hatshepsut, one of a very few women to fill the role, systematically and ruthlessly erased from history after her death? On another level, the novel focuses on the quest to solve this mystery by a forgotten woman, the young British aristocrat Lady Evelyn Herbert of Highclere Castle who enters the world of colonial Egypt determined to unearth Hatshepsut’s tomb and her secrets along with it, only to find herself at the epicenter of the biggest archeological discovery ever — the tomb of Tutankamun. As I fulfilled my dream of unraveling these historical puzzles and give voice to the voiceless, I not only got to share these two important, compelling tales with readers but also explore the complicated questions around ownership of ancient artifacts — an increasingly crucial issue that I’ve been contemplating for decades . . . and one more way the past reverberates into the present.

Women and the Sciences: Inventions, Attributions, and Marginalization

The Depiction of Women Across Time and Its Impacts on Current Gender Perceptions

The Contributions of Historical Women to Our Modern World

When I select a historical woman to focus upon for my novels, I purposely choose women who’ve made significant contributions to our world, those to whom we are beholden but unaware. This talk delves into the many women about which I’ve written — who’ve worked in fields ranging from the sciences to politics to literature to the arts to history itself — and explores the manner in which they’ve helped fashion modern society.

Writing Women Back into History: Creating Narratives for the Past and Today

Why is it so important to Write Women Back into History? Women have been contributing to our world and leaving a vast legacy forever. But faulty assumptions about women’s capabilities, stemming in part from the conscripted roles into which they’d been historically slotted, has caused many to think more narrowly about the manner in which the past has been shaped. Unless we begin to view historical women through a broader, more inclusive lens — and rewrite them and their contributions back into the narrative — we will continue to view the past more restrictively than it likely was, and we risk carrying those perspectives over into the present. This talk explores the way in which my novels provide a fresh lens for readers to see these women and hopefully inspire them to use that lens on the past as well as the present and future . . . . seeing the women where they’ve been all along, hiding in plain sight.

Reclaiming Women’s Voices: Historical and Modern

Big Library Read – June 2017

National Writers Series: Marie Benedict

B&N Book Club: Marie Benedict’s THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM

Reader Meet Writer: Marie Benedict

“The attendees at our event loved having Marie! She has excellent speaking skills, and she is masterful at keeping the audience engaged with her talk that includes interesting facts as well as personal comments and touches of humor. Everyone loved how she included many of her books, mentioning how she picked the female subjects for each and how she did the research. Ahead of time, her name attracted a sellout crowd, and no one was disappointed. She gets an A+ from us!” — Historical Book Club of North Carolina, 2024

“Marie/Heather was absolutely wonderful. She was on time, friendly, and so so kind. She is an eloquent and compelling speaker, and is excellent at audience engagement. She stayed to sign books and was very friendly and patient/conversational with her fans. Heather/Marie is not only a brilliant author but a very real and authentic person, and the Evans City Public Library was delighted to have the opportunity to host her—she also reduced her normal fee, which is a just a credit to her generosity and kindness.” — Evans City Public Library, 2024

“Marie Benedict is a must-have speaker for your event. She is warm, friendly, engaging and even funny as she shares the inspiration behind her well-loved historical fiction novels and the hidden histories of influential women. Our audience said she was their favorite author to hear speak to date – and we’ve had a great lineup of previous speakers (David Baldacci, Elin Hilderbrand, Louise Penny, for example). Book clubs were excited to meet with Marie, buy more books to share, and add more books to their discussion lists. The only other comment I heard was that community members are hopeful she will be inspired by the research started in the Lycoming County Women’s History Project and feature one of those women in a future book.” — James V. Brown Library, 2023

“We could not have been more thrilled with Marie Benedict and her book Her Hidden Genius. The author is so personable and so passionate about her mission to share the lives of so many women whose stories are hiding in the shadows. She is good-humored, answered questions with grace and signed books with enthusiasm. She was a delight.” — Lake Forest Library 2022

“Marie Benedict was AWESOME. THANK YOU so very much. I would love to see a TV series on Belle Greener.” — Bristol Public Library, 2022

“Our event with Heather was a success in every way – fascinating presentation, engaged audience, and an easygoing and friendly speaker. I would work with Heather again in a heartbeat!” — Fairfax Library, 2021

“Marie is an energetic, engaging speaker who draws readers into history through fascinating real-life characters. She is kind, easy-going, and a delight to work with. Her obvious love for the hidden women of history comes through in every conversation. We hope to host Marie live and in-person someday!” — Medina Library, 2020

“We absolutely loved hosting Marie for our virtual community reads program! She is a phenomenal speaker and lights up the (Zoom) room with her enthusiasm, kindness, and extensive knowledge. She showed a great multimedia presentation that added a whole other dimension to our conversation, and then was patient enough to answer almost an hour of questions and comments during the Q&A session. She answered each question so thoughtfully. Even though it was through a virtual platform, she was still able to connect so well to the audience. We have received many positive comments from attendees, saying how Marie was “engaging and truly down to earth” and “such a delight”. We couldn’t agree more! We are so thankful to have had Marie speak with our community.” — Ocean City Reads, 2020

“Heather was a delight to host. It felt like she was a part of the library as soon as she walked through the doors, offering to help with set up or anything else we would need. Her talk gave me goosebumps as she discussed her research in writing all of her books. Having the opportunity to host such a great author was like winning the lottery!” — Peters Township Library, 2019

Authors of The Personal Librarian talk about their new novel, the Good Morning America Book Club Pick

NPR interview/podcast, July 21, 2021

Honors, Awards & Recognition

New York Times Bestseller
Bookmarked – Target Book Club
Indie Next List
Barnes & Noble Book Club
Library Reads Selection
USA Today Bestseller

Media clips

People | Marie Benedict Uncovers an Ancient Legacy in New Novel Daughter of Egypt — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

The Mercury | Her Hidden Genius tells compelling fictionalized bio of Rosalind Franklin

Next Pittsburgh | How Pittsburgh novelist Marie Benedict is rewriting remarkable women back into history

NPR Code Switch | The Story Of J.P. Morgan’s ‘Personal Librarian’ — And Why She Chose To Pass As White

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.