Maybelle Wallis writes short fiction and historical novels. Her debut novel Heart of Cruelty won Meet the Publisher at the 2020 Wexford Literary Festival, and was published by Poolbeg. The sequel, The Piano Player, came out in 2022. Maybelle is a graduate of St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College, University of London. A paediatrician who spent much of her career in England, she now works in Wexford, Ireland. She always wanted to write, and studied Creative Writing with the Open University, Jericho Writers and Curtis Brown. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society. She loves her adopted country, with its turbulent history and natural beauty. Her home county, Wexford, nurtures a thriving creative community. Praise for 'Heart of Cruelty': ‘Dark and compelling…The underbelly of Victorian life.’ - Amazon reviewer ‘Set in the past but with themes that are relevant to today - love and the abuse of power.’ - Amazon reviewer ‘As relevant as ever in a world where people still live with the powerlessness of poverty and women are crushed by patriarchal attitudes’ Amazon reviewer ‘...thoroughly researched and vividly written through all the senses, convincingly evoking externally all the sounds, squalor and smells of a Victorian industrial city, and internally the feel and weight of clothing and the shabbiness of unloved rooms. The dénouement satisfies, and the ending is unexpectedly unconventional.’ Katherine Mezzacappa - Historical Novel Society. Praise for ‘The Piano Player’: ‘Expertly researched, compellingly narrated - a terrific read’ - Patricia O'Reilly (The First Rose of Tralee, Orpen at War) ‘A rich tapestry of a novel…deception, past love, hard choices, amidst the cruelty of the times.’ - Jo Schaffel (Somewhere Besides Denver) ‘An entrancing and gripping story, beautifully told…a great historical thriller.’ - Susan Lanigan (White Feathers, Lucia's War, Unfortunate Stars) ‘Deliciously terrifying!’ - Annette Libeskind Berkovits (The Corset Maker) ‘Evocative and immersive…bringing the horror of the Famine alive.’ - LM West (This Fearful Thing, The Unnamed)