Anya Bergman became interested in the witch trials of Vardø and the vivid folk tales of the north while living in Norway. Travelling to the Steilneset memorial, in which Louise Bourgeois and Peter Zumthor commemorated those persecuted as witches, she became fascinated by their stories. Her debut novel is The Witches of Vardø which was an international bestseller. Now resident in Ireland, she is currently undertaking a PhD by Published Works at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, where she also lectures as well as tutoring for Jericho Writers. The Tarot Reader of Versailles is her second novel.