Novels
I've written eight novels, as well as many short stories, some of which have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Radio 4 Extra and BBC Radio Wales. All the novels are available as print and ebook editions from a range of online publishers.
Vera Venti
It all begins with a moment of light and shadow. A fairground trick. The moving pictures have arrived in a Welsh valley town, bringing magic and seduction into the lives of the Pitts family. This is the beginning of the story of Vera Venti, child of the cinema. Her journey from Wales to Hollywood and back again is related in all its scandalous detail by her greatest fan.
"Taut writing. Great atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyed it." — Amazon customer review
Touched
Robin's life has taken an unexpected turn. There's nine-year-old Prosper, with his strange questions and uncertain future. There's a resident ghost. And there's an unwanted gift from Robin's mother: an abandoned asylum. A tale of eccentric relatives, lost friends and the small insanities of everyday life.
'Nia's observations of people's foibles and idiosyncrasies are a delight'
'Full of entertaining characters and … distinct wisdom in observing the world as it goes about its business.' —Amazon customer reviews
Breakage
Nathan lives in a world of glass. At his gallery and in his home, he surrounds himself with superb craftsmanship, elegant design, fine music. Apart from his regular visits to the cottage, his life is peaceful and serene. Then he sees Rosalyn. And lightning shatters his world. Love and jealousy; power and greed; art and civilisation. How easily things break apart.
'Nia's characters come to life with their vibrancy and eccentricities … an enjoyable and thought provoking read'
'An extraordinary story … a fascinating and moving book' — Amazon customer reviews
Hidden Gems
Hestyn is a coastal town untouched by time. As more and more destinations fall victim to war and terrorism, travel writer Wilf Bromley finds himself drawn in to its bizarre world, and embroiled in more secrets than any travel guide could contain.
'Nia Williams' … prose is deft and seamless and she spans the centuries wearing her learning lightly.... The relationships are painful, the analysis is needle sharp, and the cooked breakfasts deadly.' — Amazon customer review
Birdcage
A story of angels and garrotters, thieves and working girls, fraudsters, tale-tellers and all the rest of the odd-bods who form the strange and compelling family of the Manor-a cut above the rest of the London slums..
'Nia Williams... has created an unforgettable character in Millie .... A full immersion in Victorian Gothic." — Maggie Hartford, Oxford Times
'A first class page turner'
'... a wonderful rich luscious take on the era, dark and strange' — Amazon customer review
The Colour of Grass
Helen's family is falling apart. There are no answers from her husband. She can't communicate with her daughter. So she turns to other relatives: the ones who are dead and gone. Clandestine meetings, a mugging, and the surprisingly tragic story of her mystery grandmother - all of these weave themselves into Helen's present and her unknown past.
'This read will draw you into its story within minutes' — Woman Magazine
'... beautifully written … witty, wry and charming' — Western Mail
Persons Living or Dead
As they excavate the garden together, Jayne and her mother-in-law dig up more than old bones. They already share a love and despair for Jayne's errant husband; now they discover another bond, through the story of Jayne's charismatic and difficult mother, Marian Westwood, whose journey from the Cardiff docks to fame on stage and screen influences their lives in unexpected ways.
Longlisted for Wales Book of the Year 2006.
'Extremely well written ... Williams's compelling style of writing upholds the tension' — Jack Clothier, www.gwales.com
'Unfolds its subtleties with not a superfluous paragraph' — Welsh Literature Abroad
The Pierglass
Historian James Powell is living with two unexpected guests: his ex-girlfriend and a 15th-century poet. As he struggles to cope with the chaos of one and the mystery of the other, a network of stories is gradually revealed, interweaving lives from the Tudor era, the 1890s, the 1950s and modern-day Cardiff.
'An impressively assured, many-layered and thought-provoking first novel' — Planet Magazine
'... astonishing in its masterly use of clever plotting and the interleaving of past and present in a seamless whole' — Meic Stephens, Western Mail
'An elegantly written, confident appearance by a writer who already knows how to turn words into a world' — Jon Gower, www.gwales.com