The Shame Child

From the rugged shores of a remote Irish island, where ancient magic lingers and past horrors haunt every stone, comes The Shame Child —the gripping first instalment of an epic Viking invasion trilogy told through the eyes of fierce Celtic women.

‘A breath-taking story of terror and magic, courage and love.’
Maggie Brookes, Number 1 best-selling author of The Prisoner’s Wife

‘A great story teller … an unforgettable heroine battling for survival
… the reader is simply swept along.’
Cathy Galvin, poet and journalist, co-founder of The Sunday Times Short Story Award

Erronach is a spirited woman bound by shadows of a painful past she dares not speak aloud. As Viking ships are wrecked on her shore, her world is thrown into turmoil, and when her daughter’s life is at stake, Erronach must confront terrifying forces—both human and supernatural—to protect her family.

The Viking leader is puzzled by Erronach’s noble resolve hidden behind servant’s garb, and the dark magic encircling the cliff-top cairn holds secrets that could bind their fates forever. In this collision of cultures and clashing wills, alliances are forged and shattered, love blooms amid danger, and trust becomes the rarest treasure of all.

With unflinching courage and raw emotion, Catherine Jansen-Ridings weaves a tale of terror, magic, and fierce love that sweeps readers into an unforgettable journey of survival and redemption.

Praised as “a literary debut of enormous scale, thrilling, compulsive, with global appeal,” The Shame Child will captivate anyone who cherishes stories of strength, heartbreak, and the extraordinary power of women battling to reclaim their lives and histories.

Prepare to be swept away by an unforgettable heroine and a world where the past never truly dies—and where love might be the fiercest battle of all.

CATHERINE JANSEN-RIDINGS started her career as an actor and began writing plays to perform. Stand-up comedy, street theatre, and children’s TV followed, but she wrote through it all. She raised a family, studying for a Creative Writing degree from Middlesex University and home-educating her children. When the chicks flew the nest, she began writing plays for Chickenshed Theatre and wrote and directed her first short film, Josh & Lil. She lives in North London with her husband of forty years, actor Richard Ridings