Merrilyn Thomas

Merrilyn Thomas is a writer, Cold War historian and former journalist. Her most recent book, is an historical novel set during the Russian Revolution. Know You Her Secret: An Englishwoman's fight for survival during the Russian Revolution is based on the true story of her great-great-aunt, governess to a Russian princess.

Merrilyn is an honorary research fellow at University College London. She is the author of three books about the Cold War and has contributed to many more. She is also the author of Life on Death Row, a book about the death penalty in the USA.

Merrilyn has a regular Substack newsletter where she writes about the Cold War, the Russian Revolution and world politics. She blogs about the Cold War, current politics, the death penalty and other subjects on her website.

She has also created and published a memoir of her daughter's life. Megan Young, a veterinary surgeon and poet, died of cancer in 2010, aged 32. Wordsmith:The Gift of a Soul is a collection of poetry and prose, an anthology of Megan's poetry and Merrilyn's memories of her daughter's life. Following the publication of Wordsmith in 2013, a poetry prize for young poets was established. The first Megan Young Poetry Prize was held in 2014 and judged by Sir Andrew Motion. The prize is awarded roughly every two years.