Linda Chavez – A Novel of the Spanish Inquisition: The Silver Candlesticks

Linda Chavez began working on The Silver Candlesticks after appearing on the PBS series Finding Your Roots during which she discovered that members of her family were Converso Jews who fled Spain in 1597. Using details the PBS researchers uncovered as well as her own work on the Spanish Inquisition, she created a fictional weave of love and faith, and the perils of ardent religious faith transformed by the obdurate endurance of a persecution.

Earlier, Linda spent decades in politics and the media, having served as a White House official in the Reagan administration and been a syndicated columnist. She is the author of three previously published nonfiction books and individually published short stories. She earned her MFA from George Mason University.

“No matter how good you think your life is, it isn’t unless you are actually free.” — Linda Chavez

Hosted by William Miller

The Silver Candlesticks is published by Wicked Son, an imprint of Post Hill Press. You can purchase a copy on their website here, or anywhere that books are sold.

1. History brought to life through fiction
2. Linda Chavez discusses how The Silver Candlesticks uses meticulous historical research to humanize the Spanish Inquisition, revealing how fear, power, and persecution shaped everyday lives.
3. Hidden identity and inherited trauma
4. The novel explores the dangers faced by Jewish converts in 16th-century Spain and how secrecy, forced assimilation, and inherited identity ripple across generations.
5. Villains, morality, and belief systems
6. Chavez unpacks the challenge of writing morally complex antagonists—especially religious figures who commit atrocities while believing they are acting righteously.
7. Personal history as creative catalyst
8. The story is rooted in Chavez’s own family history, uncovered through archival research and her appearance on Finding Your Roots, demonstrating how personal discovery can inspire powerful storytelling.

This episode is also available to watch on our YouTube channel: @upstartcrowpodcast

Check out more about Linda on her Substack.

#HistoricalFictionPodcast

#SpanishInquisitionHistory

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