Author, pianist and composer Leona Francombe has pursued music and writing all her life. Her novels include: The Heron Legacy (Merle Books Brussels, 2024); The Universe in 3/4 Time: A Novel of Old Europe (Merle Books Brussels, 2021; shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize); The Sage of Waterloo (W.W. Norton, 2015); Madame Ernestine und die Entdeckung der Liebe (Random House Germany, 2014). She is also the author of many short stories and essays. Her work is inspired by, among other things: European history and atmosphere, music, ancient mysteries, Nature mysticism and the otherworldly. The Heron Legacy came to life after the discovery of a medieval ruin in a remote part of the Ardennes Forest. Coming across an abandoned piano on a Brussels street one winter’s night was the catalyst for The Universe in 3/4 Time. Leona lives with her family in Belgium.