Historical Fiction Author
Florida Series
Based on in-depth research, Jane’s Florida books bring the unique history of La Florida and its people to life.
From Ochuse Bay to St. Augustine, these books explore the people, customs, epidemics, and ambitions that shaped La Florida.
La Florida's Lost Colony
In 1559 Spain struggles to establish a colony in Ochuse Bay, but it is the unsuspected legacy of earlier conquistadors that will determine the success or failure of the ill-fated expedition and chart the course of La Florida’s history.
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Tales of St. Augustine
From a Spanish woman who combines 17th century etiquette with gossip, to the challenges of a yellow fever epidemic faced by a local physician in 1810, to Gilded Age patrons seeking curative baths, the people of early St. Augustine share their stories bringing history to life.
Buy on AmazonVoices Series
From the 12th Century Crusades to the Age of Reform, the Voices series follows the impact of religion, law, and medicine on people who hear voices.
The Ship of Fools
In 1100 the first Crusaders have left for the Holy Land while religious and temporal factions must deal with the increasing number of people who hear voices. The solution is to put them aboard a “ship of fools” to wind their way through the waterways of Europe until they find asylum in the same place others are seeking peace and profit; Jerusalem.
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The Road to Bedlam
In 1600 the fires of the Inquisition are raging throughout Europe but in England, the laws, medicine and theology have combined to light a fire of their own; the hunt for witches. To physicians it is a disease called Furor but to the Puritans it is devil possession but either way the path leads to London’s St. Mary of Bethlehem Hospital: Bedlam.
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The Asylum Movement
In the 19th century, social reformer Dorothea Dix must overcome her own impoverished and dysfunctional childhood to change the world for people who hear voices. Her life is a textbook for advocacy that resonates even more soundly today, taking the reader into the world of people who hear voices.
Buy on AmazonAbout Jane
Jane Hartenstein combined her love of history with her thirty years of experience in mental health to author the Voices series. A resident of St. Augustine, Florida, she celebrates the unique history of La Florida in the Florida series.
Jane has written and produced two documentary films for the North Creek Depot Museum in North Creek, New York: Teddy Roosevelt: Ride to Destiny and Dr. Thomas Durant: Railroad Pioneer. A member of the Florida Writers Association and the Mental Health Writers Association, she can be found speaking on colonial field surgery at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument or explaining the use of 19th century water treatments at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine.
Invite Jane as Your Guest Speaker
Jane provides a variety of programs based on the various topics in her books, free of charge. The programs are entertaining as well as informative and can be tailored to your group’s interests.
Connect with Jane
Other Places You Can Find Jane
Explore Jane’s published articles and local places to discover her books and related work.
Article
Published by Adirondack Almanack. Jane writes about Adirondack poorhouses through Dorothea Dix’s 1843 survey of New York State county farms.
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Published by Adirondack Almanack on September 7, 2025. Jane writes about Adirondack memory, local legend, and the Hudson River above North River.
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Readers can find Jane’s books at the Lightner Museum Store in St. Augustine, in the historic former Hotel Alcazar building.
Visit the Museum Store