On their way to the Holy Land after the fall of Jerusalem to Salah al-Dīn, Christian armies gathered in Messina, Sicily. Today, I am guest posting on English Historical Fiction Authors about the political background, intrigue, and events that led to Messina’s capture by Richard the Lionheart. Many thanks to Debra Brown for inviting me to…
Two years ago, I participated in #luckyseven, a writers’ exercise making the rounds on Twitter. I was still working on my first novel, Keeping the Family Peace (published Dec. 2012), and noted that Battle Scars was no more than a 5 page short story! (Wow!) Here are the rules for #luckyseven: Go to page 7 or…
Messina is a thriving Sicilian port in the 12th century. Galleys and trading ships of every shape and size were common to its people. But surely the arrival of King Richard’s fleet – some 100+ ships strong – must have been an incredible sight. The chronicler of the Itinerarium describes the scene… “…the people rushed…
