NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON AND B&N - "Balian d'Ibelin: Knight of Jerusalem

A landless knight,

a Byzantine princess

and a leper king—

The story of Balian d’Ibelin in the years before his fame.

The historical Balian d’Ibelin saved thousands of women and children from slavery and brokered peace between Richard I and Saladin. Arab chronicles described him as “like a king,” and his descendants dominated the history of the Holy Land for the next century. Yet he inherited neither land nor titles and we know nothing of his youth. What made him the man he would become?

In this comprehensive revision of the first book in the Jerusalem Trilogy, Schrader evokes the underlying currents and powerful personalities that shaped the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. She weaves history with hypotheses to create a credible, if fictional, backstory for a hero: Balian d’Ibelin.

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"By the Sword" - an Anthology of Stories set in the Middle Ages

This month the Historical Writers' Association invited me to contribute to an anthology of stories set in the Middle Ages. Despite the very short deadline, I didn't want to miss such a wonderful opportunity! So, I stopped all other work and wrote a short story based on my current series about the civil war in Outremer in the 13th century.

The book has gone live on amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08BX1TLMQ

Back Cover Art

The back cover of "Balian d'Ibelin" requires not only text but images. 

Below are three images. 

1. The only medieval image I know of that depicts Balian d'Ibelin (holding Baldwin V in his arms)

2. One of several medieval illustrations that depicts Maria Comnena -- riding beside her first husband Amalric of Jerusalem.

3. A medieval illustration of a decisive victory -- albeit not Montgisard per se.

I was thinking either of both 1 & 2 or 3 alone.

Please let me know what you think. 

 

 

Great Fans Make Great Books! - REVISED COVER BLURB

Thank you! 

The response to my request for input on the proposed cover blurb for "Balian d'Ibelin" was amazing! Lots of great suggestions -- with well-argued justifications. As a result I've re-drafted the text. There is still time for tweaks if you have strong feelings about this, but this meets most criteria. 

A landless knight, a Byzantine princess and a leper king—

The story of Balian d’Ibelin in the years before his fame.

Balian d’Ibelin saved thousands of women and children from slavery and brokered peace between Richard I and Saladin. Arab chronicles described him as “like a king,” and his descendants dominated the history of the Holy Land for the next century. Yet he inherited neither land nor titles and we know nothing of his youth. 

What made him the man he would become?

In this comprehensive revision of the first book in the Jerusalem Trilogy, Schrader evokes the underlying currents and powerful personalities that shaped the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. She weaves history with hypotheses to create a credible, if fictional, backstory for a hero: Balian d’Ibelin.

 

Looking for the Right Text -- A Cover Blurb for "Balian d'Ibelin"

As I move toward the release of the revised edition of "Knight of Jerusalem" I am working on the "cover blurb" as well as the "keynote" that will describe the book. I thought I'd enlist your help! 

Let me know by email which of the three texts you think is most likely to attract readers.

1.     Hollywood made him a blacksmith, Arab chronicles said he was “like a king.” He defied Richard the Lionheart but served a leper. He married a dowager queen and founded a dynasty that dominated the history of the Holy Land for the next century. But who was Balian d’Ibelin? And what made him the man he was to become? In this the comprehensively revised first book in the Jerusalem Trilogy, Schrader weaves the known historical facts with plausible hypotheses to create a hero worthy of history. 

2.    He saved tens of thousands of women and children from slavery and brought peace between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. When he died, he was the premier baron in the realm and the founder of a semi-royal dynasty. Yet he started life as the youngest son of a parvenu baron without land or title, and almost nothing is known about his youth. In this comprehensive revision of the first book in the Jerusalem Trilogy, Schrader evokes the underlying currents and powerful personalities that shaped the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the end of the twelfth century to reconstruct a plausible, if fictional, biography of a hero: Balian d’Ibelin.  

3.    Hollywood made him a blacksmith, Arab chronicles said he was “like a king.” He defied Richard the Lionheart but served a leper. When he died, he was the premier baron in the realm and the founder of a semi-royal dynasty. Yet he started life as the youngest son of a parvenu baron without land or title, and almost nothing is known about his youth. Extrapolating from the scanty historical record, Schrader evokes the underlying currents and powerful personalities that shaped the history of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the end of the twelfth century to create a hero worthy of history.

Unfortunately, the survey feature has disappeared so drop me an email with your comments at: hps_books@yahoo.com

Thanks!