tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16170305970031688552024-03-12T19:25:11.090-04:00The Bajan ScribblerThe adventures of a struggling writer who'd rather be in medieval Spain. Find me at www.lisajyarde.comLisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-78966377517766015732023-12-03T09:03:00.004-05:002023-12-03T09:24:01.671-05:00Time flies when you're having fun, or writing novels.<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been a tremendous twelve months. A new job and health issues have impacted my writing time, but I'm still at it, trying to wrap up the second half of <a href="https://thebajanscribbler.blogspot.com/2022/09/order-of-dragon-books-1-and-2-covers.html" target="_blank">Vlad Dracul's story</a> in <i><b>Order of the Dragon - Book Two</b></i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">For those who've read my novels in the past, you know that I'm an obsessive researcher and try to get the details right. That's meant scrapping my novella about Vlad's eldest son Mircea, whose actions can't entirely be separated from his father's own, and requiring me to narrow my focus to the other two sons, Radu and Vlad the Monk. What about Vlad Dracula, you may ask? The inspiration of the vampire legend? He appears in each of my novels and novellas about his family, almost as a force of nature, but I have very specific reasons for choosing NOT to make him a protagonist in a third novella. One, Vlad Dracula has been done to death in fiction. The reality of his life AND the myth of his being a vampire (thanks ever so much, sarcastically, to Bram Stoker, as the real Vlad Dracula was WAY MORE INTERESTING). There's nothing new or nuanced that I could reveal about his experiences. Besides, I find his father and brothers equally interesting figures whose stories deserve to be told. Two, if you want to read one of the best portrayals of him in fiction, get a copy of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vlad-Last-Confession-C-C-Humphreys/dp/1402253516" target="_blank">C.C. Humphrey's <i><b>Vlad: The Last Confession</b></i></a>. You will be immersed as I was.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuqco09fvcZtS0THXDIXpgyA3ngoDxPPE55ShAhLx4by-xMeK98ttc-RoS5nqUSfRUKoeQVXSFGfbooppID09LDEqJGZFrRX78t_xkUi0zkdYISfJvJmco6VyD80YZTMo5FrMUM4Yty7aaseMi22nU_kNCjU-Pw3NOsJmNaBZLLJFpj9dKg_uD605Bs4C/s960/Author%20Photo%20Mirella%20Patzer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuqco09fvcZtS0THXDIXpgyA3ngoDxPPE55ShAhLx4by-xMeK98ttc-RoS5nqUSfRUKoeQVXSFGfbooppID09LDEqJGZFrRX78t_xkUi0zkdYISfJvJmco6VyD80YZTMo5FrMUM4Yty7aaseMi22nU_kNCjU-Pw3NOsJmNaBZLLJFpj9dKg_uD605Bs4C/s320/Author%20Photo%20Mirella%20Patzer.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since 2005, I've been blessed to share a friendship and partnership with author <b><a href="https://www.mirellapatzer.com/" target="_blank">Mirella Patzer</a></b>, but this year marked the culmination of a novel we've been working on since 2019, when she visited me during one boiling August here in Barbados. As I'm known for writing fiction set in Europe's Middle Ages, this novel, tentatively titled <i>The Ordeal of Alice Clifton, </i>is a complete departure from that period and takes readers to 18th century Philadelphia in the aftermath of the American Revolution. The novel tells the story of a real-life figure, the mulatto slave Alice Clifton, who endures the attentions of a brutal man related by marriage to the first Speaker of the House of Representatives. His rapes result in her pregnancy, and when her daughter dies, she is accused of infanticide. But for her trial and the intervention of the then leader of the Philadelphian government, Benjamin Franklin, no one would ever know Alice Clifton once existed. Mirella and I are shopping around for a home for our great collaboration. I'll announce future publication plans here. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">By the way, Mirella's newest novel, <b><i><a href="https://www.mirellapatzer.com/2023/11/her-secret-legacy-historical-novel.html" target="_blank">Her Secret Legacy</a></i></b>, just made its debut on December 1. If you weren't aware of her or her work, why not get started with a copy of her latest today. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcm0_KYf_5GDwNT8xCLSVZBmku5fBkrCy4G3s9RslrREgdqScUGpr1H5krlgl1VarecibUu-l2texbyRSPxBHg8k4IIJ2cf8DU5TfYYXwMrD5Md9aO7SbBRnLaIQ26yM17WU8F1QjZRUzY2tuL38LWSgmabQtryqWjjMNK-_IQKKFbZq5D2vu6SCPb8pw/s320/Author%20David%20Blixt.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAcm0_KYf_5GDwNT8xCLSVZBmku5fBkrCy4G3s9RslrREgdqScUGpr1H5krlgl1VarecibUu-l2texbyRSPxBHg8k4IIJ2cf8DU5TfYYXwMrD5Md9aO7SbBRnLaIQ26yM17WU8F1QjZRUzY2tuL38LWSgmabQtryqWjjMNK-_IQKKFbZq5D2vu6SCPb8pw/s1600/Author%20David%20Blixt.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">My attention to detail in the <i>Sultana </i>series of novels also offered another chance to collaborate with an author whom I admire; <b><a href="https://www.davidblixt.com/" target="_blank">David Blixt</a></b>. He may not remember, but I first encountered him while attending a session he conducted at the Historical Novel Society's 2013 conference entitled, "<i>Swordplay and Its Influences on Culture</i>." Read all about his session <a href="https://thebajanscribbler.blogspot.com/2013/06/blogging-hns2013-swordplay-and-its.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b> </a>- and you can ask me sometime why I wore a dress and sandals to an event where attendees handled real swords! Little did I know back then that five to six years later, David and I would work together on an anthology, <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085BCZQPG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?&linkCode=sl1&tag=blixt44-20&linkId=9b9bfc30d061626bd341417446e0ada8&language=en_US" target="_blank">We All Fall Down: Stories of Plague and Resilience</a> </i>(2020). His contribution made me cry. It's rare for an author's words to have such a profound effect on me. If you haven't read his stories, get started <a href="https://www.davidblixt.com/books" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a> today. And not just because he and I are working on a project partly set in Moorish Spain that you'll want to read! More details about our work in the future.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most recently, that obsession with Moorish Spain's history also led a doctoral student at the University of Granada to contact me regarding her thesis, which focuses on the sultanas of Granada, but also examines the importance of historical fiction. I'm a prodigious reader and history buff and will admit, I struggle with those who say they don't enjoy reading or find history dull. It was a great honor to share some correspondence with the student and to reflect on the questions she asked. As I told her, Moorish Spain has lived on in my head and heart for over thirty years. Ever since I was a freshman in college, where I first discovered the Islamic presence in Europe and how it was eradicated. I also related to the student that historical fiction's best service to history and historians is to evoke interest in the past, keeping history alive and relevant to our experiences today, and firing the imagination of readers. My motivation for continuing to write. </span></p>Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-54578689454262584572022-12-12T00:00:00.121-05:002022-12-12T00:00:00.167-05:00The knightly Order of the Dragon in medieval history<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">On this date, in December 1408, a new chivalric order appeared in Hungary, partly modeled on the Order of Saint George. The Order of the Dragon, formed under the patronage of King Sigismund of the House of Luxembourg and his second wife, Queen Barbara of the House of Cillei. The dire circumstances that led to the creation of the Order, the roles of its most prominent members, and its relevance during the last century of the Middle Ages partly inspired my newest novel, <i><b>Order of the Dragon – Book One</b></i>, coming December 16, 2022. In it, Prince Vlad of Wallachia (modern-day Romania) seeks a knighthood within the Order of the Dragon, while hoping to rule his homeland, and save his family and people from the threats posed by the rapacious Ottoman Empire.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSuj_9GsA-UsLiuiXNKebp5RevQmfJzvqu2aCBKeU7ig45KXDZrzk77nxxa8fwp_UmZuZx3hctKl21xuYOIkpCOWpaCQ6yrMfntZwGXXr0CIFeKcYvPR8ejBXBZcSQfMbQwf-MORP4nN7OxeZBIrLZLj8T74HEYkKgE00FI7M1i_L3t7NtWyEorI7ig/w640-h138/Order%20of%20the%20Dragon%20ceremonial%20sword%20sized.jpg" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRSuj_9GsA-UsLiuiXNKebp5RevQmfJzvqu2aCBKeU7ig45KXDZrzk77nxxa8fwp_UmZuZx3hctKl21xuYOIkpCOWpaCQ6yrMfntZwGXXr0CIFeKcYvPR8ejBXBZcSQfMbQwf-MORP4nN7OxeZBIrLZLj8T74HEYkKgE00FI7M1i_L3t7NtWyEorI7ig/s1050/Order%20of%20the%20Dragon%20ceremonial%20sword%20sized.jpg"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span><span>During the previous century, before the Order arose, most of Eastern Europe saw the Ottomans </span></span><span>under their leader Osman Bey</span><span>, who came from the Anatolian region of Turkey, conquering the lands formerly held by the Byzantine Empire. Although the European nations responded to the Turkish incursions, the invasion of the Balkans occurred. After Osman’s son Orhan captured the strategic port of Gallipoli in 1354 and made it one of the first Ottoman strongholds in Europe, the Turkic expansion seemed inevitable. Most devastating to the populations of the Balkans was the practice of <i>devşirme</i>; the claiming of Christian boys between the ages of seven/eight and twenty, stolen from their families and trained as future soldiers and bureaucrats of the Ottoman Empire.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>Most of Serbia became a vassal state when Sultan Murad I, the son of Orhan, paid the ultimate price for his victory at the Battle of Kosovo </span><span>in 1389</span><span>. Within seven years, the Ottomans established almost full control over Bulgaria at the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396, after they eliminated a coalition that comprised warriors from Hungary, Wallachia, Bulgaria, France, and Germany. Fifteen thousand European fighters and their leaders died at Nicopolis, but King Sigismund numbered among the survivors. Only the Mongol capture of Murad's son, the Turkish Sultan Bayezid I in 1402 and the subsequent civil war of eleven years between his sons offered hope of a respite.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Details about the Order of the Dragon survive. With Saint George, the dragon-slayer as its patron, the knights of the Order pledged themselves to two duties; the defense of King Sigismund and his family, and the defeat of the Turks. Part of the statute of the Order that survives in a copy from 1707 shows that the king held the following expectation: “…in company with the prelates, barons, and magnates of our kingdom, whom we invite to participate with us in this party, by reason of the sign and effigy of our pure inclination and intention to crush the pernicious deeds of the same perfidious Enemy, and of the followers of the ancient Dragon, and (as one would expect) of the pagan knights, schismatics, and other nations of the Orthodox faith, and those envious of the Cross of Christ, and of our kingdoms, and of his holy and saving religion of faith, under the banner of the triumphant Cross of Christ …”</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx4dYo37iiKbfK9B1pSkvZeTpRhgYP_ElcbFHh1iYk-leWS7U605aQKpZ3yRYW7Q7rmaPmIYcLSFv11F1X7yD8a8grMaV5x40cuUFRHOWjfVrQGH7La8ssEY-APzngDKMcbpw0sGCdIwWCA2NnWz8uZFkW9TOl4xRkP-DQqNfJ1l_ZPXO-hKA1kE8VQ/s316/Sigismund.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMx4dYo37iiKbfK9B1pSkvZeTpRhgYP_ElcbFHh1iYk-leWS7U605aQKpZ3yRYW7Q7rmaPmIYcLSFv11F1X7yD8a8grMaV5x40cuUFRHOWjfVrQGH7La8ssEY-APzngDKMcbpw0sGCdIwWCA2NnWz8uZFkW9TOl4xRkP-DQqNfJ1l_ZPXO-hKA1kE8VQ/s1600/Sigismund.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Order was not only intended to fight the Turks, but also to preserve Sigismund’s hold on the throne. History shows that he faced constant danger. Born in Bohemia (the modern-day Czech Republic) he ascended the Hungarian throne through marriage in 1385. Years later, when his first wife Queen Mary died in a riding accident along with the child she carried, Sigismund feared he would lose power. He answered Pope Boniface IX’s call for a new crusade against the Ottomans, which ended in disaster at the Battle of Nicopolis. Revolts arose against Sigismund’s reign, but he allied himself with powerful noblemen to keep control of the kingdom. Many of those men would become the first knights of the Order of the Dragon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigXPpveKjmX_2tCxhiqC9R_vqxdZZweXn2SkRUtX2APhlgU5-bO6KSY310k8mF32G_tH-4Ee9L5Gyqk1Ipye082RvTgTRvVu6Zu--UEVgf8qu9hEVuyJC_MCDHpi4TOOnKhjyK0refKLOPFdyVacfmqHEmCVcVlUcSl3IxhNl8xq0rd0vSD2YdWDI5HQ/s1600/275px-Order_of_the_Dragon_Insignia.svg.png" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Its members, who were called Draconists, included princes and nobility who had lost their lands to Turkish attacks. The Draconists often wore, suspended from a necklace, the image of a curled-up dragon with its tail coiled around its neck. On its back, from the neck to its tail, the red cross of Saint George stood out against the background. Latin inscriptions of “<i>O quam misericors est Deus</i>” (meaning, how merciful is God) and “<i>Justus et paciens</i>” (meaning, just and patient) accompanied the dragon emblem. The Order’s members also displayed a seal in the form of an Ouroboros, an ancient dragon motif. They wore red garments with a green mantle on ceremonial occasions and donned a black mantle on Fridays.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Some of the members numbering between twenty-one and twenty-five first inducted into the Order include the following persons who feature prominently in my new novel, <i><b>Order of the Dragon – Book One</b></i>:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Barbara of Cillei, Sigismund’s wife and Queen of Hungary.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Hermann II, Count of Cillei, father of Queen Barbara.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Frederick of Cillei, son of Hermann II and brother of Queen Barbara.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Stefan Lazarević, Serbian ruler who abandoned the Ottoman alliance after his father’s death at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 and later allied with King Sigismund.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Oh2DWygDikmNajt3jP0QEqeEIY55GKEj1IJJS3w7T5wqlIIYIR2lvoZF4RX9G6hQraggeR890-CF-ySPZuiszatOltmRQOkMDm265gkb8Q-VkqTL6JfUsgz_5TbH32PC4FFzYpscJmoprCYDfCFR3yIg9SeC5tiUIPwG0OYaABHTp-hwkgAwQF85Ww/s264/Fruzhin.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Oh2DWygDikmNajt3jP0QEqeEIY55GKEj1IJJS3w7T5wqlIIYIR2lvoZF4RX9G6hQraggeR890-CF-ySPZuiszatOltmRQOkMDm265gkb8Q-VkqTL6JfUsgz_5TbH32PC4FFzYpscJmoprCYDfCFR3yIg9SeC5tiUIPwG0OYaABHTp-hwkgAwQF85Ww/w167-h200/Fruzhin.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Fruzhin, Prince of Bulgaria, the maternal nephew of Stefan Lazarević, and a surviving son of the Bulgarian ruler murdered after the Battle of Kosovo, Ivan Shishman.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Nicholas II Garai, married to Queen Barbara's sister, the Palatine or chief officer of Hungary under King Sigismund, who also rescued him when Hungarian revolts occurred after the losses at Nicopolis.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Stibor of Stiboricz, the governor of Transylvania.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97mv2SLqBfnKKtw6j3JQFSKlzhxT5mLiNnFtBEt3ze06tm5ySQwixH7ByqSNTyEeqUNAWD5siKVzI7WPHGcCQQ0ZWsJrYFwKsIN4EV5g364ABIXA6sVzuu3rC-oQuued8XWuvEeIfvvUUdrZRcULdfED4yq3x-XLGopUiv7NdfJSbKW5HPITZPJdhsw/s326/Pipo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97mv2SLqBfnKKtw6j3JQFSKlzhxT5mLiNnFtBEt3ze06tm5ySQwixH7ByqSNTyEeqUNAWD5siKVzI7WPHGcCQQ0ZWsJrYFwKsIN4EV5g364ABIXA6sVzuu3rC-oQuued8XWuvEeIfvvUUdrZRcULdfED4yq3x-XLGopUiv7NdfJSbKW5HPITZPJdhsw/s320/Pipo.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Pipo of Ozora, count of Temes, a Hungarian magnate, Florentine by birth.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, Grand Duke of Bosnia and an erstwhile enemy of King Sigismund.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Wladyslaw II Jagiellon, King of Poland and Supreme Duke of Lithuania, who was also an erstwhile enemy of King Sigismund.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Vytautas of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">· Ernest of the House of Hapsburg called the Iron Duke of Austria.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Others would join them over the years, including the rulers of England, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Aragon in Spain. Learn more when <b><i>Order of the Dragon – Book One</i></b> makes its debut later this week.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="https://books2read.com/u/mg17LR" target="_blank">Pre-Order available here</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BGQD9TD1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i3" target="_blank">on Amazon</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">------------</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span>Note: The images included in the post; 1. The ceremonial sword of the Order of the Dragon, 2. The dragon emblem, 3. Sigismund of Luxembourg, 4. </span><span>Fruzhin, </span><span>Prince of Bulgaria, and 5. Pipo of Ozora, are in the public domain and may be found at Wikipedia.</span></span></div>Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-59410355207665522492022-09-07T09:56:00.006-04:002022-09-07T10:23:33.871-04:00Order of the Dragon, Books 1 and 2 - Covers<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My latest novel,<i> Order of the Dragon</i>, explores the family of Prince Vlad Dracula of Romania, battling Europe’s Christian and Turkic enemies. Vlad Dracul was the father of the real Dracula, who inspired centuries of vampire legends thanks to author Bram Stoker's quintessential novel. The story is told in two parts; the first half debuts in December 2022 and the second half in March 2023.</span><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKbaVgkNblitsXuTTpRqGIuzG8BqBFyaW0C-0M9kKNtlSKVvHmrlFyaTdU3-U8ETOBobhhEHbY3UwjfMlh3RrQOVHsY34uKF8RjRrRMjSDlrX965hx2jpLujEeBXqM8pcg3kMwGWeNli25tac4Nz9cmeqsMrPyocB3SvSKXiOroEX17yPMv6r92lObg/s3150/Final%20Cover%20Book%20One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3150" data-original-width="2100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKbaVgkNblitsXuTTpRqGIuzG8BqBFyaW0C-0M9kKNtlSKVvHmrlFyaTdU3-U8ETOBobhhEHbY3UwjfMlh3RrQOVHsY34uKF8RjRrRMjSDlrX965hx2jpLujEeBXqM8pcg3kMwGWeNli25tac4Nz9cmeqsMrPyocB3SvSKXiOroEX17yPMv6r92lObg/w426-h640/Final%20Cover%20Book%20One.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xC3CJjLOmqSFAVBy2DTE9l_JExRNCATxRywo43fXucD-Lob4_EDU7jLALJH9AtSf4hZm89z2FgqnVo58NrDJNhY2YKyzhXltHbqhC7_r5kH61c8pzbcCYZFlVly60WEDXhuwZU9BQYS5FscjVKNBN9TRCxwFW_9UkbFRUoGAQEuO4TOnzLrxt1sSvA/s3150/Final%20Cover%20Book%20Two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3150" data-original-width="2100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xC3CJjLOmqSFAVBy2DTE9l_JExRNCATxRywo43fXucD-Lob4_EDU7jLALJH9AtSf4hZm89z2FgqnVo58NrDJNhY2YKyzhXltHbqhC7_r5kH61c8pzbcCYZFlVly60WEDXhuwZU9BQYS5FscjVKNBN9TRCxwFW_9UkbFRUoGAQEuO4TOnzLrxt1sSvA/w426-h640/Final%20Cover%20Book%20Two.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>Order of the Dragon</i> offers a prelude to the novella series <i>Sons of the Dragon</i>, three overlapping stories about Dracula's brothers; each of whom, like him, would succeed their father as a medieval Eastern European ruling prince. Those novellas will debut in June 2023, September 2023, and December 2023. So while it's been a long, long time since I've posted (or frankly, published) anything, clearly I've been quite busy.</span><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.65pt; margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-27233230381738880112021-01-31T23:00:00.069-05:002021-01-31T23:00:00.401-05:00Happy Birthday, Baby! Sultana, Book 1 is officially ten years old<div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Time flies when you're having fun. Hard to believe this book baby is a whopping ten years old! I can still remember everything that led to its publication and all that has come afterward.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BrlRHfr7_-I/YBbZLCg17YI/AAAAAAAAi90/-Upvls1qoP4Zm756-yGPNQopB9j08fFtwCPcBGAsYHg/w266-h400/Sultana_5.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span>Years of obsessive research among dusty library stacks and across the internet. The first perfect night in Spain where not even the frigid temperature or an undercooked meal of paella and sour sangria could have ruined my initial sight of Alhambra Palace from the Cuesta de Los Tomasas. Long hours of writing and revisions, coupled with some key advice from my critique group, whose members helped shaped </span><i>Sultana </i><span>into the novel it is today. The support of the best writing friends and the encouragement of readers, who responded so well to the book, they inspired me to write a series. Speaking and reading engagements at libraries and presentations for the Historical Novel Society. The first offer of translation and the others that followed. The delight on my mother's face as I shared my love of Moorish Spain during our stay in Granada - her approval and praise after she read the book meant the world to me.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">All that has occurred because of a novel some said would never be successful once self-published. Still amazes me.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;">In celebration of its tenth anniversary, I'm pleased to offer </span><i style="text-align: center;">Sultana </i><span style="text-align: center;">for FREE all month long starting February 1, exclusively.</span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lisajyarde.selz.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="69" data-original-width="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMCgSk_wS8M/YBbfZwHg29I/AAAAAAAAi-M/ullVQdUL-WgtfcuBiEiivUwSgMOSKqg3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Selz%2BButton.png" /></span></a></div></div>Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-23963624846176719722020-12-10T11:28:00.002-05:002020-12-10T11:30:59.682-05:00Here's what you may have missed from me in 2020<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> This year has changed all of our routines and for me, that meant missing out on some opportunities to connect with writers and readers in person. Thank goodness for Zoom and Google Meet, where I was able to make those connections online.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Here are two events in which I participated. If you didn't get the opportunity to attend, this is what you missed:</span></p><p><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">December 9, 2 pm: Zoom Presentation with al-Andalus Authors John D. Cressler, Joan Cook, David Penny.</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5jLDi9WJpQI" width="320" youtube-src-id="5jLDi9WJpQI"></iframe></div><br /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">October 6, 12 - 2 pm: Zoom Presentation with authors of <i>We All Fall Down anthology</i> through Historical Novel Society, NYC Chapter. </b><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/De9OfnRyUjo" width="320" youtube-src-id="De9OfnRyUjo"></iframe></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: x-large;">I suspect covid-19 will be with us far longer than anyone anticipates, but at least, we can still be connected online.</span></p>Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-77753948245825221882020-03-22T17:38:00.000-04:002020-03-22T19:58:47.844-04:00The Heretical Doctor, Ibn al-Khatib (Part 3)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR13H9zVZI0/XmTwdduHnVI/AAAAAAAAdFo/4yNSqf3PJE0VQyKPldwjKSBjMY8aQvIjACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/WAFDFrontBookCoverV2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR13H9zVZI0/XmTwdduHnVI/AAAAAAAAdFo/4yNSqf3PJE0VQyKPldwjKSBjMY8aQvIjACPcBGAYYCw/s320/WAFDFrontBookCoverV2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Ibn
al-Khatib's story did end, unexpectedly and tragically as I mentioned
in </span><i>The Heretic</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, one of
the stories within the anthology </span><i><b>We All Fall Down</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
The cause can be found within that partly fictionalized account of
his life during the plague.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://thebajanscribbler.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-heretical-doctor-ibn-al-khatib-part.html" target="_blank">In my previous post</a>, I mentioned Ibn Khatima, who had documented the
arrival of the Black Death in his home of Almería during the summer
of 1438. He also wrote a treatise on the subject. Ibn al-Khatib also
did the same, which he concluded in 1362. Within his
observations, he indicated, “The existence of contagion is
established by experience [and] by trustworthy reports on
transmission by garments, vessels, ear-rings; by the spread of it by
persons from one house, by infection of a healthy sea-port by an
arrival from an infected land [and] by the immunity of isolated
individuals.” This was the basis for his theory of contagion; the
idea that persons could spread the disease to each other by their
actions.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">But
the following line may have led to his brutal demise many years later,
because he also wrote contradicting Muslim traditions as passed down
by Prophet Muhammad regarding plague. “…A proof taken from the
traditions has to undergo modification when in manifest contradiction
with the evidence of the perception of the senses.” This line alone
would have damned him in the view of the Islamic clerics and jurists
who deemed the words of the Prophet as irrefutable.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Would
Ibn al-Khatib have dared question any precept of his religion if he
had not thought himself untouchable? He certainly had reason to
believe no one could rival him.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ibn
al-Khatib ascends to the pinnacle of power, but the Black Death
intrudes</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">After
the death of his mentor, foster father and former tutor Ibn
al-Jayyab, Ibn al-Khatib attained all the honors that man had held.
Within Islamic Spain, the viziers who served the monarchs possessed
power superseded only by the sovereigns. Ibn al-Khatib became the
vizier or chief minister of the Nasrid Dynasty’s Sultan Yusuf I in
January 1349 and would hold the position into the reign of Yusuf’s
eldest son and successor, Muhammad V.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Among
his responsibilities, Ibn al-Khatib oversaw the completion of the new
religious school at the capital of Granada in April 1439. Some weeks
earlier, he had received the great honor of composing an elegy to the
family matriarch, Yusuf’s grandmother Fatima when she died in her
nineties. During the autumn of the same year, the plague ravaged
Morocco and claimed Ibn al-Khatib’s mother at Taza. However he
might have felt about the loss, his responsibilities remained. He
kept up correspondence with foreign potentates and dignitaries,
writing to the Sultan of Morocco Abu Inan, requesting military
assistance against the Nasrids foes in Castile on March 13, 1350.
Fifteen months later he served as an ambassador to the Moroccan court,
departing and returning in July 1351.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
assassination of Yusuf I occurred on October 19, 1354, cutting short
the life of the ruler whom Ibn al-Khatib had served for 21 years. The
enthronement of Yusuf’s firstborn as Muhammad V at the age of 16
allowed Ibn al-Khatib to exercise influence over the youngster’s
policies and understanding of government. Alongside his fellow
ministers, the courtiers, and nobles, Ibn al-Khatib publicly swore his
oath of allegiance to his new master on November 9 and also secured
the appointment of the Moroccan garrison commander. A month later, he
visited Sultan Abu Inan at Fez, arriving to great pomp and an
audience on December 14.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
he had an opportunity to meet with a man of similar age who would
become a good companion and later, a rival. Ibn Khaldun’s family
hailed from Yemen and like Ibn al-Khatib, he held a prestigious
position among the Moroccan ministers, serving as Abu Inan’s
private secretary. Ibn al-Khatib and Ibn Khaldun established and
maintained a friendship after the former returned to Granada on
January 30, 1355.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ibn
al-Khatib dabbles in Sufi mysticism and life becomes precarious</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">According
to his enemies, Ibn al-Khatib made another misstep that put him on
the path to charges of heresy. On May 1, 1356, he and his three sons
arrived at a Sufi lodge outside Granada. Sufism is defined as Islamic
mysticism, characterized in Ibn al-Khatib’s time by asceticism and
rejection of the worldliness of Muslim regions. The orthodox, Maliki
school of Sharia law held sway over Islamic Spain and saw Sufism as a
direct threat. For his adherence to Sufi doctrine, the majority of
Ibn al-Khatib’s writings went up in flames just before his death.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
monarchs of Granada’s Nasrid dynasty had known for several
generations since the time of Muhammad V’s great-great-grandfather
Muhammad II that at any moment, their fortunes could change. Ibn
al-Khatib’s young master soon learned this lesson. During the month
of holy fasting on August 21, 1359, over 100 conspirators scaled the
walls. At night, they drove Muhammad V from Alhambra Palace,
alongside his mother and toddler son, before installing Muhammad’s
younger brother Ismail as the new sovereign.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
conspiracy between Muhammad's stepmother and his cousin /
brother-in-law jeopardized Ibn al-Khatib, too. Dragged from his
house, he endured his first bout of torture and imprisonment. A
sister of his in their birthplace of Loja offered to pay a hefty
ransom. But without the intercession of Moroccan Sultan Abu Inan’s
son, Abu Salim, Ibn al-Khatib might have remained locked away
forever. He rejoined his young master at Guadix and together with
their families, they departed for Morocco. The exiles arrived at Fez
on November 28.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ibn
al-Khatib travels preceded the return of the Black Death</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Two
and a half years followed, during which Ibn al-Khatib saw much of his
new host country. While he served Sultan Muhammad diligently, writing
letters on his behalf to the king of Castile who favored the
legitimate ruler, Ibn al-Khatib earned a living at the behest of the
Moroccan ruler. On March 11, 1360, he gave permission for the Nasrid
minister to tour the kingdom. Ibn al-Khatib visited the Atlas
Mountains that month and then went on to Marrakesh. The port of Salé
seems to have suited him well, for he settled there in May and wrote
a history of the Nasrid dynasty, poetry, and his plague treatise.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
Black Death returned later that year and might have cast its long
shadow again. In <i>The Heretic</i>, I’ve speculated about the next
victim it claimed, one whom Ibn al-Khatib held dear. His wife Iqbal
died suddenly on September 7, 1361. I’ve found no indication of the
cause for her demise, but given the prevalence of the disease from
1360 to 1364 in the region, plague seemed a possibility to me.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Although
widowed with three sons, Ibn al-Khatib would have had little time for
grief. Muhammad V gave him direct charge of his household, the
mother, wife, and children he had left behind before returning to
Spain in the quest for the throne. Ibn al-Khatib would have secured
the Nasrid royal family from upheaval, as their Moroccan hosts fell
at the command of a local minister, who placed three rulers upon the
throne at Fez during the Nasrid exile.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ibn
al-Khatib’s return to Spain</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">On
April 20, 1362, Muhammad wrote to Ibn al-Khatib with instructions to
bring the royal family home to Granada. They departed on May 18 and
arrived at Alhambra Palace on June 15. Ten days later, Ibn al-Khatib
again ascended to the highest office in the land. With the power of
his pen, he saw to the appointments of two men, Al-Bunnahi as the
chief judge of Granada and Ibn al-Khatib’s young apprentice within
the council of ministers, Ibn Zamrak, both in October 1362. Ibn
al-Khatib would soon come to regret those choices.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Jubilant,
he completed his treatise on the Black Death before celebrating the
arrival of his friend from Morocco, Ibn Khaldun, along with the
observation of the Prophet’s birthday at a great feast. But he
also engaged in intrigue, seeing to the removal of the Moroccan
garrison commander whom he had appointed in November 1354 from
Almuñécar and the exile of the man and his entire family back
to North Africa. The reason for a rivalry between the two men is
unclear. Even Ibn Khaldun seemed a threat to Ibn al-Khatib and at his
suggestion, Muhammad V sent Ibn Khaldun on a diplomatic mission to
the kingdom of Castile, in February 1365.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
next four years indicated that Ibn al-Khatib spent much time devoted
to his duties, but somehow, he had run afoul of the chief judge
Al-Bunnahi and even Muhammad V. Was it because of the plague
treatise, or the indulgence in Sufism, or something else history has
not recorded? Regardless of the reasons, Ibn al-Khatib may not have
had much time to reflect on them. Muhammad V had enjoyed friendly
relations with King Pedro of Castile, but that all changed when the
king’s bastard brother, the count of Trastamara called Enrique,
murdered Pedro and took the crown. His line would eventually sire the
first Queen Isabella of Spain. The Nasrid dynasty went to war
with Castile once more, but soon, Ibn al-Khatib found himself
embroiled in conflict with his master Muhammad.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YQ5A-S6hop4/XnfPJ9et08I/AAAAAAAAdVA/_TvOKS8tlWMp19exbzdEXn-A1KOL8yL1QCEwYBhgL/s1600/220px-Bab_mahrouk_cemetery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="123" data-original-width="220" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YQ5A-S6hop4/XnfPJ9et08I/AAAAAAAAdVA/_TvOKS8tlWMp19exbzdEXn-A1KOL8yL1QCEwYBhgL/s400/220px-Bab_mahrouk_cemetery.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outskirts of Bab al-Mahruq cemetery, Fez, Morocco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ibn
al-Khatib’s story comes to a tragic end</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Aggrieved
by growing accusations of heresy and malfeasance against him, Ibn
al-Khatib then lived in fear of his life. On December 10, 1370, with
his youngest son Ali, he fled the kingdom of Granada forever. He
sailed for the court of yet another Moroccan ruler, but not before
writing Muhammad V a terse letter in which he laid bare all of his
grievances against those whom he saw as conspirators against him. Had
his former master threatened his life, too?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ibn
al-Khatib still had friends. The Moroccan sovereign welcomed him to
court in February 1371 and even Ibn Khaldun forgave his old friend’s
jealousy and pleaded with Muhammad V to send Ibn al-Khatib’s
movable property and family across the sea, in a letter dated April
18, 1371. The rest of the family did arrive on the North African
shore eight months later. But for Ibn al-Khatib, the worse remained.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
November 1371, the chief judge of Granada Al-Bunnahi condemned Ibn
al-Khatib as a Sufi heretic and disbeliever. The judgment could not
have come without the assent of Muhammad V. That month, Ibn
al-Khatib’s manuscripts written on philosophy and Sufi mysticism
became ashes among the pyres of Granada's central square. By the
following summer, Muhammad V demanded his extradition from Morocco
and received its ruler’s refusal, but at the start of fall that
year, that same sovereign died. In November 1372, Ibn Khaldun spent
some time with his beleaguered companion. Perhaps the last occasion
in which the old friends would see each other alive.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
new Moroccan Sultan Abu al-Abbas Ahmad came to the throne in
September 1373. He established good relations with Muhammad V of
Granada and depended on him militarily. Their alliance sealed Ibn
al-Khatib’s fate. In June 1374, he suffered arrest and imprisonment
again. He sought help from other North African rulers, but to no
avail. Two months later, men working on behalf of his enemies,
Al-Bunnahi and Ibn Zamrak, whose career he had nurtured, entered Ibn
al-Khatib’s cell where he awaited trial. They strangled him at the age of nearly 61. Dumped
into an unmarked grave at first, his remains became disinterred and
burnt to ashes, like so many of his manuscripts. Sometime afterward
the ashes went into a grave at the Bab al-Mahruq cemetery in Fez.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<br /></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">So
ended the life and story of Ibn al-Khatib, who once rose to the
heights of power, only to have charges of heresy bring about his
demise.</span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLZ8IyAQu7I/Xnf7cid7z2I/AAAAAAAAdVI/IrqRvZU3X-cQf90tJSlMBqYUNfGV7tWGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ibn%2Bal-Khatib%2Bmonument.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TLZ8IyAQu7I/Xnf7cid7z2I/AAAAAAAAdVI/IrqRvZU3X-cQf90tJSlMBqYUNfGV7tWGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Ibn%2Bal-Khatib%2Bmonument.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ibn al-Khatib's monument at Loja<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Read
a fictionalized account of his years during the Black Death in </span><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><b>We
All Fall Down</b></i><i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: x-large; text-align: left;">,</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> available now.</span></div>
</div>
<div align="justify" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://books2read.com/falldown/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XcteOOt2qW0/XmUZZihEdBI/AAAAAAAAdGc/XxpQvVjKj5U3L82QsCdWWkTZxpTd-7V5QCPcBGAYYCw/s400/2%2BLisa%2BJ.%2BYarde.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-20406708411010601022020-03-15T15:35:00.000-04:002020-03-15T16:16:40.599-04:00The Heretical Doctor, Ibn al-Khatib (Part 2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR13H9zVZI0/XmTwdduHnVI/AAAAAAAAdFo/4yNSqf3PJE0VQyKPldwjKSBjMY8aQvIjACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/WAFDFrontBookCoverV2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR13H9zVZI0/XmTwdduHnVI/AAAAAAAAdFo/4yNSqf3PJE0VQyKPldwjKSBjMY8aQvIjACPcBGAYYCw/s320/WAFDFrontBookCoverV2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i><b>We
All Fall Down</b></i></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">,
my latest release, features the central character Ibn al-Khatib in
</span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>The
Heretic</i></span></span></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.
As revealed in <a href="https://thebajanscribbler.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-heretical-doctor-ibn-al-khatib.html">my
previous post</a>, he suffered a great tragedy just when his star
seemed poised to rise. But luckily for him, Ibn al-Khatib had a
mentor on whom he could rely.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
<b>Ibn
al-Khatib overcomes his first great adversity</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Were
it not for the aid of his former teacher Ibn al-Jayyab, a young Ibn
al-Khatib might not have achieved his goals. Born approximately in
November 1274, Ibn al-Jayyab came from a prominent family of Granada,
the capital of the Nasrid Dynasty. He served among the ministerial
body which advised the sultans through the reigns of Muhammad II, his
sons Muhammad III and Abu'l-Juyush Nasr, their maternal nephew Ismail
I and his sons Muhammad IV and Yusuf IV.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--yArEoQpjb4/Xm6Cqlrh3UI/AAAAAAAAdMM/2GgvcGNtlnwlk9dQ8eZLw3F6-ARIE9HqwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Alhambra%2BView%2B13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1600" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--yArEoQpjb4/Xm6Cqlrh3UI/AAAAAAAAdMM/2GgvcGNtlnwlk9dQ8eZLw3F6-ARIE9HqwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Alhambra%2BView%2B13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nasrid council chamber</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Having
been one of Ibn al-Khatib's tutors, Ibn al-Jayyab then became a
comfort to his disciple. Ibn al-Jayyab had also endured his own
terrible loss at some indeterminate time; the death of his son
Abu'-l-Qasim. The pair bereft of beloved family members relied upon
each other, the mutual, spiritual adoption of a foster father and
son. With the aid of Ibn al-Jayyab, Ibn al-Khatib ascended to his
first important role. He became the personal secretary of Sultan
Yusuf I, responsible for the monarch's correspondence. Alongside his
duties, Ibn al-Khatib wrote about the origins of the royal family
based at Granada's Alhambra Palace; he completed the work around
August 1341. He also continued recitations of poetry in honor of
Yusuf on special occasions.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b></b></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>
Ibn
al-Khatib's family</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">While
the life of a courtier and ministerial responsibilities must have
kept him busy, Ibn al-Khatib had another personal important role;
ensuring the continuation of his family line. With the loss of his
elder brother in battle, he needed a wife. Unfortunately, he could
not rely on the proposed match between his foster father and that
man's daughter. Instead, Ibn al-Khatib married a woman named Iqbal.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
Little
is known of her except the sons she provided her husband and her
likely date of death. Since his contrivance to marry into the
families of Granada's ruling elite had failed, we can assume Iqbal
did not number among their ranks. The union must have occurred at
least by the autumn of 1342, because on July 22 of the following
year, Iqbal gave birth to Ibn al-Khatib's first son, Abd Allah. Two
other boys followed, Muhammad and Ali. Records of their names survive
because of their circumcisions, an important ritual for medieval
Muslim boys, which took place on November 8, 1348. No doubt, Ibn
al-Khatib would have made certain each of his sons pursued the same
scholarly path he had taken.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b></b></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>
Ibn
al-Khatib's evolving role at court</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">While
in service to the sultan, Ibn al-Khatib became closer to Yusuf I. At
his side for two major Nasrid military campaigns against Christians
forces southeast of Sevilla, Ibn al-Khatib celebrated the ruler's
victory during April 1343. In the spring of 1347, from April 29 until
May 20, he accompanied the monarch on a tour of the eastern portion
of the Nasrid kingdom and wrote of their travels. He gave vivid
descriptions of the Moors in his land.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTZTVywYyZs/Xm6DK_V5VyI/AAAAAAAAdMU/ZJIpVq0O-3cVJoL35JtdMPDHR03K_08LwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Alhambra%2Bview%2B37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTZTVywYyZs/Xm6DK_V5VyI/AAAAAAAAdMU/ZJIpVq0O-3cVJoL35JtdMPDHR03K_08LwCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Alhambra%2Bview%2B37.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alhambra Palace's southern gate</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ibn
al-Khatib and his fellow council members would have ensured the
planning for Alhambra Palace's great southernmost gate, known
erroneously now as the Gate of Justice, which later opened in June
1348. The ministers also knew of construction of the sultan's new
religious school, which would end April 1349. The relic still stands
near the entrance of what was once Muslim Granada's silk marketplace,
Alcaiceria.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b><br />
The
arrival of the Black Death</b></span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Something
happened that likely interfered with the plans of Yusuf I. Whether or
not the Moors anticipated, an invasion of their land would soon
begin, which would terrify them and their Christian adversaries. Off
Spain's southeastern coast in December 1347, the Balearic island of
Mallorca witnessed the first ravages of a new virulent plague that
had spread eastward. By May 1348, Barcelona and Tarragona became
affected, before the disease entered Valencia. Nobles, clergy, and
ordinary citizens died.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
The
Muslims of Granada must have heard of these incidents of the Black
Death, but what did they think of them? They were familiar with
earlier instances of plague. By March and April, there were also
deaths in places where seaborne trade occurred with Morocco. It
seemed the Moorish people would be resigned to their fates if the
Black Death encroached on them because of their religious beliefs,
which included the following about plague, "It is a punishment
that Allah sends upon whoever he wills, but Allah has made it a mercy
for the believers. Any servant who resides in a land afflicted by
plague, remaining patient and hoping for reward from Allah, knowing
that nothing will befall him but what Allah has decreed, he will be
given the reward of a martyr.”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br />
The
summer of 1348 showed the Muslims of Spain were as unprepared as
anyone else for the horrific toll the epidemic took. The Black Death
arrived on the eastern coast of the Iberian peninsula at the town of
Almería. There, a native of the town and another disciple of Ibn
al-Jayyab, called Ibn Khatima, observed the first deaths and wrote
about the occurrence in a treatise, which also survives in Spain's
Escorial library. Ten years younger than Ibn al-Khatib, Ibn Khatima
had been born in 1324 at Almería, where he practiced as a medical
doctor. He indicated that on May 30, 1348, the Black Death claimed
victims in a poor section of his birthplace. Eventually in his city
alone, at least 70 persons died daily. At the time, the kingdom of
Granada's inhabitants numbered 1.5 million.</span></span></span></div>
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In
his subsequent treatise, Ibn Khatima wrote about the causes and
symptoms of the plague. He also proposed some methods of treatment.
Like many of their medieval counterparts, Islamic doctors believed in
the theory of humors that could alter a person's physical condition.
Ibn Khatima described the Black Death origins as "a consequence
of a corruption of the humor or cardiac temperament, caused by the
air alteration from its natural and innate state to heat and
humidity...."</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Ibn
al-Khatib suffers a second personal loss</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Whatever
the source of the plague, its consequences would soon devastate Ibn
Khatima and Ibn al-Khatib. From Almería, the Black Death cut across
the peninsula, striking at Málaga in full through April to July 1439
and later Algeciras. Before the disease spread to those places, it
may have claimed a victim in Granada, Ibn al-Khatib's beloved foster
father and mentor, Ibn al-Jayyab. He died around January 15, 1349, in
his 70's. Historians remain divided on whether he passed away because
of the Black Death or during the time in which it befell the
population of Spain.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
demise of the man who had nurtured his intellect, brought him into
prominence at the side of Sultan Yusuf I, and treated him like a son
must have burdened Ibn al-Khatib. In his grief, he composed an elegy
for the master to whom he had devoted years of his life, which he
recited at the grave side.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Yet,
this incident would also not mean the end of Ibn al-Khatib's story.</span></span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-85400943663938714852020-03-08T12:15:00.000-04:002020-03-15T12:01:47.350-04:00The Heretical Doctor, Ibn al-Khatib<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR13H9zVZI0/XmTwdduHnVI/AAAAAAAAdFk/9vI_U8CAHnYLQz7fRO0eMmVw_woxUj7xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/WAFDFrontBookCoverV2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR13H9zVZI0/XmTwdduHnVI/AAAAAAAAdFk/9vI_U8CAHnYLQz7fRO0eMmVw_woxUj7xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WAFDFrontBookCoverV2.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Readers of my Moorish Spain series may recall the secondary character, Ibn al-Khatib. In my most recent publication, the anthology <i><b>We All Fall Down</b></i>, he plays a prominent role in <i>The Heretic. </i>Ibn al-Khatib was a natural choice as the central figure in a tale about 14th century medieval Spain's struggle with the Black Death. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lisajyarde.com/p/books.html" target="_blank">In the novels <i>Sultana: The Bride Price</i> and <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree</i></a>, </span><span style="font-size: large;">Ibn al-Khatib</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> served as a court minister and close confidante of the father and son duo, the Nasrid Dynasty's most celebrated Sultans Yusuf I and Muhammad V of Granada. But with the series focused on machinations within the royal family, I never had the opportunity to explore one important aspect of Ibn al-Khatib's life: his treatise on the Black Death. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">That his work has survived for almost 700 years and may be found in Spain's </span><span style="font-size: large;">Biblioteca del Real Monasterio de El Escorial </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">is a miracle. For when he began the treatise, he also promulgated what was then thought to be a radical, even dangerous idea, in the Islamic world: the transmission of disease through contagion. </span><span style="font-size: large;">This occurred five centuries before Louis Pasteur's experiments in which he proved that a cell's environment could increase the likelihood of contagion, leading to the creation of sterilization methods in hospitals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ibn al-Khatib was not the first Muslim doctor to propose the theory of contagion. In 1025, the Persian physician Ibn Sina, known in the west as Avicenna, had suggested that people could transmit diseases to each other through the air. But unlike him, Ibn al-Khatib's thoughts would ultimately cause his downfall. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The origins of Ibn al-Khatib's family</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When little Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Said al-Salamani, the man we know as Ibn al-Khatib, entered the world on the night of November 14 /15 in 1313, his family might not have imagined his spectacular rise to prominence or the tragic fall that would ensue. But they may have had reason to expect greatness from him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like many Islamic families across the Iberian Peninsula, they traced their roots back to the conquest of then Visigothic Spain. Ibn al-Khatib's ancestors settled in Cordoba until the 9th century when they moved to Toledo. In 1085 when King Alfonso VI of Castile captured the region, the family's land passed into the hands of Christians. Thereafter, they moved to Loja. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jr76ar9uzSQ/XmUXhYOMOeI/AAAAAAAAdF4/bQy43YZQnrI_BF48SqRhPP3jM1t053iCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Loja%2BAlcazaba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="540" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jr76ar9uzSQ/XmUXhYOMOeI/AAAAAAAAdF4/bQy43YZQnrI_BF48SqRhPP3jM1t053iCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Loja%2BAlcazaba.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Islamic citadel at Loja</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ibn al-Khatib's great-great-grandfather served as an Islamic preacher there; hence the name Ibn al-Khatib, which meant son or descendant of the preacher in Arabic. His grandfather Said married the daughter of a Muslim governor and moved to the Nasrid capital of Granada, where he became one of the tutors of Sultan Muhammad II's children until the summer of 1284, dying of heatstroke.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While I've found nothing but a brief mention of Ibn al-Khatib's mother at the occurrence of her death, incidentally because of plague, his 30-year old father Abd Allah ibn Said al-Salamani already enjoyed a good living that boded well for his new son. The family still lived in Loja when in 1314 the new Sultan Ismail I, the son of Muhammad II's notable daughter Fatima, invited Ibn al-Khatib's father to take a post among the ministerial body that advised Granada's monarchs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Ibn al-Khatib's entry into Granada's high society</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The toddler accompanied his father to the capital and grew up with access to the finest education. Ibn al-Khatib's earliest studies would have included his native Arabic and the Islamic religion, then broadened to knowledge of history, poetry, Sharia law, and medicine. His most prominent teacher became Ibn al-Jayyab, Sultan Ismail's personal secretary.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COd_Z-6iEiM/XmUX29U1ftI/AAAAAAAAdGA/eOeB2R4NLVYlgf-A_sH0aysGmr0AZS4YwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Alhambra%2BView%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COd_Z-6iEiM/XmUX29U1ftI/AAAAAAAAdGA/eOeB2R4NLVYlgf-A_sH0aysGmr0AZS4YwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Alhambra%2BView%2B1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Granada's Alhambra Palace</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the age of 18, Ibn al-Khatib officially gained notice within court circles when he recited a poem before Sultan Ismail's eldest son and successor Muhammad IV in the city of Málaga. Perhaps Ibn al-Khatib seemed destined even then to take a place among the sovereign's ministers. He certainly enjoyed the continued support of his former tutor Ibn al-Jayyab, who at some indeterminate time also offered his own daughter in marriage to Ibn al-Khatib. For some unknown reason, Ibn al-Jayyab's father objected and the union between the disciple and his mentor's daughter never occurred. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This unfortunate circumstance did not stymie Ibn al-Khatib's hopes to make a good match. Frankly, familial and marital connections were key to advancement among Granada's ruling elite. And what would Ibn al-Khatib have considered the most important factor in his choice of a wife? Her father's status, of course. He needed a bride of noble birth, with a parent who supported the Nasrid Sultans. While monarchs held the highest authority, they depended on the nobles to maintain their seat of power at Granada's Alhambra Palace. Fickle politics and discontented nobles had driven Sultan Abu'l-Juyush Nasr, the maternal uncle of Sultan Ismail I from his throne in 1314. With an awareness of the importance of the ruling elite, Ibn al-Khatib naturally contrived to join them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then tragedy struck. Due to their proximity with Granada's early rulers, Ibn al-Khatib and his family must have understood how sudden calamities could affect their fortunes and futures. His father would have known this when the assassinations of Sultan Ismail happened in 1325 and the murder of his son Sultan Muhammad IV occurred eight years later. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17th-century depiction of the Battle of Salado</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This time, Ibn al-Khatib personally suffered. A month before his twenty-seventh birthday would have taken place, he lost his father and an unnamed elder brother on October 30, 1340. They died in the Battle of Rio Salado near Tarifa. Castile's King Alfonso XI allied with Afonso IV of Portugal fought against Granada's master, Sultan Yusuf I, the second son of Sultan Ismail I and his cohort Abu al-Hasan Ali of Morocco's Marinid Dynasty. We can only guess at how Ibn al-Khatib internalized this great loss based on the funerary elegy he composed for his father, of which only four lines have survived.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that would not be the end of Ibn al-Khatib's story.</span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-79759977594632983942020-03-01T07:30:00.004-05:002020-03-01T11:43:50.474-05:00We All Fall Down launches today!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Two years in the making, but finally, <i><b>We All Fall Down - Stories of Plague and Resilience</b></i> is here. This new anthology includes stories by acclaimed writers of historical fiction; David Blixt, Jean Gill, Kristin Gleeson, Jessica Knauss, Laura Morelli, Katherine Pym, Deborah Swift, Melodie Winawer, and yours truly. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The concept </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've always been intrigued by the Black Death. Not merely because my interests tend to border on the macabre, but because I'm fascinated by the human will. That resolute determination to ensure survive at all costs, even when it seems hopeless. Those who faced such a harrowing time as during the plague must have thought the world was at its end. How could they not while whole families died off and European towns lost so much of their populations?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I first discussed the idea of writing about the plague, those who knew about the period responded almost universally, "What? Why would you want to write about something so horrifying?" But I knew within the truly terrible, dark moments of human history, there were always people whose actions provided a beacon of hope.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>How the authors became involved</b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also knew I couldn't do justice to the breadth and scale with which the Black Death impacted Europe. A single story from me would not do. So naturally, I sought other authors who might be interested in a partnership, a collection of short stories. And I'm so grateful to the authors who accepted and contributed their brilliant tales to the anthology. I'd met and admired David, Laura and Melodie through the Historical Novel Society. Jessica and I both write about Spain in the Middle Ages. I knew of Jean through her excellent <i>Troubadours </i>series and I had read Kristin's <i>The Pursuit of the Unicorn.</i> Katherine and Deborah are also well-known for their 17th century novels.With enthusiasm, each of them plunged into their stories. As I secretly hoped, common themes began to emerge, no matter how different each of our contributions ultimately would be. Among the themes, hope, love, and importantly, life after death.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Working together as a team</b> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the outset, assembling a team of authors for a project like this can seem daunting. Unless, you already know you're dealing with professionals focused on the success of the story. For anyone else who is considering working with others on any collection of stories, I heartily recommend it and hope you'll be as fortunate to form connections with a talented group of writers. Teamwork has made this project so worthwhile and it's been an excellent opportunity to learn more about other unique skill sets each author brought to the anthology. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kristin, Melodie, David, Katherine, Jessica, Laura, Deborah, Jean, here's to us! Like you, I look forward to the success of our great work. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">About <i>We All Fall Down - Stories of Plague and Resilience </i></span></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE"><b>Plague has no favorites.</b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">In this anthology, USA Today, international bestselling, and award-winning authors imagine a world where anyone—rich, poor, young, old—might be well in the morning and dead by sundown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Readers will follow in the footsteps of those who fought to rebuild shattered lives as the plague left desolation in its wake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* An Irish woman tends her dying father while the Normans threaten her life and property—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* A Hispano-Muslim doctor fights the authorities to stem the spread of the deadly pestilence at great personal cost—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* A Tuscan street hawker and a fresco painter watch citizens perish all around them even as they paint a better future—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* A Spanish noblewoman lives at the mercy of a jealous queen after plague kills the king—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* The Black Death leaves an uncertain legacy to Dante's son—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* In Venice, the artist Titian agonizes over a death in obscurity—</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* A Scottish thief loses everything to plague and repents in the hope of preventing more losses—</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* Two teenagers from 2020 time-travel to plague-stricken London and are forever changed—</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">* And when death rules in Ottoman-occupied Greece, a Turk decides his own fate. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nine tales bound together by humanity's fortitude in the face of despair: a powerful collection of stories for our own time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-weight: bold;">In dark and deadly times, love and courage shine bright.</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-27611878578858960642020-02-20T10:25:00.002-05:002020-02-20T10:27:09.022-05:00Cover Reveal: We All Fall Down - Stories of Plague and Resilience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 class="section__headline section__headline--book" data-title="" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111111; flex-shrink: 1; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px 0px 17px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: black;">From authors David Blixt, Jean Gill, Kristin Gleeson, J.K. Knauss, Laura Morelli, Katherine P</span>ym, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Deborah Swift, Melodie Winawer & Lisa J. Yarde</span></span></span></h3>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE"><b>Plague has no favorites.</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">In this anthology, USA Today, international bestselling, and award-winning authors imagine a world where anyone—rich, poor, young, old—might be well in the morning and dead by sundown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Readers will follow in the footsteps of those who fought to rebuild shattered lives as the plague left desolation in its wake.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">* An Irish woman tends her dying father while the Normans threaten her life and property</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">* A Hispano-Muslim doctor fights the authorities to stem the spread of the deadly pestilence at great personal cost</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">* A Tuscan street hawker and a fresco painter watch citizens perish all around them even as they paint a better future</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">* A Spanish noblewoman lives at the mercy of a jealous queen after plague kills the king—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">* The Black Death leaves an uncertain legacy to Dante’s son</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">* </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">In Venice, the artist Titian agonizes over a death in obscurity—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">* A Scottish thief loses everything to plague and repents in the hope of preventing more losses—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">* Two teenagers from 2020 time-travel to plague-stricken London and are forever changed—</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span lang="en-IE">* </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">And when death rules in Ottoman-occupied Greece, a Turk decides his own fate. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Nine tales bound together by humanity’s fortitude in the face of despair: a powerful collection of stories for our own time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><b>In dark and deadly times, love and courage shine bright.</b></span></span><br />
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-48725966462161871022019-01-23T09:56:00.000-05:002019-01-23T10:00:47.924-05:00Meet the Author: Wendy Dunn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="text-align: left;">Today, I'm so pleased to welcome author <b><a href="http://www.wendyjdunn.com/" target="_blank">Wendy Dunn</a></b>, whose novel </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters </span></i></b><span style="text-align: left;">is set in Spain, a place near and dear to my heart. While the story occurs during the time of England's future queen Katherine of Aragon, Wendy has not chosen her as the narrator. Wendy shares her history and insights with us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Welcome<span style="text-align: justify;">, Wendy, and thanks for being my guest at The Bajan Scribbler. Please share some insight on your novel, </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters</i><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Thank you for having me as your guest, Lisa. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters </span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">is my third Tudor novel, and the first part of my Katherine of Aragon story, which charts her early life at the court of her mother, Isabel of Castile. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">I am now completing its sequel: <i>Falling Pomegranate Seeds: All Manner of Things</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white;">In </span></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">, </span></b><b><span style="background: white;">I decided to give voice to Beatriz Galindo, a real historical personage, to tell this fictionalised story of Katherine’s early years. Beatriz was a scholar, a poet – sadly, like so many talented women of the past, her work is lost to us – and a lecturer at the University of Salamanca. She was not only a Latin scholar, but also studied the philosophy of Aristotle, medicine and rhetoric. In addition to this, she was married, and a mother and step-mother. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white;">Beatriz offered a perfect subject for me as a writer of fiction. I could only find these fascinating facts attached to her life story. That meant there was huge gaps to fill with the use of my imagination. The bones I possessed of her story also opened up a lot of ‘what if’ questions. My imagination was fired by wondering about this woman who lived a life denied to most women in the Medieval period. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Why did you choose to write about this period in history?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">I love history, and utterly love those times when my study of history causes a person from history step forward in my imagination. </span></b><b><span style="background: white;">Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters is set during a particularly fascinating period and place of history. This was the time which saw Columbus discovering the “New World” and Isabel and her husband Ferdinand engaged in their Holy War. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Married to Francisco Ramírez, master of the King Ferdinand’s artillery, who died in one of the king’s battles, Beatriz Galindo was likely an eyewitness to the fall of Granada. She was also part of Queen Isabel’s court when Isabel exiled her Jewish subjects, after first giving them an ultimatum to convert to Christianity. With her passion for learning, I suspect the expulsion the Moors and Jews would have shaken Beatriz to her core. As an educated woman, she would have known so much of their knowledge came from Jewish and Islamic cultures. As part of this cleansing, they also burned countless and priceless Islamic manuscripts, which erased centuries of knowledge. I am a teacher as well as a writer. I cannot believe Beatriz Galindo would have been happy to witness the burning of books. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white;">Beatriz Galindo lived in a time of great change and upheaval. As a member of Queen Isabel’s court, she frequently accompanied the queen in her court’s peripatetic journey around her kingdom while employed as Katherine of Aragon’s tutor, and likely the tutor to Katherine’s three sisters too. Beatriz was also a personal friend and advisor to the Queen. It appears like she would have accompanied her Queen during the ‘Holy War’, Queen Isabel’s campaign to ‘cleanse’ her country of the Moors, which closed the door upon hundreds of years of Islamic influence in Castile.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br />
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Envisioning Beatriz made me wonder and then imagine what it may have cost her to claim her own life. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white;">My imagination also opened the door to Katherine of Aragon, as both child and girl. The youngest child of five children, Katherine suffered sorrow after sorrow before leaving her home to begin her life of exile in England. But she came to England trained and ready to be a queen. </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><i>Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters</i> </span></b><b><span style="background: white;">imagines how that happened.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">That this period was rich, complicated, turbulent and fascinating.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Were you surprised by the role or actions of historical female figures as you researched the period?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">The actions of historical women, indeed, of all women, never really surprise me, but I was surprised when I discovered myself growing to respect and like Isabel of Castile. At the start of my research, what I knew about her made me not like her at all, but the biographies I read about her life and times turned that view around. She was an amazing Queen, and recognized as such by the people of her time. But what really changed my opinion of her was Isabel the mother. She did love her children, and suffered deeply when they were taken from her by death. I have studied history long enough now to know L.P Hartley was very right when he wrote: </span></b><b><span style="background: white;">"</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">The past is a foreign country</span></b><b><span style="background: white;">:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">they do things differently there</span></b><b><span style="background: white;">." My study of Isabel reminded me I cannot judge people through the context of my own times. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Do you have a favorite character in the novel? What makes him or her most compelling?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">I love Beatriz. She is my point of view character, so I had to love her to write this novel. What makes her compelling? </span></b><b><span style="background: white;">In a male dominated society, Beatriz somehow, and extraordinarily so, rewrote her life story. She appeared to have both worked with and resisted a society which could have easily prevented her from reaching her true potential. Knowing this helped me construct and give voice to a compelling character. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">The film option rights have been purchased and the movie is about to be produced. Who stars in the film version of your novel?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Now, you have really made me start to dream. Hmmm – who for Beatriz. I like </span></b><b>Keira Knightley – she has the right balance of strength and vulnerability.</b><em><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background: white;">Robert Downey Jr.</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background: white;"> for Ferdinand, </span></b></span><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Angelina Jolie </span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background: white;">would be quite interesting for Isabel I. As for the child and teenage Katherine of Aragon…she would have to be paled skin, redhead and blue eyed, and her friend, Maria de Salinas, dark haired, dark eyed and with the promise of real beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Thanks again, Wendy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Thank YOU, Lisa!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Learn more about author Wendy Dunn and read <i>Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters</i>, available now.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.wendyjdunn.com/" target="_blank">www.wendyjdunn.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">An Excerpt from </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></b> </span><br />
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<i style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">“Follow<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>your<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>star<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>will<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>never<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>fail to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>find<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>your<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>glorious<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>port,”<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>said<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">me.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">~ Dante Alighieri<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Burgos, 1490<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Doña Beatriz Galindo caught her breath and tidied her hábito. She shook her head a little when she <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">noticed </span>ink-stained<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>fingers<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>several<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>spots<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>black<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>ink<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">the </span>front of her green gown. She sighed. <i><span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;">Too </span>late now<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">to</span> check<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>my<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>face.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span></i>“The<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>queen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>has<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>sent<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">me,”</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>told<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>lone<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">guard </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>door<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>chambers<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>provided<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>Queen<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">Isabel’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>short<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>stay at<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span>Burgos.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.9pt;"> </span>The<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span>young<span style="letter-spacing: -1.9pt;"> </span>hidalgo<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span>straightened<span style="letter-spacing: -1.9pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span>stance,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.9pt;"> </span>then<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span>knocked once<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>back<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>halberd<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">door,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>eyes<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>fixed<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>the white,<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>bare<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>wall<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>across<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>him.<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>The<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>door<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>opened<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>female servant<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>peeked<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>out<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Beatriz,<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>gesturing<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>come<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>in.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">In<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>spite<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>hours<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>since<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>dawn,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>queen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>sat<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>bed,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">back </span>against<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>oversized<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>cushions.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>still<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>wore<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>white<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>night<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>rail,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">red </span>shawl<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>slung<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>around<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>shoulders,<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>edged<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>embroidery<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>gold thread<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>depicting<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>device<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>arrows.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>A<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">sheer,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>white<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>toca<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>covered her<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>bent<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>head,<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>thick,<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>auburn<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>plait<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>falling<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>over<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>shoulder. Princess Isabel, a title she bore alone as the <span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">queen’s </span>eldest daughter, and named for both her mother and grandmother, sat on a chair beside her mother, twirling a spindle. Her golden red hair was rolled and wrapped in a cream scarf criss-crossed <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">with </span>black<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>lines,<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>wry<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>grin<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>frustration<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>formed<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>dimples<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">cheeks </span>before<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>discarded<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>spindle<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>basket<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>feet<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the others.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>nodded<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>slight<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>smile.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>“Good<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>morning, Latina,”<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>murmured,<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>using<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>nickname<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>bestowed<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Beatriz </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>queen.<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>hid<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>stained<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>fingers<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>behind<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>back<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>and curtseyed her<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>acknowledgement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Straightening<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>up,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>gazed<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>bed-hangings,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>unfurled behind Queen Isabel. His wooden club on the ground beside him,<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>naked<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>Hercules<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>wrestled<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>golden,<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>giant<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>lion.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">Turning </span>to her queen, she fought back a smile and lowered her <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">eyes, </span>pretending<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>little<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>interest<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>Hercules,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>especially<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>one<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>depicted<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">his </span>fullest<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> virility.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Queen Isabel balanced her writing desk across her <span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">lap, </span>scratching<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>quill<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>against<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>parchment,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>writing<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>speed<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">and </span>ease.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>A<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>pile<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>documents<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>lay<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>beside<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">her.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>An<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>open<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>one,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>bearing<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">the </span>seal<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>king,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>topped<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>all<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>rest.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">Beatriz’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>stomach<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>knotted,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>and not<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>just<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>through<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">worry.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>closed<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>eyes<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>breathed<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>deeply<i>.<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;">I </span>am<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>free;<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>am<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>always<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>free<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>while<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>king<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>elsewhere.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">Pray,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">bad </span>news<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>about<span style="letter-spacing: -1.75pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">queen’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>Holy<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;">War.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span></i>The<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>knot<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>stomach<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>became<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;">a </span>roaring<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>fire.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span><i>Holy<span style="letter-spacing: -1.95pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">War?</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">Jesu’</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>–<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>how<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>hate<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>calling<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>any<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>war<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>that.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">Pray </span>God, just keep my beloved<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>safe.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">She almost laughed out loud then; as one of the <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">king’s </span>most important artillery officers, Francisco Ramirez, the man <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Beatriz </span>loved<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>promised<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">marry,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>did<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>live<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>safe<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>lived<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>to live.<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>His<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>zest<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>life<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>what<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>first<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>made<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>fall<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>love<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>him. <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Waiting</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>hear<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>reason<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>summons,<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>gazed<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>around<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>the spacious<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>bedchamber,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>composing<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>mind<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span>letter<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">would </span>write to him<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>tonight:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"> My love, my days are long without you...<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">No</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>–<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">couldn’t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>write<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>that.<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>If<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>did,<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>would<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>lie.<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Her days<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>were<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>full<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>–<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>most<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>mornings<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>spent<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>tutoring<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>girls<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>before relishing<span style="letter-spacing: -1.75pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>long<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>afternoons<span style="letter-spacing: -1.75pt;"> </span>free<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>own<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span>studies.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.75pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -1.7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">missed </span>Francisco,<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>still<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>lived<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>rich<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>life<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>without<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>him,<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>richer<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>one<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>when he was at<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>court.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">What to write to him then? She could not tell him of <span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">her </span>hatred of the Holy <span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">War. </span>She could never name as holy a war stamping<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>out<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>any<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>hope<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>another<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>golden<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>age,<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>when<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>Jews,<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Moors and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>Christians<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>lived<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>worked<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>together<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>peace.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>Francisco<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;">a </span>learned<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>man,<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>man<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>who<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>used<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>learning<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>win<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">war.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>Her learning taught her otherwise. <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">It </span>taught her to keep silent <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">about </span>what<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>really<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>felt<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>protect<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>freedoms<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>life.<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>Could<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> she </span>tell him then of her joy of teaching the infanta Catalina and her companion María de Salinas? <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">For </span>six months now she had been given<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>full<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>responsibility<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>learning.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>looked<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span>queen. Surely<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>queen<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>happy<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">infanta’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>progress?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">As<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>spoken<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>out<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>thought<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>aloud<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>queen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">said, </span>“I<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>want<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>speak<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>about<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>my<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>youngest<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">daughter.”</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>waved<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>a hand to a nearby stool. “Please<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">sit.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">The<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>queen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>put<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>aside<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>quill<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>pushed<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>away<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>paperwork. She<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>lifted<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>bloodshot,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>sore-looking<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>eyes.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>A<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>yellow<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>crust<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>coated<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>her long, thick<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>lashes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Seated on the stool, Beatriz gazed at the queen in concern. If there was no improvement by <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">tomorrow, </span>she would prepare a treatment of warm milk and honey for her eyes, even at <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 2.45pt;"> </span>risk of once again upsetting those fools calling themselves <span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">the queen’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>physicians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">“Si, my queen?” she murmured.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">“Tell </span>me, how do you find my Catalina and our little cousin<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>María?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Beatriz began breathing easier. <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">Just </span>another summons to do with the <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">infanta’s </span>learning. “Both girls are good students, my queen,”<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>smiled.<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>“The<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>infanta<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>Catalina<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>natural<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">scholar. </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>relishes<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>learning<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>–<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>even<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>when<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>subject<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>difficult,<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>that does<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>surprise<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>me.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">Your</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>daughter<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>very<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>intelligent,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>just<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>like<span style="letter-spacing: -1.35pt;"> </span>her royal<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>mother.<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>María<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>too,<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>bright<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>child.<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>Slower<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>than<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>infanta, but already the child reads simple books written in our native tongue,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>well<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>some<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>Latin.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>The<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>method<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>having<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>books<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>written in<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>Latin<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>Castilian<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>placed<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>side-by-side<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>working<span style="letter-spacing: -1.65pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">well.”</span><span style="letter-spacing: -1.6pt;"> </span>Beatriz straightened<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>lifted<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>head.<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>“It<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>method<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>used<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">teach </span>me<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>when<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>was<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>same<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>age<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>infanta.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">The queen exchanged a look with her listening daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">“I have been pleased to see how much my Catalina, my sweet chiquitina<b>, </b>enjoys her mornings with <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">you.” </span>Queen <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">Isabel </span>brought her hands together, drumming her fingertips together for<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>moment.<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>“Latina,<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>believe<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>infantas<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>Juana<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>María<span style="letter-spacing: -.75pt;"> </span>can be given over to other tutors now that you have provided <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">them</span><span style="letter-spacing: 2.45pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>excellent<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>grounding<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>Latin<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>philosophy,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">desire </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">Catalina’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>main<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">tutor,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>course<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>includes<span style="letter-spacing: -.6pt;"> </span>María,<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>her companion.”<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>Queen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>Isabel<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>twisted<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>ring<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -1.2pt;"> </span>swollen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>finger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">“One <span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;">day, </span>my Catalina will be <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">England’s </span>queen. <span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">It </span>will <span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">be </span>not an easy task – not in a country that has known such unrest for <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">many, </span>many years. I want to make certain my daughter is as prepared as I can make <span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">her, </span>but I need your help. Can I rely <span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;">on </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>stay<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>us,<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>teach<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>Catalina<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>what<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>needs<span style="letter-spacing: -.7pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>know<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">of </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">England’s </span>history, its customs, its<span style="letter-spacing: -1.55pt;"> </span>laws?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">“My</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.5pt;"> </span>queen,<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>course...”<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>halted<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>acceptance<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;">when </span>the queen raised her<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">“Think<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>before<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>commit<span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>yourself.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.0pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;">You</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.95pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: -.9pt;"> </span>betrothed.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.05pt;"> </span>What will<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>happen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>when<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>wed<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>and,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>God<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>willing,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>have<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>blessing of<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>children?<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;">We</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>talk<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>obligation<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>least<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>ten<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>years,<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>for you<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>only<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>my<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">daughter’s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;">tutor,</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>act<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>also<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.8pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.85pt;"> </span>dueña.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">Beatriz<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>smiled<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>Queen<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>Isabel.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>“Francisco<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.25pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>are<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>both<span style="letter-spacing: -1.3pt;"> </span>your loyal servants. When the time comes, we will do what needs <span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;">to be</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: large;">done<span style="letter-spacing: -0.4pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>our<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>marriage<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>children,<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>but<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>I<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>will<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>confess<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>you<span style="letter-spacing: -0.35pt;"> </span>that my<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>real<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>life<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>here,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>teacher<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>at<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>University<span style="letter-spacing: -1.45pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -1.4pt;"> </span>Salamanca. I am honoured that you wish me to continue in that role for the infanta.<span style="letter-spacing: -1.15pt;"> </span>And<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>entrusted<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>teaching<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>your<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>daughter,<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span>now<span style="letter-spacing: -1.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">and </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span>future...<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;"> </span>my<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span>queen,<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;"> </span>words<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span>can<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span>describe<span style="letter-spacing: -0.65pt;"> </span>what<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -0.7pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.15pt;">means </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -0.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.2pt;">me.”</span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-10991321423744210002019-01-02T08:05:00.000-05:002019-01-04T13:15:13.131-05:00Why Moorish Spain Fell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Happy New Year! But back on January 2, 1492, this day would not have been considered a joyous occasion for the Muslim inhabitants of Spain. Their world had ended as more than seven centuries of Moorish rule in what was now a majority Catholic country collapsed. Historians have referred to the event as a dying gasp or whimper as the last Islamic rulers, the Nasrids, handed over the keys to the city of Granada and access to their Alhambra Palace to the Catholic monarchs of a united peninsula. Moorish Spain had long been in decline. Several factors aided that final push over the precipice, much of which I've explored in the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077DL6WMS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i11" target="_blank">six-part <b><i>Sultana</i> </b>novel series</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444;">"La rendición de Granada" or The Capitulation of Granada by F. Padilla</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: large;">Five hundred and twenty-seven years later, I'm reflecting on the reasons for the fall of Moorish Spain. Having spent more than twenty years researching the time in which the Iberian Peninsula was once a predominantly Muslim region, the actors who played their roles in the last act of what I consider a great tragedy are as familiar to me as old friends and hated enemies. The Sultans; proud Abu'l-Hasan Ali, his rebellious brother Muhammad al-Zaghal and the luckless Muhammad XI, fated to be the last Muslim monarch to reign over a diminished Granada. Fierce Sultana Aisha and her daughter-in-law, Sultana Moraima, who did not long survive the surrender of the final Islamic kingdom. The rival Isabel de Solis who captured a Sultan's heart but ended her days as a Christian again. Queen Isabella of Castile with her husband King Ferdinand of Aragon accomplished what no other Christian predecessor of hers had done; undeniable submission. While I've painted her as the villain of my novels, I can't deny the transformative effect of her accomplishment. With the fall of Granada, Spain and Portugal stemmed their adversary's access to the gold of Africa and invaded the continent, while also pursuing the exploration of what they would come to call the New World. One of the purported witnesses of the Moors' exodus from the city was the young captain Christopher Columbus.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While Isabella's aims were achieved, it's impossible for me to view them without a cynical view or negate how events within Granada's Alhambra Palace, completely outside of her control or influence, allowed her to obtain victory. She inspired religious zeal by portraying her crusade against the Moors as a holy war, but in the end, her efforts paved a path towards the Inquisition and the deaths of thousands of Jews and Moors, the latter of whom she had promised would not be forced to convert to Christianity. She could not have anticipated how </span><span style="font-size: large;">Abu'l-Hasan Ali's clashes with his younger sibling Muhammad al-Zaghal and his son Muhammad XI</span><span style="font-size: large;"> would have fractured the Nasrid Dynasty. Nor could she have known that the rivalry between supporters of Abu'l-Hasan Ali and his first wife Aisha would have led to the Moors' downfall. Centuries of knowledge were destroyed as Arabic and Jewish texts fed bonfires. Yet, ultimately, Isabella is responsible for maintaining much of Alhambra Palace as it was at the time of her conquest. Beyond her grandson's destruction of the southern portion of the complex, which might have been part of the royal harem, the site largely remains the same. Never seen Alhambra? Now's as good a time as any to go; personally, I prefer winters in Granada than a hellish summer.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oL2TWxQKkHc/XCy1PLvM3kI/AAAAAAAAWyc/rLGRDeoqem8KymO2ixziie0JivYUDcw8ACLcBGAs/s1600/Alhambra%2Bview%2B21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1198" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oL2TWxQKkHc/XCy1PLvM3kI/AAAAAAAAWyc/rLGRDeoqem8KymO2ixziie0JivYUDcw8ACLcBGAs/s320/Alhambra%2Bview%2B21.jpg" width="239" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If you walk the corridors of Alhambra Palace today, there's an Arabic inscription that occurs repeatedly throughout the stuccoed walls and tiled rooms. <span style="background-color: white;"><i>Wa-la ghaliba illa-Llah</i>, which translates as 'there is no conqueror but God.' It had been the motto of the Nasrids for two hundred and sixty years. As a devout Catholic, Isabella believed in the power of God fervently too, that He was on her side. Did the fall of Moorish Spain prove her right?</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></div>
Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-56904514675347758402018-11-26T06:02:00.000-05:002018-11-26T06:05:00.490-05:00Meet the Author: Loretta Goldberg<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_WvMbfg05o/W_vQBsPe_rI/AAAAAAAAWPU/P7othwxNP20m0WSnJLG6s5me8b5li3KngCLcBGAs/s1600/LorettaG016-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_WvMbfg05o/W_vQBsPe_rI/AAAAAAAAWPU/P7othwxNP20m0WSnJLG6s5me8b5li3KngCLcBGAs/s400/LorettaG016-Edit.jpg" width="300" /></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Today, I'm so pleased to welcome author <b><a href="http://www.lorettagoldberg.com/" target="_blank">Loretta Goldberg</a></b>, whose exciting debut, <b><i>The Reversible Mask</i></b> is set in Elizabethan England. Loretta shares her history and insights into the new novel.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Loretta, thanks so much for being a guest!</span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">What drew you to the Elizabethan period of history?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">First, Lisa, I really appreciate your welcoming me into your blog, which I’ve admired for a long time. So thank you. Let me explain my affinity for English history. I grew up in Melbourne Australia, a commonwealth country, like Barbados. English history and culture was in our skin cells, hair and stomachs. Especially our stomachs. Plum pudding, for example. I don’t know about you, but in the sweltering heat of down-under summers, Christmas meant steaming plum puddings, hung in cellars for months infused with alcohol, served with hot brandy sauce, with three pence and sixpence coins inside for lucky kids who sucked and nibbled rabbit-like, before swallowing. Woe if you swallowed your wealth! That was a cultural imprint. Then there were postage stamps. Each set from a Commonwealth nation was a lesson in geography and history. </span></span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-size: large;">So although my biological tribe is Ashkenazi Jew, my consciousness was of the colonies.</span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Coming to the Elizabethan period, in particular, any place or time can yield riveting tales of intrigue, love, greed, courage, great virtue, and betrayal. It was Elizabethan language that entranced me. I did my first degree in English Literature, Musicology and History at the University of Melbourne, and taught in the English Department before coming to the USA on a music scholarship. The language was at peak creativity, with influences from other languages freely incorporated. It was as much of a golden age for clerks, lawyers, and diplomats as it was for poets and playwrights. Lower class folks too. If you read law trials of murderers, thieves, pirates, or women healers recounting dreams, they had earthy metaphors, inventive curses and a gift for description. Shakespeare only had to walk down the street to get his “low life” scenes. Then, at the government level, Elizabeth appointed councillors as strong-willed as herself. Tussles over policy were copiously documented. Whether the issue was marriage and the royal succession, war, diplomacy, trade, taxation, the myriad shades of religion, you find interpersonal dramas. These Tudor imbroglios fascinated me as much as Greek and Roman writings hooked the Elizabethans.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Other aspects of the period also drew me, a shaking up of things that resonated for me with contemporary life. The invention of the printing press late in the fifteenth century spawned uncontrollable outpourings of information, dissent, and wicked satire. Institutions reeled, their leaders often responding with appalling cruelty. There was a siren call for religious martyrdom. Traditional alliances were upended, there was a heady excitement at new learning and an expanding geographical world. Militarily, no side could annihilate the other, so violence was intermittent but never-ending. However, the era also brought the notion of companionate marriage, secular social welfare programs, and more education. Social change hovers over everyone in the novel, an unloved guest no one can ignore <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">My fictionalized anti-hero, spy and adventurer, lover and betrayer, steps into this messy world. He’s a Catholic Englishman miserable at living under a Protestant regime. Trying to reconcile the conflict in his heart between faith and patriotism, he inserts himself into the religious wars, striving to moderate English and Spanish policy. <i>The Reversible Mask</i> is a quest novel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Did anything unexpected or unusual come to light during your research?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A location. The first alpine tunnel –nearly three miles long--was hewed through Monte Viso 1480-1490 and used until1582. King Louis XI of France and Ludovico II Del Vasto, Marquis of Saluzzo, built it so their traders could evade Tuscan taxes. The former financial advisor in me was tickled by this. I send my main character, Edward Latham, and his sworn oath brother, Don Cristobal, through the tunnel when they were still serving the Catholic side. A workable alpine tunnel in the fifteenth century seemed like a miracle to me. A friend scoffed at that, saying it couldn’t compare with the Egyptian pyramids. True, but think about the different incentives. The ancient Egyptians were stretching to transcendence, starting from sand, while these trading monarchs started near the mountaintop and burrowed, wedged and fired for the base worship of Mammon. It reminded me of some of the generation-skipping trusts and other financial devices I studied as an insurance agent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">If you could experience any other time in history, what would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A time when women had more equality. Pre-agrarian. Anthropologists say hunter-gatherer societies were more egalitarian, had more leisure and even better health than property-governed societies. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Where would you live, and what would your profession be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The ancient fertile crescent. I’d be a healer, expert in herbal medicine, passed on orally by generations of ancestor healers. The social organization would be like some Australian aboriginal tribes, where fifty people can breed legally among fifty, a defined group. I’d have four children, two apprenticing to me, and child-rearing would be a collective activity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Now that you’ve completed <b><i>The Reversible Mask</i></b>, what can readers expect next?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Initially, lots of blogging. I’m also writing about an intriguing primary document I located during my research: an “insider” European view of Ottoman politics in the 1570s. One culture’s verdict on another is always fascinating. My website is <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.lorettagoldberg.com/">www.lorettagoldberg.com</a></span>, so do please visit. Feedback and questions are welcome. </span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB">The sequel to <i>The Reversible Mask</i> will centre on a conflict between the Hanseatic League and Elizabeth. Drake captures an entire merchant convoy of over 60 ships bringing war materials to Spain, based on Latham’s spying. New fictional characters I love, a Fleming Hansa merchant and his wife, play major roles. Stay tuned!</span></b><b><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Sounds wonderful! Thanks so much again, Loretta, for sharing <i><b>The Reversible Mask</b></i> with readers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB">Now's your chance to read an excerpt of this debut novel. And, w</span>ant to know more about Loretta? Follow her on <a href="http://www.lorettagoldberg.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">**AN EXCERPT FROM <i>THE REVERSIBLE MASK**</i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"> Rays of a late afternoon sun dissected the street’s stone buildings, painting them golden and brown. Albert Braak, Latham’s tousle-haired, bow-legged Huguenot quarry, glanced behind him as he turned into a side street, prompting Latham to slip into the shadows. They weren’t far from The Yellow Cock Spur tavern, where Latham had once met David Hicks.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"> The tavern wasn’t Braak’s destination. He turned a corner, and another, stopping outside a stone building with a wooden addition on one side. It looked like an old school that had been hastily</span><span lang="EN-GB"> expanded during Paris’s population surge in the 1520s. The addition leaned against its host, each decrepit construction propping the other up. The roof sported a sad-faced stone lion with half a mane. T</span><span lang="EN-GB">he windows were </span><span lang="EN-GB">dark,</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB">but fresh horse dung in the street indicated life inside. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"> Braak peered at the side of a window frame, opened the door and went in. Latham walked to the same window. A freshly scratched spur was visible on the flaky shutter; easy to sand off. He grinned. A clandestine cockfight, as David Hicks had said. More men approached as Latham left. </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-GB"> He </span><span lang="EN-GB">needed a drink before suborning Braak. Back at the<i> </i>Yellow Cocks Spur,<i> </i>every post had a horse tied to it, and inside, a crowd of men in livery drank companionably, there to collect their employers after the fight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Latham squeezed onto the end of a bench and called for ale, thinking about his task. He had to confirm that Genlis had left Paris because he’d raised the troops he needed; that this force was going to attack the Spanish army at Mons; and what Genlis expected to gain by leaving his courier, Braak, behind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> He stared at the thick white froth in his tankard, trying to imagine the next hour. Hélène had said Braak was a gambling loser. Latham intended to cover his debts with coin, jewels and fur trim, and had dressed opulently. In addition, he’d sewn onto his doublet sleeve a little red rose with white inner petals nestling on green leaves. It was the Tudor emblem, meant to mislead Braak about his allegiance. Latham expected that if Braak faced debtor’s prison when his duty was to rush messages to Genlis, his gratitude would overcome caution, and he’d betray Genlis. But what if Braak won? What if Hélène was wrong about his haplessness? Latham had no alternative plan. He pushed this worry aside; he trusted Hélène’s assessments of men gone bad. On these subjects she was wise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Getting what he needed from Braak would require better playacting than he’d done before. Up to now, in the guise of a trader, he’d mostly assembled pubic facts about commodity prices. It was the pattern that his Spanish spymaster sought: sudden sustained increases often implied military mobilization. <i>Today is different,</i> he mused, <i>I must dig out of Braak a secret he’d never otherwise reveal, which means <b>stripping</b> him of agency. </i>He<i> </i>conjured up a world of deception. <i>Must I become a theologian of deception, like the old scholastics?</i> <i>Is there a hierarchy of deceit, a netherworld where lies whirl in serried ranks? How many lies can dance on the head of a pin?</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> “A turn and a half of the glass. One more flagon,” a servant called. An hour and a</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> half left of the fight.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Latham had to go. Girding himself, he returned to the schoolhouse, crossed the empty lobby, and pushed aside heavy curtains. Vendors in the ante-room were hawking food and drink; a few customers were relaxing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Opening the hall door, he was greeted by heat and noise. <span lang="EN-GB">Resin wall torches and candles set on traverse ceiling beams lit the room.</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB">Looking up, Latham laughed. In a corner was the customary man-sized basket suspended by chains from a ceiling beam, used to string up a gambler who couldn’t cover his losses. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-78514305209673250442018-11-16T03:15:00.000-05:002018-11-16T03:15:07.752-05:00Al-Andalus Authors Newsletter Launch: Why Moorish Spain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I'm a part of Al-Andalus Authors, a cooperative formed with David Penny, John D. Cressler and Joan Fallon, who have each written about Moorish Spain's history. Our first newsletter is available NOW! Every month on the 15th day, we'll provide fascinating insights into Moorish Spain, our passion for its history and our books. This month's topic, "Why Moorish Spain." Here's a snippet:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"About Moorish Spain</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TwjVN7Z7oAg/W-57_kJ0iWI/AAAAAAAAWAc/zp_pfyoPqZYx00Z0SwC0bfS-U61DWxqZwCLcBGAs/s1600/Moorish%2BArch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="732" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TwjVN7Z7oAg/W-57_kJ0iWI/AAAAAAAAWAc/zp_pfyoPqZYx00Z0SwC0bfS-U61DWxqZwCLcBGAs/s320/Moorish%2BArch.jpg" width="262" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Why Moorish Spain? For any traveler who has marveled at the beauty of Seville's Giralda or Alcazar, wandered between the columns of La Mezquita in Cordoba or explored Granada's timeless Alhambra, the answer is easy. Moorish Spain captures the imagination. A sentiment shared by John D. Cressler, Joan Fallon, David Penny, and Lisa J. Yarde when they formed Al-Andalus Authors.</span></div>
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Moorish Spain or Al-Andalus in the time of Muslim people who once ruled the land is the predominant setting for many of John, Joan, David and Lisa's novels. Inspiration comes from the richness of the region's history and culture, and the influence the Islamic religion on the architecture, language, and food. Spain is a beautiful country of ice-capped mountains in the north, and sage green grass and red ochre soil in the central tableland. Heat stifles the south in summers. Spaniards inherited a rich legacy from the Celts, Romans and Goths, and Christians, Jews, and Muslims. But it is in the vestiges of Moorish Spain alone that the influence of the latter remains best evident today.</div>
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John, Joan, David, and Lisa each have unique and deeply personal reasons for having chosen this place in time as the setting of their most beloved novels. They invite you to share their insights now."</div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-67647540401593658682018-11-06T09:11:00.004-05:002018-11-06T09:12:18.390-05:00New home, new title: The Bajan Scribbler<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKROpUuF4-8/W-Gg8NKherI/AAAAAAAAV_I/7xlRLjpbxWghxi2PjZsJ57FwbunMDEnMACKgBGAs/s1600/20181024_110644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hKROpUuF4-8/W-Gg8NKherI/AAAAAAAAV_I/7xlRLjpbxWghxi2PjZsJ57FwbunMDEnMACKgBGAs/s320/20181024_110644.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Big changes! The Brooklyn Scribbler is now <b>The Bajan Scribbler</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Prompted by my recent move to Barbados, the place of my birth, effectively immediately the name of this blog has changed as well. The link from my website will redirect here, too. If you've saved the URL, please update it to <a href="http://thebajanscribbler.blogspot.com/">http://thebajanscribbler.blogspot.com/</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">So, what do all these changes mean? Just a new address. I'll still be writing and blogging, working with the <a href="https://hnsnyc.wixsite.com/hnsnyc" target="_blank">HNS-NYC chapter</a> and sharing a lifelong fascination with all things Moorish Spain at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlAndalusAuthors/" target="_blank"><i>Al-Andalus Authors</i></a>; the first newsletter will launch on November 15. I hope readers will continue the journey with me, too.</span><br />
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-84326460716075420662018-05-11T14:22:00.001-04:002018-05-19T17:40:57.672-04:00FLASH SALE - Free on Kindle today: Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">For the first time! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sultana-Pomegranate-Novel-Moorish-Spain-ebook/dp/B018EY7VPK/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank">Download for free</a> and save $3.99; this weekend only. </span><b style="font-size: x-large;">ENDED MAY 13. </b><a href="http://www.lisajyarde.com/p/monthly-promotions.html" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Check out other promos on my website</a><span style="font-size: large;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B9xZaor2N5I/Wk-dvKytsTI/AAAAAAAAT-U/wqe7Pm2SwxMamG3_AS7QS83N_TwYqp1ggCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Sultana_TPT_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B9xZaor2N5I/Wk-dvKytsTI/AAAAAAAAT-U/wqe7Pm2SwxMamG3_AS7QS83N_TwYqp1ggCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Sultana_TPT_Kindle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Book #5 of the Sultana series. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In fifteenth-century Moorish Spain, Aisha, the descendant of the Sultans of Granada endures a life imperiled by dynastic warfare, loss, and cruel fate. Enemies descend on the kingdom from all sides and threaten to tear it apart. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">To preserve a fragile peace, Aisha suffers a sham marriage to a cruel tyrant, forever divided from the love that once ruled her heart. Years later, when a trusted confidante becomes a powerful rival, Aisha must fight for the future of the next generation or witness the destruction of her family and the last vestiges of Moorish rule in Spain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“...I spoke so you would never forget who you are again. You have a proud heritage and Nasrid pride, the pride of lions who lived and ruled for centuries before your existence, and the Sultanas who would not let fate or circumstance bend or break them. Their blood flows in your veins! Saad and his son have taken from you. Show them that you are as fierce as Jazirah, Butayna, Fatima, and even Maryam the viper. As strong as the lioness upon the plains. A lioness of Gharnatah. You have not forgotten. You do not forgive. You shall have recompense for the lives they have ruined and the blood they have shed.”</span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-43114632780117264442018-05-06T09:06:00.002-04:002018-05-13T08:18:08.767-04:00FLASH SALE - Free on Kindle today: Sultana: Two Sisters and Sultana: The Bride Price<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Today, books #3 and #4 of the Sultana series are FREE to download on Kindle. Save $3.99. <b>ENDED MAY 4. </b><a href="http://www.lisajyarde.com/p/monthly-promotions.html" target="_blank">Check out other promos on my website</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kTqnzwoK7sU/Wu78ZNxOiBI/AAAAAAAAUVM/wj3jVyNv1L03_HvwFv9dq9He8ZRBMAasQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sultana_TwoSisters_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kTqnzwoK7sU/Wu78ZNxOiBI/AAAAAAAAUVM/wj3jVyNv1L03_HvwFv9dq9He8ZRBMAasQCLcBGAs/s320/Sultana_TwoSisters_Kindle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Book #3 of the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Sultana</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><b> series</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">In fourteenth-century Spain, former friends vie for a man's heart and the future of his kingdom. Both women are captives sold into the harem of Sultan Yusuf I of Moorish Granada. A young girl with a hidden heritage, Esperanza Peralta, forges a new identity as Butayna and becomes the mother of Yusuf's firstborn son.The Jewess Miriam Alubel takes the name Maryam and also bears Yusuf's children, including two sons. The clash between former friends is inevitable, as each finds diverging paths in a dizzying rise to power beside their husband. Both remain aware of the struggle ahead, for only one heir may inherit Yusuf's throne and only one woman can claim the revered title, Mother of the Sultan.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b> <b style="text-align: center;">Excerpt</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><br />"...Two heirs to sit upon the throne when there can be just one Sultan to succeed his father. Some would say Yusuf is fortunate to have two sons. Others would think him cursed. Regardless, I do not doubt the news will please him, given your recent tragedy."<br /><br />Butayna's nails raked the doorpost. Her other hand went to her empty stomach, where six weeks ago her second child had thrived for five months until failure shattered her hopes. The court astrologer had predicted another boy.<br /><br />Maryam added, "If you believe this is the last time I shall bear Yusuf a son, you are mistaken. I will not fade away, while you keep Yusuf at your side. He does not love me, not yet, but I will bind his heart with our children. If you think Muhammad shall inherit the throne just because he is the eldest, you are wrong."<br /><br />A shudder coursed through Butayna. She fisted her hands at her sides before she turned to Maryam. "If you ever strike at Muhammad, no one, not even Yusuf shall save you from my wrath! I will choke the life from you with my bare hands. Do not mistake the measure of my love for my son."<br /><br />Over her shoulder, Maryam said, "Do not underestimate my ambitions for mine."</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <a href="https://amzn.to/2JULXqL" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Download now</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-wUd7y7bDU/Wu78faIIIAI/AAAAAAAAUVQ/q6vjBROqXksk5HuCA58RPzPaG1XqpPSaQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sultana_TBP_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b-wUd7y7bDU/Wu78faIIIAI/AAAAAAAAUVQ/q6vjBROqXksk5HuCA58RPzPaG1XqpPSaQCLcBGAs/s320/Sultana_TBP_Kindle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Book #4 of the Sultana series. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">In fourteenth-century Moorish Spain, a marriage of convenience for the sake of peace leads to disaster in the medieval kingdom of Granada. The young queen Jazirah, caught up in a dynastic struggle between warring brothers, fights for her survival. Wed to a husband who looks at her with more suspicion than lust in his eyes, she must escape reminders of a brutal past in a quest to find forgiveness, hope, and love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Her husband Muhammad faces greater peril than union with a wife he cannot trust. Surrounded by enemies within his family who seek the throne and undermined by ministers who would alter the course of his country's future, he intends to rule the land of his ancestors alone. How can he endure against his most bitter opponents, not least among them, the woman whom he has chosen for a bride? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">"...Why do you speak of me as if I am not here?" Jazirah demanded. Despite the collective gasps from everyone in attendance, she continued, "We may address each other as equals for we are both the grandchildren of a Sultan of Gharnatah." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Her father admonished, "Jazirah, you are not the equal of a man, least of all the Sultan! You will apologize and beg his forgiveness. Now!" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Muhammad raised a hand. While Ismail fell silent and glared at Jazirah, she returned his narrowed stare with intense regard. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Sultan said, "Let her keep false words behind her teeth. I would not believe them. What else could I expect, but this behavior from the daughter of a traitor to his people and my father?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span> <a href="https://amzn.to/2JULXqL" target="_blank">Download now</a></span></div>
Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-2388042061993356862018-04-24T10:11:00.000-04:002018-04-24T13:37:57.778-04:00Meet the Author: John D. Cressler<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">With my next MEET THE AUTHOR post, I’m pleased to introduce John D. Cressler, as this week's guest author and share his newest novel. John’s stopping by to share an excerpt of <i>Fortune's Lament</i>, part of his Anthems of al-Andalus series set in Moorish Spain and to offer insight on his writing. Given my own obsession with the place and time he's written about, John's work has been of particular interest to me, so expect to hear more about him on this blog. As a bonus, John has generously offered to give away up to TEN Kindle versions to those who leave a comment on this post! So, please do comment and INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS in the comment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/dr8jkutopx2y8p0/Cressler%20Fortune%27s%20Lament%20-%20Excerpt%20for%20Blog.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="124" data-original-width="102" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zycTpFzUAxU/Wt8x5MpCM8I/AAAAAAAAURQ/-LuqE74IIjQLK6kXbnmWCz2ujZIXqHwWwCLcBGAs/s1600/PDF.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Interview with John D. Cressler</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Welcome John, thanks for being my guest at The Brooklyn Scribbler. Please share some insight on your Anthems of al-Andalus series and the latest installment,<i> Fortune's Lament.</i></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thanks for inviting me, Lisa! Let me give some background on this amazing period of history, and then zoom-in on each of my three novels in the <i>Anthems of al-Andalus Series</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As you know, much of modern Spain was under Muslim control for nearly 800 years (from 711 to 1492 C.E.). Medieval Islamic Spain was deeply influential in world history, for a multitude of reasons, including the rediscovery, translation, and dissemination of the lost works of medicine, science, and philosophy of the ancient Greeks. The Muslim Umayyads (with roots tracing back to Syria) were lovers of books and learning, and helped launch a cultural revolution in Córdoba, which transformed the western world. An exceptional 200-plus-year period of peaceful coexistence occurred between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam under Muslim Umayyad rule, providing a powerful lesson in the practice of multiculturalism for our twenty-first-century world. This time period was both deeply influential in world history and riveting, and I have fallen in love with all-things-al-Andalus! All three of my novels are love stories interwoven into this rich history. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Emeralds of the Alhambra</i></b><b>, my first release, is a love story set in the resplendent Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, during the Castilian Civil War (1367-1369 C.E.), a time when Muslims took up their swords to fight alongside Christians. Emeralds tells the story of William Chandon, a Christian knight captured and brought to the Alhambra to be used by the Muslim sultan as a political pawn, and the Sufi Muslim princess Layla, daughter of the sultan’s chief counsellor. As Chandon’s influence at court grows, he becomes trapped between his forbidden love for Layla and his Christian heritage, the demands of chivalry and political expediency. Chandon and Layla must make choices between love and honor, war and peace, life and death, choices which ultimately will seal Granada’s fate as the last surviving stronghold of Islamic Spain. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Shadows in the Shining City, </i></b><b>my second release, is a prequel to <i>Emeralds of the Alhambra</i>, and immerses the reader in Islamic Spain’s Golden Age. Shadows tells the story of the forbidden love between Rayhana, a Muslim princess of the royal court, and Zafir, a freed slave. Young love blossoms in 975 C.E. in Madinat al-Zahra, the Shining City, Caliph al-Hakam II’s magnificent royal palace located just outside of Córdoba. Their love story is set against the backdrop of the epic rise to power of Rayhana’s ruthless father, Ibn Abi Amir, a man history will come to both celebrate and revile for the role he plays in the collapse of Islamic Spain.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Fortune’s Lament</i></b><b>, my latest, is again set in Granada, 120 years after <i>Emeralds of the Alhambra</i>, and sets the stage for the final collapse of Muslim Spain. It tells the story of Danah, a young Muslim woman who aspires to be the first female physician in the city. Love unexpectedly blossoms between Danah and Yusef, a valiant prince of court from a rival clan, during the bloody final conquest of Granada by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Christian Spain. As the light of Islamic Spain dims, the Inquisition looms large on the horizon, as does the coming voyage of Columbus to discover the Americas.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When you first began writing, did you have a series in mind? If not, what changed your thoughts?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Yes, I intended to write a series from the very beginning. There is just too much fascinating history to be told. I envision the series stretching to at least 4 books, maybe more.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The women of Al-Andalus exhibit surprising behavior in your novels, moving beyond the traditional roles readers may expect of women in the medieval period. Where you surprised by the role of medieval Muslim women as you researched the period?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">That is true, yes. I discovered many surprising elements to this history, including the strong role women often played in decisions that influenced pivotal outcomes (by a variety of means; some good, some bad), as well as the unusual social mobility women sometimes enjoyed. I wanted to highlight this nuanced piece of the history. Actually, there are three deeper themes present in all of my novels, themes that greatly interest me: 1) How strong young women cross the artificial boundaries society imposes. 2) The nature of love and its power to transform us. Yes, these are love stories! And 3) The importance of religious tolerance, and the beauty of multiculturalism. All of these themes firmly anchored to a riveting historical context, but are also highly relevant to our modern world. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Do you have favorite characters from each of your novels in the series? If so, tell us why you prefer that character above others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Well, definitely my young female protagonists! Layla, in <i>Emeralds</i>, Rayhana in <i>Shadows</i>, and Danah in <i>Fortune’s Lament</i>. All are bright, all are strong-willed, all are determined to break out of the traditional roles and expectations assigned to them. AND…..all unexpectedly encounter love along their journeys… which changes everything (as love is wont to do!).<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Do you plan to write more novels set in Al-Andalus? If not, where will your writing adventures take you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Definitely! Novel # 4 in the series has already commenced, and it will be a sequel to <i>Fortune’s Lament</i>, telling the story of the final collapse of Granada in 1492. Beyond that, time will tell</b><b>―</b><b>but one thing is certain: there are plenty of stories left in the 800 years of al-Andalus that still beg to be told! Stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thanks again, John!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Learn more about John D. Cressler</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://johndcressler.com/" target="_blank">Website</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BooksByJohnDCressler/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/johndcressler" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/John-D-Cressler/e/B001JS6O0M/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank">Amazon Author Page</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Buy <i>Fortune's Lament, </i>Anthems of al-Andalus series #3</b></span><br />
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>PRINT</b>: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620063727">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1620063727</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>EBOOK</b>: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fortunes-Lament-Anthems-Al-andalus-Book-ebook/dp/B07BYT69FY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1523035650&sr=1-1">https://www.amazon.com/Fortunes-Lament-Anthems-Al-andalus-Book-ebook/dp/B07BYT69FY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1523035650&sr=1-1</a></span></span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-13655659037416716512018-04-12T07:00:00.000-04:002018-04-12T12:40:19.860-04:00Meet the Author: Kristen Taber<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjW4deCUZoI/Ws0RX1M4jJI/AAAAAAAAUK8/tyUfJ5LxfpEsRrqdxW7BkenPCxhkpYHmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Head%2BShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjW4deCUZoI/Ws0RX1M4jJI/AAAAAAAAUK8/tyUfJ5LxfpEsRrqdxW7BkenPCxhkpYHmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Head%2BShot.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">With MEET THE AUTHOR, I’m pleased to introduce guest authors and share their newest novels with visitors. This week, meet Kristen Taber! <i><o:p></o:p></i>She’s stopping by to share an excerpt of her newest novel, <i>The Shadow Guard</i>, part of the Æerenden series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Here's an excerpt from Chapter 1:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hjW4deCUZoI/Ws0RX1M4jJI/AAAAAAAAUK8/tyUfJ5LxfpEsRrqdxW7BkenPCxhkpYHmwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Head%2BShot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>ÆRENDE<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">N</span>’S<span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span>REN<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">A</span>ISS<span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">ANC</span>E<span style="letter-spacing: 0.75pt;"> </span></b>had<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">b</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>auty,<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>full<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>art<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>discovery, fr<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>endship<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">k</span>indnes<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>. Many<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>k<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ngdom<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>poke<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ey<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>lived<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ugh<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>ch<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>l<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>rful<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>mo<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>some<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>had.<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>It<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>y be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>deca<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span>es<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>since<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>ena<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ssance<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">en</span>ded.<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>War<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">a</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>way<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>aking<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>y<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>ars<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>feel<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>l<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ke<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>te<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>nity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="position: relative; top: -0.5pt;">In<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: 1.2pt;"> </span>hei<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">g</span>ht<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: 1.25pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>at<span style="letter-spacing: 1.2pt;"> </span>era,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.25pt;"> </span>music<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ad<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>elled<span style="letter-spacing: 1.0pt;"> </span>wi<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>in<span style="letter-spacing: 1.05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>ast<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>e’s<span style="letter-spacing: .95pt;"> </span>gr<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>at<span style="letter-spacing: 1.15pt;"> </span>hall,<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">b</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>un<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>ing<span style="letter-spacing: .85pt;"> </span>f<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>om<span style="letter-spacing: 1.1pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: 1.2pt;"> </span>windows, </span>muffled<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>tapestr<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>es, e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>hoing<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>joy.<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Bodies<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span>an<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>ayed.<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>Lau<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">g</span>ht<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>r had<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>resounded from<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>the ceiling.<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>Fo<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>ders’ juice<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>flowed<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>carafes,<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>drained<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>from<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>cups,<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>loo<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>ened<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>l<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ps.<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>Meaghan<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> i</span>mag<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">in</span>ed gossip had<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>se<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>ved as<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>currency<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>this<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>pla<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>e, traded without<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>regard for<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>truth<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>or<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>bel<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">ie</span>f in<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>its<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>details.<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>Throu<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">g</span>ho<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">u</span>t Ær<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>den’s<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>hi<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">s</span>tor<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">y</span>,<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>stor<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">y</span>tell<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>bl<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>d with<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>everyday<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>life,<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>te<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>inm<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>valued<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>same<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>are<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>p<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>wers. When<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>re<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">v</span>elers<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>left<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> c</span>astle’s<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>pa<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>ties,<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>they <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> h</span>ave <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">p</span>aid <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>m<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>e <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>eed <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> t</span>ales <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>y <span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>ad<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> h</span>ea<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>d th<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>did<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>k<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ng’s<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>j<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>king<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>tics<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">—t</span>he <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">b</span>ets<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>wagered<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>is<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Guardia<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>contests<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>he<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">a</span>d arranged<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>who<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>ong<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>his<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>p<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>op<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>did<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>mind<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>display<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>eir<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span>oolis<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>ess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="position: relative; top: -0.5pt;">Queen<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>Adel<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">in</span>a’s<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>fa<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>er<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>jubil<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>nt,<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>all<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>cco<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">u</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>s.<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>Her<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>m<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>th<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>subjec<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">te</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>him<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>fre<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">q</span>uent<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>ye </span>rolls,<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>while<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ding<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>own<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>mirth<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>hind<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>eg<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">nd</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Life<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>carefr<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>rose<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>quartz<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>walls,<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>until<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>Zeiihbu<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>War<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>become<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>so<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>ething mo<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>e th<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>dist<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>kirmishes <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>borde<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>.<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>In<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>its<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>final<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">y</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>rs,<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>every<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ne<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>lost<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>m<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>one<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>th<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>lov<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>d,<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>batt<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>es<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>d repl<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>ced jo<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">k</span>es<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>c<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>nver<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span>at<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>on,<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">p</span>eop<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>e’s l<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ya<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>ties had<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">b</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>e divided. Some<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>w<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>nihil<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>te<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e Zeiihbuans.<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>Some<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>anted<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>assimilate<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>them.<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>And<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>no<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>one<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>wanted<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>share<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">F</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>und<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>rs’<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>juice<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>with<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>hose<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>ho<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>had o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">p</span>pos<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>g<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>vi<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>ws.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">T<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>pa<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>ties<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">p</span>ped. T<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>king<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>died,<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>queen<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>soon<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span>ter,<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>their<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>daughter clos<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>doors<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>hall, and<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>gr<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ef,<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>using<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">p</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>only<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>for<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>al<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>ce<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>onies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">After<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>war,<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Queen<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>A<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span>elina<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>wed<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">K</span>ing<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>Édai<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>e,<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span>fect<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">i</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>ely <span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">k</span>no<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span>Ed<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .5pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>hose<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">wh</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>lov<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>d him,<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>they<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>con<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>eived<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Meag<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>an <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ad<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>never<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ad<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>cha<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>ce<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>k<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>ow<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">p</span>ar<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>s,<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>bey<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>nd<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>fra<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>tured<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>m<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>mories of<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">d</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">d</span>lerh<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>d. Ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>murdered<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>is<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>om,<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>Ad<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>lina<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">ap</span>art<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">m</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>t,<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>Meag<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>an<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ad<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>sp<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>rited<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">E</span>ar<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>on aft<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>r.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="position: relative; top: -0.5pt;">Now<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>wal<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">k</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>l<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>h<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>gr<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>df<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>’s<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>ved<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>great<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>hall, </span>ea<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>otfall<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>masked<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>by<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>graceful<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>st<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">p</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>realized<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>could<span style="letter-spacing: -.45pt;"> </span>must<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">e</span>r.<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>She<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">k</span>ept<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">y</span>es<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span>cused<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>one po<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>nt<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>f<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">o</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>m—a<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>sing<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ne<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>pre<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">se</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>ng<span style="letter-spacing: -.55pt;"> </span>so<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>mu<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>h<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>histo<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>y<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">p</span>ain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Two<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>me<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>hy<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;">s</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span>-e<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>crusted<span style="letter-spacing: -.5pt;"> </span>fi<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>ials<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>p<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">t</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">h</span>r<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>ne<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>g<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">l</span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">i</span>stened in<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>noonday sun.<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>Golden<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>flow<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>rs<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>curled around<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>e<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">th</span>ro<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">n</span>e’s<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>ms<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span><span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;">n</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>legs,<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span>sy<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">mb</span>ols<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>g<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>o<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>th<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>and<span style="letter-spacing: .3pt;"> </span>her<span style="letter-spacing: .35pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">f</span>ami<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>y’s<span style="letter-spacing: .2pt;"> </span>conne<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">c</span>tion to<span style="letter-spacing: .4pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>past.<span style="letter-spacing: .45pt;"> </span>Their<span style="letter-spacing: .25pt;"> </span>beauty would<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;"> </span>have b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">r</span>ought<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>a<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>smile to <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>er<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>f<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>ce,<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> </span>she <span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>ad<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>n<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">o</span>t kno<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">w</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>er<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>f<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">a</span>t<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">h</span>er<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>b<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">l</span>ed<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>to<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>death<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: .1pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;"> </span>floor<span style="letter-spacing: -.05pt;"> </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">lo</span>w th<span style="letter-spacing: .05pt;">e</span>m.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="position: relative; top: -0.5pt;">Or<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>if<span style="letter-spacing: -.15pt;"> </span>she<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>not<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>remembered<span style="letter-spacing: -.65pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>smaller<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>throne<span style="letter-spacing: -.4pt;"> </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>filled<span style="letter-spacing: -.3pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>empty<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>s<span style="letter-spacing: -.1pt;">p</span>ace<span style="letter-spacing: -.35pt;"> </span>on<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>left<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>side<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>of<span style="letter-spacing: -.2pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: -.25pt;"> </span>dais </span>be<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">f</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">o</span>re<span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span>Ga<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">r</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">o</span>n<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;"> </span>destroyed it.<span style="letter-spacing: 0.35pt;"> </span>Her<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">f</span>ather<span style="letter-spacing: 0.1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">a</span>d<span style="letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">u</span>sed<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> </span>it<span style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt;"> </span>in<span style="letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.05pt;">h</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">i</span>s<span style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">du</span>ties<span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span>as<span style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt;"> </span>ki<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">n</span>g.<span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span>Her<span style="letter-spacing: 0.3pt;"> </span>mother<span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span>had<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> </span>ruled<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> </span>f<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">r</span>om<span style="letter-spacing: 0.15pt;"> </span>the<span style="letter-spacing: 0.25pt;"> </span>larger on<span style="letter-spacing: 0.05pt;">e</span>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Interview with Kristen Taber</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Welcome Kristen, thanks for being my guest at The Brooklyn Scribbler. Please share some insight on your five-part YA series, Æerenden and the final installment,<i> The Shadow Guard.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TV9kA3or3yA/Ws0ROnk-X6I/AAAAAAAAUK4/WRBBWYni05QrSEIEsf3ATNh2Xn7c6dtuQCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BShadow%2BGuard%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: large; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TV9kA3or3yA/Ws0ROnk-X6I/AAAAAAAAUK4/WRBBWYni05QrSEIEsf3ATNh2Xn7c6dtuQCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BShadow%2BGuard%2BCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TV9kA3or3yA/Ws0ROnk-X6I/AAAAAAAAUK4/WRBBWYni05QrSEIEsf3ATNh2Xn7c6dtuQCLcBGAs/s400/The%2BShadow%2BGuard%2BCover.jpg" width="250" /></span></a><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Ærenden series starts on Earth and transitions to Ærenden, a kingdom on a world parallel to ours yet wholly different. Where we have medicine and science, they have magic---Healers, people who control electricity and the weather, Telekines, and Firestarters. Each person has a personal power, including Meaghan, a young woman raised on Earth but born within the kingdom she remembers only in nightmares. The series follows Meaghan and Nick—her personal guard and love-interest—as they fight to take back the kingdom from the man who assassinated the former king and queen. Along the way, what seems to be a straightforward black-and-white war turns into a complex puzzle of gray areas. Nick and Meaghan must navigate the secrets left behind by the royal family to uncover the truth and save the kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The final installment in the series, <i>The Shadow Guard</i>, brings Nick and Meaghan to a land outside of the kingdom thought to be uninhabited. What they discover leaves Meaghan with a choice that could turn her from a long-awaited hero into a villain with the power to destroy everything.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">When you first began writing, when did you know that only a series of novels would allow you to fully realize the journey on which your characters were about to embark?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In the beginning, I thought the whole story would only consume about 300 pages, and it would be a neat and tidy standalone. Halfway through writing <i>The Child Returns</i> (book 1), I realized my characters had a greater story to tell. I hashed out a basic outline for five books at that point (not including background stories, historical stories, and potential spinoffs that currently reside in my head). Eventually those expected 300 pages turned into over 2,000 published pages. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Is there any secondary character in the novel who could have “run away” with the story and turned attention from your lead characters?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Yes, and she still may get her own book if the muses keep pestering. In <i>The Shadow Guard</i>, a shapeshifter named Faughn becomes integral to the storyline and assists Meaghan in her final battle with her nemesis. Faughn grew up in a harsh desert region with enemies constantly on the fringes of her awareness. One enemy killed her mother and kidnapped her brother. Despite her hardships—and because of them—she’s become a warrior who is capable of fighting and handling herself in precarious situations. She also knows how to trust, love, and have fun when time allows. Her self-confidence and composure as a result of growing up in a combat environment is a contrast to Meaghan, who has been thrown into a situation beyond her control and struggles to come to terms with it and become the hero required of her. After writing Meaghan’s type of character for nearly ten years, Faughn intrigued me. I wanted to learn more about her and the inner-psyche she doesn’t show, that I<i> know</i> has to have stemmed from the trauma in her life. So many times, I had to fight the urge to deviate, to show Faughn’s building relationship with her love interest or her reactions with her brother-in-law or father, but I managed to curb that impulse. She did, however, earn a place of honor on the cover.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Any writing quirks? E.g. requiring music to read, favorite place, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I have to have background noise, usually music or coffee shop chatter. For music, I bounce between classic rock, blues, metal, classical, and film scores, depending on my mood. When I need the coffee shop murmur but can’t get out of the house, I use a website called Coffitivity that recreates café noises. I wrote almost all of <i>The Shadow Guard</i> using that site or listening to the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> trilogy soundtrack.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If your novels ever became films, who would play your lead characters and why?<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Oh goodness. Fans always ask me this, and I have so much trouble deciding. Meaghan has always been most difficult for me. I love the idea of an unknown playing her, like Emma Watson was before she starred in Harry Potter, so I don’t like to picture current Hollywood stars in the role. If I had to choose, </b><b>Auli'i Cravalho looks similar to how I picture her so maybe I’d go for her</b><b>. For Nick, I picture a blonde Logan Lerman. And Faughn? Totally Yara Shahidi. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Thanks again, Kristen! </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Learn more about Kristen Taber<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kristentaber.com/" target="_blank">Website</a>, <a href="http://www.aerenden.com/" target="_blank">Website 2</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kristentaberauthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/kristentaber?lang=en" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kristen-Taber/e/B00852FF1O/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1" target="_blank">Amazon Author Page</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Buy </span><i>The Shadow Guard, </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Æerenden series #5</span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-19471580510251251322018-03-29T11:02:00.002-04:002018-04-03T20:22:15.756-04:00Free short story for Women's History Month: The Legend Rises<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Five years ago this month, I had the privilege of participating in the HerStory anthology with a group of more than twenty female authors. Each of us submitted stories of women with extraordinary courage during varying periods of history. My contribution was <i>The Legend Rises</i>, a story of Gwenllian of Gwynedd, who fought against twelfth-century Norman invaders alongside her husband Gruffydd. She was a remarkable woman with the strength to face nearly insurmountable odds and her final stand at Kidwelly Castle inspired generations of Welsh freedom fighters and earned her nickname, the female Braveheart.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Since the anthology was not continued, I'm pleased to share this story for free with visitors to my website. A sample follows here. For readers who want to know more of Gwenllian and Gruffydd, the full novel detailing their lives will be available in March 2020, <i>Lady of Legend; </i>my HerStory contribution will NOT be included in the book so here's a chance to read that missing chapter. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">About <i>The Legend Rises</i>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Gwenllian, a Welsh princess of Gwynedd and the wife of the dispossessed lord of Deheubarth faces the greatest trial she has ever known. Brutal English invaders have ravaged her beloved country and forced her into a meager existence, hidden in the forests of her husband’s homeland. While he seeks a new, strong alliance against the enemy, Gwenllian prepares herself and her children for the fight of their lives. Strength and honor alone cannot win the battle. Her family must unite for their survival.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The Legend Rises<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Parting: Winter 1136 AD<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">At Caeo, Cantref Mawr, within the old kingdom of Deheubarth<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">As the morning of Gruffydd’s departure from Caeo dawned, no tears tainted the exchange between brothers, a father and his sons, or a mother divided from a portion of her brood. If Gwenllian held the little lord Rhys for too long, at least her youngest son did not wriggle away. She buried her face in his pale-yellow curls, kissed his ruddy cheeks, and released him. On pudgy legs with mud-splotched shoes, the child scrambled to join Rhain Llwyd in the rearguard. Gruffydd’s best archer hoisted the boy into the saddle. At five years old, was Rhys ready for his own mount?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Rhain met Gwenllian’s pertinent stare. She sighed and offered him a resigned nod. Her simple gesture conveyed more than trust. She offered thanks for his stalwart loyalty and bloodied sacrifices of the past. Rhain would never allow any harm to come to the boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Anarawd approached and extended his hand to her. When she clasped his arm, her ragged fingernails dug into the leather tunic. Wiry muscles tensed beneath the sleeve. A man stood in place of the squalling, red-faced infant Gruffydd had deposited in her arms over twenty years before. In the absence of their eldest brother, Maelgwn and Morgan would resume their lessons in weaponry under their mother’s tutelage. She looked forward to a demonstration of Anarawd’s tactics later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She whispered to him, “Have a care for Rhys.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">His brow furrowed beneath a dark forelock of hair, so like his father’s own. “I always do and even if I didn’t, Rhain would. You can rely on us both. Why do you even ask?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">She ignored the slight irritation in his gruff tone. “Don’t let your brother become a nuisance at Aberffraw. My father and mother may delight in the frolicking of my youngest, but Rhys can be a trial for his aged grandparents.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“He is for everyone else here. Why should he behave otherwise at court in Gwynedd?” He met her sudden scowl with a wink and a final kiss on her cheek.a “Be well. Don’t worry for Rhys. I know how much you love him, Mam.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Didn’t Anarawd know she felt the same for him? She would have hugged him as close as she did Rhys if her maudlin state would not cause the young man some distress. Instead, she swallowed the ache in her throat. “Have a care for yourself and your father too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">He made no promises, only bowed and turned away. Was he so eager for his part in the adventures to come? If Gruffydd succeeded in forging a new alliance against the English, Anarawd would take up the battle cry beside his father, uncles, and grandfathers. She would not be able to stop him or keep all of her or Gruffydd’s children safe. She scoffed at the idea. Security, freedom, and a life without worry had never existed for any of them, would not be theirs until they rid their homeland of the interlopers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Mist cloaked the frost-covered earth, the dragon’s breath of her former nurse’s tales from childhood. Gruffydd coughed while he took deliberate steps, lingering with various members of his <i>teulu</i> gathered in the clearing. Dawn’s golden-pink glow revealed the weather-beaten faces of each man. The retainers numbered three hundred strong, with a third on the surefooted ponies taken in last summer’s raids. A few among the riders even donned the chainmail of their fallen adversaries, worn over threadbare tunics and trews, with swords at the waist and shields at their backs. The rest of the men, each bearing a sheaf of arrows and longbows of elm, would follow the cavalry on the long trek north to Aberffraw with her husband. Another two hundred would protect Gwenllian in his absence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Gruffydd neared the end of the line, where Rhain ensured Rhys maintained his balance. The boy’s father distracted him, rumpling his hair until Rhys giggled. Rhain kept a firm grip on his charge before he and Gruffydd clapped each other’s shoulders. The ageless bond between them reflected in mutual, silent stares.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Behind them, burly Arthfael Llwyd awaited Gruffydd’s withdrawal. Hanks of unwashed hair fell over the aged warrior’s furrowed brow. He supported his ruined right side on the crutch Anarawd had carved for him from a yew tree. His gray beard almost concealed the thin line of his mouth. For the first time in their lives, only one of the twins would ride out under their lord’s banner. Since Arthfael and Rhain first escorted Gruffydd to Aberffraw, Gwenllian had never seen the brothers apart from each other. This morning would encompass more poignant farewells than those shared between Gruffydd’s children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Huddled in the doorway, Gwenllian leaned on the rough oak post. Wood scraped her cheek. Bledri snuffled and nosed into her open hand. She spared a smile for the aging wolfhound and scratched behind his ears. Three generations of the breed had lived and died since her father’s wolfhounds first trailed her across the fens teaming with peat, east of Aberffraw, or through gorse-covered moorlands. The dog’s muzzle pressed alongside her thigh. He sat on his hindquarters and kept a watchful though rheumy-eyed gaze on the activity in the clearing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">A breeze ruffled Gruffydd’s graying hair and swept his mantle off his massive shoulders, exposing the tunic and trews beneath. No outsider would have distinguished him from his men. His footfalls lacked their usual vigor. Stiff movements warned of the dull ache in his muscles, for which he would never complain. He also did not need to speak of the battle raging inside him. Only a swift need to counter the English urged him from the comfort of their family. He dreaded this undertaking more than she did. The selfish core of her heart, which still found its refuge in Gruffydd’s care, thrummed with a fervent wish to keep him at her side. Her mind pleaded for the host from Gwynedd to ride out with Gruffydd and confront this latest English threat. Only her husband could convince her father and her remaining brothers Owain and Cadwaladr of the need to unite....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/file/q4ds2wggqgg1ndq/The_Legend_Rises.pdf" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD FOR FREE </a>(PDF). </span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-87658766580707005762018-03-24T16:02:00.000-04:002018-03-24T17:14:25.716-04:00Defining a strong woman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Women's History Month is always a special time of observation for me. Not just as a Black woman or an author who writes about women, one of the group's HIStory has long marginalized. One of my favorite pastimes is to read about or research the lives of strong females. From Malala Yousafzai back to my favorite medieval queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. This year, I've especially admired the #MeToo movement and the demand for accountability by male abusers that’s been so vital. Being introspective, I've always thought, what makes a strong woman?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a5z1Is9q79g/WrapBTG-ukI/AAAAAAAAUGc/xt2o5wDADTI9M0Tm6JBgWZf9HNnRaJQNQCLcBGAs/s1600/Motherhood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="232" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a5z1Is9q79g/WrapBTG-ukI/AAAAAAAAUGc/xt2o5wDADTI9M0Tm6JBgWZf9HNnRaJQNQCLcBGAs/s200/Motherhood.jpg" width="136" /></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Strength is a beneficial attribute, granting the possessor an elevated level of ability, capacity, capability, and competence. Unfortunately, I think a woman's strength has come, for some, to mean that she has taken on male attributes. Meaning she can "kick ass" as the saying goes. Or, that suddenly, she can open her mouth, being unafraid to break "norms" and "traditional rules" and speak out, in what others may confuse with speaking out of turn. When did women EVER truly need anyone's permission to use our voices, decide for ourselves and be who we are at heart? Throughout history, society has called us the weaker sex. Weak? Please. Anyone who refers to someone as weak by calling them a 'pussy' automatically gets the stare of death from me. VAGINAS HAVE PUSHED OUT BABIES FROM THE DAWN OF TIME! If that ability is not one of the most elemental definitions of strength, I don't know what is....<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">For me, strength is endurance. The hallmark of every strong woman. Even the females who have yet to discover that wellspring within themselves. The ability to withstand the tide, stand our ground, and not let physical pain, humiliation, hurt, and disappointment sweep away all that makes us who we are as women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Endurance has given me the inspiration to tell the stories of historical women who have or find the power within themselves to make changes in the male-dominated world of the past and define their own sources of happiness and security. For every woman that I've written about, if being at the side of a man has given her access to power or a certain level in society, my female character also determined her fate. Left a memorable legacy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">But throughout history, strong women have always faced backlashes, too, whenever we've asserted the natural power within us. When society deemed us too strong. At heart, we were just rejecting the labels assigned to us. You know them. Witch! Harpy! Harridan (my personal favorite)! Vixen! Trollop! Wench! Bitch! Slut! Feminist! Behind these labels has always been male and society’s fear of a woman's capacity for self-determination.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkUwFoUNb1E/WrapZvP_ihI/AAAAAAAAUGk/C-9WOySucKcEhQjMMWNcFkjSSSeD0_mrgCLcBGAs/s1600/Romance%2B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SkUwFoUNb1E/WrapZvP_ihI/AAAAAAAAUGk/C-9WOySucKcEhQjMMWNcFkjSSSeD0_mrgCLcBGAs/s200/Romance%2B6.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Strong women know we best influence our lives and futures, and for those of us who are religious, God guides us. We must never let others, be they cherished fathers, husbands, brothers, sons, or strangers in society at large take that ability from us. I won't. Why? A strong woman loved and raised me and my sister. I grew up in a family of strong women. They taught me to fight when necessary, but most of all, to survive and endure. From them, I've learned valuable lessons that have taken me through some of the darkest moments of my life. So far. By their wisdom and preparation, I know I will endure much more. Thus, I can admire strong women. I can write about strong women. I can speak with other women and encourage them to find the strength within themselves, the willpower.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Today and every day, not just at Women's History Month, I salute every strong woman out there. Our mothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, grandmothers, and ancestors have brought us to this time, this moment of history. We owe it to our daughters, nieces, granddaughters, friends, and descendants to support and teach the next generation of strong women who will inherit this world. May they have an ever more hopeful and brighter vision of the future. </span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-9404927852850948682018-02-09T13:16:00.001-05:002018-02-09T13:19:24.058-05:00Writing the unknown: about Vlad Dracul and Romania in Order of the Dragon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Writing about new characters is rather like meeting strangers who could become potential friends. You're not sure how the relationship will go, but you're intrigued enough to move beyond introductions. Just as writing about a new setting or period is akin to settling into a house, going from room to room, learning about the spaces. Sometimes, as with new people and places, you discover good or unfortunately unpleasant surprises. Still, other aspects remain hidden beneath the surface. With my usual enthusiasm for strange places and people, I've dived right into the abyss that is the history of Vlad II Dracul and his Romania.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">If you know me and my writing, you've guessed I like elusive characters and locales, in part because I love researching about them and uncovering those hidden details. I couldn't have chosen a more enigmatic figure than Vlad II Dracul, father of the real Prince Dracula, or such a place as fifteenth-century Romania in my latest WIP, <i>Order of the Dragon</i>. A land mired in superstition, governed by a man who is still a mystery more than five hundred years later. A prince who had ruled over a region called Wallachia with some interruption. One who had joined a monarchical chivalric order dedicated to the protection of Christendom with fellow members who included the rulers of Naples and Aragon. But in many ways, Vlad became subservient to the Sultans of the Turks in the Ottoman Empire. How could a dedicated Christian warrior accept the dominion of Islamic rulers?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've long imagined Vlad as a practical man, given the choices he made throughout his life. Despite his commitment to the Order of the Dragon, which counted the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund as its founder, the political reality Vlad faced required tough decisions. He took his vows dutifully but what compelled him to cooperate with the Turks? I've spent much of my time on research also pondering the strange circumstances of his existence. Not that the research has been a straightforward process - would that have been too much to ask? One of the chief secondary sources I've relied upon for the story of Vlad's life is clearly wrong because it places Vlad in areas where logic and subsequent events dictate he could not have been. So, some mysteries about the historical figure that inspired my hero in this novel remain. To some, no doubt his actions <span style="background-color: white;">toward</span> the Turks would seem less than heroic. Even craven. I believe one goal drove him; the preservation of his principality at Wallachia. To ensure that future, he might have willing to pay the ultimate price. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Romania in the fifteenth century required rulers willing to make difficult decisions. Bordered to the northeast by Moldova, the origin of Vlad's wife, Hungary in the west and Serbia and Bulgaria in the south, all such lands faced constant Turkish threats. By the late 1300's the Ottomans had claimed much of Bulgaria and imposed heavy taxes and in the mid-fifteenth century, the incursions of the Ottomans had wrested control over the former Serbian Empire. Both essentially existed as vassal states of the Turks. Romania remained in the path of their ambitions that extended to the seizure of Rome. The Romanians lived in three principalities; Vlad controlled Wallachia after the death of his half-brother. Yet he did so after a time by the permission of the Turks, who had imposed a yearly tribute of ten-thousand gold coins and at least five hundred boys to serve in the Jannisary corps. If I can ever find the wherewithal, I'd love to visit the Princely Court where Vlad had his power base in Wallachia, the ruins of which are in the foreground of the picture above. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: large;">The introduction of Vlad in <i>Order of the Dragon</i> reveals some of the troubles he faces:</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chapter 1</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Province of Targoviste, Principality of Wallachia, in the year of Our Lord 1443<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk505935207"><o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“… The Sultan Murad Han, His Majesty, invites you to his court at the end of spring when your snows cease.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Halil Pasha’s nasal tone betrayed his status as a highly-trained eunuch of the Turkish court. His unaccented, precise pronunciation of the Romanian language of Vlad’s birth, even if sprinkled with Turkic phrases, also revealed the envoy’s indigenous origins. As with so many other boys, the devils must have taken him as part of their blood-tax, the tribute of young boys Sultan Murad had first necessitated twenty years ago. How had Halil Pasha earned the appointment so soon? Such a youthful figure, unless the sallow, unblemished skin across his high cheekbones and the neatly trimmed beard belied the truth of his age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thin, yellow brows flared above Halil Pasha’s gray gaze as he scanned the occupants of the room before he regarded Vlad again. “You and your three sons must visit Adrianople, <i>Voivode</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He had used the Slavic term for ‘prince’ instead of <i>Domnul </i>but Vlad perceived the resultant echoes of dismay did not come from such a word choice. He sought out Cneajna’s face among the women ensconced in the wide gallery above the throne room. Mercifully, he did not find her. Had his beloved wife been there for the pronouncement of her greatest dread, she might have lost her composure. Almighty God had blessed him with a woman who would give her life for their sons. She could have during the birth of their second child. His Cneajna, born Vasilisa Maria of the House of Musat in the northeastern principality of Moldova. A princess in her own right before their union.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seated on his wooden throne with the boyars and retainers gathered on either side of him, the black cape of the Order, which Vlad typically donned on Fridays, draped his shoulders. Those who knew best would understand the visit of a Turkish ambassador also merited the display of his allegiance to the Order. Beneath the mantle, he wore a long fur-trimmed coat of red brocade, over his laced shirt and loose trousers tucked into ankle-length boots. The boyars favored similar dress except for leather, fur-lined shoes with pointed tips, which he disdained as much as the velvet caps they favored.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He fingered an emblem suspended from a golden necklace. Inscribed on a double cross, the Latin words ‘<i>Justus et Pius</i>’ gleamed in the glare of the torchlight. Just and Faithful, one of the Order’s mottos, paired with the phrase, ‘<i>O quam miscericos est Deus</i>’ for the mercy of God. Under the cross, a medallion featured the wings of an incurved dragon, topped by a blood-red cross. The tail coiled around the fearsome figure’s neck. Its paws outstretched, with jaws opened as if to devour Christendom’s enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He raised his head. “I thank the Sultan for his gracious invitation, but my eldest son has his apprenticeship for knighthood and will not be at Targoviste in the coming spring.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“You have other children, whom my master would welcome with honor. They can play in the palace gardens with Mehmet Celebi, His Majesty’s third son. I believe the noble prince at ten-years-old is the same age as your Vlad Dracula.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">---Learn more about Vlad Dracul and late-medieval Romania when <i>Order of the Dragon</i> makes its debut later this year.</span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-19721376171953765052018-01-13T12:41:00.003-05:002018-01-13T12:58:37.139-05:00Meet the characters: Sultan Muhammad al-Zaghal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Muhammad al-Zaghal, whose sobriquet
meant 'the brave' or 'the valiant' lived in the shadow of his elder brother, <a href="http://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultan-abul-hasan-ali.html" target="_blank">Sultan Abu'l-Hasan Ali</a> for years.
Then, palace intrigue and poor circumstances gave access to the power the
younger man may have dreamt of all his life. Readers of <i>Sultana: The
Pomegranate Tree</i> will discover more about his fate in <i>Sultana:
The White Mountains</i>; if you don't want to know before you've read either
book, this is your last warning - <b>stop reading now.</b> Spoilers
for the last novel in the <i>Sultana </i>series lie ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Still
with me? Prince Muhammad al-Zaghal was the second son of the
Nasrid Sultan Abu Nasr Sa'd, who ruled Moorish Granada from summer 1454 to
January 1455, then from late summer 1455 to 1464, when Abu'l-Hasan Ali usurped
the throne. The prince has been portrayed most recently onscreen in the Spanish
TV series, <i style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Isabel</i>.
It's uncertain where Muhammad al-Zaghal's birth occurred or when but he
would have been born between 1437 and 1450, the respective dates at which his
elder brother Abu'l-Hasan Ali and their younger sibling Yusuf entered the
world. Whether the brothers had the same mother is also unknown, but
their paternal heritage is clear. The links from their father and his
father Prince Ali, a son of Sultan Abdul Hajjaj Yusuf connected them to Sultan
Muhammad V and even beyond to the first Nasrid ruler. While Abu Nasr Sa'd
did not have a legitimate claim to the throne, his family had founded a royal
dynasty on the idea of usurpation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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From the beginning of their father's reign, there is some evidence of
closeness between the two eldest sons. In late summer 1455, both chased the
Sultan's rival for the throne into the region of Las Alpujarras, where they captured
him along with his betrothed bride and cousin to all of the men, <a href="http://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultana-aisha.html" target="_blank">Sultana Aisha</a>, whom Abu'l-Hasan
Ali would later marry. As for Muhammad al-Zaghal, he also married a
kinswoman whose name has come down through Spanish history transcribed as Esquivilia - certainly a non-Moorish name.
Readers of <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree</i> will recall her as
Ashiqa, who had her own impressive lineage with links to her husband's clan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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She was the daughter of Abu Salim Ibrahim al-Nayyar, the governor of Almeria
and Maryam bint Bannigash, one of the daughters of Granada's famed minister
Ridwan ibn Bannigash who was born and ended his life as a Christian named Pedro
Venegas. He once served as a slave before he converted to Islam and married the
daughter of his former master. Abu Salim Ibrahim al-Nayyar's mother Fatima
claimed descent from the murdered Sultan Ismail II, a brother of Muhammad V,
and a concubine who might have been called Cirila. Like many things about the
Nasrids, the true connection of his mother is uncertain, but Abu Salim
Ibrahim al-Nayyar's father was definitely Sultan Yusuf IV, another
usurper whose claim to the throne derived from a more precise maternal
connection to an unnamed daughter of Sultan Muhammad VI, who seized the throne
of his brother-in-law Ismail II in 1361.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Muhammad
al-Zaghal may have had up to three daughters with his wife, but no sons. He
supported his brother Abu'l-Hasan Ali's ouster of their father in 1464 and
at some point, became the governor of the all-important coastal bastion at
Malaka, seen above. In 1467, their brother Yusuf died of the plague, which some
historians have concluded could have been a welcome boon to Abu'l-Hasan
Ali. His foes in the clan of Abencerrage, whose chieftains his father had
murdered in 1462, might have supported Yusuf as a claimant to rule. Even if
they did not, they later approached Muhammad al-Zaghal with the same idea
in 1470. He rebelled against his brother for a brief period
until Abu'l-Hasan Ali brought him to heel. Thereafter, the brothers
remained inseparable. Muhammad al-Zaghal even brought his brother's
eventual second wife and beloved companion <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2018/01/meet-characters-sultana-soraya.html" target="_blank">Sultana Soraya</a> into his life with
a raid on her Christian homeland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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It's believed Muhammad al-Zaghal earned his appellation for bravery
and valor because of events that took place after summer 1482 when the
overthrow of his brother occurred because of a conspiracy between Sultana Aisha
and her Abencerrage supporters. But I'll admit some of the actions the prince
undertook were infamous and destabilized a fragile territory, which left it
vulnerable to invasions by the armies of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.
Muhammad al-Zaghal hosted Abu'l-Hasan Ali in his short exile at
Malaga and the Sultan's son Muhammad XI claimed the throne, from where the
siblings fought off Christian invaders in the Ajarquía region of Malaga,
taking thousands of heads as trophies and even more captives. But the pair's marauding
ways also undermined the kingdom as they attacked the homes of Moorish
people who supported the rebellion in Granada. After his brother reclaimed the
throne, Muhammad al-Zaghal went to his wife's birthplace at Almeria and
tried to take the city from his younger nephew, Abu'l-Hasan Ali and
Aisha's second son, Yusuf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Readers of Sultana<i>: The White Mountains </i>will know how I
portrayed the younger Nasrid siblings Muhammad XI and Yusuf as close relations,
which parallels the bond between their father and uncle - the evident proof of
loyalty between the elder men inspired me. But when Yusuf died at Almeria,
likely murdered, his death possibly occurred at the command of Muhammad
al-Zaghal. I've speculated in the novel that this was the first sign that he was
not always a faithful adherent to his brother, because of later circumstances.
In 1485, Abu'l-Hasan Ali either abdicated or lost power to his
younger brother, who became Sultan Muhammad XII in his stead. At the death of
his sibling, he expressed the desire to marry his sister-in-law Soraya;
presumably, his first wife had not died and nothing in the Maliki
interpretation of Sharia law seems to have prohibited the union. Had the
new monarch long-coveted more than his brother's throne, but also his wife?
More likely, the move would have allowed for greater control of Soraya's sons.
But they escaped with their mother into Castile.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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As the united Catholic sovereigns forced
the surrender of several Moorish cities, uncle and nephew for control of Granada. In spring 1487 when the
Christians threatened to take Malaga, the Sultan rallied to its defense, but
the area fell after a bitter siege of several months. Muhammad
al-Zaghal accepted the loss of Granada, too, and maintained control of key
areas at Guadix and Almeria until December of 1489, when his wife's brother
Yahya surrendered the city of Baza and took a Christian name, Pedro de Granada.
By the following year, Muhammad al-Zaghal departed the Iberian
Peninsula for the kingdom of Tlemcen, based at Oran, in modern-day
northern Algeria. The record indicates at least one daughter and her husband
remained in Spain whereas her father presumably died in Tlemcen around
1494.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Muhammad al-Zaghal is one of my
favorite characters in <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree</i> and <i>Sultana:
The White Mountains, </i>because of his moral ambiguity. His devotion to
family paired with personal ambitions makes him an intriguing figure. In
studying him for years so that I could write both novels, I discovered a
historical figure who was as strong a defender of Granada as his elder brother,
but through his participation in the civil war, helped weaken his beloved
Sultanate. I tried to be as true as possible to his history but am still
uncertain about a few parts. For instance, was he in Granada as regent early in
his brother's reign or did he spend his time predominantly at Malaga? Was the
death of his nephew Yusuf planned or an unfortunate happenstance that occurred
in Almeria? What explanation, if any, did he provide Abu'l-Hasan Ali
for the murder, especially since they had long been so close? What
would Muhammad al-Zaghal have done to Soraya's sons if he had married their
mother - would he have supported the eventual reign of the eldest in his stead
or would the boys have disappeared like the nephews of King Richard
III, medieval Britain's princes in the tower? I hope readers will
enjoy my portrayal of Muhammad al-Zaghal in both novels,
available now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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If you've missed any of the <b>Meet the characters</b> posts about
this novel, find them <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/search?q=meet+the+characters,+sultana:+the+white+mountains&max-results=20&by-date=true" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-74100029944090178882018-01-04T10:36:00.000-05:002018-01-14T18:44:09.131-05:00Meet the characters: Sultana Soraya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The slave who became a queen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Most of the details that have come down through history about the Sultana Soraya bears the taint of Moorish propaganda. After all, as a Christian, she did enchant <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultan-abul-hasan-ali.html" target="_blank">Sultan Abu’l-Hasan Ali</a> and become his wife sometime after she had entered Alhambra Palace as a captive. Historians have said that for love of her husband, she converted to Islam, and abandoned the faith of her birth. Unfortunately for her, she faced a powerful rival in Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s first wife and kinswoman, <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultana-aisha.html" target="_blank">Sultana Aisha</a>, descended from the first Nasrid Sultans of Granada. Legend has it that Soraya so enthralled her husband that he invited his courtiers to smell her fragrant bathwater after she had finished her daily cleansing ritual. As fanciful and somewhat ridiculous as such lore seems, the truth of his devotion allowed us to know much about Soraya. Who was she and how did she attain a position beside Granada’s powerful ruler? What was her final fate? Major spoilers for <i>Sultana: The White Mountains </i>follow<i>.</i> Read on at your peril.<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">More importantly, how has she remained such an enduring figure of the Moorish period in its rapid decline? Washington Irving’s<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Tales of the Alhambra</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>mentions her. Francisco Martínez de la Rosa published <em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">Doña Isabel de Solís, Reyna de Granada </span></em><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-style: normal; padding: 0in;">in 1837</span></em>. Then in 1931, director José Buchs made the film <span class="apple-converted-space">Isabel</span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"> de Solís, Reina de Granada. </span></em>The Spanish TV series <i>Isabel</i> portrayed her as a young woman around the age of seventeen. Born Isabel de Solis, she came from a town called Martos on the Christian-Moorish border, within the province of Jaén. Her date of birth remains uncertain; I’ve seen reference to her having been as young as eight years old when she became a captive. Readers of <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree</i> may remember that I introduced her as a girl of ten in 1468. One of the contemporary sources on the period, Hernando de Baeza (who had been a regular fixture of the Granadan court during the latter years) influenced my choice. He wrote about Isabel after 1505, stating that in 1475, she was a girl of ten or twelve. Her heritage is more certain. Her father Sancho Jimenez de Solis served as the <i>adelantado mayor</i> or warden of the castle at Martos. He had taken a second wife during Isabel’s girlhood, a Moorish slave called Arlaja. At some point, he had arranged Isabel’s marriage to Pedro Venegas, a relative of the lords of Luque, another town near Martos. But the union never occurred.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In the 1470’s (Baeza specifically states 1475) the Sultan’s brother Muhammad who’s more commonly known as Al-Zaghal raided at Martos and his men captured Isabel. Her father may have died at the same time, either defending the town or her. The Spanish have said she endured her detention in Alhambra Palace’s Torre de la Cautiva, but no one truly knows. Baeza tells us she became a slave to the Sultan’s daughter and cleaned the young princess’ chamber, hence my portrayal of her early captivity in <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree</i>. Of greater certainty is Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s notice of her. She became his concubine and then his wife. As a wedding present, she received the castle at Mondújar, the ruins of which remain visible. She bore him two sons Nasr and Saad. Purportedly, this brought her into conflict with Aisha, who also had two sons by her husband, <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultan-muhammad-xi.html" target="_blank">Muhammad</a> and Yusuf. Hernando de Baeza also suggested Isabel endured a brutal beating at the hands of Aisha and her servants, reminiscent of what the Ottoman Sultana Hurrem bore at the hands at her rival for Suleiman the Great’s heart, Mahidevran – again, of less surety but the story of Isabel’s suffering added to the idea of palace intrigue between the women. While the Sultan had not declared an heir and over time, delegated the powers of regent to his brother Muhammad Al-Zaghal, their enemies of the clan Abencerrage believed he would declare one of his children by Isabel as a successor. The offspring of a Christian woman became the rivals of Aisha, whose descent and adherence to the Muslim faith remained beyond reproach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Historians tell us Isabel converted to Islam and the Sultan renamed her Soraya, which meant ‘morning star’ in Arabic. The name is certainly accurate, but what about the religious change? In my research, I haven't discovered any captive of the Moors who retained their original name so this was a common enough practice. Conversion had long held benefits, including freedom, for no new Muslim would endure the status of a slave. Did Soraya willingly convert? Was it a requirement of her marriage? No Arab chroniclers nor Baeza mention her abandonment of the Christian faith. Not until 1530 do we have the first reference from Lucius Marineus Siculus, who states that Soraya reverted to Christianity from Islam. So where does the truth lie? Somewhere in her murky history and that of Moorish Spain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Two occurrences may have deeply affected her life as a Sultana. In the summer of 1482, a coup against her husband occurred. She escaped with him and their children, first to their castle at Mondújar and then to Malaga, which his brother governed. Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s eldest son by Aisha took control of Granada with the support of Abencerrage clan members, further fueling the supposed conflict between Aisha and Soraya. A year later, due to the missteps of his successor, Abu’l-Hasan Ali regained power. In 1485, Soraya’s life changed again. Her husband, who had suffered the effects of epilepsy and diabetes, either abdicated or surrendered the throne to his brother. He spent his exile in Salobreña and Almuñécar, where he allegedly died and lies buried at the summit of the highest Spain mountain named after him, Mulhacén. Afterward, Soraya’s saga becomes ambiguous again. Supposedly, her brother-in-law wanted to marry her, but he never did. She either stayed by his side with her children or extended her exile in the Lecrín area of the Alpujarras region of southern Spain. If you’ve read <i>Sultana: The White Mountains</i>, you’ll know I had her take a different path. Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At some point after the death of her husband, Soraya returned to her former life with her sons. She took up the name Isabel de Solis again. After the conquest of Granada occurred on January 2, 1492, on April 30, the bishop of Guadix baptized her children Nasr and Saad as Juan and Fernando de Granada respectively. They went on to marry; Fernando became the husband of Mencia de la Vega and had no known heirs, while Juan wed twice, to Beatriz de Sandoval who gave him Isabel, Geronimo Bernardino, Juan and Magdalena, and Maria de Toledo who mothered his Maria, Diego, Pedro, and Felipa. As a final anecdote, I’ve seen one intriguing reference to the former princes of Granada later abandoning the Christian faith and crossing over to Morocco as their eldest half-brother had done in 1493. But what of their mother?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">After the first decade of the 16<sup>th</sup> century, she disappears from the historical record. Until then, she purportedly lived in a house in Seville. A letter dated 1494 from Queen Isabella of a united Spain refers to her as ‘Queen Soraya, Moor’ and from 1501 and 1506, she’s alternatively called ‘Doña Isabel, Madre de los infantes de Granada’ or ‘Queen Soraya’ in documents. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Throughout my novels that chronicle events of her life, I’ve portrayed many possible facets of the personality I believe Isabel de Solis/Soraya adopted. She is clever, hiding her knowledge of Arabic gained from her stepmother Arlaja the Moor during the subsequent captivity and enslavement. She is also dutiful to Sultana Aisha, whose servant she becomes and whose daughter she cares for and admires. She also shows genuine devotion to her eventual husband Abu’l-Hasan Ali and shrinks from the idea of becoming the wife of his brother, seeing the move as a probable end to the lives of her children. Most of all, she is a survivor because ultimately, the historical figure who inspired the character was nothing less. Learn more about her portrayal in <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree</i> and <i>Sultana: The White Mountains</i>, both available now. </span><br>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">If you've missed any of the <b>Meet the characters</b> posts about this novel, find them <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/search?q=meet+the+characters,+sultana:+the+white+mountains&max-results=20&by-date=true" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1617030597003168855.post-38849618222574670652017-12-28T11:23:00.000-05:002018-01-05T10:51:09.168-05:00Meet the characters: Sultan Abu'l-Hasan Ali<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Fifteenth century Moorish Granada enjoyed the
last vestiges of glory under Sultan Abu’l-Hasan Ali of the Nasrid Dynasty, to
whom I introduced readers in the <i>Sultana</i>
series novel, <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate
Tree</i>. The history of Abu’l-Hasan Ali culminates in <i>Sultana: The White Mountains</i>. <b>If you haven’t read the new novel and
don’t want to know Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s fate, stop reading this post. Right now.
Don’t say you did not have a warning!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">One of three known sons of Sultan Abu Nasr
Sa’d and descended from the first legitimate ruler of the region, Abu’l-Hasan
Ali first came to prominence when his father seized the throne in late summer 1454
at the age of fifty-five. By then, Abu’l-Hasan Ali might have been around 17
years old, the eldest of the new ruler’s male heirs, who included the princes Muhammad
and young Yusuf, then four years old. The clan Abencerrage supported their
parent and had declared for him at Archidona from where he rode to complete his
conquest. This family had held influence in Nasrid politics for several
generations since the time of Abu Nasr Sa’d’s uncle Sultan Yusuf III, whose
daughter had married one of the Abencerrage ministers. The new king of Castile Enrique
II also gave tentative backing. In later years under Enrique’s successor, his half-sister
Queen Isabella, Abu’l-Hasan Ali became a vigorous warrior and frontier raider,
like his father. For his contemporaries in Christian Spain, who called him Muley
Hacén, his attacks signaled renewed conflicts with the Moors. He has been protrayed on television, most recently in the Spanish TV series, <i>Isabel</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Before such time, Abu Nasr Sa’d sent Abu’l-Hasan
Ali to the court of Enrique II in September 1454. The prince brought gifts in
homage to the ruler of Castile in acknowledgement of the tenuous claim of vassalage
the Christians had asserted over Granada’s rulers for two centuries. Abu’l-Hasan
Ali remained at the court. In January 1455 his father and family fled to Casarabonela
near Malaga, after Abu Nasr Sa’d lost the throne to the cousin he had deposed
in recent months. Abu’l-Hasan Ali with the aid of Castilian forces routed the
enemy at Guadix in April of the same year and came south to reunite with his
relatives. Then by late summer, when his father had control of Granada again,
Abu’l-Hasan Ali and his brother Muhammad pursued their foe south, capturing him
alongside his betrothed wife, <a href="http://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultana-aisha.html" target="_blank">Sultana Aisha</a> who was the daughter of a previous
monarch. Was this the first fateful meeting of Abu’l-Hasan Ali and Aisha?
Readers of <i>Sultana: The Pomegranate Tree </i>will
recall a much earlier introduction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">At the start of his second reign, Abu Nasr
Sa’d officially declared himself a vassal of Castile. Abu’l-Hasan Ali served as
a military commander and oversaw domestic issues, including irrigation and
cultivation of the fertile plains around Granada. With the capture and murder
of his father’s rival, Abu’l-Hasan Ali not only eliminated a competing claimant
for the throne but also the heart of Aisha. He married her, and they had three
children, two sons called Muhammad and Yusuf and a daughter named after her
mother. When the children were young, two tumultuous events occurred that would
affect the future of the Nasrid Dynasty. In July 1462, their grandfather turned
against his Abencerrage allies and killed their chieftains, some of whom had
served as his ministers, at a banquet. Then two years later, Abu’l-Hasan Ali ousted
his father and took the throne, consigning Abu Nasr Sa’d to exile and death. Not
the first time a Nasrid had maneuvered against his relative or even an aging
parent. Abu’l-Hasan Ali almost faced ouster when his remaining brother Muhammad
rebelled against him with the support of the embittered Abencerrage clan in
1470; the youngest sibling Yusuf having died in 1467 of plague. Eventually Abu’l-Hasan
Ali and Muhammad reconciled, and became staunch collaborators in the defense of
Moorish Spain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The strife which had arisen became Granada
and Castile during the intervening years now abated with the ascension of Queen
Isabella and her husband Ferdinand of Aragón. Truces of short duration occurred
in 1475 and 1478. Three years later without any renewal of the terms of the last
treaty, Abu’l-Hasan Ali responded to Castile’s request for acknowledgment of
his role as a vassal by stating Granada would no longer produce coins as
tribute but weapons. Then he attacked and claimed Zahara on December 27, 1481. The
Castilians retaliated by seizing Alhama and besieged Loja. Although Abu’l-Hasan
Ali could not remove his adversaries from Alhama, he won a decisive victory
against the at Loja with the aid of the valiant old warrior Ali al-Attar, whose
daughter <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultana-moraima.html" target="_blank">Moraima</a> had married Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s eldest son.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’ve speculated about Abu’l-Hasan Ali and
Aisha’s possibly fractured relationship because of events that occurred much later,
but it’s clear she was not the only woman who held sway over him. In 1471, his
brother Muhammad had raided at Martos and returned with a young slave named
Isabel de Solis. Abu’l-Hasan Ali fell under her spell and took her to his bed. Renamed
Soraya, the slave became a Sultana and the mother of two princes Nasr and Sa’d.
While chroniclers have speculated that the rivalry between the Sultanas Aisha
and Soraya caused friction in the harem and <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/2017/12/meet-characters-sultan-muhammad-xi.html" target="_blank">led to Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s overthrow in late summer 1482</a>, I hold the belief that Aisha gained revenge for the murder
of her former betrothed husband when she encouraged the support of the Abencerrage
for her eldest son. Abu’l-Hasan Ali fled with his brother, younger wife, and their
children to Mondújar, where he had given Soraya a castle as a wedding present,
and then on to Malaga, the governorship of his brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3rcYhjfJeg/WkUaA5EIk1I/AAAAAAAAT8k/egKs_3_U-w0r9846T5wcUDdlvDggSLuxQCLcBGAs/s1600/Mulhacen%2Bnorth%2Bface.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3rcYhjfJeg/WkUaA5EIk1I/AAAAAAAAT8k/egKs_3_U-w0r9846T5wcUDdlvDggSLuxQCLcBGAs/s320/Mulhacen%2Bnorth%2Bface.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">From Malaga, Abu’l-Hasan Ali launched attacks
against regions where he no longer enjoyed support and defeated the Castilians
who had invaded the region around Malaga, where he seized thousands of their
warriors as captives. After April 1483, when his eldest son and opponent made
an ill-advised attack on Castile and endured captivity, Abu’l-Hasan Ali
returned to Granada where he imprisoned his wife Aisha and his daughter-in-law
Moraima. In the summer of 1483, his eldest son obtained his release and settled
in Guadix from where he and his allies tried to attack Granada, but Abu’l-Hasan
Ali’s forces repulsed them. He also pursued and obtained a judicial decree, a <i>fatwa</i>, against all the supporters of the
rebellion on September 15. While no one knows the origins, by the same time in the
following year, historians believe he had started suffering the effects of
epilepsy and diabetes, the latter of which deteriorated his eyesight over time.
His brother had gained greater power during Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s diminished state.
As early as the spring of 1485, rumors abounded that he would abdicate and by
the following season, he no longer held the throne. His brother ruled instead
while he withdrew to Salobreña and then Almuñecar. There he died that year and purportedly
lies buried somewhere along the summit of the highest mountain peak of Spain bearing the name Mulhacén, pictured above.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTS0M39drAo/WkUYapkGcRI/AAAAAAAAT8Y/1RfEcGVSPb4PPTXVyWv0Ls1KrsiXi9cnQCLcBGAs/s1600/Sultana_TPT_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XTS0M39drAo/WkUYapkGcRI/AAAAAAAAT8Y/1RfEcGVSPb4PPTXVyWv0Ls1KrsiXi9cnQCLcBGAs/s320/Sultana_TPT_Kindle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ewdM-pcLvqo/WkUYT1AGAsI/AAAAAAAAT8U/Nq8TdDZ0wB0xsQOTBSxcXg7dIdaDoOfeACEwYBhgL/s1600/Sultana_TWM_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ewdM-pcLvqo/WkUYT1AGAsI/AAAAAAAAT8U/Nq8TdDZ0wB0xsQOTBSxcXg7dIdaDoOfeACEwYBhgL/s320/Sultana_TWM_Kindle.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">In </span><i style="text-align: left;">Sultana:
The Pomegranate Tree</i><span style="text-align: left;"> and </span><i style="text-align: left;">Sultana: The
White Mountains</i><span style="text-align: left;">, I’ve portrayed Abu’l-Hasan Ali as a proud, vengeful, and
wily man, but never boastful. His threats are never empty, and he always has the
will and means to carry them out. How much could this have differed from the historical
figure who inspired my character? The events of his life, taken from the time
he captured his future wife’s betrothed husband, his theft of the throne from
his father, his imprisonment of Aisha and quarrels with their sons showed his
dangerous nature. But there was another side to him, surely, a man devoted to
those who loved him especially Soraya. Had Aisha truly loved him, too, I
believe his fate and that of Moorish Spain could have been quite different. His
enemies, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand would not have taken advantage of the
internal strife among the Nasrids. But fate and matters beyond Abu’l-Hasan Ali’s
control led him along a different path. Share his final journey in </span><i style="text-align: left;">Sultana: The White Mountains</i><span style="text-align: left;">, available
now.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">f you've missed any of the <b>Meet the characters</b> posts about this novel, find them <a href="https://thebrooklynscribbler.blogspot.com/search?q=meet+the+characters,+sultana:+the+white+mountains&max-results=20&by-date=true" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></span></span></div>
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Lisa J Yardehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05111498397731973454noreply@blogger.com0