Showing posts with label Knights Hospitaller. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knights Hospitaller. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Spotlight on Amy Maroney, author of Island of Gold (Sea and Stone Chronicles)

 


1454. A noble French falconer. A spirited merchants daughter. And a fateful decision that changes their destiny forever.

When Cédric is recruited by the Knights Hospitaller to the Greek island of Rhodes, his wife Sophie jumps at the chance to improve their fortunes. After a harrowing journey to Rhodes, Cédric plunges into the world of the knights—while Sophie is tempted by the endless riches that flow into the bustling harbor. But their dazzling new home has a dark side.

Slaves toil endlessly to fortify the city walls, and rumors of a coming attack by the Ottoman Turks swirl in the streets. Desperate to gain favor with the knights and secure his position, Cédric navigates a treacherous world of shadowy alliances. Meanwhile, Sophie secretly engineers a bold plan to keep their children safe. As the trust between them frays, enemies close in—and when disaster strikes the island, the dangers of their new world become terrifyingly real.

With this richly-told story of adventure, treachery, and the redeeming power of love, Amy Maroney brings a mesmerizing and forgotten world to vivid life.

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This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited

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 Amy Maroney

Fun Facts
(Stuff you may or may not already know!)

I’ve lived in Europe four times, starting when I was in middle school. That’s why I have memories like this: I won a medal for shot put in a track and field competition in Paris at age thirteen. It was the first time I’d ever picked up a shot—and also the last.

During our two-year stint near Frankfurt, Germany, I managed to be completely mortified by my family’s American-ness and at the same time singularly committed to not fitting into my new world. I also developed an abiding passion for historical romances and castles.

 


Neuschwanstein Castle
Source: Unsplash

In my twenties, I freelanced as a writer and editor and did lots of volunteer work. My favorite unpaid gig was at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County, California, where I grew up. The volunteer shifts were twelve hours long and we wore rubber boots, rubber overalls, and rubber gloves. That’s because we spent most of our time in the pens with seals and sea lions, cleaning up after them, feeding them, and protecting each other from them with tall wooden shields. The best part was releasing rehabilitated animals back to the ocean.

 

Source: Unsplash

I love to draw and paint. I’ve been taking art classes since our first daughter was born twenty-two years ago. One of my favorite drawing instructors, Phil Sylvester, gives great advice that I apply to writing, too. To help his students stop comparing themselves to others and stop worrying about producing “bad” work, he’ll tell us to actively try to be the worst artist in the group. “You’re all going to draw a pig,” he’ll say. “And I want your pig to be the worst, the most hideous, the most awful pig in this room.” It completely disarms everyone and makes us relax and feel free to create. I think about his advice often while writing first drafts.

 

Drawing and photo by Amy Maroney

I love to dance. I’ve been dancing since I was a kid and my mother enrolled me in ballet, jazz, and tap. I still take dance classes today. No one in my family notices when I break into spontaneous dancing around the house because it’s constant. To them, it’s like a leaf blower going outside – just part of the background. One of my great joys is dancing with my women friends.

 

Source: Unsplash

Growing up, I was the only member of my family who liked to swim. And I was terrified of deep water. My husband, on the other hand, is totally at home in deep water, huge ocean swells—the more action-packed the water situation, the better. Thanks to him, I’ve ventured out into deeper and deeper waters. I’ve always enjoyed snorkeling, but I used to stay in waist-deep water; now I’ll go out farther and see much more. Once I realized I could tread water for long periods or rest on my back, I started swimming in lakes and ponds. Now I love floating on my back in mountain lakes, just staring up at the sky, listening to the wind and the water.

 


Source: Unsplash

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Amy Maroney

Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. When she's not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy's readers' group at www.amymaroney.com. (Just copy and paste into your browser.)

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Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Brook Allen presents Crusader Knights by Mary Ann Bernal




5/24/2020

Crusader Knights

Welcome back to the blog! This week, I'd like to introduce a special guest, author Mary Ann Bernal. Her latest work takes place in the Middle Ages. So sit back, turn your imaginations on "high", and let's find out more about Crusader Knights.



Etienne, is that who you are? Why do you haunt my thoughts? (Crusader’s Path 146)

Picture an impressionable teenager reading Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott for a book report assignment. Thoughts of Hollywood blockbusters such as Prince Valiant and Knights of the Round Table resurface, romanticizing a violent era where heroic knights save the day amid insurmountable odds.

Visit the library, choosing biographies of historical figures whose feats of daring have transcended time. El Cid, the Spanish knight, combatting the Moors. King Richard I, the Lionheart, joining the Third Crusade. Edward, the Black Prince, victorious at Poitiers. William Wallace, fighting to free Scotland of the English tyrant, King Edward I.



There are the legends, Arturius and Lancelot, and Robin Hood, larger than life icons, in all probability, a composite of actual warriors whose daring feats were memorialized.

We must not forget the fictional portrayal of knightly virtue. Prince Valiant, characterized on the big screen, was also a featured comic strip that was distributed weekly to American newspapers.

That was then, and this is now.

Recently, the TV series, Knightfall, sheds light on the deeds of the Knights Templar, the most recognizable military Order established during the Crusades. On the big screen, Ironclad, Arn: The Knight Templar, and the Kingdom of Heaven re-established interest in the Crusades. In the carnage arises courageous heroes, enticing a new generation of followers, incurable romantics, which isn’t such a bad thing.



The Knights Templar

​​The First Crusade resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Crusader States. With the city in Christian control, European Pilgrims flocked to the Holy Land. The lengthy journey was dangerous, which necessitated the formation of a protective force, ensuring the safety of Christians.

In the early twelfth century, a small group of knights established the Poor-fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better known as the Knights Templar, headquartered on the Temple Mount. A holy site where the First Temple once stood.

The original knights promised to protect the pilgrims, creating the vows of the Templar, based upon Benedictine rule, living an austere life. The knights swore oaths of obedience, celibacy, and poverty, giving their wealth to the Order. Prayer was a significant part of daily life with devotion to the Virgin Mary.

As the Order grew in size and stature, they developed a financial enterprise, leaving a quarter of the warrior monks to fight. They developed the first banking system, which made the Order very powerful and wealthy.  The Templars were a feared fighting force for almost two hundred years before King Philip IV of France, who was in debt to the Order, had the knights arrested on Friday, the 13th. Suffice it to say these brave warriors suffered torture and death, being condemned on trumped-up charges to fill Philip’s coffers with Templar wealth and, of course, eliminating his debt.



The Hospitallers of Saint John

In the early eleventh century, the Hospital of Saint John was established in Jerusalem. The mission was to care for the sick, poor, and injured Pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. After Jerusalem fell to the Christians in 1099, the community’s work increased, more hospitals were founded. Eventually, the Order became known as the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem. The Hospitallers, also known as the Knights of Malta or the Order of Saint John, became a Military Order.




The Knights of Saint Lazarus

Based in Jerusalem, the Knights of Saint Lazarus was founded by leper knights. Most of its members suffered from the contagion. Anyone who had contracted the disease within the Hospitallers Order joined the Knights of Saint Lazarus. The Lazarists wore a green cross upon their mantle.

King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem was a leper, who fought alongside the Knights Templar against Saladin in the late twelfth century.


Etienne

I decided against romanticizing Etienne’s character in the story. Yes, he is a brave knight, skilled in warfare, and loyal to his overlord. But he is also human with flaws. He has good and bad traits and, like all of us, struggled with his conscience when tempted. Etienne was real, a role model if you will, with all the frailties of the human condition. You might agree or disagree with his choices, but at the end of the day, he took responsibility for his actions.


Publication date: 12/04/2020
Publisher: Whispering Legends Press
Twitter Handle: @BritonandDane @maryanneyarde 
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #Crusaders



Crusader's Path
By Mary Ann Bernal

From the sweeping hills of Argences to the port city of Cologne overlooking the River Rhine, Etienne and Avielle find themselves drawn by the need for redemption against the backdrop of the First Crusade.

Heeding the call of His Holiness, Urban II, to free the Holy Land from the infidel, Etienne follows Duke Robert of Normandy across the treacherous miles, braving sweltering heat and snow-covered mountain passes while en route to the Byzantine Empire.

Moved by Peter of Amiens’ charismatic rhetoric in the streets of the Holy Roman Empire, Avielle joins the humble army of pilgrims. Upon arrival in Mentz, the peasant Crusaders do the unthinkable, destroying the Jewish Community. Consumed with guilt, Avielle is determined to die fighting for Christ, assuring her place in Heaven.

Etienne and Avielle cross paths in Constantinople, where they commiserate over past misdeeds. A spark becomes a flame, but when Avielle contracts leprosy, Etienne makes a promise to God, offering to take the priest cowl in exchange for ridding Avielle of her affliction.

Will Etienne be true to his word if Avielle is cleansed of the contagion, or will he risk eternal damnation to be with the woman he loves?

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Mary Ann Bernal

Mary Ann Bernal attended Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, where she received a degree in Business Administration. Her literary aspirations were ultimately realized when the first book of The Briton and the Dane novels was published in 2009. In addition to writing historical fiction, Mary Ann has also authored a collection of contemporary short stories in the Scribbler Tales series and a science fiction/fantasy novel entitled Planetary Wars Rise of an Empire. Her latest endeavor is Crusader’s Path, a story of redemption set against the backdrop of the First Crusade.




Sunday, February 15, 2015

History Trivia - Julius Caesar refuses the diadem of royalty

February 15

44 BC, Mark Antony offered Julius Caesar the diadem of royalty which he refused.

670 Oswy, King of Bernicia and subordinate to King Penda of Mercia for 13 years died. When Penda invaded Bernicia, he was killed by Oswy's forces. Oswy then united all of Northumbria, which he ruled from 655 until his death.

1113 Knights Hospitaller was formally named and recognized. The Hospitallers were founded to care for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem.  The order evolved throughout the Crusades and still exists today. 

Saturday, February 15, 2014

History Trivia - Socrates sentenced to death

February 15

44 BC Mark Antony offered Julius Caesar the diadem of royalty which he refused.

360 the first Cathedral of Santa Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated. 3

99 Philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death. 

670 Oswy, King of Bernicia and subordinate to King Penda of Mercia for 13 years died. When Penda invaded Bernicia, he was killed by Oswy's forces. Oswy then united all of Northumbria, which he ruled from 655 until his death.

 1113 Knights Hospitaller was formally named and recognized. The Hospitallers were founded to care for sick pilgrims in Jerusalem.  The order evolved throughout the Crusades and still exists today.

1564 Galileo Galilei was born.