StanleyWheeler

Fun Fact: (From Chapter 16 of Dan Jone's Crusaders )  In 1147 Manuel Komnenos of Constantinople was wary of sleepover the leaders of the 2nd Crusade, King Conrad and King Louis, had planned at his kingdom.  Conrad and his 50,000 arrived first. Manganeios Prodomos, a Byzantine poet, described the Germans as Gadarene swine. After a serious mishap in which Conrad's army camped on a plain between two rivers, both of which flooded during the night, washing away men and supplies, Manuel assisted them across the Bosphoros.  Conrad split his force, sending half along the coast under the command of his brother Bishop Otto, while he took the rest on the road to Antioch--one of the lesser known Hope and Crosby films. The route took him through the Turkish kingdom of Mas'ud. The Turks deployed light mounted archers to attack and retreat in flying raids to exhaust the heavy cavalry and then descend upon them with the sword. In a short time, survival became a serious issue for the Germ...

  Fun Fact: More 2nd Crusade:  (From Chapter 15 of Crusaders by Dan Jones) Although not part of the 2nd Crusade's proclaimed goals, at about the same time, turmoil in Sicily allowed its fall. Roger II to establish himself there, blending the Muslim influence with the other existing cultures. Likewise, Bernard of Clairvaux authorized the Danes and Saxons to crusade against the Wends near their own lands rather than traveling to join the fight in the Holy Land. Additionally, Lisbon was an important port with links inland via the Tagus; it also had important shipping connections with West Africa. Pope Eugene favored fighting the infidel at every opportunity and approved a plan by Alphonse VII of Castille and Leon to attack on the western peninsula. With the Almoravid Muslims occupied by a Berber rebellion, Alphonso saw an opportunity. Lisbon was also a natural stopping place for crusaders coming from England and Northern Europe by sea--looting along the way would help fund the c...

    Accidental Wizard released this week. From the back jacket: Chris and Kenny wanted an adventure. They should have been more specific. One step through an old fallen log and the twins are hurled into a kingdom at war--where a dying wizard has just spent his life summoning them. Now Chris is a blood mage, and every spell he casts tears his own skin. Kenny gets a sword that never loses and a shirt that turns blades aside. They'll need both. A dragon-sorceress is coming. Her army is already crossing the desert, and the only thing that can stop her is a staff hidden since Merlin's time--guarded by blood wolves, trolls, and a traitor who wants the boys dead. Two brothers. One impossible quest. No way home until it's finished. It gives away a little more of the story than I would've, but it should arouse interest in the story. You can get it here:  ACCIDENTAL WIZARD is on sale this month . (Note this is an affiliate link whereby I or Rac Press or someone may receive some ...

   The unboxing continues at Xanadu. It's nothing like the Battle of the Pyramids pictured above, except for the chaotic nature of the job. I unloaded three boxes in the garage and another three in the basement. I'm finding books and filling the bookcases that surround me in my writing den. I do read and resort to them from time to time when I'm looking for something specific, or just to spark my imagination. It feels good to have the familiar covers gather round again. Fun Fact: In 1131, Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, was on his deathbed. He summoned his 26 year old daughter Melisende. He had taken religious vows and become a monk, hoping to secure a seat in the eternal palace above.  Although Melisende's husband Fulk had taken her on the understanding that he would succeed Baldwin as king, Baldwin announced that Melisende and Fulk would rule together, along with the young Baldwin (III) as soon as he was old enough. Baldwin died and the couple were crowned in the Churc...

  Fun Fact: Acre and Jaffa in 1125 were the most important ports for the Crusaders. Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, visited Acre in May and awarded a charter to Domenico Michiel, Doge of Venice, to establish a Venetian colony at Tyre. Baldwin was endeavoring to establish overseas connections to call on for military support. The witnesses to the charter included Hugh of Payns, founding master of the Knights Templar. Hugh was from France and by 1119 had settled in Jerusalem. At that time, the area around Christ's tomb was a meeting place for pilgrim soldiers seeking service in the crusader states. Hugh and many others decided that they would devote themselves to a strict communal life, devoting themselves to poverty, chastity, and obedience to the patriarch of Jerusalem to keep the roads safe and protect the pilgrims to Jerusalem. Hugh appealed to every fighting man to join the order for a life of service to the Lord. Baldwin leased apartments at Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount to ...

  The sequel to Accidental Pirates has been sent to the publisher for consideration. Chris and Kenny are thrown into a kingdom in turmoil facing treachery within and enemies without. Chris has been drafted to replace the blood mage - and he finds the job has a serious downside. Kenny wields enchanted steel against a host of enemies. Together they are the kingdom's only hope against a new evil. I've been doing a lot of reading about Enoch - Genesis 6, Moses 7 & 8, as well as The Book of Enoch , a long with A Brief History of Time and an Alan Dean Foster novel. I may post about these at some point, but at I haven't yet finished any of the books, so I'll post a fun fact from something I did finish - or at least I think I did. This is condensed from chapter 11 of  Crusaders by Dan Jones: Fun Fact: During an expedition to Egypt, King Baldwin I died after eating a breakfast of fresh fish. His body was salted, spiced, and transported back to Jerusalem to be buried beside...

  Speaking of Accidental Pirates , I was on The Spaceman and the Hafling podcast/show Saturday. We recorded yesterday; the show should go up on youtube in a couple weeks. Naturally, I will post a link when I get it. I finished reading Sharpe's Sword . The end made up for the slow middle. The end reflects the ending of the first book in the series with the hero slaying and taking the overalls of the French Imperial Guard cavalry colonel. -- Foreshadowing Sharpe fighting at Waterloo as a colonel? I don't know. I can't remember if he was a colonel at Waterloo, but I think he was. I used to have a very nice matched set of the original series but parted with them during one of our moves when I thought I would never read them again--that was 20 years ago. Now I read them in ebook if I find one that's an exceptionally good price and I feel the yearn to revisit Sharpe and the light company. Fun Fact History: During the summer of 1111, a Muslim coalition under Mawdud, atabeg of ...

 In case you thought reading was a safe activity:   Here's the interview with me  about Accidental Pirates -- paperback available Nov 26 - Get your boys reading for Christmas. The sequel is half finished with 15 of 30 chapters already filled with slam bang action and adventure.   I think I've been remiss in sharing some fun facts lately, so here's a helping of history: FUN FACT:  In 1111, Al-Mustazhir bi-Allah served as Caliph of the Abbasid Empire and spiritual leader of the Sunni branch of Islam. He married Ismah Khatun. In March, she headed for Isfahan to take her place in the Caliph's palace. In February, a delegation of Sufi's, disgruntled merchants, and lawyers from Aleppo had arrived in Baghdad to complain that they had lost that lovin' feeling of support from the Caliph, and they were tired of fighting the infidels who continued to storm, besiege, kidnap, and kill. With the recent loss of Sidon to King Baldwin, they feared Tyre, Damascus or Aleppo ...

  Fun Fact: Sigurd I became king of Norway at 13 when an Irish axe ended his father's life. He received the crown jointly with his two half brothers, Eystein and Olaf, the latter being a toddler. At 17, Sigurd agreed to lead an expeditionary force to the Mediterranean and Eystein agreed to rule the kingdom while Sigurd was away. In 1177, Sigurd took 60 longships and sailed away (without meeting any extra-terrestrials who sang for him to Come Sail Away.)  Sigurd spend some months in England before sailing south and put in at Galicia for another winter. The Norwegians had difficult times when the supply arrangements with a local earl fell through and they had to forage for provisions. Sigurd plundered the offending earl's castle and set sail again. They soon encountered a fleet of Muslim pirates--seizing eight of the galleys and scattering the rest. Sigurd then stopped off in Portugal to plunder a Muslim castle at Sintra and executed the occupants. The fun continued with a raid ...

    Goblin Souk has finally materialized from shimmering mirage on the sands into solid form in paperback and ebook. Quaff from the many flavors of the Near East, ancient and otherwise, with this anthology of stories set in mysterious marketplaces. My story, "A Soldier's Bargain," sees three of Napoleon's infantrymen under attack and looking for refuge find their way to a bazaar that will effect their fates in this life and the next. Fun Fact: Before Christmas in 1099, Bohemond of Antioch and Baldwin of Edessa made a miserable 250 mile trip to Jerusalem, plagued by cold, rainstorms, hunger, and bandits. They arrived at a city ruled by Baldwin's brother Godrey and smothered in stench of the dead. Godrey had taken the title of Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. On receiving his appointment, Godrey had marched out to Ascalon where Al-Afdal was assembling the army that had failed to relieve Jerusalem from the crusaders' earlier assault. He defeated the Fatimid army ...

 Fun Fact: Najm al-Din Ilghazi Ibn Artuq was a daring general, competent emir, and co-ruler of Jerusalem under the Seljuk Empire of Sultan Malik-Shah, of the Sunni Muslim persuasion. His weakness for wine or fermented mare's milk was matched only by his penchant for cruel violence. Ilghazi and his brother Sokmen became co-rulers of Jerusalem after their father's death.  Antioch had fallen, and the Fatimids of Egypt, Ismaili Shi'ite Muslims, sent and army with 40 trebuchets under vizier Malik al-Afdal to attack Jerusalem in August of 1098, following the death of Malik-Shah. The barrage of stones brought down a portion of the walls. Ilghazi and Sokmen surrendered, turning over the business of running Jerusalem to al-Afdal, who released them and their supporters. The brothers went to Damascus and al-Afdal went back to Egypt after placing Iftikhar al-Dawla in charge of the holy city. Meanwhile, the crusaders experienced division and strife after the fall of Antioch as Bohemond ...

 Fun Fact:   Bohemond and his Norman troops scale the walls of Antioch,  in an engraving by Gustave Doré Gather round and hear the tale of the taking of Antioch in the spring of ten-ninety-eight. A fair Norman prince, Bohemond was--although of the generic sort as far as that title goes. During the first crusade, it was, that gathered princes stormed the gate. For many long months the knights and their armed kith had laid siege to their Turkish foes. Another Iliad it was, with the conquerors held long at bay. No Trojan horse did breach the wall, but an armorer willing to betray.  Fayruz succumbed to promises of gold made by Bohemond the bold. The host of Christendom feigned a retreat from impregnable Antioch. It was but a ploy to terminate the lengthy deadlock. Bohemond and his chosen returned to clandestine ropes lowered by Fayruz in the dark of night. The revenants climbed into the tower, keen to engage in the fight. They threw open the gates and broke the lock, i...