I am pleased to welcome Julian de la Motte to my blog to share an excerpt from his novel, “The Will of God.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Julian de la Motte for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.
Excerpt:
And so there had been, far more than a ‘little something’ in fact. Grandesmil was carrying in his panniers documents that entitled him to vast swathes of new lands in the Cotentin, and he was carrying in his head visions of the likely reaction to William’s death of certain of his more immediate family. And thus, to Robert, his eldest son: The boy had been with the King of France for four years now. Kept on a short leash and harboured by William’s greatest enemy, a boy caught in rebellion and open defiance of his father. To Robert, then, full pardon and restitution and the bestowing of the Duchy of Normandy for himself, but no Crown of England.
And thus, to Odo, his half-brother. A man so steeped in sin and villainy and treachery that he could no longer personally enjoy his former high estate. While he languished under close but comfortable confinement for his unchurchly crimes, the bounty of Kent, his bishopric of Bayeux, and a score of other properties and estates had gone, untasted by him and savoured by others. To Odo, then, forgiveness and a return of all his former glories and previous estate. To his problematic and scandalous second son William, called Rufus for his red hair and high complexion, the great prize of the Kingdom of England itself and all that it brought, good and bad. To Henry, his youngest and avaricious son, the sum of the weight of five thousand pounds of silver, to make of it what he would.
It was ever the fate of younger sons to make of themselves what they could. That, after all, was what the wild lands of Spain, of Italy, and Sicily and the possessions of the Byzantines were for, so that determined men with horses and swords could take and make of them what they could. But the strange and cold and calculating boy would not embark upon the world empty-handed.
Blurb:
“Deus Lo Vult!”
Gilles is the natural son of the Earl Waltheof, executed by William the Conqueror for supposed treachery. Raised in Normandy by Queen Matilda of England, Gilles is a young servant of Robert, Duke of Normandy, when the first call for a Holy War against the infidel and the liberation of Jerusalem is raised in Christendom. Along with thousands of others, inspired by a variety of motives, intense piety mixed with a sense of adventure and the prospects of richness, Gilles becomes a key and respected follower of the Duke of Normandy and travels through France and into Italy to the point of embarkation for Constantinople and the land of the Greeks.
In this epic first phase of a long and gruelling journey, Gilles begins to discover a sense of his strengths and weaknesses, encounters for the first time the full might and strength of the Norman war machine and achieves his much coveted aim of knighthood, as well as a sense of responsibility to the men that he must now lead into battle.
The Will of God is the literal translation of the Latin phrase “Deus Lo Vult,” a ubiquitous war cry and a commonly offered explanation of all the horrors and iniquities unleashed by the First Crusade of 1096 to 1099, when thousands of Europeans made the dangerous and terrifying journey to the Holy Land and the liberation of Jerusalem. It is the first of two books on the subject.
Praise for The Will of God:
“De la Motte has superpowers as a writer of historical fiction; he’s a warhorse of a writer bred to stun and trample the literary senses. You won’t stop turning the pages of The Will of God.”
~ Charles McNair, Pulitzer Prize nominee and author of Land O’Goshen
Buy Link:
Universal Buy Link: https://geni.us/uXe6u
Author Bio:
Julian de la Motte is a Londoner. He graduated from the University of Wales with a degree in Medieval History. He was further awarded a Master of Arts qualification in Medieval English Art from the University of York.
He studied and taught in Italy for nearly four years before returning to the U.K. and a career as a teacher, teacher trainer, and materials designer before taking up a new role as the Director of Foreign Languages and of English as a Foreign Language.
Married and with two grown-up children, He is now extensively involved in review writing and historical research, primarily on medieval history.
”The Will of God” [the first of two books on the subject of the First Crusade] is his third novel.
Author Links:
Website: www.historiumpress.com/julian-de-la-motte
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julian.delamotteharrison.3
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XWMRPYK
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/20873400.julian_de_la_Motte
Blurb:
Author Bio
The year is 1599 in Rome, Italy. A young rich woman stands in front of an executioner’s block. She is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a lover, and a killer. Her victim was her father, a man who made her life and the lives of her family members a living hell. When she falls in love with one of her father’s spies, she believes that it is a way out. However, the path she chooses to embark on will bring deadly consequences. What is the truth surrounding this case, and is Beatrice Cenci a cold-blooded murderer or a victim looking for her freedom? Elizabeth Fremantle explores the life of Beatrice Cenci and the circumstances of this crime in her latest novel, “Sinners.”
Today, I am pleased to welcome Julia Ibbotson back to my blog to share a blurb for her novel, “A Shape on the Air.” I would like to thank The Coffee Pot Book Club and Julia Ibbotson for allowing me to participate in this blog tour. 
Blurb:
Author Bio
Anne Boleyn, a queen whose story has lived on for centuries. She was the woman who stood between Catherine of Aragon and King Henry VIII. Her daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, was her greatest legacy and her pride and joy. It was her untimely death due to charges that many believe were unfounded. We all have our image of the infamous queen, but how does that change when we switch the type of media we consume? Helen Harrison explores how our idea of Anne Boleyn changed over time in her latest book, “The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn: Interpreting Image and Perception.”
In each era throughout history, we see how men and women adapt to the struggles and triumphs of the age. Take, for example, the 16th century, primarily in Tudor England. It was a time of great religious changes and dynamic rulers who would change the course of European history forever. While men had the most power, except for a handful of women, the majority of women struggled to survive each stage of life. So, what was life truly like for Tudor women? Elizabeth Norton explores this topic in her book, “The Lives of Tudor Women.”
The 16th century was dominated by powerful women who left their indelible mark on European history. Take, for example, the aunt of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. No, not Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. I am talking about a woman who was the daughter of Emperor Maximilian I, was married three times, had no children, and helped raise her nephew Charles V, was an essential part of the Ladies’ Peace, taught Anne Boleyn how to live at court, and was a patroness of the arts and literature. Of course, I am talking about Margaret of Austria, the Governor of the Netherlands. A formidable woman who saw much change and chose to be part of politics, even though she was a woman. Her remarkable story is told in Rozsa Gaston’s novel, “Margaret of Austria: Governor of the Netherlands and Early 16th-Century Europe’s Greatest Diplomat.”
When we think about how we study history, we often consider documents and chronicles that can provide us with dates and the stories of historical figures. However, this is only half the story. We can learn a great deal from the artifacts left behind. Each era left behind its treasure trove of trinkets for archaeologists and historians to discover and interpret their meanings and purposes. One of the most fascinating periods of history was medieval Europe, full of war, religious struggles, artwork, plagues, and technological advances. What types of artifacts were left behind from medieval Europe? Lorris Chevalier explores the trinkets and artifacts left behind in his book, “A Medieval Cabinet of Curiosities.”
When we think about the most impactful women authors, we often think about writers like Agatha Christie, Mary Shelley, and Jane Austen. However, when it comes to religious texts, we have to go back in time centuries. We think about nuns like Bridget of Sweden and a mother of 14 children named Margery Kempe. Yet, we must include an anchorite who stayed in her cell for almost thirty years. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love, is considered the first great work of English prose, but many people are not familiar with the author until now. Janina Ramirez tells the story of Julian of Norwich and how impactful her book was in her book, “Julian of Norwich: A Very Brief History.”
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Two crazy kids in love, whose families hated each other they decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and die for each other. One of the greatest tragic love stories of all time. But what if it didn’t end in tragedy? What if Romeo and Juliet had their happy ending and had a large family? In this version of Verona, Romeo and Juliet have a large family, and their eldest daughter Rosaline is the most beautiful, headstrong girl in all of Verona. Unfortunately, Rosaline (Rosie) has got herself in quite a mess with an unwanted prince fiancé, a ghost who only she can see, and a murder investigation. Can Rosie solve the case and figure out her love life before things go horribly wrong? This is the premise of the second book of the Daughter of Montague series by Christina Dodd called “Thus with a Kiss I Die.”
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 