I have recently published two novels through Sharpe Books. The novels cover a sweeping trajectory which transports the reader from the English village of Erbistock to Jerusalem, via Rome, Alexandria, Constantinople and Antioch.

Book one. IRONHAND

Ranulph, orphaned by the Conqueror’s ‘harrowing of the North’, is educated by monks but runs away to sea. Abused by the master of the vessel, he unwittingly brings about his death and from then on he is haunted by a sense of guilt. He becomes first a trader, then a mercenary soldier and eventually a wealthy merchant, dealing in silk and spices. A tragic reversal of fortune sees him reduced to being a galley slave for the Emir of Malta. When redeemed by Duke Robert of Sicily he becomes convinced that God has a special purpose for him. That purpose is revealed when Bohemond of Taranto comes seeking volunteers for the First Crusade.

Book two. GOD’S WARRIOR.

Ranulph travels with Bohemond’s forces to Constantinople and then to the siege of Antioch, where he plays a crucial role in the crusaders’ victory. He continues to fight with the crusaders until Jerusalem falls to them, but the terrible massacre than ensues destroys his faith in the leaders. In the depths of despair he is rescued by a knight who is forming a new order to care for the sick and wounded, the Knights Hospitallers, otherwise known as the Knights of St John.