James Conroyd Martin's Blog

Theodora of sixth century Constantinople and empress of the civilized world could have been the prototype of Eva Peron is so many ways. From a very young age, Theodora, daughter of a circus bearkeeper, sets her sights well above her station in life. Her exquisite beauty sets her apart on stages and in the eyes of men.
Stephen, a Syrian lad of striking good looks, is sold by his parents to a Persian wizard, who teaches him a skill in languages that will serve him well.
By the time Destiny brings them together, Theodora has been cast off by a governor of a Byzantine province in Africa, while Stephen has been sold again . . . and castrated.
Discover the enduring bond that, however imperfect, prompts Theodora—as Empress—to request palace eunuch Stephen to write her biography.

Pre-orders are now available for the e-book and print editions of FORTUNE's CHILD: A Novel of Empress Theodora.

“Amazing history—I felt like I was there.”
—Lisa Wingate, bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
Theodora: actress, prostitute, mistress. And Byzantine Empress of the civilized world.
Stephen: handsome Syrian boy, wizard's apprentice, palace eunuch. And Secretary to the Empress.
How does this unlikely pair become such allies that one day Empress Theodora asks Stephen to write her biography?
Fortune's Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora

Bookbub is offering my entire boxed set trilogy (7.99) for just $1.99. It happens Sunday March 5th, but the price is already in place at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, Kobo, and i-books. It won't happen again, methinks.

In related news, The Boy Who Wanted Wings has been temporarily reduced from $5.99 to $2.99.

Both sales end March 12th.

A big thank you to my loyal readers!

FREE on Amazon and B&N until January 28th! I would appreciate your telling your friends about it. Maybe do a Recommend here on Goodreads. Thanks! Push Not the River

I'm thrilled to say that a boxed set of PUSH NOT THE RIVER, AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY, and THE WARSAW CONSPIRACY is now available.

Based on the diary of a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution years, 1791-94, PUSH NOT THE RIVER paints a vivid picture of a tumultuous and unforgettable metamorphosis of a nation--and of Anna, a proud and resilient woman. AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY continues Anna's saga as Napoleon comes calling, implying independence from her neighbors would follow if only Polish lancers would accompany him on his fateful 1812 march into Russia. Anna's family fights valiantly to hold on to a tenuous happiness, their country, and their very lives. Set against the November Rising (1830-31), THE WARSAW CONSPIRACY depicts partitioned Poland's daring challenge to the Russian Empire. Brilliantly illustrating the psyche of a people determined to reclaim independence in the face of monumental odds, the story features Anna's sons and their fates in love and war.

In his Historical Note at the beginning of his new historical novel, The Boy Who Wanted Wings, James Conroyd Martin underscores the date of the pivotal Battle of Vienna between the Ottomans and the Christians in his book: September 11, 1683. From the first chapter onward, even though the story focus is preparation for battle, the undercurrent on which it rides is the ethnic disparity among those who have some status and those who have less and those who are physically or culturally different.

Sixteen-year-old Krystyna Halicka has managed to be sent home from the convent boarding school she has been attending. She clearly loves the area around her city of Halicz and is glad to be home. As the carriage bringing her and her escort, her older brother Roman, stop close to home, she jumps out to collect wildflowers and encounters two brothers working in the field. They are of a lesser status than she is, but the darker one, Aleksy, catches her attention. She catches his as well.

Krystyna’s brothers, Roman and Marek, train with others of their social rank to become horse soldiers in King Jan III Sobieski’s army. Aleksy comes upon the training and watches from a hill, longing to be a hussar, a lancer on horseback. His social status prevents that and, by a twist of fate, he becomes instead a retainer for Krystyna’s brothers. While the brothers have been away at their training, Krystyna and Aleksy have been meeting. The tension between the brothers and Aleksy grows as they head off to the eventual Battle of Vienna.

James Conroyd Martin deftly develops an intricate web of the social status of the era. As the story progresses, brief moments appear when those lines are stretched and crossed even as they spring back into place. His characters are complex, well developed, and consistent. Their emotional lives are exposed even as the horrors of war loom. The Boy Who Wanted Wings is an excellent read whether one’s preferred genre is historical fiction or not.

CHAUCER Awards for pre-1750 HISTORICAL FICTION 2016 FINALISTS

Pre 1750 Historical Fiction AwardThe CHAUCER Writing Competition recognizes emerging new talent and outstanding works in the genre of pre-1750s Historical Fiction. The Chaucer Awards is a division of Chanticleer International Novel Writing Competitions.
More than $30,000.00 dollars worth of cash and prizes will be awarded to Chanticleer Book Reviews 2015 writing competition winners at the Chanticleer Authors Conference April 1, 2017!

Release Day for the e-book and paperback has arrived. Hardback soon to follow! Click and take a look!

http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/theboyw...

Cover Reveal



"A gripping, transporting story of self-determination set against fate." ~ Kirkus Reviews

All four of my novels are on sale for just a couple of days starting May 5th.Hologram: A HauntingPush Not the RiverAgainst a Crimson Sky The Warsaw Conspiracy