Well, another wonderful gathering is in the books where among the celebration of all things pop-culture there was significant interest in a knight named Roland. We have been truly grateful for the opportunities to share both our story, as well as the tale of Roland and his peers. As you can imagine, the conversation often begins with… who? But there is a lot of connective tissue between Roland and the events chronicled both in history and fiction and things familiar to the modern audience. Among them are a few of the following:

• Did you know that while Arthur was likely based on a historical figure, the tales of Charlemagne and his champion knight, Roland, provided imaginative basis for the tales of the British figure? The Normans rolled into Britain in 1066, as described in the prologue of The Silver Horn Echoes, and, according to tradition, brought the tale of Roland with them. The Normans ruled an area in France that incorporated an area of territory that included the Breton March, which was the home of Roland and his family.
• As the British kings were also vassals of the French king for territories in large portions of France, they sought talent to tell British stories to their courtly audiences. And where were the best storytellers in their territories? Well, the French troubadours and storytellers that frequented their continental courts. And these storytellers brought with them a rich tradition of Charlemagne and his paladin knights that became the model for Arthur and the knight of the Round Table.
• Charlemagne is arguably the greatest of Western Europe’s Dark Ages kings. He reigned over a kingdom that encompassed a large portion of the Western Roman Empire, including Northern Italy, Gaul, portions of Germany, and Northern Spain.
• Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, was a complex monarch. He was the patron of an early renaissance in Western Europe that saw the revival of learning, letters, and understanding of the ancients. But his court was not the only light of learning in Western Europe. Spain, conquered nearly a century before by the Umayyad Caliphate, provided the Christian scholars with access to ancient learning that had been lost to the region for nearly three centuries.
• The tale of Roland and his stand at Roncevaeux is grounded in historical fact. In 778, Charles the Great did withdraw his forces from Spain after a very long campaign. And the soldier charged with the rearguard was likely a man named “Hrōþiland.” On August 15 of 778, the Frank chronicler Einhardt records that the rearguard was attacked by the Basques; and Roland is among the dead. Thus began the tale of the ages that centuries later morphed into La Chanson de Roland, or Song of Roland.

I have been truly amazed by the attendees’ willingness to learn more about the tale of Roland, and of course pick up the book. All this in the middle of very busy days full of superheroes, television shows, and pop culture. The story of a knight willing to defy the odds in order to protect both King and country resonates with modern audiences. And of course, Jordan Raskin’s fantastic cover artwork does help catch their attention!

So, thank you ALL-STAR Comic Con! Thank you to our friends at Comic Logic in Ashburn, Virginia for encouraging us to participate in these events. There are many more to come throughout 2018. Please keep an eye on this page for more information on author events, giveaways and…

The sequel to our first novel, Annwyn’s Blood! Yes, it is coming! We have been writing the ongoing story of a young knight, Erik of Birkenshire, who is caught between the worlds of the living and the dead in post-Arthurian Britain. Stay tuned to this page for samples of the new chapters in The Paladin of Shadow Chronicles!