The first book
in the epic series
Covilhã’s Secret Journal
PÊRO DA COVILHÃ is nominally a squire of the Portuguese Royal Guard, but his true trade is diplomacy, espionage, and death. When a traitorous duke attempts to assassinate King DOM JOÃO II, Pêro is forced to execute the man himself. This dark deed exposes the depth of his abject bondage to the Crown. Desperate to escape the dreaded shadows of the powerful, Pêro resolves to become a true noble. But only the King has the power to elevate him—and he will only do so if Pêro proves himself by accomplishing the inconceivable.
Soon to appear.
The Books in the Series
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Terra Occidens
Second book:
The Mediterranean
Terra Oriens
Third book:
Egypt, Red Sea, and India
Terra Incognita
Fourth book:
Arabia and Horn of Africa
Terra Scintillae
Fifth book:
Highlands of Abyssinia
Terra Ignis
Sixth book:
Adal-Abyssinian War
Terra Cinis
Seventh book:
Aftermath of the War
The Books for Research
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Culture
Pêro da Covilhã was a diplomat. He succeed against all odds to secure a Treaty of Friendship with Abu Thabet, the Sultan of Tlemcen.
Politics
As an agent of the Portuguese Crown, Covilhã faught, spied, and killed for the King. This was the only way he could survive the treachery at court.
History
As a cavaleiro of the Ordem da Sant’Iago, he was in bondage as a knight not only to the military order, but also to King and country.
Language
As a cavaleiro of the Ordem da Sant’Iago, he was in bondage as a knight not only to the military order, but also to King and country.
My Private Library
This is where my historical archive of 2,000 books and maps is kept:
spread over six bookcases in two rooms. And finding a specific book can be a challenge:
I should have firmly applied the Dewey Decimal Classification system,
but couldn’t live with ugly labels on the spines of seventeenth-century vellum-bound codices —or putting five-by-eight-inch trade paperbacks next to them.
The Reading Room
The shelves in the library room hold the oldest—and most beautiful—chronologies centering on Pêro da Covilhã, the era of Portuguese discoveries, as well as old travel accounts on the cultures of the places Pêro visited,
Size Matters
An old bookcase must endure the indignity of bearing books sorted by size, not age.
The Scriptorium
This is the editorial room where my co-author and I do the actual work: writing, rewriting, and swatting at superfluous commas.
We keep the books we use the most close at hand.
In our digital age, most old books have been scanned and are available online—but not all. And, living in Europe, I can travel to so many quaint towns and rummage through their dusty antiquarian bookshops, where I’ve had the luck of finding rare, overlooked jewels.
Books and More Books
Above: research tomes, often multi-volume series, need a place of their own.
Below: esthetically speaking, some books just don’t rate being behind glass.
