Karavansara

East of Constantinople, West of Shanghai


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Hot licks and rhetoric

Last night I attended a lecture about the ecology of the Belbo Valley – the Belbo Valley being the place where I live.
Being an environmental scientist by trade, you can imagine my curiosity and anticipation.
The end result was an increasingly embarrassing experience – poor contents, not fully understood by the speaker, and badly presented.

Now this got me thinking, on the way back home, about the tools for connecting with an audience.
Because it was doubtless that two thirds of the audience were enraptured despite the horrid lack of contents and unnerving presentation.
How come? Continue reading →


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Templars – a quick fix

PrintAs I think I mentioned elsewhere, part of the fun of writing historical and psaeudo-historical fiction is, you get to read a lot of great books and file the experience under “research“.

And indeed, I’ve collected a huge library of books through the years, because of research.
Visitors to my house normally get the “I can’t see what this book may have to do with your work!” vibe quite fast.

Currently I’m trying to get some background and texture for a new project, and this means I can fully enjoy Graeme Davis‘ excellent Knights Templar, A Secret History, and pretend it’s hard work and not just great fun.
Because it is. Continue reading →


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Sword & Sorcery @ 1 buck x bang

A&A new logoA brief heads-up for my readers.
For the first week of February, as I hammer away at a number of new stories and projects, the first two stories in the Aculeo & Amunet series will be 33% off on Amazon.
On any Amazon.

Now you can read Bride of the Swamp God and Lair of the White Ape for a single buck each (or the equivalent in your currency of choice).

It’s a sort of home-cooked promotion, so grab them while it lasts!

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Guest post – An interview with Fatima Bhutto

I’m happy to post here the original interview with author and poet Fatima Bhutto, which was conducted by my friend Giulia, webmistress of the Italian literary blog Liberi di Scrivere.

Enjoy!

Liberi di Scrivere – An interview with Fatima Bhutto

The-Shadow-of-the-Crescent-Moon1. Welcome Fatima, and thank you for granting Liberi di Scrivere this interview. I will not ask you any question about your family (our readers are invited to check out your biographical essay, Songs of Blood and Sword). I’d rather ask you about your work as a fiction writer: The Shadow of the Crescent Moon (2013), is your first novel, a  fictional work that reflects anyway everyday life in Pakistan, especially from the point of view of the younger generations. Does fiction help to better focus on reality?

I think fiction is very liberating. It allows us to discuss subjects that would otherwise be too frightening or too difficult to look at head on. It gives you a space free of judgment and that’s really important, especially when you are dealing with heavy political topics or sensitive issues. Continue reading →