Summer 2024 Update: New Series!

It’s August 1 and I am sitting down with renewed vigor to finish this fantasy series that has consumed my time off and on for three years! I’ve written other Jane Austen novels and a short story in the meantime, but whenever my writer-mind goes a-wandering, it goes to this historical fantasy.

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

What is it about? Well, cast your mind back to high school geography, and the city with three names–Byzantium, Constantinople, and Istanbul. You might be able to picture the huge dome of the Hagia Sophia, or maybe you remember learning about Constantine who established Christianity as the religion of the Roman empire (and renamed the city after himself). The city is called Istanbul now, and it’s a huge tourist destination. It is situated on the Bosporus Strait and part of the city is on the Asian side, while the larger part is on the European side. The Bosporus was and still is important for trade because it controls the waterway from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea which touches Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Georgia, and more.

Okay, enough geography, on to history! My story is set in 1204 A.D., when the city was one of the largest in the medieval world. Businessmen imported food from as far away as Spain and China, like cheese from Crete, caviar from Russia, and raisins from Syria. The city still had working Roman aqueducts and cisterns, and it wasn’t what people picture as the “filthy dark ages.” Bathing was common and expected. The citizens were well-educated and most (even girls!) could read. Slavery had been abolished.

CGI Approximation of Medieval Constantinople (You can see the Forum of Theodosius off to the left, the huge Hippodrome in the center, and Bukoleon Palace right on the water with the rectangular harbor.)

Now, it’s historical fantasy, so that means the author (me!) gets to take a real historical period and inject some element of fantasy–like dragons, elves, or magic. I’ve gone the magic route (though it is not presented as magic), because I was interested in creating a system that was based on virtue–not spells or witchcraft, etc. A huge part of the Eastern Orthodox Church of the time was the creation and veneration of icons. For many centuries (and still somewhat today) there were superstitions about them. This one could help with childbirth, that one is lucky, or this one can cure headaches, etc. I was musing–what if all those things were true? What if the icons did have power, based on the saint and the virtue they represented?

Map of Constantinople (1422)

Thus was born my magic system, in which ten virtues of the faith are also associated with a certain power. An icon imbued with faith, for instance, might heal, while an icon imbued with purity can light a consuming fire. Wisdom can make obscured things plain, and gentleness can make hard things soft. Not everyone can make these icons, and not everyone can wield their power, but those who can have made nearly a science out of the possibilities.

The Annunciation from Ohrid, Byzantine art, Paleologan Dynasty

Against this backdrop, a young woman of the Byzantine empire is blackmailed into pretending to be the daughter of the emperor. His real daughter was married off to the king of Serbia and died after childbirth. Before news of the princess’s death spreads, Kia is forced to take her place. She knows her charade will end in whipping, blinding, or death if she is discovered, and unfortunately, the princess was a renowned maker of icons. Kia isn’t, and she can only pretend for so long.

The first person to suspect her deception is Lord Doukas, a rival to the emperor, who was reportedly the true princess’s lover. He wants to overthrow the emperor, and Kia is his path to the crown.

Between preserving her life, her secret, and the stability of the empire, Kia is about to get a crash course in politics, power, and love.

Thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to putting out Book 1 and 2 of the Icons of Power series in late 2024, early 2025.

Corrie