Welcome to today’s stop on the Island of Gold by Amy Maroney blog tour

Today, I’m excited to share a post from Amy Maroney who’s going to tell me all about the research she undertook for her new book, Island of Gold.

Thank you for hosting me on your blog, MJ! I love research and you’ve asked some excellent questions.

Can you explain your research process to me, and give an idea of the resources that you rely on the most (other than your imagination, of course) to bring your historical landscape to life? 

AM: Island of Gold, the first book in my Sea and Stone Chronicles series, was inspired by a three-week stint on the island of Rhodes back in 2012. I was struck by the layers of history on the island stretching back thousands of years. All of that history is still visible today. Ancient temples and crumbling statues of Greek goddesses exist alongside the walls and forts built by the medieval Knights Hospitaller. When I explored Rhodes, I knew that one day, I would write about the island and its history.

My first research always come informally, mostly through travel and reading. It’s when I’m traveling that I have the best, most creative ideas for fiction. Reading is like traveling in that it takes me to different worlds, so ideas are often sparked that way, too. With that initial idea or inspiration percolating, I start to dig into the historical record. I rely heavily on Academia.edu, Interlibrary Loan, and the kindness of researchers all over the world. As I explore history, I begin to imagine characters inhabiting the distant past. 

Do you have a ‘go’ to book/resource that you couldn’t write without having to hand, and if so, what is it (if you don’t mind sharing)?

AM: I have many go-to books that I’m leaning on heavily while writing the Sea and Stone Chronicles. A few in particular were invaluable during the research and writing process for Island of Gold. I own a copy of The Book of Michael of Rhodes, an illustrated journal of sorts written by a Rhodian-born seaman who made a living working on various Venetian ships during the early 1400s. Island of Gold is set on Rhodes, and the maritime dramas of the era figure large in the Sea and Stone Chronicles, so this book has been a treasure trove of information about sailing, merchant ships, Venetian influence in the Mediterranean, and other topics crucial to my research. 

Since Island of Gold is a story about ordinary people living in the shadow of the Knights Hospitaller when that organization was headquarters in Rhodes during the 1400s, I relied on several key books about the knights during my research. My favorite go-to books on that topic are The Knights Hospitaller by Helen Nicholson and The Knights of Rhodes by Elias Kollias.

My hero and heroine are Cédric and Sophie, a noble French falconer and a spirited merchant’s daughter, who marry in France and go on to seek their fortunes in Rhodes. 

To create Cédric de Montavon, I studied The Hound and The Hawk by John Cummins and H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald. I also valued Fighting Words: A Glossary of Swords and Combat by David Blixt, Dale Girard, Jared Kirby, and Tom Leoni.

To create Sophie Portier, I began with research I had already done on fifteenth century France for the Miramonde Series (the story of a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern day scholar on her trail). I then added some new go-to resources. A Distant Mirror by Barbara W. Tuchman gave me essential background about the fourteenth century and how the plague and other major events set the European stage for the fifteenth century. Two books about medieval life helped me create realistic domestic scenes and deepen Sophie’s character: Living and Dining in Medieval Paris by Nicole Crossley-Hollard and A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life by Margaret Wade Labarge. 

One of the resources that helped me with world-building for Island of Gold was Reflections on a Marine Venus: A Companion to the Landscape of Rhodes by Lawrence Durrell. And I relied heavily on numerous academic papers written by researchers dedicated to studying the medieval Mediterranean.

Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today, MJ! I enjoyed my visit with you.

Good luck with the new book. The cover is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your research with me.

Here’s the blurb

1454. A noble French falconer. A spirited merchant’s daughter. And a fateful decision that changes their destiny forever.

When Cédric is recruited by the Knights Hospitaller to the Greek island of Rhodes, his wife Sophie jumps at the chance to improve their fortunes. After a harrowing journey to Rhodes, Cédric plunges into the world of the knights—while Sophie is tempted by the endless riches that flow into the bustling harbor. But their dazzling new home has a dark side. 

Slaves toil endlessly to fortify the city walls, and rumors of a coming attack by the Ottoman Turks swirl in the streets. Desperate to gain favor with the knights and secure his position, Cédric navigates a treacherous world of shadowy alliances. Meanwhile, Sophie secretly engineers a bold plan to keep their children safe. As the trust between them frays, enemies close in—and when disaster strikes the island, the dangers of their new world become terrifyingly real. 

With this richly-told story of adventure, treachery, and the redeeming power of love, Amy Maroney brings a mesmerizing and forgotten world to vivid life.

This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited

Universal Link: 

Amazon UK:  Amazon US:  Amazon CA:  Amazon AU: 

Meet the author 

Amy Maroney lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, and spent many years as a writer and editor of nonfiction before turning her hand to historical fiction. When she’s not diving down research rabbit holes, she enjoys hiking, dancing, traveling, and reading. Amy is the author of the Miramonde Series, a trilogy about a Renaissance-era female artist and the modern-day scholar on her trail. To receive a free prequel novella to the Miramonde Series, join Amy’s readers’ group at http://www.amymaroney.com. (Just copy and paste into your browser.)

Connect with the author

Website:  Twitter:  Facebook:  Instagram: 

Pinterest:  Book Bub: Amazon Author Page:  Goodreads: