Veritas

“When your blood decides the fate of kings, better to die a lion than a lamb.” Delivered from captivity, burned, desperate and disoriented, Gian finds himself in the care of a blind Monk - Maurus Stigmata. Rescued by the forces of the Holy Eastern Emperor, Gian enters a Byzantine world of esotericism and intrigue. As Gian recovers, little by little he learns the story of the mysterious Maurus and his role in the infamous Fourth Crusade and the sacking of Constantinople. Old debts are called due as Maurus Stigmata is made to atone for his betrayal of his former master. Gian, with the help of Anatolian bandits, races against the sands of time to find his friend and release him from his torturer. In this the second book in The King Maker Saga, Gian finally discovers the truth about his family and the legacy he must now carry alone. The basis for this story is the well documented history of the Faenza family - recovered from Vatican documents, Italian and Arabic chronicles and oral history as passed down from generation to generation over a thousand years.

Elisabetta Faenza As the daughter of an Australian school teacher and an Italian immigrant, I was raised between two cultures, and gained a love for language and story telling at an early age. In the 1960s and 70s Australian was predominantly white, Anglo-Saxon, and so a very olive skinned, blue-eyed child stood out, and I was often referred to as a half-caste. Sounds ridiculous now, but Australia was a much less sophisticated place back then. Being the outsider influenced my view of the world, and made me an observer of people, behavior and culture - something that has been very valuable as a writer. I studied languages and psychology at university as an undergraduate and have a Master's Degree in International Relations, which I completed in my early thirties. I'm also a qualified hypnotherapist and MBTI personality profiler, which really helps me to shape each character's psyche. I've had a life long love of history, people and the places they live, love and die in. I began the research for The Infidel and Veritas over twenty-five years ago and am working on both the prequel to the series - Paul the Assassin, and the sequel to Veritas - Faventia, both due for release in 2016. I live near Braidwood in Australia, with my partner and four children, where I also assists environmental and social enterprises, and indulge my love of the arts and growing food.