My historical epic historical adventure, three books in the Song of Montségur epic, finally releases this fall from Kunati after 20 years of research, multiple publisher offers and a considerable buzz. Song of Montségur has history, too. Kam Wai Yu invented the animated novel trailer, the first book video (click here to play the eighties original -- then here to play the revised 2007 version!), back in the eighties for this epic adventure. It's a classic!

 Why the buzz? Well, aside from grand adventure, knights templars, Holy relics, holy wars, burning pagans and heretics, genuine acts of heroism and historical treasures, we have — perhaps for the first time in this fun format — a history of the Tarot told through colorful characters and events.

This is an excerpt from the introduction to The Last Troubadour, first of the books in the trilogy:

Song of Montségur recalls the rise of the brutal monastic Inquisition in the South of France, an epic story of heroes and villains of the 13th century. Rather than spin a dark tale of glory and death, I fancifully retell these momentous events with your reading pleasure as my goal: two cups adventure, a pound of real history, a large dollop of humor, a dash of tragedy and hopefully enough mystical juice to create a buzz, roasted over a fire of heretics and witches. Enjoy!

From The Silver Dame of Montségur to the terrible witchhunter Diableteur, all of my larger-than-life characters are drawn from history. Many legends (and half-baked histories) associate the development of the Tarot cards with the Cathar heresies and this period in history. In The Last Troubadour, you will meet my “inventor” of the first tarot deck, Nevara of the Baug Balar “circus” and the characters from history that inspired her deck. Although we know the full decks appeared around this time—the four-suited Turuq came earlier—associating Nevara with major trumps of the Tarot is pure imagination. All major characters and events are historical, fancifully dressed up here with Tarot attributions:

The Magician
Nevara, the albino pagan sorceress of the Baug Balar “circus”

The Priestess
Dame Esclarmonde de Foix, the High Lady of the Cathar Christians

The Empress
Magba, the ever-pregnant mother of the Baug Balar entertainers

The Emperor
Hugh d’Arcis, conquering Viscount of Carcassonne

The Hierophant (Pope)
Cardinal Sinibaldo Fiesco, the future Pope Innocent IV

The Lovers
The Grand Duo, the famous rebels Doré the bastard and Osric the hammer

The Chariot
Arnot, the disenfranchised Templar

Justice
Perce de Mendes, too-loyal squire of the famous Cyclops Seigneur

The Hermit
Guilhem d’Alions, the ancient Perfectus  of the Cathars

Fortune
Adelais, the rebellious daughter of the conquering Viscount of Carcassonne

Strength
Seigneur, the “Cyclops” one-eyed crusader

The Hanged Man
The suicidal Dominican monk, Brother Jaie

Death
The Diableteur, feared witch-hunter

Temperance
Atta and Hatta, the Baug Balar twins 

The Devil
Archbishop Peter Amiel of Narbonne, worldly leader of the crusaders