One of the great joys of writing the Desolate Empire series has been fictionalizing real people. There are some huge benefits to this approach. I can turn about half of them into women and/or I can slander them egregiously. It’s …

Real Historical Figures Turned into Fantasy Characters Read more »

Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal-Duke of Richelieu and of Fronsac, sometimes called the Red Cardinal, was one of the most important political figures in French history. He’s had some pop culture fame by virtue of being portrayed as the arch-villain …

Major Player: Cardinal Richelieu Read more »

Anyone who’s read Dumas’ The Three Musketeers  (read it, it’s great!) or seen one of the many film adaptations will have a passing familiarity with this French king. Often portrayed as a benign nincompoop,  the real guy was in fact considerably …

Major Player: King Louis XIII of France Read more »