Suvudu Universe

Please welcome Fulke FitzWarin, hero of Elizabeth Chadwick’s The Outlaw Knight to the virtual offices this morning.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Describe yourself in five words or less.

[Fulke FitzWarin] Honourable, strong, loyal, virile, chivalric

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you share a typical day in the life of Fulke FitzWarin?

[Fulke FitzWarin] It would be different things at different points of my life. But let’s take it as an outlaw on the run:

1.Get up in morning and hope it hasn’t rained in the night and made everything damp.

2. See to the horses, eat whatever food might be to hand, provided either from handouts, from foraging, or from a spot of judicious thievery.

3. Discuss the day’s plans with the men. One of King John’s treasure carts is supposed to be coming through the area.

4. Cover up signs of the camp and head off to ambush the treasure cart.

5. Apprehend the treasure cart after a bit of fighting. Take the treasure and remove it to a safe hiding place.

6.When it starts to rain heavily go to the manor house of a sympathizer and take shelter there, paying for the meal and board with part of King John’s treasure.

7. Spend the night there by the fire telling tales and sharpening weapons. Write a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury who is sympathetic to my cause even while he serves King John.

8. Next morning leave and move on before word gets out and the heavy mob arrives.

9. Select next target.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you describe your relationship with King John?

[Fulke FitzWarin] He hates me and he’s jealous of me. He bears a grudge against me because I once got the better of him at chess when we were youths. It came to blows and I knocked him down. I have no love for him and rebelled against him when he took away my land and gave it to someone else just to spite me. He covets and harasses my lovely wife too. He is my king, yet how can I bend the knee to such a tyrant?

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What irks you most about him?

[Fulke FitzWarin] The fact that he took away my land when I was grieving over the death of my father, and gave it to another man without justification. I will never forgive him for that.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] If you could change one thing you’ve done in your life, what would it be?

[Fulke FitzWarin] I would not let feuding over land become the be-all and end-all of my life.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What’s one thing you won’t leave home without?

[Fulke FitzWarin] A good thick cloak.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] What do you like to do when you aren’t antagonizing a king?

[Fulke FitzWarin] To sit around the fire with my brothers swapping tales. To lie abed with my wife and just admire her beauty. To go riding with her and know we are not threatened. To teach my sons the paths they must follow to manhood.

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Can you share your dreams for the future in five words or less.

[Fulke FitzWarin] Grandchildren, stability, peace, decent king!

[Manga Maniac Cafe] Thank you!

[Fulke FitzWarin] Thank you, you are welcome!

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About the book:

A Deadly Rival.
An Ancient Family Dispute.
An Impossible Love.

He should have known better than to fight with the future King John. Ruthless and feared, John is not one to forget or forgive. But Fulke FitzWarin couldn’t help himself, and now the vindictive John has insured that Fulke will never become lord of the castle he loves.

Instead of accepting his fate, Fulke rebels. He begins an affair with Maude Walter, the wealthy widow desired by John himself. Negotiating a maze of deceit, treachery, and shifting alliances, Fulke’s route to success is blocked at every turn. And when the turmoil of the Magna Carta rebellion combines with a shocking tragedy, everything Fulke has fought for is thrown into the path of destruction.

"A star back in Britain, Elizabeth Chadwick is finally getting the attention she deserves here."—USA Today

"The best writer of medieval fiction currently around."—Richard Lee, founder and publisher, Historical Novel Society