D'Artagnan in Nantes

One cannot pass through the city of Nantes in Brittany, France without spending some time visiting the magnificent Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The back of Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul

While the building was destroyed several times, including during WWII and following a major fire in 1972, the cathedral's foundation dates from 1434.

The cathedral houses an awe inspiring Gothic interior together with an ornate tomb that Anne de Bretagne (aka, Duchess of Brittany, the richest woman in Europe in her time and twice Queen of France) once commissioned to honour her parents.

The tomb of Francis II and Margaret de Foix,

Parents of Anne of Brittany

But what held my interest while in Nantes was the political intrigue that supposedly took place at the front of this cathedral on September 5, 1661.

We are familiar with D'Artagnan from the famous novel, The Three Musketeers. While its author, Alexandre Dumas no doubt took many liberties with creating his character, what is certain is that the original D'Artagnan was also a highly skilled man-of-arms attached to the royal court.

D'Artagnan served Louis XIV as Captain of the Musketeers of the Guards. Created in 1622, the Musketeers of the Guards were entrusted with protecting the King outside his palace. They were skilled with fighting both on foot and on horseback.

D'Artagnan had a long career in espionage. Louis XIV shared many delicate secrets with him. One such secret was that the King had had enough of his finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet.

Fouquet, an admirer of grand architecture had recently spared no expense in building his lavish Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte. Upon completion of this palace in 1661, Fouquet held dazzling celebrations where supposedly every guest was granted a horse. Even the great poet La Fontaine and the playwright, Moliere, good friends of Fouquet were invited at the inauguration, where a Moliere play was performed while an impressive dinner and fireworks show took place.

Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte

Of course there was no reason for Louis XIV to feel outdone by the beauty of Fouquet's new palace, or by the extravagant outlays of his minister. After all, hadn't our Sun King himself built the incomparable Chateau de Versailles?

Actually, no. At this time, Louis XIV had not yet expanded Versailles palace to the level of grandeur it would have for years to come. That feat would come much later, starting in 1669 and one can certainly imagine where the inspiration came from... Therefore, back in 1661, Louis XIV felt severely upstaged.

But circumstances were in his favour.

At the time, the man in charge of tax reforms, a certain Jean-Baptiste Colbert made an embezzlement attack on Fouquet. This was partly to secure himself the post of finance minister, which he eventually did take. Vexed as he was by Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte, Louis XIV naturally chose to attribute Fouquet's magnificent creation to his evident misappropriation of the royal treasury. In short, Jean-Baptiste Colbert's accusation was welcomed since it allowed our 22 year old king to appease his wounded ego by giving him an opportunity to do away with Fouquet.

Three weeks after visiting Vaux for the inaugurations, Louis XIV left for Nantes, kindly inviting Fouquet with him. In doing so, the king took Fouquet away from his own entourage who may have protected him. His guard down, and certain of having secured himself the king's favour, Fouquet never once suspected that D'Artagnan was in Nantes with his own royal mission...

On September 5, 1661, in front of the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Fouquet was arrested by Captain D'Artagnan.

Too bad our musketeer was on the wrong side of history.

It turned out that Fouquet had built part of the Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte especially for Louis XIV and had sought to flatter his king in an attempt to become his advisor. The king's attack was unjustified and in fact during his trial, Fouquet held the French public's sympathy, including that of poet La Fontaine. Fouquet's trial was in breach of many forms of justice and lasted almost three years. It became known as the "trial of the century". The court finally decided on eternal banishment but King Louis had the entire judge panel replaced in an attempt to reach a death sentence. He clearly wanted Fouquet eliminated. Again the court decided on solitary confinement. Faced with this, King Louis dictated cruel conditions, stipulating that Nicolas Fouquet was not to be permitted to read nor write and the soldiers guarding him were not to talk to him on penalty of death.

Our misled D'Artagnan was assigned to guard Nicolas Fouquet for four years until his final life imprisonment. To our musketeer's defense, it is said that upon receiving his orders from the king, d'Artagnan wept, so torn was he between his duty to Louis XIV and his friendship for Fouquet which persisted months later. It was also said that d'Artagnan was never able to forgive himself.

Nicolas Fouquet, a man who before his arrest was presumably the most wealthy and powerful person in France, suffered a terrible unjust fate. It is said that his cruel punishment resembles that of the Man in the Iron Mask and this has led some authors to trace the identity of Alexandre Dumas' Man in the Iron Mask to Nicolas Fouquet.

Vietnamese Child

Peering into old family albums, while visiting my Vietnamese grandmother in France, revealed a treasure trove of historical wonders.

One afternoon during May, I found this wonderful photo of my grandmother, Phuong Lan.

Phuong Lan at ten

I was blown away, partly by the intensity of her gaze and the exoticism of the Vietnamese setting. I loved the way her hand reaches out to caress that leaf. It is a hauntingly beautiful photo. But its meaning deepens and inspires sadness once you understand my grandmother's past. 

You must know that my grandmother's mother, a Vietnamese princess, had eloped with a French man when Phuong Lan was only an infant. Princess Cong-Nu-Cuc-Phuong discarded her baby, leaving Phuong Lan with her father, never to return. Maybe I am imagining this but my grandmother's expression in this photo is so solemn that I can't help but feel that she would have deeply resented her  abandonment as a child.

She is ten years old in this photo and you will notice that her hair is completely shaved. I asked her why. In response, she gave a shy smile and answered, "That is the way we did things."

Since my return from France, I conducted a little research and I found that it is common practice in traditional Vietnamese communities to shave off a child's head. A newborn's hair is considered 'dirty' or not as healthy. It is believed that by shaving it off, one gives better chance for new, healthier hair to grow later. From a rational viewpoint, this practice would at least inhibit lice and other disease-carrying agents. 

Another interesting finding is that Vietnamese parents traditionally resort to practices that aim to 'confuse the evil spirits' who otherwise might harm their child. It is best, for example, to refer to a child with an unpleasant name rather than use words that praise how beautiful it is. The idea is that lurking spirits, feared for their ability to cause a child's illness or death, would not be attracted to an 'ugly' child. Similarly a girl, with a shaved head could look less attractive to the evil spirits hence ensuring that she is kept safe.

I mentioned in a post years ago, that when she married my grandfather, Yves Candeau, one of the conditions placed on my grandmother by her mandarin father was that she ought to never cut her hair. At this time, when she was twenty-four, her hair had grown long and healthy, down to her ankles. I ignore whether the shaving she had been subjected as a child had paid off, but she certainly had an abundant bunch of gorgeous hair as an adult!

And here she is in all her glory. 

She told me this is one of her favorite photos. 

Buddha's Birthday Giveaway and Kindle Special

17 May 2013 is officially Buddha's birthday this year, and all over the world, people have joined into the celebrations.

Did you know that the city of Brisbane, in Australia is home to the largest annual Buddhist Birth Day Festival in the world? For three days and nights, Brisbane's South Bank Park lands light up with traditional red lanterns to celebrate the Buddha Birth Day Festival. Admission is free and there is much to keep everyone in the family interested with birthday ceremonies, cultural dances, music and feasting.

It turns out that humble Brisbane is also the birthplace of the historical novel, The Ming Storytellers. Set in China, the novel was extensively researched and written over a period of five years...all from Brisbane!

As part of the Buddha birthday month celebrations, a lucky person will have the chance to win a FREE Paperback copy of The Ming Storytellers.

To be in the random draw, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post or on the The Ming Storytellers Facebook page.

Don't enjoy reading Paperbacks? No stress!

Buddha's happy energy is fostering much generosity this month.

The Amazon Kindle version of The Ming Storytellers, originally priced at $5.99 USD is now priced at only 0.99 USD for a limited time only. This massive discount is also available on all Amazon KDP territories  where The Ming Storytellers is sold, including Germany, France, Spain, Brasil, Italy, Japan and India.


Much peace.



A tale of mystery and intrigue, The Ming Storytellers tells the fated story of Min Li, a willful imperial concubine and the illustrious Admiral Zheng He. The novel is set in China, during the Early Ming Dynasty a time of expansion and drama both at the Beijing court and at sea. Reviewers at Historical Novel Review have written an excellent review of the novel, here. 
Further information about The Ming Storytellers is available from the author interview at Unusual Historicals.

The Mascherari

Hard at work on my second novel with a rigorous self-imposed deadline. The first draft must be finished by mid-May in time for my joyous trip to France (family reasons) and Venice (research purposes).

I have, for now, abandoned the sexy sci-fi adventure I spoke of over a year back, to pen a historical mystery set in Renaissance Venice.

The Mascherari, is the plural form of the word, "mask maker" in Italian. It is the title of my second novel. Mask makers, as artists, along with their creations have always been a fascination of mine. I have a Pinterest wall devoted to masks which I have called "Los Occultos". It more or less means, "The Hidden". I am intimate with the hidden. It inspires and revives me. You could say I am a vampire for what is secret. And what a feast it is to dwell in 'hidden' Venezia. I can't tell you how much it thrills me. I am in my element.

I will situate this novel with just a few boring facts.

The year is 1422, months before the election of the conquest minded Doge, Francesco Foscari, a significant turning point both politically and economically. But for now, there is prosperity. The Venice Republic rules Padua, Verona and a gaggle of other colonies in the Mediterranean including Cypus, Santorini, Mykonos and Crete. It has long defeated Genoa, its main military rival and is in an on-off alliance with Florence with which it remains for the most part, cordial. It trades heavily with Constantinople and  is happy to ignore the Catholic Church if this one interferes with its trade and its ability to draw profit from the Muslim lands. It is a peaceful time for the ruling patricians. 1509 is far. The League of Cambrai has not yet arrived at the Republic's doorstep to bring the Venetians to their knees. We are in a golden age.

But a series of gruesome murders is about to take place on the eve of Carnivale. Enter Antonio da Parma. Tuscan, newly widowed, appointed by the Consiglio dei Dieci to investigate these grizzly murders involving a wealthy and not-so virtuous group of senior patricians. One of them, Giacomo Contarini, has an especially dirty past. And judging from the rumours abounding, the Contarini name is doomed to be soiled. Things are not going too well for Antonio da Parma. As an inquisitor, he is known for being susceptible to occultic beliefs, something which we learn has tainted his past investigations. And the Consiglio dei Dieci want none of that.

Antonio da Parma is a captivating man. He says so little about himself in his letters and in his diary. Incidentally I should mention the epistolary form of this novel. Yet we discover so much of his yearnings and passions through the voices of others. We could say that he is the novel's true mystery. Antonio da Parma is also a mystery to himself until he finally discovers the real reason for his being in Venice.

I am having way too much fun writing The Mascherari and describing all the masks, both material and psychological, that I come across. It is a real pleasure. If you think I am writing for myself, you are right.

There is much to keep me enthralled. There is child kidnapping. There is much feasting and Carnivale reveling. There are secret denunciations and sbirri attacks. Sleazy visits to San Cassiano's red-light district. There is an old crone near the Arsenale who sells protective charms. A foreign witch with a beauty so enchanting that she becomes, despite herself, the downfall of a once happy marriage. There is Magic. Encrypted messages. Endless jealousy, Treason, Murder and my favourite part, true Friendship.
Most of all, there is a mystery behind which lies a conspiracy so evil that you will never see Venezia in the same way again...

But I must say this. Even as I paint it with a darkened colour, I love the Republic. She has stolen my heart, that witch. I love everything I have learnt about this early Renaissance period. I love being in the recesses of my mind and speaking with the voices of my characters, being them, dressing like them. Ah, Velvet... Give me Velvet! I love all my characters with their faults, their strengths and their weaknesses. I know that my complete immersion into this world would not have been successful if I had not made a decision to quit my day job. Business analysis, you are far.
But wait for me.

Unfortunately I will find my writing and editing interrupted after the mid year. Still it is a fantastic cause as I will be moving to Sydney, a place where I have long wanted to live. You can say this is a dream come true in a sense. Hard work in another. I will need to return to the 21st century, busy myself with finding the basics of life: shelter; a new day job; and hopefully re-integrate myself into my new city as much as possible.

But if it all goes well, if the artwork progresses as expected, and if I do not fall ill from the jettatura, then The Mascherari should be released by mid-2014.

The Ming Storytellers - Paperback Release

I am pleased to announce the Paperback release of The Ming Storytellers on 

January 2013.

To celebrate this occasion, one lucky person will WIN an advance paperback copy of The Ming Storytellers. Talk about a Christmas present... 

And wait! There's more...we are speaking about a dedicated and SIGNED copy of this absolutely gorgeous book set in China's Ming Dynasty. How can you not want this?  

But seriously, how can you not want to ditch your e-reader for a hefty 633 pages? This is, after all, a historical novel. It demands the traditional reading experience with the forearm cramps, paper cuts and all.

To be in the draw to win, please click here and follow the competition instructions.

The winner will be announced shortly after the Australian New Year's Eve countdown on 01/01/2013.