Islands of history

The Swashbuckler books are based in Malta, and in the Mediterranean, in 1798. It was a fascinating era, the final days of the so-called Golden Age of piracy, and a time of huge upheaval in Europe. The French Revolution had shattered the known world, and the armies and navies of Europe had been at war for years. In the middle of all this sat Malta, three tiny islands in the middle of the sea, which had been ruled for centuries by the Knights of St John.
In May, I travelled to Malta to see for myself all the many aspects of the islands that I'd been researching for years, at a distance.
I'd read dozens of books, crawled the web, stared at maps and photos for hours, and I had imagined for myself an island nation of great history, bright light and great food (not necessarily in that order). But nothing prepared me for the excitement of walking through these perfect Baroque cities, nor for discovering that everything was exactly as I'd imagined - and more. I'll talk more about the research and the islands later.
In the meantime, check it out: Visit Malta.

Fortress overlooking the ocean, Malta