Tucson, AZ – July 3, 2017 — Wheatmark, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian d’Ibelin and the Third Crusade by Helena P. Schrader. This is the newest historical fiction novel by Schrader, and it follows the life of the famous crusader noble Balian of Ibelin.

Hollywood made him a blacksmith; Arab chronicles said he was “like a king.”

He served a leper, but defied Richard the Lionheart.

He fought Saladin to a standstill, yet retained his respect.

Rather than dally with a princess, he married a dowager queen— and founded a dynasty.

He was a warrior and a diplomat both: Balian d’Ibelin

Balian has survived the devastating defeat on the Horns of Hattin, and walked away a free man after the surrender of Jerusalem, but he is baron of nothing in a kingdom that no longer exists. Haunted by the tens of thousands of Christians now enslaved by Saladin, he is determined to regain what has been lost. The arrival of a vast crusading army under the soon-to-be-legendary Richard the Lionheart offers hope — but also conflict, as natives and crusaders clash and French and English quarrel.

This is Part III of a biographical novel about Balian d’Ibelin. The first two books in the series, Knight of Jerusalem and Defender of Jerusalem, were both BRAG Medallion honorees. Defender of Jerusalem won the 2016 Chaucer Award for Historical Fiction set in the Middle Ages and was also awarded the Silver (second place) for Spiritual/Religious Fiction in the 2016 Feathered Quill Book Awards. It was a finalist for the 2016 M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction.

For more information about the book, or to schedule an interview with the author, please call Mindy Burnett at 520-798-0888 x100 or email support@wheatmark.com.

About the Author:

Award-winning novelist Helena P. Schrader has a PhD in history. She has published nonfiction books on the German resistance to Hitler, the Berlin airlift, and women in aviation in World War II. Her novels are set in ancient Sparta, the Crusades, and WWII. Visit her website, www.helenapschrader.com, for more information and reviews of her publications. Helena is a career diplomat currently serving in Africa. For more about the crusader kingdoms, visit www.defenderofjerusalem.com or follow her blog: defendingcrusaderkingdoms.blogspot.com.

More About This Title:

Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian d’Ibelin and the Third Crusade, ISBN 9781627873970, was released by Wheatmark, Inc. on August 1, 2016. The book has 512 pages and is being sold as a trade paperback for $22.95 and as an ebook for $7.99.

About the Publisher:

Wheatmark, Inc., founded in 1999, is a Tucson, Arizona-based publisher of trade titles that are available wherever quality books are sold worldwide. Wheatmark titles can be purchased in paperback, hardcover, or popular ebook formats. For more information, visit https://www.wheatmark.com.