Owerd, the son of a humble English miller, has risen to Earl through courage, warrior skills and loyalty to the Norman King William. He has gained enemies along the way, especially the king's powerful half-brother Bishop Odo of Bayeux. Meanwhile, he needs to manage his estates and keep the peace in his Shire whilst also responding to the king's demands for his warrior skills. A bubbling discontent among other earls will test his loyalty to an absent king he increasingly sees as cruel and oppressive.

James, or Jim by preference, is an ex Naval Captain who has spent much of his life at sea mucking around in ships and boats. He has had a wide variety of roles from operational to training, policy-making and diplomatic, including voluntary work as a firefighter and marine rescue skipper.He has an abiding interest in history, both fact and fiction.

These days the joys of reading and writing are preferred, especially writing about the fictional adventures of others. He lives in a small coastal town in Australia.