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I love to hear from my readers, people who so appreciate my efforts that they decided to invest their time and money on my work. The Muhammad Amalfi Mysteries are a labor of love, the result of nearly a decade of research and diligent attention to the art of writing. If you want to follow the books as they are released over the coming months, please enter your email address here and I’ll be sure to keep you posted. If you have comments about the books, please share them with me, and with others by posting the same on Amazon as a review!
Desert Debris Press
Historical Fiction doesn’t need to indulge sagas set in stale Eurocentric comfort zones.
Are you…
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Bored by the Victorians and their manors?
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Left cold by windblown heaths?
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Sick of detectives with complexes only a Freud could love?
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Confused by French periods?
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Exhausted by claustrophobic Gothic castles?
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Aghast at Visigoths, Vikings, and Vampires?
If so, the Desert Debris Press has some books for you!
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Frequently Asked Questions
How can I learn more about the author?
Follow the link to find more about the author, AJ Lewis, on their Amazon author page.
How can I help to tell others about the Muhammad Amalfi Mysteries?
Write a paragraph or two about what you liked and follow the link to post your comments on Amazon where people can read what you liked or disliked about the book(s).
I know the books are fiction, but were some of the characters actual people?
Like most historical fiction, some characters exist only in the reader’s imagination while others are based on personalities of note who lived in the 1790s. In the Muhammad Amalfi Mysteries, several characters were historical figures, though the author claims only to have represented them, meaning no disrespect, as he imagined they were. The Reader’s Companion [downloadable here] explains in detail the historical lives of several characters in the books.
How can I learn more about Algiers and its people in the eighteenth century?
For further reading, a brief bibliography is included in the Reader’s Companion [downloadable here].
Were the Barbary Pirates Terrorists and Religious fundamentalists?
No. The Ottoman fleets in North Africa were gatekeepers to the riches of Mediterranean trade. They were commissioned by their governors in Algiers, Tunis, Morocco, and Tripoli as privateers to protect North African commercial vessels from attacks by pirates and competitors. They were neither pirates nor terrorists, and they had license to attack only those ships owned by countries that had not entered into treaties with them. Religion played no part in the matter except in the way it was manipulated to drum up popular sentiment and outrage against people thought to be different. Sadly, the pages of history (and today’s news media) are filled with examples of how religion may be wielded as a weapon against political enemies or economic rivals.
Were the Barbary Corsairs the first terrorists to attack America?
Contrary to the assertions of several recent books about the clash of the US Navy with the so-called Barbary Pirates, the simple fact is that treaties existed with the British Crown which allowed free passage and trade in the Mediterranean to the mutual benefit of both countries. Then, as long as America remained a colony, American shipping enjoyed the protection of the British treaty. When the colonies revolted against the British, they lost that protection and several American ships and crews were taken prisoner until such time as a treaty could be negotiated.
What is the Desert Debris Press?
The Desert Debris Press is an independent press founded for the purpose of publishing books that may be judged by mainstream publishers as less marketable than the work favored by the numbers and algorithms they use to project targets for sales.
How can I be sure to know when the next Muhammad Amalfi Mystery will be available?
The simplest way is to leave your email address here. You will be informed as soon as the book is released.
Are the ten books in the series completed?
Yes, although the author reserves the right to add more in the future. The books were written over a ten year period and are only now being launched.
Is the author really related to Muhammad Amalfi?
The books, from start to finish, are fiction.
Every expert makes mistakes,
every horse stumbles, and every sharp-edged blade goes blunt
Follow the journey today!
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