Dear Reader,

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the bookstore … ta da! The sequel to “The Jewel of Medina” makes its German debut.

Encouraged by strong sales of the first book — which I’ve been told hit the best-seller lists in Germany — Pendo Verlag will launch the rest of A’isha’s tale on May 20., making Pendo the first publisher in the world to launch the book. They’re calling it “A’isha: The Legacy of the Prophet,” and given it this cover:

sword-german-cover1

Meanwhile, Beaufort Books is moving full speed ahead with the sequel’s U.S. publication, titled “The Sword of Medina,” scheduled to debut this fall. They’re putting the finishing touches on what promises to be a gorgeous cover, and preparing to have advance reading copies available in time for my May 30 appearance at Book Expo America in New York.

“The Sword of Medina” continues A’isha’s story after Muhammad’s death, but it also tells the tale of Ali, the Fourth Rightly-Guided Caliph, revered by Shi’a Muslims as the rightful successor to Muhammad. Here’s the promotional copy Beaufort has put together for the book:

A’isha, the youngest wife of the Prophet Muhammad, charmed him with her wit and intelligence,  eventually earning the confidence and respect of her husband and the community. When Muhammad dies without a successor, A’isha and her sister wives are devastated with grief and struggle in their new roles as Mothers of the Believers without his presence. Even worse, the Muslim community is thrown into turmoil as a Bedouin army threatens its very survival.
After losing his Prophet and then his beloved wife, Ali, the Prophet’s only surviving heir, is torn.  The newly chosen leadership of the faith is pressuring him to swear allegiance to them, while others urge him to seek power himself so he can lead the Muslim people as Muhammad intended. Ali fears if he does not take action, Muhammad’s successors and their corrupt advisors could endanger the survival of Islam and all of its followers.
Before dying, Muhammad left his jeweled sword, al-Ma’thur, to A’isha, telling her to use it in the jihad to come. But what if the jihad is against her own people? After twenty years of distrust and anger, can A’isha and Ali come together to preserve the future of their people and their faith–or will their hatred of each other destroy everything Muhammad worked to build? This climactic sequel to the controversial The Jewel of Medina returns to 7th century Arabia to discover whether, after fighting a civil war, a people can ever truly heal.

Keep reading,

Sherry