The Mark of the Salamander - Book Tour and Giveaway

​THE MARK OF THE SALAMANDER is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.

The Mark of the Salamander
The Island of Angels Book One
by Justin Newland
Genre: Historical Fiction

1575: Nelan Michaels is a young Flemish man fleeing religious persecution in the Spanish Netherlands. Settling in Mortlake outside London, he studies under Queen Elizabeth’s court astrologer, conjuring a bright future – until he’s wrongly accused of murder. Forced into the life of a fugitive, Nelan is dramatically pressed into the crew of the Golden Hind.

Thrust into a strange new world on board Francis Drake’s vessel, Nelan sails the seas on a voyage to discover discovery itself. Encountering mutiny, ancient tribes and hordes of treasure, Nelan must explore and master his own mystical powers – including the Mark of the Salamander, the mysterious spirit of fire.

The Mark of the Salamander is the first in The Island of Angels series: a two-book saga that tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era.


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​“The constables are here with a warrant to arrest Master Nelan for murder.”
“Let them in,” Laurens said. “No, don’t!” Nelan cried.
“Let. Them. In,” Laurens snapped. The footman left the study.
“Then I must go,” Nelan said.
“No,” his father replied. “We are visitors here. Refugees. England is renowned for its adherence to the law. You must surrender to the constables.”
“Quickly, Dr Dee, what do I do?” Nelan asked.
“There are other significant elements in your horoscope that suggest you have a part to play in the future of this country. That’s why I’m here to help you escape: because you can’t do that while confined within a prison. So, you must run away and avoid capture for as long as possible. Then you can absolve yourself of this unjust accusation. Now, you must go,” Dee said, pointing to the window.
Nelan opened it.
“Do not go,” his father said. “You must defend yourself, and my honour.”
“Father, I must. The constables--”
Laurens squeezed himself between Nelan and the window. There he stood, legs astride, arms folded, glaring at him. At times, he had a fearsome presence. This was one of them. “You are staying here,” he said through gritted teeth.
“But, Dr Dee, even if I run, they’ll catch me,” Nelan said. “It’s broad daylight outside.”
“Not anymore,” Dee murmured, nodding his head. “Look out the window.”
Outside, a mist as thick as pea soup hung over the river. Where’s that come from? Did it arise naturally, or did Dr Dee conjure it out of the ether?
“Where is he?” an unfamiliar voice boomed from the corridor. “Nelan, be a man,” his father said, “and account for your actions. If you flee, you will dishonour the Michaels’ family name.”
Nelan clenched his fists. “Father, I have to find another way to clear my name. I’ll not end my days in Newgate or Marshalsea for a crime I didn’t commit. Besides, if anyone’s guilty, it’s Guillermo. Now, move, please!”
“I will not!”
“This time, I’ll not bow to your wishes. I’m innocent and disappointed that you don’t believe me. I beg you, get out of my way.”
“No.”
The study door burst open, and Laurens glanced towards the intruder. In one swift, agile movement Nelan darted between his father’s legs and came out the other side. He scrambled onto the windowsill and jumped down to the ground outside before his father had time to stop him. Finally, he’d found an advantage to being small. The ground was moist and soft from the mist. A light breeze swirled vapour around him, adding a ghostly effect to the scene. From the study he heard muffled voices: those of the constables, his father, and Dr Dee.
He knew the paths leading to and from the house like he knew the course of the river. He felt invisible to the world, and in a way, he was. Leaving one life behind and taking the first frightened, tentative steps into a new one, he concentrated on every footstep. He could barely see the path, but he knew that the river flowed by some fifty paces in front of his house.
There he met an extraordinary sight. He stepped out of the swirling mist and into broad daylight. Apart from his house, everywhere was clear: the north bank of the river in Chiswick, the monastery of Syon Abbey to the west, and to the east the city of London, where filaments of woodsmoke snaked into the dawn skies on the horizon. The mist had settled around his house, but nowhere else. He’d never witnessed such a strange phenomenon in all the years he’d lived there.

JUSTIN NEWLAND’s novels represent an innovative blend of genres from historical adventure to supernatural thriller and magical realism.
Undeterred by the award of a Doctorate in Mathematics from Imperial College, London, he conceived his debut novel, The Genes of Isis (ISBN 9781789014860, Matador, 2018), an epic fantasy set under Ancient Egyptian skies.
His second book is a historical thriller, The Old Dragon’s Head (ISBN 9781789015829, Matador, 2018), and is set in Ming Dynasty China in the shadows of the Great Wall.
The Coronation (ISBN 9781838591885, Matador, 2019) is an historical adventure and speculates on the genesis of the most important event in the modern world – the Industrial Revolution.
The Abdication (ISBN 9781800463950, Matador, 2021) is a mystery thriller in which a young woman confronts her faith in a higher purpose and what it means to abdicate that faith.
His latest is The Mark of the Salamander (ISBN 9781915853271, Book Guild, 2023) and is the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels. Set in the Elizabethan era, it tells the epic tale of England’s coming of age.
The second in the series, The Midnight of Eights (ISBN 9781835740 330, Book Guild, 2024), charts of the uncanny coincidences that culminated in the repulse of the Spanish Armada and is due for publication in October.
Author, speaker and broadcaster, Justin gives talks to historical associations and libraries, appears on LitFest panels, and enjoys giving radio interviews.
He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.


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My historical fiction novel, The Mark of the Salamander, was published in October 2023. It’s the first in a two-book series, The Island of Angels, which tells the epic story and secret history of England’s coming of age during the Elizabethan era. Book two is out in October, 2024, and is entitled The Midnight of Eights.

This blog tells the story of the unusual fate of the good ship Elizabeth, one of the fleet of five vessels that set sail from Plymouth in England in 1577 to sail around the world. The fleet was commanded by Sir Francis Drake, while the Elizabath was captained by John Wynter.

This was a voyage into the unknown, because no one on board had sailed around the world before. Only the Portuguese navigator, Ferdinand Magellan, had managed that feat, and that was some fifty years previously.

So, rather than reveal his true intentions, Drake told the crew they were embarking on a trading voyage to Egypt, or the Levant as it was known then. This was to allay any fears the men might have about the real dangers they would face.

But by the time they crossed the Atlantic from Africa to South America, the game was up, and Drake had to reveal the true aim of the expedition.

T he little fleet over-wintered in Patagonia, which is towards the southern tip of South America. There, like Magellan before him, Drake had to put down a mutiny amongst his crew, and executed one of the gentleman adventurers, an aristocrat named Thomas Doughty. ​

Also while in Patagonia, Drake scuttled two of his supply ships before attempting to cross the Straights of Magellan, aka Cape Horn (see image). Because this was the meeting point of the waters of two huge oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, the seas there are notoriously treacherous,

On 20 August, 1578, Drake set sail to traverse the Straights with three vessels, the Golden Hind, the Elizabeth, and the Marigold.

They hit ferocious storms. The Marigold and her 29 crewmen was lost. Aboard the Golden Hind, the crew claimed that they heard the cries of the doomed seamen. 
​​

In the Elizabeth, John Wynter passed through the Straits of Magellan, but on 7th October, 1578, a terrible storm arose and they lost contact with the rest of the fleet. Wynter later claimed that he had never lived through such a terrible tempest. Not only did he turn around, but, unbeknown to Drake, who thought he was lost, he retraced his steps and sailed all the way back to England, arriving in Plymouth in June 1580. At first, he received a hero’s welcome, but only because the populace who had come to greet him believed that he was Francis Drake, and had succeeded in circumnavigating the globe.

The rumours about the real reasons for Wynter’s about-turn have rumbled on for centuries. Some claimed that Wynter took advantage of circumstances to head back to England because he could not get along with Drake, a situation brought to a head “… after what happened to Thomas Doughty.” It was said that his decision persisted “full sore against the mariners' minds.”

So much for Captain John Wynter, captain of half a circumnavigation.

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