The Knights Templar—A Novelists Dream by Michael P. Spradlin

At their founding, they were a poor monastic order. As Warrior Monks, the King of Jerusalem gave them the responsibility of protecting Christian pilgrims on the roads to and from the Holy City. In gratitude for their service, the King housed them in the Temple of Solomon. They were known then as the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and King Solomon's Temple, shortened soon after to the Knights Templar.

It is the mysterious founding of this group of knights that lays at the foundation of my new novel The Youngest Templar: Keeper of The Grail. Shortly after taking residence in King Solomon's temple, the knights began an extensive excavation of the ground beneath the Temple. No one has ever been able to discover what it is they found with all the digging.

But they must have found something, an artifact, a hidden or long lost text, or some other item of great value to Christianity. For almost overnight, this poor monastic order became the most powerful, wealthy and influential organization in all of Christendom. Recognized throughout the Christian world by wearing white tunics with bright red crosses across the chest, the Knights Templar amassed tremendous wealth, lands, and influence in a matter of a few short years.

And yet the mystery of their discovery has never been revealed. In The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail, Tristan, the hero of the story, is given the Grail by his Knight Sir Thomas Leux. Sir Thomas reveals to Tristan that the Templar's are guardians of many of the sacred relics including the Ark of the Covenant and the one true cross. Of course I made all this up, because this is after all fiction. But one of the greatest mysteries of history gave me an incredibly rich palette to draw from.

The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail was a chance to build a world around one of the most fascinating periods in our history. The Knights Templar have been the subject of thousands of books and scholarly articles and will likely be the subject of thousands more. I'm often asked, what do I think the Templar's found beneath one of the most sacred spots on earth? My answer is always: I have no idea.

But they must have found something and for that I'm grateful. Because it gives me a lot to write about.

Michael Spradlin, The Youngest Templar, young adult fiction, Knights Templar, Holy Grail,historical fiction,books, Penguin Books