Arthurian Legend -

At its core, The Rowan Tree is a modern rendition of the Arthurian Legend.

The fall of Camelot at Jefferson College begets a generation-spanning quest for the Holy Grail that will renew the spirit of human dignity throughout our global political culture. The destiny of Arthur falls upon Adam as he gathers the future champions of dignitarian values to his Round Table and ushers in a new era in Washington, D.C.

Like Arthur, Adam’s life is fraught with personal setbacks and betrayals that threaten the rise of the new Camelot. Will Adam have to retreat before the grail of dignity can shine throughout the world?

Note from the Author

I did not set out to write an Arthurian novel. In fact, it was only after working on The Rowan Tree for five years that I realized my characters had their counterparts in Camelot. Though the Arthurian myth may have shaped my novel unconsciously, the parallels between the characters of Morte d’Arthur and The Rowan Tree were long hidden from me, in part because the genders of King Arthur’s parents are reversed in Adam’s parents of The Rowan Tree.

When, finally, these parallels struck me, I changed the names, but not the genders, of a few of the characters in The Rowan Tree to provide clues to its underlying mythical structure. For example, Sir Galahad became the female Galia.

In short, The Rowan Tree was not intentionally modeled on the Arthurian myth. Rather, it assumed that form organically as if rising from unconscious depths—like Excalibur, borne aloft by the Lady of the Lake.

Characters in The Rowan Tree	Characters in the Arthurian Legend
Rowan	Igraine of Cornwall
Easter	Uther Pendragon
Sara	Duke of Cornwall (Gorlois)
François	Merlin
Adam	King Arthur
Marisol	Morgan le Fay (Morgana)
Gwyneth	Guinevere
Rex Urey	King Uriens
Ben	Lancelot
Ellie	Elaine of Corbenic
Viviane	Vivienne
Galia	Galahad
Karen	Kay (seneschal)