(2007-02-06) What’s the Big Secret? - The Cross of Ramplet - A Knights Templar Novel

New Knights Templar treasure legend mystery suspense novel debuts as an e-book from ClydeSight Productions.

ClydeSight Productions has released: The Cross of Ramplet, an historical mystery suspense novel in ebook format. The novel is based on legends of the Knights Templar treasure.

In the story, Darla Dinglebottom, a young socialite, and other members of her family living around the quaint period English village of Portsur, plot and scheme with and against each other to posses the legendary Cross of Ramplet, a religious artifact made of solid gold and platinum, encrusted with valuable gems. The Cross, created by the Knights Templar and smuggled out of France in the 1300’s, has more value than gold-- it is rumored to be the key to a great secret that could possibly change the social fabric of Christendom.

Darla and her family are not alone in the search. Among others scheming to get their hands on the Cross are a French master spy, an Arabian prince, the village doctor, a corrupt Anglican priest, and a banker -- along with an assortment of pirates and highwaymen. In the end, the Cross reveals an amazing secret that was lost to history.

It all starts on a "dark and stormy night..." The novel is not only a mystery suspense book, but also a humorous take-off on other works in the genre, with complex plot twists, flashbacks and other literary devices that keep readers on their toes while being very tongue-in-cheek. The book is amusing while being as captivating as a more serious work of mystery fiction.

It was co-authored by Cathrine Garnell and Tim Thompson, the team that wrote the popular marketing e-book “A Marketing Feast,” published last year by ClydeSight Productions.

Garnell, a native of Nottingham England, and Thompson, a US resident, began the story as a "writer's challenge.” Catherine started the writing adventure by sending Tim several pages of text by e-mail and leaving him with the words "Take it away, Tim." Up to the challenge, Tim added to the document and sent it back. The challenging novel grew as the authors tried to trip each other up, added characters and twisted the plot in a game of writer’s cat-and-mouse.

Garnell says: "At first it was an amusement. We did it for fun and to hone our skills. As the story grew, we knew we had something people would enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing it. It was a fantastic challenge to work with such a complex plot line and develop a wonderfully diverse cast of multifaceted and dysfunctional characters, all set against a fabulous historic backdrop. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase: what a tangled web we weave.”

The book took nine months to fully develop and polish. Says Thompson, who created and designed the illustrations and images, "It was so much fun writing the piece, it became rather inspiring. The idea of a secret treasure left by the Knights Templar was intriguing, and I was inspired to create a 3-D image of the Cross of Ramplet. In that development, it took on a lot more meaning and potential than at first we had imagined. That's the joy of creation, when the work takes on a life of its own.”

Readers agree that the book is a page turning adventure. Wrote one fan, “When I read about the Twins, it really took off... the book is one giant puzzle. It works for me.” Another reader sees a possible Hollywood connection, “It’s very easy to read, very cleverly written, and very amusing ... I'd also love to see it as a film!”

The e-book Web site offers the complete novel in PDF format and has a "Sample Chapters" demo available on the site or from numerous software demo sites. Those site editors have embraced the book -- the demo alone has received 12 unsolicited five-star awards.

The Cross of Ramplet is only available on-line from its own Web site built under the ClydeSight Productions Web Megaplex at http://www.clydesight.com/cofr/ It is not available in stores.

323 pages, 21 chapters, illustrated, PDF format.

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