Author Interview: with Michael A. Ponzio

Today, I am chatting with Michael A. Ponzio about his historical adventure novel, The Fortunate Islands, the third book in his Lovers of the Sea series.

Taking readers beyond the familiar waters of the medieval Mediterranean and into the Atlantic, The Fortunate Islands follows Esmeray, Bastone, and their daughter Aspasia as a new chapter of their lives unfolds. I caught up with Michael to talk about the research behind the novel, the realities of medieval seafaring, his own experiences on the water, and why Aspasia’s journey became such an important part of the story.

But first, let's check out The Fortunate Islands

Publication Date: 1st July 2026
Publisher:  Trinacria
Print Length: 366 Pages
Genre: Medieval Historical Fiction

The novel The Fortunate Islands is the third volume of the Lover of the Sea series; however, its story stands alone and the novel can be enjoyed without reading the first two novels of the series.

Aspasia: A Young Woman Forged by Life at Sea- Esmeray, Bastone, and their daughter Aspasia escape the dangers of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, abandoning their Mediterranean trade route. Sailing westward to the edge of the known world, past the Pillars of Hercules, they enter the Atlantic Ocean.

The family thrives on the challenges of life at sea, navigating the powerful ocean currents and fierce winds. After calling at ports down the west coast of Africa, they reach the Canary Islands, and find the lost Genoese colony of Captain Lanzarotto, where they encounter the indigenous Majo people and their fascinating culture.
Even isolated on these remote islands, away from centers of power, her family must deal with rival sea traders, cruel pirates, and the Church's long reach. Surviving these challenges as a family makes their bonds even stronger.

Aspasia matures into a young woman, and with her parents’ guidance, develops into a skilled sailor. Will she choose to keep sailing on the family’s trade ship or settle on the island with the man she loves? Or will Aspasia’s yearning to explore and her longing for discovery lead her to venture even beyond? Adding to the host of dangers, a new threat looms on the horizon—the Black Death.

 

The Fortunate Islands is the third novel in your Lovers of the Sea series, although it can also be read as a standalone story. Where do we find Esmeray, Bastone, and their daughter Aspasia at the beginning of this novel, and what prompted you to take their story beyond the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic?

Bastone has evolved from a spy and soldier in the first two books of the series into a man who wants to raise a family but still pursues a life of trading and negotiating. Esmeray continues her dream of commanding a sailing ship, living on the sea, and exploring new lands. Pre-adolescent daughter shares her mother’s need for adventure.

Aspasia is very much at the heart of this story. She has grown up surrounded by ships, trade, danger, and exploration. What interested you most about following her transition from a girl travelling with her parents into a capable young woman beginning to make decisions about her own future?

Her balance between intellectual pursuit and physical adventure. 

Esmeray and Bastone are not simply Aspasia’s parents; they are also responsible for teaching her the skills she needs to survive at sea. How did you approach portraying this family as a working crew as well as a close-knit family? 

The lessons from her parents were “by example” and when they dealt with crises together. 

Aspasia faces an intriguing choice between continuing the adventurous life she knows at sea and the possibility of settling on the islands with the man she loves. How important is the conflict between belonging and freedom to her story?

 It is the center of the plot. 

Life aboard a medieval trading vessel would have been physically demanding and potentially extremely dangerous. What research did you undertake into sailing, navigation, weather, currents, and everyday life aboard ship during the fourteenth century?

Many hours of research, learning from friends who had lived on a sailing ship and cruised the Caribbean, and sailing on my small boat myself.

The family has already survived the dangers surrounding the War of the Sicilian Vespers, but travelling beyond the Pillars of Hercules takes them towards what Europeans regarded as the edge of the known world. How did you capture the mixture of excitement and uncertainty that such a voyage might have inspired? 

Researched early explorers’ first-hand accounts and also blogs of modern sailors who sailed through the straits on small boats. 

Rival traders, pirates, and the influence of the Church all threaten the family despite the remoteness of the islands. What interested you about showing that even travelling far from the traditional centres of medieval power could not entirely free people from political, commercial, and religious pressures? 

Hopefully, there will always be another frontier to escape to and live free- even if partly free. 

You have travelled extensively around the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa, and Asia. How much do your own experiences of travelling influence the way you write about journeys, unfamiliar landscapes, and encounters between different cultures? 

People, friends, family, and love are everywhere, but always be aware. You can find beauty and enjoy life  even in seemingly desolate and poor regions.  

The approaching Black Death casts another shadow over the characters’ future. Without giving away too much, how did you approach introducing a historical event that readers know will transform the medieval world, while your characters cannot possibly understand what is coming? 

To keep up tension in the story through a natural source, versus pirates, war, persecutions etc.

At its heart, The Fortunate Islands is not only an adventure but also the story of a young woman deciding who she wants to become. What do you hope readers will take away from Aspasia’s journey, and might her desire to explore eventually carry her even farther beyond the world she already knows?

Humans are resilient. There is always hope.  I wanted also to remind readers of the women in medieval times who were survivors and leaders.  (although Esmeray is a fictitious character, there were women in the historical record who commanded ships, were leaders-like Jeanne de Clisson and similar women). 

There may be a sequel as Aspasia explores further. 

A huge thank you to Michael A. Ponzio for joining me today and sharing some of the inspiration and research behind The Fortunate Islands.

From life aboard a medieval sailing vessel to the lure of distant shores, Michael’s answers offer a fascinating glimpse into the work that goes into bringing an adventurous period of history to life. And with the possibility that Aspasia’s travels may not be over yet, it sounds as though there could still be more horizons waiting for her beyond The Fortunate Islands.

Pick up your copy of The Fortunate Islands HERE.
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Michael A. Ponzio

Have you ever wanted to live in another time and place in history? Have you imagined what it would be like to take the place of an ancestor? Michael A. Ponzio’s lifelong experience reading books on history combined with his love for family has inspired him to bring these visions alive, by writing a series of “Ancestry Novels”.

Since childhood, Mike Ponzio has read books about ancient history. He traded books and stories with his father, Joseph E. Ponzio, and they discussed the origins of the family surname. Mike traveled around the Mediterranean to Europe, Asia, and Africa, visiting many of the locations he would later write about. He continues to travel and write Ancestry Novels which he imagines may have taken place during the lives of ancient ancestors.

Mike met his wife, Anne Davis, in 1975 at a University of Florida karate class. Since that time both have taught Cuong Nhu Martial Arts. With John Burns, they wrote and published six instructional books on martial arts weapons. Mike retired in 2015, after working as an environmental engineer for thirty-seven years. Anne and Mike have raised four sons. They are all engineer graduates, following in the footsteps of their Davis and Ponzio grandfathers.

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