Mark Montonara has spent decades immersed in the study of history, driven by a lifelong passion for understanding the forces that have shaped the world. A devoted reader and writer of historical fiction, he brings to life the drama and humanity of the past with a storyteller’s heart and a scholar’s eye for detail.

Born and raised in the Low Country of South Carolina, Mark has called the Atlanta, Georgia area home for over forty years. His passion for history has taken him across Western Europe to walk the very paths where empires rose and fell—including a visit to his Italian family’s ancestral village nestled in the hills of Apulia. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, stepchildren, and grandchild, where he continues to research, write, and explore new corners of history through fiction.

The Saracen Tower is his debut novel and the first in The Stones of Calabria series.