Marjorie Watkins lives with her husband on Vashon Island, in Puget Sound.  They are parents of four children, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents of one. Marj is the author of two language arts textbooks based on folktales, two cookbooks, an electronic book, Moon Tales, editor of several non-fiction books and former editor of a monthly magazine. Her short stories and articles have appeared in national magazines.

Marj has lived in modern France and visited Aachen, where Charlemagne built his favorite palace and where much of Rotaida and the Runestone takes place. She has covered most of the territory where other action in that book and its sequel, Royal Spy, happens.

A genealogy search led her all the way back to Charlemagne’s great- great-grandfather, Pepin of Landen (born in the late 500s).She discovered Rotaida.in the 790s.

King Charlemagne’s friend, advisor, architect, and biographer, Einhard wrote, “There was another daughter, Rotaida, whose mother’s name I cannot remember.”

“Odd,” Marj thought, “that brilliant Einhard, famous for his fabulous memory, could list Charlemagne’s other wives and mistresses and their respective children, but not tell Rotaida’s mother’s name. Why not? Here’s a mystery. Rotaida needs a story.”