My Irish Grandmother

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I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the month of March, maybe because it’s the month I celebrate my birthday!

I also have two granddaughters who were born in March, though sad to say they are not Aries!

Perhaps my fondness for the month is why I enjoy St. Patrick’s Day.

My only connection to Ireland is a great, great grandmother, Susannah Moore, who left the Emerald Isle around 1840 to settle in England. She was born about 1822 and died in 1865. The only other thing I know  is that her father’s name was Matthew, but I do not know what part of Ireland she came from.

It’s rather ironic that we associate luck with the Irish, given their turbulent and often tragic history. I suspect life for Susannah was not easy in 19th century Lancashire. Prejudice against the Irish ran deep.

She married James Monks, whose early employment, like so many in Lancashire at that time, began in the cotton mills. It was dangerous and dirty work.

But James seems to have broken the mould. He became an innkeeper, the proprietor of a public house in Bolton, Lancashire. His elderly mother came to live with James and Susannah and unfortunately died after falling down the stairs at the pub! The mind boggles!

Later in life James became a hay and straw dealer! After Susannah’s death he married again.

Did James and Susannah love each other? Did he fall for her Irish eyes? Or her brogue? No way of knowing! But we can cross our fingers and hope they did know love in a harsh time.

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day I have a new release, Dark Irish Knight.

Ronan MacLachlainn is an Irish nobleman bent on vengeance for the murder of his wife and unborn child, and the loss of his estates. Nothing can stand in his way. Not even love. 

For those readers familiar with my cast of characters, this is the love story of Rhoni de Montbryce, the babe born in the mountain fortress in Conquering Passion.

Dark Irish Knight is available from Amazon and Smashwords in all digital formats. I will give away a FREE digital copy to one lucky commenter on this blog. Make sure you include your email address.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! On to the next blog!

St. Columba's Well

My latest release, Dark Irish Knight, is set partially in the ancient community of Sord Colmcille in Ireland. The town's origins date back to 560 AD when it was founded by Saint Colmcille (521-597)(St. Columba).

Legend has it that the saint blessed a local well, giving the town its name, Sord, meaning "clear" or "pure". However, An Sord in Gaelic also means "the water source" and could indicate a large communal drinking well that existed in antiquity. 

Entrance to the Well

Well-worship existed in Ireland before the introduction of Christianity, and when the people were converted, like the transfer of pagan temples, wells, with all their veneration, were made over to the  new religion.

Located north of Dublin, today the community is known as Swords. St. Colmcille's Well is located on Well Road off Swords Main Street.

I chose this location specifically because of its history and to underline the irony of the hero’s loss of one eye to the murderous MacFintain brothers. Sord Colmcille was a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages for those who believed its waters could cure ailments of the eyes.

Also, Ronan MacLachlainn is a descendant of Vikings, and Dubh Linn was an area settle by Vikings. Lachlainn means ‘descended from Norwegians’. Norsemen ruled Dubh Linn for three hundred years until 1010 AD when they were defeated by the High King of Ireland, Brian Bóruma at the Battle of Clontarf.

Ronan is consumed by a desire to avenge his murdered wife and child and the loss of his estate to the MacFintains. And of course he seeks revenge for the loss of his eye. Nothing can stand in his way, not even love.

For those readers familiar with my cast of characters, this is the love story of Rhoni de Montbryce, the babe born in the Welsh fortress in Conquering Passion. 

An imposing ancient tower that can be seen for miles still stands next to the church in Swords, and I used this as my inspiration for Ronan's Tower, the estate usurped by the MacFintains. 

Dark Irish Knight is available from Amazon and Smashwords.

Forgive My Grasshopper Mentality

I have something of a grasshopper mentality when it comes to inspiration for my characters and their stories. If you prefer to read sagas in chronological order, here’s a handy list. Links to all my books are in the Amazon widget to the right.

1065—Conquering Passion—Montbryce Legacy I
1066—If Love Dares Enough—Montbryce Legacy III
1066—Defiant Passion—Sons of Rhodri I *
1087—A Man of Value—Montbryce Legacy II
1100—Passion in the Blood—Montbryce Legacy IV
1106—Dark and Bright—Sons of Rhodri II
1107—The Winds of the Heavens—Sons of Rhodri III
1107—Dance of Love (Dec 2012)—Montbryce-The Next Generation III
1113—Carried Away—FitzRam Family I
1120—Sweet Taste of Love—FitzRam Family II
1124—Wild Viking Princess—FitzRam Family III

 *The complete Sons of Rhodri Trilogy is available in paperback from Amazon.

If you like stories with medieval breeds of dogs, you’ll enjoy If Love Dares Enough, Carried Away, and Wild Viking Princess. If you have a soft spot for cats, read Passion in the Blood.

If you are looking for historical fiction centred on a certain geographic region:
English History—all books
Norman French History—all books
Crusades—A Man of Value
Welsh History—Conquering Passion, Defiant Passion, Dark and Bright, The Winds of the Heavens
Scottish History—Conquering Passion, A Man of Value, Sweet Taste of Love
European History (Holy Roman Empire)—Carried Away
Danish History—Wild Viking Princess
Spanish History—Dance of Love (Dec. 2012)

If you like to read about historical characters:
William the Conqueror—Conquering Passion, If Love Dares Enough, Defiant Passion
William Rufus—A Man of Value
Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy—Passion in the Blood
Henry I of England—Passion in the Blood, Sweet Taste of Love
Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor—Carried Away
Vikings—Wild Viking Princess
Kings of Aragon (Spain)—Dance of Love (Dec. 2012)

Making Mead

As I mentioned previously, my latest release, SweetTaste of Love, is set partially in Lindisfarne Abbey where the monks became famous for their honey and mead. Below is a medieval recipe for mead, and the translation, though it’s fun to try to decipher it before peeking!

There are several videos on You-Tube which demonstrate how to make mead, including a recipe from 1593 for Burnt Mead.

Mead is also known in some places as Hydromel.

Considering the possibility that a crude form of the drink could easily have spontaneously occurred through ingress of water and naturally occurring yeast, mead may have been the first alcoholic beverage to pass the lips of man.


Known by many names and as different as individual snowflakes, Mead is a global beverage. Predating both grape wine and beer, it's known in various forms on every continent on Earth. Mead is perhaps best known as the preferred drink of Vikings and Celts, beloved by re-enactors everywhere as the authentic drink of the medieval times.

Mead was traditionally drunk by a newly-married couple on their wedding night, and the hero and heroine of another of my books follow this custom (Ram and Mabelle in Conquering Passion), though Mabelle is too nervous to drink hers. Ram makes a chauvinistic comment (somewhat typical for him) and she ends up hoping he will choke on his mead!

There are different types of mead, including meth and metheglin, which was enriched with finer herbs and spices, as the Cellarer of Lindisfarne, Brother Tristan explains to our hero, Aidan:

“...ordinary meth for the common folk and metheglin for the nobility.”

Aidan suspected some of the latter would find its way into the hands of the Abbot and his cronies. “What’s the difference?”

Brother Tristan put a finger to his chapped lips and looked around. “Lavender, and sometimes rosemary,” he whispered with a conspiratorial wink...

Mead cannot be made without yeast. In the middle ages there were many natural yeasts used which just floated in the air. People sometimes called the yeast godisgood, because without it there would be no fermentation and it was considered a boon from God. Yeast was more frequently referred to as barm, particularly in the north of England. I can recall as a child enjoying warm barm cakes, as does our heroine in Sweet Taste of Love, Nolana Kyncade.

This is the first time I have introduced a Scot into one of my stories, so I hope you like Nolana. Though Aidan’s father, (Caedmon, from A Man of Value) was born in Scotland, he was a Saxon and never considered himself a Scot!

Medieval Mead Recipe

(from "Tractatus de magnete et operationibus eius")

ffor to make mede. Tak .i. galoun of fyne hony and to þat .4. galouns of water and hete þat water til it be as lengh þanne dissolue þe hony in þe water. thanne set hem ouer þe fier & let hem boyle and ever scomme it as longe as any filthe rysith þer on. and þanne tak it doun of þe fier and let it kole in oþer vesselle til it be as kold as melk whan it komith from þe koow. than tak drestis of þe fynest ale or elles berme and kast in to þe water & þe hony. and stere al wel to gedre but ferst loke er þu put þy berme in. that þe water with þe hony be put in a fayr stonde & þanne put in þy berme or elles þi drestis for þat is best & stere wel to gedre/ and ley straw or elles clothis a bowte þe vessel & a boue gif þe wedir be kolde and so let it stande .3. dayes & .3. nygthis gif þe wedir be kold And gif it be hoot wedir .i. day and .1. nyght is a nogh at þe fulle But ever after .i. hour or .2. at þe moste a say þer of and gif þu wilt have it swete tak it þe sonere from þe drestis & gif þu wilt have it scharpe let it stand þe lenger þer with. Thanne draw it from þe drestis as cler as þu may in to an oþer vessel clene & let it stonde .1. nyght or .2. & þanne draw it in to an oþer clene vessel & serve it forth.

For to make mead. Take 1 gallon of fine honey and to that 4 gallons of water and heat that water till it be as long. Then dissolve the honey in the water, then set them over the fire and let them boil and ever scum it as long as any filth rises thereon.

Then take it down off the fire and let it cool in another vessel till it be as cold as milk when it comes from the cow. Then take lees from the finest ale or else barm (yeast) and cast it into the water and honey and stir all well together, but first look before putting your yeast in that the water with the honey be put in a clean tub and then put in your yeast or else the lees for that is best and stir well together.

Lay straw or else cloths about the vessel and above if the weather is cold and so let it stand 3 days and 3 nights if the weather is cold. And if it is hot weather, 1 day and 1 night is enough at the full. But ever after 1 hour or 2 at the most assay thereof and if you will have it sweet take it the sooner from the lees and if you will have it sharp let it stand the longer therewith.

Then draw it from the lees as clear as you may into another vessel clean and let it stand 1 night or 2 and then draw it into another clean vessel and serve it forth.

Cheers!

For links to more interesting articles on Mead click here.

Medieval Beekeeping

The plot of my latest release, Sweet Taste of Love, takes us to the famous Lindisfarne Abbey off the north east coast of England. Among other things, Lindisfarne was famous for its mead, and to make mead you need honey.

I learned a lot about medieval beekeeping in my research for this book that I thought I would share with you.

Egyptians believed bees were the tears of Ra

Honeybees were among the first domesticated creatures, and yet, they are still basically 'wild'. The science of commercial beekeeping has been part of man's experience on planet Earth for at least three thousand years. Indeed, on the walls of the Sun Temple of the Pharaoh Nyuserre Ini (2400 BC), workers are depicted blowing smoke into hives as they remove honeycombs. Bees have often been associated with the divine.

Medieval beehives were conical baskets called skeps. The word derived from the Anglo Saxon "Skeppa" which means literally, basket. They were made of woven wicker bands with a daub or clay mud coat, or could be fashioned from long straw coiled and stitched with blackberry briar. My hero, Aidan, suffers lacerations to his hands from splitting and stripping thorns from blackberry brambles for the purpose. The straw skep is said to have started with tribes west of the Elbe in Germany.

Skeps were broken open in the spring, but the bees were killed beforehand, usually with sulphur smoke. The monks of Lindisfarne then offered fervent prayers for the repopulation of new skeps by new colonies. If the honey and wax were taken later in the year, there would be no chance for a new colony to establish itself before winter set in. Without the summer stores, the bees would perish.

Skeps were often protected in the winter by hackles, pointy shaped straw tents. This word came from the Old English hacele, meaning a cloak or mantle. It was later applied to birds’ plumage, particularly roosters and led to our expression, raising the hackles.

Skep in bee bole

On Lindisfarne, the skeps were sheltered in bee boles, recesses in the south wall.

Skeps at a Dutch bee market c.1900

Hackle

Sometimes the bees outgrew the skep and then an extra chamber called an eke would be added to the bottom to allow them more room. This gave rise to the present day use of the word eke, meaning to stretch out or make something go further.

Sometimes the trunks of trees were hollowed out to provide hives for bees. In this case, the bees would be lulled into gorging on the honey by smoke produced from slow burning cow dung. Fortunately for Aidan, he doesn’t have to hold the hot clay shell of smouldering cow dung as the monks gather the honey from the hives in the tree trunks. However, he does have to collect the honey and since these hives were normally quite high off the ground to protect them from animals, it becomes a back breaking chore.

By now you may have gathered that the hero of Sweet Taste ofLove is a monk! Hmmm! How does that work in a romance?

Sugar cane was unknown in the early middle ages, so honey was an important sweetener. It has been argued that the main product of medieval beekeeping was not the honey, but rather the beeswax. This energy rich natural substance was used by chandlers to make candles and clerics made writing tablets for the Church right up until the Reformation in 1536. Throughout history honey has been produced, but in medieval times was largely the preserve of the nobility. It was used in baking confectionery and making sweet tasting folk remedies, wood polish and the manufacture of Mead, which is the oldest alcoholic drink.

More to come on mead making.

Holy Island of Lindisfarne

Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland. The Old English name, Lindisfarena, which means "travellers from Lindsey", indicating that the island was settled from the Kingdom of Lindsey, or possibly that its inhabitants travelled there.

 

The monastery of Lindisfarne was founded by Irish monk Saint Aidan, who had been sent from Iona off the west coast of Scotland to Northumbria at the request of King Oswald (c. AD 635). The hero of my latest release, Sweet Taste of Love, is named Aidan.

St. Aidan

The monastery became the base for Christian evangelising in the North of England and also sent a successful mission to Mercia. Monks from the community of Iona settled on the island. Northumberland's patron saint, Saint Cuthbert, was a monk and later Abbot of the monastery, and his miracles and life are recorded by the Venerable Bede. Cuthbert later became Bishop of Lindisfarne. He was buried here, his remains later translated to Durham Cathedral. Eadberht of Lindisfarne, the next bishop (and Saint) was buried in the place from which Cuthbert's body was exhumed earlier the same year when the priory was abandoned in the late ninth century.

At some point in the early 700s the famous illuminated manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospels, an illustrated Latin copy of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, was made probably at Lindisfarne and the artist was possibly Eadfrith, who later became Bishop of Lindisfarne.

Cover of Lindisfarne Gospels

Sometime in the second half of the tenth century a monk named Aldred added an Anglo-Saxon (Old English) gloss to the Latin text, producing the earliest surviving Old English copies of the Gospels. The Gospels were illustrated in an insular style containing a fusion of Celtic, Germanic and Roman elements; they were probably originally covered with a fine metal case made by a hermit called Billfrith.

In 793, a Viking raid on Lindisfarne caused much consternation throughout the Christian west, and is now often taken as the beginning of the Viking Age. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records:

In this year fierce, foreboding omens came over the land of Northumbria. There were excessive whirlwinds, lightning storms, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the sky. These signs were followed by great famine, and on 8 January the ravaging of heathen men destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne.

The more popularly accepted date for the Viking raid on Lindisfarne is 8 June; it is believed vi id Ianr, is presumably an error for vi id Iun (June 8) which is the date given by the Annals of Lindisfarne, when better sailing weather would favour coastal raids.

Alcuin, a Northumbrian scholar in Charlemagne's court at the time, wrote:

Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race. The heathens poured out the blood of saints around the altar, and trampled on the bodies of saints in the temple of God, like dung in the streets.

Viking raids in 875 led to the monks fleeing the island with St Cuthbert's bones (now buried at the Cathedral in Durham). The bishopric was transferred to Durham in AD 1000. The heroine of Sweet Taste of Love, Nolana Kyncade, is being escorted to a nunnery under the protection of the Bishop of Durham when...oops! almost gave away too much!

The Lindisfarne Gospels now reside in the British Library in London, to the annoyance of some Northumbrians. The priory was re-established in Norman times in 1093 as a Benedictine house and continued until its suppression in 1536 under Henry VIII. Our hero, Aidan becomes a monk there in 1121 AD. What’s that? A monk the hero of a romance novel?

Painting of the ruins of Lindisfarne (1798)

A causeway connects the island to the mainland of Northumberland and is flooded twice a day by tides, something well described by Sir Walter Scott:

For with the flow and ebb, its style

Varies from continent to isle;

Dry shod o'er sands, twice every day,

The pilgrims to the shrine find way;

Twice every day the waves efface

Of staves and sandalled feet the trace.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is well known for its mead, and the title, Sweet Taste of Love, came about because of the Abbey’s fame for honey and mead. In medieval times when monks inhabited the island, it was thought that the soul was in God's keeping, but the body must be fortified with Lindisfarne Mead. The monks have long vanished, and the mead's recipe remains a secret of the family which still produces it at St Aidan's Winery, though our hero, Aidan caught a glimpse of the closely guarded recipe written in brown ink on vellum!

Lindisfarne seen from the mainland

Sweet Taste of Love is Book 2 of the FitzRam Family series.

William the Conqueror Would Have Turned In His Tomb

Empress Matilda (1102 – 10 September 1167), also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Aetheling, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood. However, her brother's death in the White Ship disaster in 1120 resulted in Matilda being her father's sole heir.

As a child, Matilda was betrothed to and later married Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor, acquiring the title Empress. It is this move to Germany that forms the basis of the plot of my latest release, Carried Away. She was twelve when she married the Holy Roman Emperor, so in my book we only see her as a (somewhat spoiled) little girl.

However, Matilda would later play a significant role in the history of England.

She and Henry V had no known children and after eleven years of marriage Henry died, leaving Matilda widowed. However, she was then married to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou in a union which her father hoped would produce a male heir and continue the dynasty. She had three sons by Geoffrey of Anjou, the eldest of whom eventually became King Henry II of England.

Matilda’s grandfather, William the Conqueror was probably turning in his tomb at the idea of his granddaughter marrying an Angevin! Normans and Angevins were traditional enemies, neighbours who fought bitterly over control of land.

Stephen of Blois

Upon the death of her father, Henry I, in 1135, Matilda was usurped to the throne by her rival and cousin Stephen of Blois, who moved quickly and became crowned King of England whilst Matilda was in Normandy, pregnant with her third child. Interestingly enough, Stephen was supposed to sail aboard the doomed White Ship, but left the vessel at the last moment.

Henry II, first Plantagenet King of England

Their rivalry for the throne led to years of unrest and civil war in England that have been called The Anarchy. Matilda was the first female ruler of the Kingdom of England, though the length of her effective rule was brief - a few months in 1141. She was never crowned and failed to consolidate her rule (legally and politically). For this reason, she is normally excluded from lists of English monarchs, and her rival (and cousin) Stephen of Blois is listed as monarch for the period 1135–1154. She campaigned unstintingly for her oldest son's inheritance, living to see him ascend the throne of England in 1154.


Readers of the Montbryce Legacy books will recall Blythe Lacey FitzRam as a newborn in A Man of Value. Carried Away is her story, and is the first book in a new series, the FitzRam Family. Incidentally, the White Ship disaster features prominently in my soon to be released novel, Sweet Taste of Love, the second book in the series.

The City of Cologne

The historical background for my latest release, Carried Away, is a little known conflict that took place at the beginning of the 12th century between the Holy Roman Emperor, Heinrich V, and the citizens of Cologne.

Agrippina-Nero's Mother

Most people think of the famous cathedral when they think of Cologne, but it is a much more ancient city. The first urban settlement on the grounds of what today is the centre of Cologne was Oppidum Ubiorum, which was founded in 38 BC by the Ubii, a Germanic tribe. In 50 A.D. the Romans founded Colonia on the Rhine and the city became the provincial capital of Germania Inferior in 85 A.D. The city was named "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium" in 50 A.D. because Agrippina was born there.

Rudder of Roman boat

Considerable Roman remains can be found in present-day Cologne, especially near the wharf area, where a notable discovery of a 1900 year old Roman boat was made in late 2007. In Carried Away, the hero, Dieter von Wolfenberg, takes his heroine on a tour of the Roman ruins in an effort to win her over.

From 260 A.D. to 271 A.D., Cologne was the capital of the Gallic Empire. In 310 A.D., under Constantine, a bridge was built over the Rhine at Cologne. The imperial governors of Rome resided in the city and it became one of the most important trade and production centres in the Roman Empire north of the Alps.

What Colonia Agrippina might have looked like

Maternus, who was elected as bishop in 313 A.D., was the first known bishop of Cologne. The city was the capital of a Roman province until occupied by the Franks in 459 A.D. In 785 A.D., Cologne became the seat of an archbishopric.

Middle Ages

Relics of the Three Wise Men-Cologne Cathedral

During the time of the Holy Roman Empire in the Middle Ages, Cologne's location on the river Rhine placed it at the intersection of the major trade routes between east and west and was the basis of Cologne's growth. Besides its economic and political significance Cologne also became an important centre of medieval pilgrimage, when Cologne's Archbishop Rainald of Dassel gave the relics of the Three Wise Men to Cologne's cathedral in 1164 (after they in fact had been captured from Milan). Besides the three Magi, Cologne preserves the relics of Saint Ursula and Albertus Magnus.

The economic structures of medieval and early modern Cologne were characterized by the city's status as a major harbour and transport hub upon the Rhine. The efforts of Holy Roman Emperor, Heinrich V, to cut Cologne off from the Rhine prompted the rebellion which forms the basis of the plot of Carried Away.

Craftsmanship was organized by self-administering guilds, some of which were exclusive to women. As a free city Cologne was a sovereign state within the Holy Roman Empire and as such had the right (and obligation) to maintain its own military force. Wearing a red uniform these troops were known as the Rote Funken (red sparks). These soldiers were part of the Army of the Holy Roman Empire and fought in the wars of the 17th and 18th century, including the wars against revolutionary France, when the small force was almost completely wiped out in combat. The tradition of these troops is preserved as a military persiflage by Cologne's most outstanding carnival society, the Rote Funken.

World War II

During World War II, Cologne was a Military Area Command Headquarters. Cologne endured 262 air raids which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the centre of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary devices. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres of built-up area, killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95%. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas. The same happened in many other German cities in the last two years of war. At the end of 1945, the population had already risen to about 500,000 again.

In 1945 architect and urban planner Rudolf Schwarz called Cologne the "world's greatest heap of rubble." Schwarz designed the master plan of reconstruction in 1947, which called for the construction of several new thoroughfares through the downtown area.

St. Kunibert

The destruction of 95% of the city centre including the famous Twelve Romanesque churches like St. Gereon, Great St. Martin, St. Maria im Kapitol, and several other monuments meant a tremendous loss of cultural treasures. The rebuilding of those churches and other landmarks was not undisputed among leading architects and art historians at that time, but in most cases, civil intention prevailed. The reconstruction lasted until the 1990s, when the Romanesque church of St. Kunibert was finished.

Carried Away is Book One of a new series entitled The FitzRam Family, and is available from Amazon.

Celebrity Warriors Visit Remote Welsh Village

Date: Early 12th century   Place: Llanfarran, Wales

We’re honoured to have those well-known patriot warriors, twins Rhun and Rhydderch, sons of the Prince of Powwydd, visiting our little village here in Wales. Tell us about the accident that brought you here.

Rhun: Our brother Rhys and our brother-by-marriage Baudoin de Montbryce tumbled into a deep crevice. We’ve spent most of the day hauling them out.

Rhydderch: It’s thanks to Rhun’s brute strength that we were able to get Rhys out.

Rhun: But it was your idea of the conveyance we used to pull Baudoin up that saved his life.

Were they injured?

Rhydderch: Yes, Rhys has a badly broken leg and ribs, and a sprained ankle. Baudoin is still lying in a stupor.

Baudoin isn’t a Welsh name. It sounds Norman. You’ve spent your lives fighting Normans.

Rhun: We tire of explaining that our sister Carys is married to the Earl of Ellesmere.

Rhydderch: My brother and I never understood why our father, Rhodri, allowed the marriage, though Rhys was in favour. Something he calls strategic alliances.

You must be worried about their injuries?

Rhun: Of course, but it turns out you have a capable bonesetter here. We expected a man, but found an enticing young woman.

Rhydderch: And Glain is the embodiment of her name—a jewel.

Sounds like you’re enamoured of her, Rhydderch.

Rhun: Hah! My brother falls in love easily.

Rhydderch: As if you aren’t in love with her too. I saw the way you looked at her.

Rhun: It’s true I am attracted to Glain, but she’s not for you, Rhydderch.

Rhydderch: What makes you say that?

Rhun: She’s more suited to me.

Rhydderch: I disagree.

Nobles, it wasn’t my intention to start an argument.

Rhun: We never argue. We’re twins.

Rhydderch: We’re always in agreement.

Rhun: We’ve shared everything since we were babes.

But are you willing to share this woman?

The Winds of the Heavens is part of a two-day blowout of books for 99 cents. June 15/16 ONLY. Find a list of titles here.

Free Partay -Are You Ready?

For two days only, Free Partay will offer kindle ebooks FREE. June 13 and 14. Here's your chance to download my medieval romance, The Winds of The Heavens, for FREE.

Kudos to designer Kate Sterling for the sexy new cover on this book.

Click on the Free Partay banner above for a list of FREE ebooks, or click here to go directly to The Winds of The Heavens.

Blurb: They had always shared everything, but could they share a woman?

Interview with the Heroine of Conquering Passion

Heartland's Cindy Busby

Interview with Mabelle de Valtesse, heroine of Conquering Passion

(I visualize Canadian actress Cindy Busby acing the role of Mabelle with no difficulty at all!)

Date: October 1066

Place: Montbryce Castle, Normandy

 We’ve just come from seeing off your betrothed, Ram de Montbryce, as the invasion fleet set sail for England.

They have gone at last? Ram has been impatient to get the expedition underway. It has been difficult for him.

He was very eager to go. Will you miss him?

Of course, but above all Ram is a warrior and very loyal to his Duke. He must do his duty.

Why did you not marry before he left?

Ah, that is a long story. We were supposed to marry weeks ago. In fact I had already dressed in my wedding gown and was on my way to the chapel, but...

Did something happen?

Oui, but I prefer not to discuss it.

Ram mentioned something about you having an unusual upbringing?

He told you that? I did have an unusual childhood. My father is a difficult man. He did something unspeakably cruel to another nobleman. In retaliation we were exiled from our home. We wandered about Normandie for many years.

Does she look like the type to be seen and not heard?

Just you and your father?

Oui.

Perhaps that’s what your betrothed meant when he intimated that if you became his Countess...

Oui, I’m afraid Ram doesn’t think I am suitably brought up to be his Countess. He believes women should be seen and not heard.

So why did his father choose you?

I sometimes wonder myself, but Count Bernard de Montbryce is a kind man who perhaps sees something in me that Ram does not yet see. I am glad the Count will be here, otherwise I would be very lonely in this big castle with all three Montbryce sons off to war.

Did Ram say he would miss me?

Conquering Passion is available for 99 cents for a limited time as part of the Booklovers' Buffet Vacation Getaway. 160 books, 120 authors. Check it out.

Interview with Ram de Montbryce, hero of Conquering Passion

Note: Montreal born French Canadian model, Gabriel Aubry, probably most resembles how I see my hero, Ram, though his eyes are the wrong colour and his hair should be darker! Ram has blue eyes.

Conquering Passion will be available for 99 cents from June 8 to June 22 as part of the Booklovers Buffet Vacation Getaway. 160 titles from 120 authors, all 99 cents. 

Date: October 1066

Place: St. Valery, Normandy

Milord, can you tell us something of your family background?

Oui, I am the eldest son of Bernard, the Count of Montbryce. Ours is a noble Norman family descended from the Northmen who came to our shores generations ago. I have two brothers, Antoine and Hugh. Our family owns to a strong military tradition of cavalrymen. I myself joined my first battle against the Angevins at my father’s side when I was thirteen.

In the feudal society that exists in Normandie, who is your overlord?

William, Duke of Normandie (the Conqueror)

We are vassals of William, Duke of Normandie. He is a great man who has brought power and stability to Normandie. We are proud to serve him. He has honoured our family by entrusting me with preparations of the fleet which will soon invade England.

Why does William want to invade England?

He has no choice. The throne of England was promised to him by his cousin, Edward the Confessor, but Harold Godwinson, Edward’s brother-by-marriage, has stolen the crown and proclaimed himself King of England.

Preparing the fleet is a big responsibility.

Oui, sometimes it has been difficult to maintain discipline among the more than 7000 men we have gathered, especially now we have waited weeks for the wind to change. They are anxious for glory and there are many factions among them. As well we have hundreds of horses ready to embark.

You are taking horses on the longboats?

Normans are expert horsemen and our horses are an important part of our battle capabilities. Both my brothers are in the Norman cavalry. Without my stallion, Fortis, I would not be as effective a warrior.

Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry

Does your wife worry about this imminent invasion?

I am not yet married, though I am betrothed. It will be an arranged marriage. My father chose Mabelle de Valtesse as my bride.

You don’t sound very excited about it.

Mabelle is...well, let’s say she had an unusual upbringing. One day I will inherit my father’s title, and Mabelle is not... When she and I first met...well, there was a misunderstanding.

There seems to be some commotion going on? I hear shouts. Something about the wind?

I must find my Duke. Finally, the wind has changed and will fill our square sails. We must embark for England to regain the throne. William wants me to sail with him in his flagship, the Mora. I’m not a good sailor! I hope I don’t retch in his presence!

You sound eager to get the invasion underway? Aren’t you afraid?

A warrior does not let fear control him. Bravery is born of fear. If I serve the Duke well, I will be rewarded. When he becomes Conqueror of England, I hope to gain lands there.

Will you miss Mabelle, your betrothed?

Oui, but...

Gabriel Aubry

Beware! It's addictive!

I'm looking forward to participating in the Booklovers' Buffet Vacation Getaway from June 8 to June 22. The Kindle version of my juicy medieval romance, Conquering Passion will be available for .99 cents during this promo. Great value - a full length novel for less than one dollar! 

But, beware! Conquering Passion is Book One of a four book series and it's addictive! You'll want to know what happens in the other three books!
Click on the Booklovers' Buffet button at right to see a complete list of the fabulous books available for 99 cents during this blowout. Website opens June 5th.