In celebration, today I'm over at Sarah Woodbury's blog with a post on Owain Glyndwr and the Welsh War of Independence. Sarah writes time travel set in 13th century Wales, so be sure to check out her books, too.
Owain's story was actually the first historical novel I completed, over a decade ago. When my first agent was unable to find it a home, I set it aside and went to work on The Bruce Trilogy. This year, I resurrected the story of Owain Glyndwr because, like the other people I've written about, his was a life I felt that deserved more attention. Some historians have speculated that Owain Glyndwr emulated Robert the Bruce and adopted not only many of his military tactics, but also his wider political visions. Still, there are subtle, yet profound differences between the two historical figures.
While I leave you to ponder that, here's the synopsis:
*****
For centuries, the bards have sung of King Arthur’s return,
but is this reluctant warrior prince the answer to those prophecies?
In the year 1399, Welsh nobleman Owain Glyndwr is living out a peaceful gentleman’s life in the Dee Valley of Wales with his wife Margaret and their eleven children. But when Henry of Bolingbroke, the Duke of Lancaster, usurps the throne of England from his cousin Richard II, that tranquility is forever shattered. What starts as a feud with a neighboring English lord over a strip of land evolves into something greater—a fight for the very independence of Wales.
Leading his crude army of Welshmen against armor-clad columns of English, Owain wins key victories over his enemies. After a harrowing encounter on the misty slopes of Cadair Idris, the English knight Harry Hotspur offers Owain a pact he cannot resist.
Peace, however, comes with a price. As tragedies mount, Owain questions whether he can find the strength within himself not only to challenge the most powerful monarch of his time, but to fulfill the prophecies and lead his people to freedom without destroying those around him.
*****
Happy reading,
Gemi
6 comments:
Congratz kind G! I adore your writings and specialy these topics regarding history of the Isles...
Wish you all the best!
Keep up the sacred fire as always
That's very kind of you, Eliseo. Thanks!
How exciting! I'm definitely putting it on my books to buy list when it gets into paperback. I love the cover too =)
Thanks, Hazel. There was a technical glitch with the cover file, so it needs to be tweaked and resubmitted, otherwise everything is ready to go. I'll post here when it's up.
Yeah, that's a problem very close to home :P No one ever said self-publishing was easy.
I've always had a thing for the name Owen Glendower -(my spelling!) without knowing a thing about him! T'would ruin all my dreams if he turned out to be fat, chunky man with bad skin!
Jen
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