THE BREAKING DAWN - sneak preview #1

THE BREAKING DAWN inches closer to publication (the actual date will be out soon). In the meantime, here's a sneak preview of the novel's Amazon description. It's epic!

You cannot fight fate

A historical romance adventure set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England – a time when only the strong survived.

A Mercian village girl and a Welsh prince. When two worlds collide, an unforgettable love story unfolds.

It is the summer of 641 A.D., and the Kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria are about to do battle. 

Merwenna of Weyham accepts the hand of a young warrior who is about to march to war. But when her betrothed does not return, she takes matters into her own hands and goes in search of him.

Welsh battle lord, Prince Cynddylan, leads a host of warriors to help Mercia fight Northumbria. In doing so, he forms a fragile alliance with one of Britannia’s most ruthless warlords – King Penda of Mercia. 

In the wake of the Battle of Maes Cogwy, the lives of many will change. 

Merwenna travels to Tamworth, the seat of the Mercian King, in search of Beorn, her betrothed – only to discover the bitter truth.

Cynddylan and Penda return to Tamworth from battle, victorious – but fall out in its aftermath.

From the moment Merwenna and Cynddylan meet in the Great Tower of Tamworth, their paths are entwined. 

  

In a journey from Tamworth, through the green heart of Mercia, and into the woods and mountains of Wales – Merwenna struggles between grief for the man she has lost, and her powerful attraction to this battle lord who appears to love only power and glory. 

Cynddylan is also torn. With each passing day, he finds himself increasingly captivated by this courageous young woman. Merwenna makes him question the world, and his place in it. Suddenly, he is not so sure what is worth living, and dying, for.

Can two lovers from such different worlds, ever be together?

The Breaking Dawn is the first novel in the Kingdom of Mercia series, following the ground-breaking Kingdom of the East Angles novels: Dark Under the Cover of Night, Nightfall till Daybreak and The Deepening Night. Set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England, these novels blend epic romance, adventure and rich historical detail.

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Historical background for The Breaking Dawn

The Breaking Dawn is slowly inching further towards publication. The bulk of the editing has been completed and now we're on to polishing and perfecting the novel!

For this story, I've decided to insert some 'Historical Background' notes at the start, in order to give readers an idea of the cultural and political context of the time. 

Something that readers have asked me, is when exactly was the 'Anglo-Saxon' period? Not only that, but what made it different to the rest of the Middle Ages?

In the 7th Century, England was not as we know it today 

The British Isles were named Britannia (a legacy of the Roman colonization) and split into rival kingdoms: the Kingdom of the East Angles, Mercia, Northumbria, Kent and the East, and West Saxons - as well as the Celtic Kingdoms of Powys (Wales) and Wessex.

The Anglo-Saxon period lasted from the departure of the Romans, in around 430 A.D., to the Norman invasion in 1066 A.D.

However, I've focused on just a small window within the period.

I'm particularly fascinated by the period between the departure of the Romans and the first Viking invasion in 793 A.D – a 300 year period in which Anglo-Saxon culture flourished. So far, I've only set my novels in the 7th Century - from 600-700 A.D.

Why the 7th Century?

These were exciting times. The Kingdom of the East Angles was dominant at the beginning of this century, but gradually diminished under the power of Mercia. The 7th Century saw Christianity make inroads into the British Isles. Famous kings: Raedwald, Penda and Offa ruled during these years, leaving a lasting influence.

The Breaking Dawn is set in 641 A.D., at the height of King Penda of Mercia's reign. It is the year of the Battle of Maserfield (Maes Cogwy in Welsh). In the summer of this year, Powys (Wales) and Mercia united against, and defeated, the Northumbrians.

And very soon, you'll be able to read all about it. 

I will be announcing the publication date for The Breaking Dawn soon, so watch this space!

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My hero: Cynddylan, Prince of Powys

Great news - THE BREAKING DAWN has just come a step closer to publication! I've finished writing the manuscript and am now going through the editing process.

Calling it the 'editing process' makes the whole thing sound more painless than it actually is. Editing requires taking a hard look at the story you've created and, with the help of a talented editor, unraveling what works and what doesn't - and making the necessary changes.

It usually involves a few tears.

Every book is different. In one, the edits might be centered around the plot, in another conflict or characterization.

The majority of the edits in THE BREAKING DAWN are hinging on the latter: the characters.

A Welsh prince with an identity crisis

I've based my hero in THE BREAKING DAWN on an actual historical figure: Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn - the Prince of Powys. Quite a mouthful I know, but basically Cynddylan (or Dylan as he's called mostly in my story), was a 7th Century Welsh prince who famously allied himself with the Kingdom of Mercia.

I initially drew Cynddylan as an arrogant flirt who, despite the fact he was a great warrior, hated war. Then, I wondered why he just wasn't working. Once I dug a little deeper into history, I discovered that the Prince of Powys had a fiery temper, was stubborn, and had a ruthless streak.

Unsurprisingly, once I reworked him using these details, Cynddylan came to life.

We don't have many historical details about Prince Cynddylan, although more than some of the other rulers of the time. Most of the details about him come from two famous poems: Marwnad Cynddylan (The Deathsong of Cynddylan) and the Canu Heledd (Heledd's lament), a 9th century poem in which his sister sings of her brother's death. Both are hauntingly beautiful, if grim, poems.

In a nutshell, here's what my research unearthed about Cynddylan:

• He wore a mail shirt and purple cloak
• He was fiery, stubborn, brave and ruthless - a great warrior
• He went to battle alongside King Penda of Mercia, against the Northumbrian King, Oswald, bringing 700 warriors with him. They fought together in the Battle of Maserfield (Maes Cogwy in Welsh), in the summer of 641 A.D. The battle ended with Oswalds defeat, death and dismemberment
• He died fairly young in battle and never married (I ignore this detail - it's a romance after all!)
• He had 9 sisters and 12 brothers (I also ignore this detail - for the sake of the story - preferring to shrink the family to one sister, Heledd, and one brother, Morfael)
• After the Battle of Maserfield, Cynddylan appears to have fallen out with Penda
• Details around Cynddylan's death are hazy - he may have fought (and died) alongside Penda again at the Battle of Winwaed in circa 655 A.D. (We don't get this far in the novel - I prefer to leave Dylan's future open, for the reader to decide...)

 And in case you're wondering, here's how I imagine Cynddylan looks...

(Welsh actor, Ioan Gruffudd)

Watch this space for news on the actual publication date!

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The Breaking Dawn - first draft nearly complete

Writing is a long process - and (for me, at least), the most enjoyable part of it is writing the first draft. There's a magic in seeing the story unfold. I always loosely plan my novels before writing them - but I make sure I leave room for my characters to 'take over'.

THE BREAKING DAWN is nearly done, and I will be sad when it is.

Once the first draft is written, I do a thorough read-through and then the editing process begins. This can be anything from three to five drafts - depending on how many 'issues' my editor highlights with the story.

Shortly after that, I begin to wonder why I bother writing at all. Fortunately, that feeling soon passes and I roll up my sleeves and do the work needed to make the story as strong as it can be. Then, once the editing process is done, the proofing begins - a tedious but incredibly important stage.

While all of the above is taking place, I usually start dreaming about my next story, and the moment I hit the 'publish' button on Amazon KDP, I am itching to get started on my next writing project.

It's a never-ending process. You dream about a story. You write it, edit it and polish it - and then send it out into the world for others to enjoy. Sometimes I get so caught up in my latest project, that I forget about the books I have already written.

However, I do try not to neglect them. My last novel, THE DEEPENING NIGHT, has been well-received, and a recent Amazon giveaway helped get the novel noticed by historical romance fans.

Take a look at my latest review for THE DEEPENING NIGHT, up on Regan Walker's Historical Romance Review blog.

Tomorrow (21 January 2015), I'll be Regan's guest blogger, with a post all about Anglo-Saxon England, so keep an eye out for it - you could be in to win a free Kindle copy of the book!

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Would you like to read a prequel novella to the KINGDOM OF THE EAST ANGLES series for free?


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Coming soon! Book launch in 4 days...

The next book in the Kingdom of the East Angles series, Nightfall till Daybreak, will be available on Amazon Kindle on 7 June 2013. This novel takes place four years after Dark Under the Cover of Night (Book #1), but can be read as a standalone.

 During the research of this novel, I discovered the following fascinating facts about Anglo-Saxon England.

Did you know that...

• in Anglo-Saxon England, the main meal of the day was usually at midday. Most meals consisted of pottage - an unappetizing vegetable stew that was most likely cooked for hours in a pot over the fire pit.
• only noblemen could afford swords, and only freemen were allowed to carry a spear
• the shield wall was a purely Anglo-Saxon method of warfare, and not used in continental Europe
• Winterfylleth - Winter Full Moon - was the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of Halloween. Folk would burn great bonfires and leave their doorways open to allow the dead to enter. Torches would be placed in doorways, guiding in the good spirits and deterring the evil ones. They would leave jugs of milk, mead or wine, and a offerings of food, on their hearths. Winterfylleth signaled the beginning of Blotmonath, Blood month. The day after the first winter full moon, folk would perform rites to Hela, the Underworld Goddess who raised the dead - and the day after that Woden - the father of the gods - would ride his eight-legged horse through the mortal world
• Winterfylleth heralded the coming of winter but Beltaine celebrated the spring. Beltaine was a yearly fertility festival dedicated to Bel - god of light, fire and the sun. Folk would sing and dance around the Beltaine bonfire, and would burn the Wicker Man, a giant effigy made from wicker and straw, upon it. Beltaine was the eve of life, fertility and joining, and as such, many couples would go 'green gowning' - running off into the woods to make love.

Nightfall till Daybreak is a tale of duty, love and courage in a world dominated by war.

Find out more on about the story here.