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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Drop by and be in to win...

My guest post is now live on Regan Walker's HISTORICAL ROMANCE REVIEWS blog. Here's a snippet below...

Guest Blogger Jayne Castel, author of Anglo-Saxon Romances

Welcome with me today Jayne Castel, author of romances set in Anglo-Saxon England, who is coming to us from New Zealand. Do comment on her post (and leave your email) to be entered to win her book The Deepening Night! 

After studying Old English language and Medieval English history at University, she developed a passion for the history, culture and language of Anglo-Saxon England. She loves setting historical romance in this vibrant, gritty era. HerKingdom Of The East Angles series, set in 7th Century Anglo-Saxon England, spans a decade and the reigns of three kings: Raedwald, Sigeberht and Annan (Dark Under Cover of Night, Nightfall till Daybreak and The Deepening Night.) I’ve asked her to join us to talk about that time in England’s history.

Read more, and enter the contest on Regan's blog!

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


Sign up to Jayne's monthly newsletter and receive a FREE copy of NIGHT SHADOWS (PDF format). Newsletter subscribers will also get sneak previews of upcoming novels, behind the scenes 'extras', snippets about Anglo-Saxon England, and podcasts from Jayne!

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Fact and Fiction - using real history in historical romance

My historical romance isn't exactly main-stream... 

What do I mean by that? Yes, there's a couple that fall in love and triumph despite adversity - but my books have a strong focus on real historical figures and events, not just the central love story. The story is strongly rooted in the period, and couldn't exist outside it.

I didn't start off writing them that way - it's just that when I was researching the period - Anglo-Saxon England - I realized that fact is not only stranger than fiction. It's often stronger. As such, I base my stories around actual people and events, and I think my stories are stronger for it.

So, if you love early British history - mixed in with a bit of romance - my books might be what you're looking for!

Historical figures I used in the Kingdom of the East Angles series

• Raedwald of the East Angles, the king thought to have been buried in the Sutton Hoo longship.
• Eni of the East Angles - father of Annan, who later becomes King of the East Angles.
• Eorpwald, Raedwald's son, who succeeded his father.
• Ricberht, the usurper who kills Eorpwald and takes the throne.
• Sigeberht, Raedwald's exiled stepson who returns to Britannia, overthrows Ricberht, and takes back the throne for the Wuffinga family
• Botulf, the missionary who founds the monastery at Iken.
• Ecgric, the man who co-rules with Sigeberht after the King of East Angles dedicates his life to Christianity.
• Anna (who I call Annan), Raedwald's nephew, who takes the throne after Sigeberht's death
• Penda - the warlord king of Mercia, and our villain. Penda is the last pagan ruler of Anglo-Saxon England.

Historical events I used in the Kingdom of the East Angles series

• King Raedwald's burial in a longship at Sutton Hoo.
• The death of Raedwald's son Raegenhere, slain in the Battle of the River Idle against Aethelfrith of Northumbria.
• Sigeberht's return from exile in Gaul to take back the East Anglian throne for his family.
• Sigeberht's abdication of the throne, in favor of a monastic life.
• Sigeberht's refusal to bear arms in battle against the Mercians. He goes into battle with only a staff for protection and dies.
• Annan's supervision of the building of Devil's Dyke the southern and western borders of the Kingdom of the East Angles

Work in progress...

I've now left the Kingdom of the East Angles behind, and traveled to Mercia. I'm currently hard at work on the first novel in this series, THE BREAKING DAWN.

Once again, I am using history to form the story's backbone. Our bad guy, King Penda of Mercia is back (and more ruthless than ever), while our novel's hero is Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn, the Prince of Powys, who forms an alliance with the Mercians.

The story begins at the Battle of Maes Cogwy (Maserfield), where the Mercians (with the help of the Welsh) defeat the Northumbrian army.

King Oswald of Northumbria dies at this battle and is famously dismembered, his head and arms stuck on poles at the edge of the battlefield. Oswald (who was later sainted) became revered as a Christian martyr and his dismembered limbs ended up in various relic collections in monasteries around Britannia.

Want more?

Sign up to Jayne's monthly newsletter and receive a FREE copy of NIGHT SHADOWS (PDF format). Newsletter subscribers will also get sneak previews of upcoming novels, behind the scenes 'extras', snippets about Anglo-Saxon England, and podcasts from Jayne!

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