‘The sky was beginning to darken, and the fortified tower houses of the Toulouse nobility were stark, crenellated silhouettes all around the basilica close as Beatriz emerged from the sculpture workshop. Moving toward the path, she noticed a woman wearing a brilliant red dress, standing framed in the tall ground-floor window of one of the…
Category: Historical Fiction
New Novel
You can read the prologue to my new novel, Love’s Knife, as a free subscriber to my Substack. Starting this month, I will be posting a chapter a week for paying subscribers (who also receive their choice of a free paperback or ebook when it is completed). The novel is the first book in the Trobairitz Sleuth series….
Medieval Christmas
I’ve recently posted a series of three Medieval Christmas extracts from my novels, each accompanied by a medieval recipe. The Christmas medieval recipes to have a look at are dariole, wassail bowl, and Cawl. You can subscribe to my Substack free for occasional posts on medieval history and fiction. In the new year, I will…
The Viking Hostage – Publication Day
Very excited to announce the publication today of the new edition of The Viking Hostage. The novel is based on the true story of a French viscountess who was kidnapped by Vikings from a monastery on the French coast in the late 10th century. She was held for ransom for three years. Vikings are endlessly…
Gwenllian – Welsh Warrior Queen
A guest post on my novel, The Anarchy, and the story of Gwenllian, the 12th-century Welsh woman who led an army against the Normans at Kidwelly Castle is posted today on Tony Riches’ The Writing Desk. Gwenllian was the daughter of the king of the northern kingdom of Wales, Gwynedd. She married the disinherited king…
Quicksand
The spectacular Romanesque abbey on Mont-Saint-Michel island off the coast of Normandy is marking its 1,000-year birthday this year, with President Emmanuel Macron among those visiting for the celebrations. Nine hundred years ago, Henry de Normandy (a major character in my Conquest trilogy of novels) played a significant role in Mont-Saint-Michel’s history. Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey was…
Unpacking Books
Unpacking the latest batch of books. Since last November, I have been working on reissuing my five historical novels under my own imprint, Meanda Books. Daughter of the Last King, The Drowned Court and The Anarchy – my trilogy on medieval Wales are all available now in hardback, paperback and ebook. Coming next, The Viking…
Happy May Day
Happy May Day! The Anarchy, the final book in my medieval Wales trilogy, is published today. The novel deals with the 12th century succession crisis after King Henry I lost his only legitimate male heir in a shipwreck and tried to make his daughter, Empress Maud, his successor. It also covers the Welsh uprising against…
Untangling Nest ferch Rhys
In the 12th century, the Welsh noblewoman, Nest ferch Rhys, was married to the Norman steward of Pembroke Castle, Gerald FitzWalter. One dark night, soon after Christmas, the Welsh prince of the neighbouring kingdom of Powys, Owain ap Cadwgan, broke into the castle where Nest, Gerald, their children and household were sleeping. Owain was accompanied…
Publication Day – The Drowned Court
It’s publication day for The Drowned Court, the second book in my Conquest trilogy about Nest ferch Rhys and King Henry I, set in the early 12th century. See Meanda Books for more information. Buy the book.
Tracey Warr Writing 