Extensive medieval tunnels have just been found near Tintern Abbey. Many medieval castles had escape tunnels for when the castle was under siege. Manorbier Castle in Wales has an escape tunnel entered through the well. I used this detail from Manorbier and my experience of spending 12 hours in an old lead mine in Cumbria…
Category: Historical Fiction
Nest ferch Rhys
Video interview with me by Ellie Daniels on researching my latest historical novel, The Anarchy, is here. We discuss the story of Nest ferch Rhys, the heroine of my story, and how I set about researching early medieval Welsh history. I drew on the scant primary sources on Nest – Brut y Tywysogion (Chronicle of…
The Anarchy – video interview
Just posted – a video interview with me on writing The Anarchy with editor Ellie Daniel. We discussed castles in Wales, the little-known women of early medieval history, research for historical fiction, and the character of King Henry I. My latest newsletter is now available. If you are not already on my mailing list you…
The Sound of the Middle Ages
I look at the now deserted and stagnant lavoirs, the communal washing places, in the Lot Valley in France and can almost hear women singing, gossiping about mistresses and neighbours, and slapping wet laundry against the stone papillon slabs. My article, ‘The Sound of the Middle Ages‘, has just been published in Historical Novels Review.
Add Women to History and Stir
An interview with me by my publisher, Jeffrey Collyer, to coincide with the publication of my new historical novel The Anarchy – the final book in the Conquest trilogy set in 12th century Wales, England, and Normandy. The book is available now as an e-book and will be out as a paperback in the next…
The salt sea flood
My new novel, The Anarchy, is published next week by Impress Books. It is the final book in the Conquest trilogy, focused on the life of Nest ferch Rhys and the 12th century struggle between the Welsh and the Normans. In the novel I (anachronistically) use a poem by the Welsh bard Dafydd ap Gwilym: Yr wylan deg ar lanw,…
Down the research rabbit hole
I’m working on a biography of three 11th century sisters and, at this stage of the research, every thread to pursue involves disappearing down a rabbit hole for a very long time, trying to get answers. The critical thing is to record everything in the research process, including more threads and queries to pursue, so that,…
Norman silver bird brooch
Writing on a Norman silver mine in the final stages of editing my next novel, The Anarchy. Found this exquisite Norman silver bird brooch to help with writing the scene.
Offcuts from research
This month, I’m working on the final rewrites for my next historical novel, The Anarchy. The book will be published on 2 June and you can preorder it here. In the course of researching my books, I’m forever having to keep the story focused and leave out some of the fascinating characters and facts from history….
The Anarchy
History offers so many fascinating true stories for a historical novelist to wind in with the fiction. I have just completed revisions to the manuscript of my final novel in the Conquest series on the life of the 12th century Welsh princess, Nest ferch Rhys. Some of the true bits in the new novel, The Anarchy, include…
Tracey Warr Writing 