‘The only plagues of London are the immoderate drinking of fools and the frequency of fires’ wrote William Fitz Stephen in his account of the city in the 12th century. On a recent trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts I came across a little book called Norman London in a second-hand bookshop. The book contained Fitz Stephen’s…
Tag: wales
Castle Escapes
My blogpost on Gerald FitzWalter, a Norman frontiersman in south Wales in late 11th and early 12th centuries, has just been published on the English Historical Fiction Authors blog. One of Gerald’s many colourful exploits included an escape down a latrine chute during a Welsh attack in 1109 on his castle of Cenarth Bychan. The…
The medieval Welsh Helen of Troy?
My new novel Conquest: Daughter of the Last King is published by Impress Books next week and is the first in a trilogy about Nest ferch Rhys – the daughter of the last independent Welsh king at the end of the 11th century. Nest is a controversial historical figure. She makes significant appearances in medieval…
New historical novel – proofs arrived
Proofs for my new historical novel, Conquest: Daughter of the Last King, arrived today. Very exciting. The book is the first in a trilogy, telling the story of the 12th century Welsh princess, Nest ferch Rhys, and the struggles between the Welsh and the Normans. Image: Nest ferch Rhys and King Henry I from an illuminated…
Between historical fiction and historical research
In my historical novels I’m always imagining in the gaps and with the mysteries: what happened to the 10th century Viscountess Emma of Limoges during the three years she was held for ransom by Vikings before her husband paid up? (The Viking Hostage) why did the 11th century Count Ramon Berenger of Barcelona kidnap…
The Viking Hostage top ranking in Australia
My novel The Viking Hostage is currently featuring on three bestsellers lists on the Amazon Australia Kindle Store (European History, Medieval History, Genealogy).
Tracey Warr Writing 