Monkey Hangers…

I’ve pointed out several times that ‘The doe and the Dragon’ incorporates myths and legends from Arthurian North Wales.  It also includes one story that has little to do with Wales, but which gave inspiration for one of the events in the novel.

The Napoleonic Wars are separated from Arthur by a thousand years, and then some, but there one event from the Napoleonic era that I couldn’t resist slipping into the novel.  Legend is that a French ship was wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool, in north-east England.  The only survivor was the ship’s monkey, who was dressed in a French uniform, and, naturally, spoke gibberish that the people of Hartlepool didn’t understand.

The locals hung the monkey as a French spy, and since then the good people of Hartlepool have been known – with varying degrees of affection - as ‘Monkey Hangers’.

The story may or may not be true, but I couldn’t resist having a couple of monkeys mistaken for the enemy by a naive character in ‘The Doe and the Dragon’.  Of course, I don’t have the monkeys hung, they end up…well, you’ll just have to read the book!

”…a Grim but Spellbinding Tale…”

So says prolific Black Horse Western author Philip McCormac about ‘The Doe and the Dragon’.  Here are Phil’s comments in full:
“There are those writers who do historical and are good at what they do. Then there are those who write horror and that’s good too. But Andrew Richardson melds the two and his talent is such it works excellently well. Throw these ingredients into a cauldron of Celtic savagery and magic and you wallow in a grim but spellbinding tale of heroic warriors and beautiful maidens.”

Doe-Dragon ‘Blurb’

‘The Doe and the Dragon’ is published on May 1.  It’s a historical fantasy set around Welsh myths, in 5th century north Wales.  The story includes legendary characters such as Merlin, Vortigern, Uther Pendragon, the Lady of the Lake, and Igraine in a historical setting.

The book will be available from Rogue Phoenix Press.

Here is the ‘blurb’:

Prince Einion, The Impetuous Warlord of Gwynedd, boasts that he fears nothing.  Deep inside, though, he is terrified of beautiful women and would rather face a hundred Saxon warriors than have to approach a pretty maiden.

Breena, a settler-girl, captures Einion’s heart when he comes across her in an enchanted valley.  His tongue dries and ties itself in knots, rendering him incapable of speech.  She runs away, fearing he is a spirit form the Otherworld --but the smitten prince vows to woo her.

When Breena is captured by Einion’s enemy, the prince must overcome sadistic raiders, religious intolerance, and an ancient, violent evil in his attempt to rescue her.  Only then can he try to win what he most desires-- the stunning woman who terrifies him more than any enemy he has faced on the battlefield.

Doe-Dragon Release Date: 1 May

A reminder that my Arthurian-period historical fantasy, ‘The Doe and the Dragon’, is due for release on 1 May, from Rogue Phoenix Press!

There are a couple of previews to come before release, and I’ll post links when they’re available.

The Doe and the Dragon Listed

I’ve been doing some surfing, and found the “The Doe and the Dragon’s” first listing – at Manic Readers.  They’ve got my name a bit wrong, but I assume that’s a database error that will soon be rectified. 

Here’s the link: http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=bookdetail&bookid=12033

Einion the Dragon

‘The Doe and The Dragon’ continues to near publication.  I’ve sent final edits back to Rogue Phoenix Press, and I assume the next stage is to await a publication date.

The novel is set in fifth-century north Wales, and the hero is the semi-historical Einion Yrth (‘The Impetuous’).  But who was Einion Yrth?  And how have I treated him?

According to the myths, Cunedda was a minor kingt who came down from the north of England to settle in north Wales to help fend off Irish raids.  He had numerous sons who travelled with him, and Einion later became king of the region, despite being the youngest.  (Sadly for romantics, historians are trending to the view that the story and sons are made up to give the dynasty a history and provide names for sub-kingdoms.)

We know little else about Einion, but his title ‘Yrth’ has led some to suggest he might have been the original Uther Pendragon (Arthur’s father, of course).

I had to make Einion heroic because he must be worthy of being a leader.  But I also wanted him vulnerable, to make him sympathetic.  So, I have him self-confident, and of course impetuousness, and quick to anger.  But I gave him a flaw – an inability to deal with beautiful women. 

It is this shyness that I have tried to play up in the story; he loves Breena, the beautiful Irish woman he meets, but does not know how to woo her.  This isn’t a story about heroism or good against evil, or about history, although they all play an important part.  It is about Einion’s almost blundering efforts to win the hand of the woman he loves.

Spotlight Day

Fellow Eternal Press author Gianna Bruno has invited me to join her ‘Spotlight Day’ at Coffee Time Romance this Thursday, 10 February.

We’ll be talking about writing from the viewpoint of the opposite sex, and I’ll also give an update of where we are with getting ‘The Doe and the Dragon’ and ‘The Well’ published.

Please come and join us!