Mary Anne Yarde's Blog: The Coffee Pot Book Club , page 214

#CyberMonday ~ Grab The Du Lac Chronicles for #FREE on #Kindle

To celebrate the release of The Du Lac Devil, I am giving away Kindle copies of my Amazon best-selling books, The Du Lac Chronicles and The Pitchfork Rebellion. But hurry, this ridiculously crazy offer is coming to an end very soon!
The Du Lac Chronicles

“It is dangerous to become attached to a du Lac. He will break your heart, and you will not recover.” So prophesies a wizened healer to Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex. If there is truth in the old crone’s words, they come far too late for Annis, who defies father, king, and country to save the man she loves.
Alden du Lac, once king of Cerniw, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble, his fort razed to the ground and his brother Merton missing, presumably dead. He has only one possession left worth saving: his heart. And to the horror of his few remaining allies, he gives that to the daughter of his enemy. They see Annis, at best, as a bargaining chip to avoid war with her powerful father. At worst, they see a Saxon whore with her claws in a broken, wounded king.
Alden has one hope: When you war with one du Lac, you war with them all. His brother Budic, King of Brittany, could offer the deposed young king sanctuary—but whether he will offer the same courtesy to Annis is far less certain.
The Pitchfork Rebellion

When the devil wanted to destroy the world he would do so with fire. Alden du Lac knew this for a fact, because the devil had come to Cerniw.

Alden may have driven the man who tortured him from his lands, but he can do nothing to drive him from his dreams.

Alden has become bitter, angry and unrecognizable to those who love him. The only person whom could possible bring him back from the brink is his younger brother Merton. But even Merton is at a loss as to what to do.

As Alden seemingly wars with himself, there is a new threat to the kingdom. A threat that nobody foresaw, or could have possibly predicted…

The adventure continues in this beautiful novella.
Links For Purchase
The Du Lac ChroniclesAmazon USAmazon UK
The Pitchfork RebellionAmazon USAmazon UK
Pre-Order The Du Lac Devil ~ only 1.99 Amazon USAmazon UK

About the author
Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury—the fabled Isle of Avalon—was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.
At nineteen, Yarde married her childhood sweetheart and began a bachelor of arts in history at Cardiff University, only to have her studies interrupted by the arrival of her first child. She would later return to higher education, studying equine science at Warwickshire College. Horses and history remain two of her major passions. 
Yarde keeps busy raising four children and helping run a successful family business. She has many skills but has never mastered cooking—so if you ever drop by, she (and her family) would appreciate some tasty treats or a meal out!
Useful Links
Twitter FacebookBlog Amazon Author’s Page Goodreads 

#BlackFriday ~ Grab The Du Lac Chronicles for #FREE on #Kindle

To celebrate the release of The Du Lac Devil, I am giving away Kindle copies of my Amazon best-selling books, The Du Lac Chronicles and The Pitchfork Rebellion. But hurry, this ridiculously crazy offer won’t last for long!
The Du Lac Chronicles

“It is dangerous to become attached to a du Lac. He will break your heart, and you will not recover.” So prophesies a wizened healer to Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex. If there is truth in the old crone’s words, they come far too late for Annis, who defies father, king, and country to save the man she loves.
Alden du Lac, once king of Cerniw, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble, his fort razed to the ground and his brother Merton missing, presumably dead. He has only one possession left worth saving: his heart. And to the horror of his few remaining allies, he gives that to the daughter of his enemy. They see Annis, at best, as a bargaining chip to avoid war with her powerful father. At worst, they see a Saxon whore with her claws in a broken, wounded king.
Alden has one hope: When you war with one du Lac, you war with them all. His brother Budic, King of Brittany, could offer the deposed young king sanctuary—but whether he will offer the same courtesy to Annis is far less certain.
The Pitchfork Rebellion

When the devil wanted to destroy the world he would do so with fire. Alden du Lac knew this for a fact, because the devil had come to Cerniw.

Alden may have driven the man who tortured him from his lands, but he can do nothing to drive him from his dreams.

Alden has become bitter, angry and unrecognizable to those who love him. The only person whom could possible bring him back from the brink is his younger brother Merton. But even Merton is at a loss as to what to do.

As Alden seemingly wars with himself, there is a new threat to the kingdom. A threat that nobody foresaw, or could have possibly predicted…

The adventure continues in this beautiful novella.
Links For Purchase
The Du Lac ChroniclesAmazon USAmazon UK
The Pitchfork RebellionAmazon USAmazon UK
Pre-Order The Du Lac Devil ~ only 1.99 Amazon USAmazon UK

About the author
Born in Bath, England, Mary Anne Yarde grew up in the southwest of England, surrounded and influenced by centuries of history and mythology. Glastonbury—the fabled Isle of Avalon—was a mere fifteen-minute drive from her home, and tales of King Arthur and his knights were part of her childhood.
At nineteen, Yarde married her childhood sweetheart and began a bachelor of arts in history at Cardiff University, only to have her studies interrupted by the arrival of her first child. She would later return to higher education, studying equine science at Warwickshire College. Horses and history remain two of her major passions. 
Yarde keeps busy raising four children and helping run a successful family business. She has many skills but has never mastered cooking—so if you ever drop by, she (and her family) would appreciate some tasty treats or a meal out!
Useful Links
Twitter FacebookBlog Amazon Author’s Page Goodreads 

History and Folklore ~ two sides of the same coin?

What is history?
History is a dusty old museum.An archaeologist knee deep in mud.A crumbling castle.A room full of delicate parchments.History has a smell. It is cold, damp, old.It is a costume drama. Downtown Abbey. Outlander. Poldark. Vikings.History is a war.History is dead people.History is a boring school lesson.History has absolutely no relevance to today's world and our lives.
But I bet, if I asked you who Robin Hood was, you would be able to tell me. I wonder, could you name any of King Arthur's knights? What? Isn't that history too?
In the beginning, there were Bards and these Bards went from village to village weaving their stories to captivated audiences with tales of dragons and knights, heroes and villains, good kings and bad. These stories were believed as fact. Can you imagine a world where everyone believed in dragons? Let's put that into modern day terminology — there really is a Hogwarts and Harry Potter is the Chosen One.  Now don't you go telling me that is not true, I've seen it on the television, and Kim who lives in the next village has seen it as well. So there! Of course, I don’t really believe that Harry Potter is real; he is a fictional character. Although there are many children who dream of having a letter from Hogwarts.
So what has this to do with history? Well, quiet a lot actually, because Folklore is a type of history, it's just not an exact one.
Folklore has taken quite a bashing from twentieth-century historians — there is no truth in the tales, they are just nonsense. If they were not then, we would be excavating the skeletons of dragons. They've got a point.
History is an exact science and folklore, well, she isn't playing ball because let's be honest here, folklore goes by other names and some of them are not so complimentary:
Propaganda, Lies,A story to sway the masses,A story to ensure loyalty, obedience, patriotism.
Oh yes, we must not forget how powerful folklore is, and what it can do. I'm feeling a little depressed now. Of course, folklore also entertains and we all like a good story!
I am fascinated by folklore, particularly British folklore. The Brits love a good story, and we like to turn ordinary people into heroes. Look at Robin Hood and how far that story has come. But should we tell them as if they are historically accurate? Are we painting a false picture of the past?
But hang on a minute, these stories are great — they are part of our heritage. They are timeless and who cares if there are historical inaccuracies and let's be honest, we all like a good fire-breathing dragon.

My particular passion is the life and times of King Arthur, and he, and I, have been companions for many long years. There are so many theories as to who he was and what he did. Some paint Arthur as a hero, others a villain. He is English, Welsh, Scottish, Breton — that of course, depends on where you live. He is the Once and Future King — a comforting thought in these troublesome times. He is a dream with no substance. He is real. He is folklore.
So should we dismiss him out of hand? There is no factual proof, and we have no primary written sources, only some rather shaky secondary sources that were written long after he died and for a political purpose that had really nothing to do with Arthur and everything to do with power and dominance. He is a cash-cow. He has been making money for other people for hundreds of years, and he is still doing so. Why? The answer to that is simple. We need him. We need his knights. We need what they represented.
But how do you mix folklore with historical fact? For me, that was probably the biggest challenge in my fictional writing. I wanted to keep as authentic to the period as I could. I am a historian after all, who dabbles in folklore — more than dabble in it, but, hey...you know what I mean. Although Modern European History is my speciality, I have always been drawn to the 5th Century AD. This was a time of great political unrest. The Roman Empire is for the first time in what feels like forever, shrinking, she is losing her lands and her powers at a staggering rate. Briton, (not including Scotland) is no longer united as one kingdom and has split back into smaller tribes, and these people are throwing off the Roman yoke once and for all. The Saxons have invaded. On the continent, Clovis is carving a kingdom for himself and has named Paris his capital city. The Church is sending out missionaries all over the place, trying to turn the populous from their pagan gods towards the Christian one. This is a time of immense change and uncertainty. Life was precarious. But at the same time, it was still life. It had to be lived.
So that is what I have tried to do. I have taken folklore, added in the history and come up with the Du Lac Chronicles series. Folklore and history go in hand in hand — because it always has done — and that's why these tales are timeless. We need them. We always have. We always will.
 Link to purchase The Du Lac Chronicles.Amazon
 

Author’s Inspiration ~ Mary-Anne O’Connor #histfict #WW2 @maryanne_connor

Please give a warm welcome to historical fiction author, Mary-Anne O’Connor. Mary writes the most breathtaking historical fiction set in WW2. Let’s take a quick look at Mary-Anne’s latest book…
Worth Fighting For

Eighteen-year-old Junie Wallace is a smart girl and, with her two brothers away at war and her third brother just killed in action, she knows there is only one way to save the family farm for her grieving parents. Unfortunately, that solution involves marrying the unscrupulous Ernest, and breaking the heart of the young drover she loves, Michael.
But the war is looming ever closer, and when Pearl Harbour brings the threat of Japanese aggression to Australian shores, the fates of many becomes inextricably interwoven.
From the explosive battles of the Pacific campaign to the desperate fighting in the Papuan New Guinea rainforest; the dancehall gaiety of Sydney’s Trocadero to the terror of the Darwin bombings, this epic family saga brings home the importance of mateship and of fighting for what you believe in, even when impossible odds seem stacked against you, even when all seems lost…
Worth Fighting For is a resounding testament to the enduring force of love: a reminder of what can be achieved if you draw on your reserves of courage and listen to the truth in your heart.
*** Author’s InspirationThe Truth Inside the FictionHow My Own Family History Inspired My Tales
I am very fortunate to be part of a large family- 56 first cousins and 23 aunts and uncles in fact- and we are a social bunch. As the youngest grand-daughter on both sides I’ve always enjoyed sitting at the kitchen table while everyone chatted over cups of tea and shared stories about their lives- in particular my parents and their siblings and spouses.
Comical tales including the lugging of a pot belly stove down treacherous bushland to their beach shack (and ending up upside-down in the creek!), stories of Nana baking bread in a dug-our ants nest on the farm, Uncle Des telling us about his adventures in the wild jungles of New Guinea where he faced real-life cannibals…it was like reading a series of fascinating biographies- made richer by the love I felt for each of them.But most of all I was captivated by the emotional journey they all endured during the wars.
My grandfather, James ‘Da’ Clancy, served during WWI and was only seventeen when he joined up. He soon found himself having a grand old time, partying hard in Cairo and thinking it a wonderful adventure until he landed in Gallipoli. That’s when family history changed for us all, the impact of his experiences returning home with him after five long years of war, a different man to the naive one who’d left Australian shores.
Times were hard for this damaged generation. Da and Nana raised eight children during the Great Depression, enduring extreme poverty and hardship and losing one child in infancy. It was incredible to hear tales of the family’s survival and courage over those teacups- beating snakes away down the path, cardboard lining the soles of their worn shoes, panning for gold dust and living off wild rabbit in remote country. It was really only their sense of humour and love for one other that kept them going until they were eventually able to move back to Sydney and start afresh.
Nana was an enterprising, determined type- kind and generous and a little bit ‘witchy’ Da used to say. She could find a penny no matter where he hid it and always seemed to know what the kids where up to ahead of time. She used a fair dose of that cunning along with a truckload of faith to land them the prize of a house of their own on top of a hill on Gallipoli Street. This home was so happy and so filled with music, laughter and love I could listen all day to the stories that occurred therein but ultimately it was the tragedy and strength that occurred there that inspired my first novel Gallipoli Street, so named for that special place.

Nana and Da’s happy home was shadowed by war and once more the country felt the fear and uncertainty of having another generation survive brutality and bloodshed. I had four uncles go to fight, one never to return, and the tale of this second war inspired my second novel, the newly released Worth Fighting For. The real life experiences of Uncle Jack who trained then fought with a bunch of underage soldiers was of great inspiration. I think I’ve been writing it for decades really, it just took until his final years for me to finally get the words down on paper. Likewise, the adventures of his brother, my Uncle Des, have wound their way into the fiction. It all seems larger than life to me, especially when you look at the photos and realise just how young (not to mention handsome!) they were. I always think of them as being a bit like movie stars from the golden years of Hollywood- in fact I like to think of them all as ‘The Golden Generation’.
Uncle Jack  

 Uncle Des
I will be eternally grateful to have such beautiful people help raise me, inspire me and believe in me. It breaks my heart that they are now fading away, one by one. Perhaps that’s why I weave their stories into my writing- to keep them here somehow. Their precious truth inside the fiction.
Links to PurchaseAmazon USAmazon UKAbout the author
Mary-Anne O'Connor nee Best grew up in Wahroonga in the Bushland Shire of Hornsby-Kuringai, northern Sydney, Australia. The youngest of six children, her childhood was spent exploring the local bushland and playing music with her siblings and close neighbours. An avid reader, she devoured her mother Dorn's extensive library and was often found trying to finish a chapter by torchlight late at night. She also began to fill every blank piece of paper in the house with stories and drawings of her own and dreamt of becoming a writer one day.
When she was twelve her father Kevin Best left his established career in the stock-market to become one of Australia's best-loved artists. The perseverance and ultimate triumph she witnessed during those years left her inspired to follow in his footsteps and pursue her own creative aspirations. A colourful marketing career followed, along with the completion of education/arts degree and during this time she also co-wrote two books with her father, A Brush with Light and Secrets of the Brush. Work then began on her first major novel, Gallipoli Street. ​This work gained critical acclaim and finished at #3 for debut novels in Australia in 2015. It has recently been voted #4 for all Australian Authors, 2016, and #13 for all books, including international titles, in Better Reading’s Top 100 poll, 2016. Her second novel Worth Fighting For is under new release and her third war story Warflower is due out in 2017.

​Mary-Anne has drawn on her love of the Australian bushland, her fascination with her own family history and her deep, abiding respect for the Anzac generation and their children to produce these novels. It was written in her office at home, surrounded by her grandfather's war memorabilia and beneath a long window that overlooks her beloved gum trees.
Mary-Anne still lives in the Bushland Shire with her husband Anthony, their two sons, Jimmy and Jack and their very spoilt dog, Saxon.Useful Linkswww.maryanneoconnor.com.auhttps://www.facebook.com/maryanneoconnorauthor

The Du Lac Devil is now available for pre-order!

“You broke into a prison dressed as a woman?”

I am so excited! The Du Lac Devil is now available for Pre-Order on Amazon Kindle.


Things are not going well for the Du Lac boys, and Josephine is going to have to make some very difficult decisions. Read on for a quick book extract…
***
“The Du Lac brothers are loyal to each other.”Philippe snorted at that statement. “No, they are not, that is a myth. Alden doesn’t give a damn what happens here as long as his precious Cerniw is left untouched and I promise you, I will be a better ally to him than Budic ever was. He will welcome me. Alden likes me.”“And what about Merton?” Josephine challenged. “You do not want to make him your enemy.”“Merton does not scare me,” Philippe stated bravely. “And besides, that is where you come in. I need your help, my love. You and Merton were once close, and I know you can get him to see things from my point of view. Unless of course, you would like me to avenge you, he deserves to die after the way he treated you.” She could hear the anger in his voice. She had forgotten she had confided in Philippe. It seemed so long ago when she had first cried in his arms. He had held her and told her that Merton du Lac was a fool and that she was better off without him.“I don’t want Merton to die. I don’t want any of them to die. I am not going to help you with this insane scheme of yours. Anyway, Merton and Alden will not be here for much longer. Your challenge to the throne is not imminent…is it?”“This time next week, I will be king,” Philippe spoke with absolute confidence. “Of that, you can be certain. And you will be my queen.” Philippe smiled, his eyes lighting with determination. “And together, we can bring about a new court, a new age. My reign will be remembered as something to aspire too. It is going to happen. Help me. And I will reward you. I will make every single one of your dreams come true.”Josephine shook her head. “You are the one that is dreaming, Philippe. Please, whatever you have planned, stop and think about the implications. Without the army’s support, your plans will come to nothing. Can you not see that?”“Oh Josephine,” he closed the distance between them and took her hand in his. “I am not dreaming. The events of the past few days have been planned for a very long time. It is the beginning of the end for the du Lacs, and now I have taken care of Anna-”“What do you mean by that?” She searched his face for answers. “Did you have a hand in the Queen’s death?” Her face lost all signs of colour as she continued to look at him. The death of the Queen had been so unexpected, and the baby had been doing so well. “Did you kill them?” she couldn’t believe she was even asking him that. The man before her wasn’t the man she knew.“I know you are scared, but there is nothing to be scared of,” Philippe said, evading her question. “I promise you, my darling. I have everything under control. Just help me with this one small problem.”“You did, didn’t you?” Josephine backed away from him. “How could you?” she cried. “Anna was my friend and the baby…he was an innocent.”“An heir to the throne is hardly innocent.” He made himself smile, and he held his hand out towards her.She flinched away from his touch. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she warned.He grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her towards him. “I didn’t kill them. It was just something unfortunate that happened, but I am not going to deny that her death has worked in my favour. You will be my queen,” he spat the words at her like an order. “And you will do as you are told. I want Merton du Lac to be on my side, because with his support the transfer of power will go all the more smoothly. If you do this for me, then I will reward you. If you do not, then your head will join Budic’s. Am I making myself clear?”
***
“Believe me, there is no halo hanging over my head...”

Reserve your copy today by following one of the links below!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Thank you so much for your continuous support, it means a great deal to me!
Happy Reading !

The Du Lac Devil is now avaliable for pre-order!

“You broke into a prison dressed as a woman?”

I am so excited! The Du Lac Devil is now available for Pre-Order on Amazon Kindle.


Things are not going well for the Du Lac boys, and Josephine is going to have to make some very difficult decisions. Read on for a quick book extract…
***
“The Du Lac brothers are loyal to each other.”Philippe snorted at that statement. “No, they are not, that is a myth. Alden doesn’t give a damn what happens here as long as his precious Cerniw is left untouched and I promise you, I will be a better ally to him than Budic ever was. He will welcome me. Alden likes me.”“And what about Merton?” Josephine challenged. “You do not want to make him your enemy.”“Merton does not scare me,” Philippe stated bravely. “And besides, that is where you come in. I need your help, my love. You and Merton were once close, and I know you can get him to see things from my point of view. Unless of course, you would like me to avenge you, he deserves to die after the way he treated you.” She could hear the anger in his voice. She had forgotten she had confided in Philippe. It seemed so long ago when she had first cried in his arms. He had held her and told her that Merton du Lac was a fool and that she was better off without him.“I don’t want Merton to die. I don’t want any of them to die. I am not going to help you with this insane scheme of yours. Anyway, Merton and Alden will not be here for much longer. Your challenge to the throne is not imminent…is it?”“This time next week, I will be king,” Philippe spoke with absolute confidence. “Of that, you can be certain. And you will be my queen.” Philippe smiled, his eyes lighting with determination. “And together, we can bring about a new court, a new age. My reign will be remembered as something to aspire too. It is going to happen. Help me. And I will reward you. I will make every single one of your dreams come true.”Josephine shook her head. “You are the one that is dreaming, Philippe. Please, whatever you have planned, stop and think about the implications. Without the army’s support, your plans will come to nothing. Can you not see that?”“Oh Josephine,” he closed the distance between them and took her hand in his. “I am not dreaming. The events of the past few days have been planned for a very long time. It is the beginning of the end for the du Lacs, and now I have taken care of Anna-”“What do you mean by that?” She searched his face for answers. “Did you have a hand in the Queen’s death?” Her face lost all signs of colour as she continued to look at him. The death of the Queen had been so unexpected, and the baby had been doing so well. “Did you kill them?” she couldn’t believe she was even asking him that. The man before her wasn’t the man she knew.“I know you are scared, but there is nothing to be scared of,” Philippe said, evading her question. “I promise you, my darling. I have everything under control. Just help me with this one small problem.”“You did, didn’t you?” Josephine backed away from him. “How could you?” she cried. “Anna was my friend and the baby…he was an innocent.”“An heir to the throne is hardly innocent.” He made himself smile, and he held his hand out towards her.She flinched away from his touch. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she warned.He grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her towards him. “I didn’t kill them. It was just something unfortunate that happened, but I am not going to deny that her death has worked in my favour. You will be my queen,” he spat the words at her like an order. “And you will do as you are told. I want Merton du Lac to be on my side, because with his support the transfer of power will go all the more smoothly. If you do this for me, then I will reward you. If you do not, then your head will join Budic’s. Am I making myself clear?”
***
“Believe me, there is no halo hanging over my head...”

Reserve your copy today by following one of the links below!
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU
Thank you so much for your continuous support, it means a great deal to me!
Happy Reading !

The Du Lac Chronicles has been nominated for the...

I am super excited! The Du Lac Chronicles has been nominated for the...

Circle of Books Rings of Honor Award 2016.

But now it needs your votes! It is really easy to cast your vote for The Du Lac Chronicles, all you have to do is click on the link below and follow the instructions.

Circle of Books Rings of Honor Award 2016.

Super easy!
Thank you guys, you are the best, Mary xxx

Glastonbury Abbey, through the seasons!

Do you have a special place you go to? A place you go to when you need to figure things out...I have several, but one my favourites has to be Glastonbury Abbey. The Priory at Lindisfarne comes in at a close second but that is about six hours from where I live, so I tend to favour Glastonbury, which is twenty minutes!
 I thought I would share a few photographs that I took at Glastonbury this year. I am a member of the Abbey which gives you an idea how often I am there, so I get to experience the Abbey through the seasons. We went last Sunday, and it was just beautiful.
Enjoy!
Summer at the Abbey!




Glastonbury Tor, from the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey even has an Orchard...lots of apples!!
The Lily Pound at Glastonbury Abbey The Abbey at sunset. 

Author’s Inspiration ~ Gina Conkle #Vikings #histfic @ginaconkle

Please give a warm welcome to historical romance author, Gina Conkle. Gina is going to tell us all about her inspirations behind her fabulous book… To Find A Viking Treasure 
Survival’s in his blood… Rough-souled Brand has one task —protect the Frankish slave, Sestra. Her life's full of hardship…until she learns the location of a treasure. With war coming, stealing the enemy's riches will save lives and possibly win her freedom, but only one man can defend her —the fierce Viking scout, Brandr.The two have always traded taunts, now they must share trust. A clash of wills rises on the trail as passion flares and secrets unfold, leading one to make a shocking sacrifice on the quest To Find a Viking Treasure .*** Author’s Inspiration
When someone says Vikings, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Alpha males in overdrive? Hard working farmers? Skilled craftsmen?The truth is all of the above. Viking culture was nuanced with forward-thinking ideas when it came to women and power. True, they were at times brutal, but the more you explore their past, the more complexities you find. One Viking leader, King Olof Skotkonung, surprised me. His story planted the seed for my Norse series. King Olof ruled Svea (the historic core of Sweden) from 1008 – 1022. His kingdom spanned the island of Aland to the north, the southern island Gotland, and the throne seat, Uppsala and the surrounding land. During his reign, the Viking Age as we know it today was winding down. Big changes happened in Norway. Those Viking kings and jarls converted to Christianity (in word…perhaps not in deed). Yet, Svea was a hold out to the old ways, maintaining the grisly sacrifice of nine men every nine years.  All accounts paint King Olof as a strong leader. Svea had a reputation of being the richest and most brutal of all Vikingdom, yet the region of Svea enjoyed peace. That changed in 1022. It was time for the Ninth Year Blot and King Olof stunned his people by calling for the end of the ritual sacrifice. When other Viking kings flashed swords calling, “Convert, or else!” to Christianity, King Olof chose the nonviolent route. Shock spread through Svea. These were a proud, mighty people who held fast to their superstitions and their many gods. The response to this cultural crisis was yet another bombshell. 
By now you might think King Olof lost his head, right? Surprisingly, no. King Olof’s fourteen year old son, Anund Jakob made a play for the throne, and he won! History paints Anund Jakob at fourteen as fully bearded and nearly as tall as a full grown man. Facial hair and height don’t make the man, but what Anund Jakob did once he took the throne showed his true mettle. He peacefully exiled his father rather than commit patricide. This cross roads of paganism and Christianity of violence and goodwill fascinated me. It made me go deeper into Viking history. I visited Sweden and parts of Scotland (I’ve even visited the controversial Kensington Runestone in Minnesota). The more you dig, the more you discover different sects in the Viking religion as evidenced by burial methods and other archaeological finds. You see ambivalence among Vikings to their capricious gods. You also learn the vibrant place women had in their culture.My Norse series is strongly interconnected, beginning with the divorced Viking chieftain Hakan, who wants to lay down his sword and live a peaceful farmer’s life. Hakan is apathetic to the Norse pantheon in that tumultuous summer…right as the king calls for his sword arm. To make matters worse, he falls in love with a staunchly Christian Frankish thrall in Norse Jewel.

In To Find a Viking Treasure (Norse series book 2) the heroine, Sestra, is a feisty thrall who thinks skalds spin entertaining stories about Norse gods, but that’s it for her and religion. She falls in love with Brandr, a House Karl (common warrior) who believes Odin whispers to him. Yet, these are only a fraction of the depth and breadth of these books.To Heal a Viking Heart (Norse series book 3) explores a hardened Ulfhednar warrior, an elite rank of Viking warrior on par with the most elite soldiers today. You didn’t decide to join these shaman-like fighters; you had to be invited. In To Save a Viking Warrior (Norse series book 4) you meet not one but two female silversmiths.Viking women weren’t content to sit back and let men run the show. They inherited land and wealth on equal footing with men. They could divorce easily. Even more interesting, sexual pleasure was as much a province women sought as men. Some women divorced when their husbands couldn’t or wouldn’t meet their sexual needs! History tells of foreign female thralls (slaves) staking their claim in Vikingdom. Ever heard of Melkorka of Iceland? I’ll share her story another time. The woman deserves her own post.But you get the idea. Viking strength, Viking diversity, Viking people are much more than the one dimensional “raid and trade” view many hold. Viking men and women and the people who lived among them are an enthralling lot.My thanks to Mary Anne Yarde for hosting me. It’s lovely to be here and talk history.~Gina Conkle
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About the authorHi, I’m Gina Conkle and I write Viking and Georgian romance, which makes for interesting characters in my head. I grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, I love books over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now I live in Michigan with my favorite alpha male, Brian, and our two sons where I’m known to occasionally garden and cook. Living in snow gives me the perfect excuse to get lost in reading and writing.WebsiteNewsletter for Free ReadsFacebook 





 
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Who was the real Sheriff of Nottingham? #RobinHood #Legends

“That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas…”Robin Hood ~ Prince of Thieves (1991)
I know it has been a while since last I posted about Robin Hood, I was a little preoccupied with one or two things, you may have noticed?! But I haven't forgotten about Robin and his Merry Men.
Let's go 'riding through the glen' and find that elusive outlaw once again! 
 Aysgarth Falls, Yorkshire 
In keeping with the Robin Hood ~ Prince of Thieves theme of today's post...I know it has absolutely nothing to do with Sherwood forest, but hey, it is a pretty river!


The last time, if you recall, I was looking at the strange connection between Robin Hood, Richard the Lionheart, and Prince John. I concluded that it was a beautiful story, not a lot of factual evidence to go on, but hey, this is folklore we are dealing with, it is fair game to stretch the truth to gigantic proportions! And besides Mabel in the next village said it was true, then it must be —Right?!
I am going to ask you a question. Name Robin Hood's arch enemy — the one who gave him the most grief.
Yeah, you got it.  
The Sheriff of Nottingham.  Nottingham Castle – The Castle Gate House
Let's remind ourselves of the very shaky evidence we have for Robin Hood. The strongest contender for the real Robin Hood was a criminal who went by the name of Robert Hood (or Hobbehod, as he became known).  Robert was running around causing mischief in 1225, by which time King John had already been dead for nine years — which means that all this time we have been looking at the wrong King.  It is John's son, Henry III, that we should have been taken notice of, not John and certainly not Richard.
There was a man in Henry's court who was not only a trusted advisor but also man of great integrity, and he just happened to be the Sheriff of Nottingham and Derby in 1225.
Ralph Fitz Nicholas
A man of integrity?  We all know The Sheriff of Nottingham in the times of Robin Hood, was one of the cruelest and greediest Sheriff of all times. Something isn’t right here and that is because we are not only looking at the wrong Sheriff but the wrong county.
Let me introduce you to Eustace of Lowdham.
Eustace was the Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1226.
Listen to this....
‘It was Eustace who, as deputy-sheriff of Yorkshire, had to collect and account at the Michaelmas Exchequer of 1226 for the penalties imposed by Robert de Lexinton, who sat in judgement on Robert Hode, and for the sale of the chattels of felons and outlaws.'  Robin Hood ~ Holt
 Yeah...I can see why he wouldn't have been very popular, but someone had to do it. Lucky old Eustace!
Okay, so we have a contender for Sheriff, but he is in the wrong county, or maybe we have put Robin in the wrong place. What if Robin didn't hide out in Sherwood at all, but instead...Barnsdale? Which, incidentally is where the evidence suggests he was.
Robin of Barnsdale and the Sherriff of Yorkshire. I can't see that being a headline for a blockbuster movie, let alone a ballad.
Next time, I am going to take look at Robin’s “Merry Men," but for now, I am going to leave you with this memorable clip.
 
Robin Hood - Call Off Christmas
ReferencesRobin Hood ~  J. C. Holt