Lissa Morgan's Blog

Over the border and into the Wars of the Roses

It's been a long time since I've done a blog, due mainly to a house move, but I wanted to let you know about my next book, Alliance with her Renegade Knight, which will be out in summer 2025. 

There have been some changes between this book and the last one. Firstly, I've stepped into a different historical period and location, and am setting this book and the next one, over the border in Shropshire during the Wars of the Roses.  I've always been interested in this period of English history and, living in Wales, I know Shropshire very well.  

 For Alliance with her Renegade Knight, I've chosen the lovely medieval town of Ludlow as the location, and the time period is the winter of 1459/60, which was a pivotal time in this dynastic conflict.  

In October 1459, the Duke of York faced up to the royal army at Ludford Bridge just outside Ludlow, but for various reasons - mainly the reluctance of the Yorkists to actually take up arms against the King and a number of the Duke's soldiers defecting to the side of Lancaster - meant there was a rout rather than a battle. The Duke of York and his eldest son Edmund of Rutland fled to Ireland, while the Earl of Warwick and Edward of March, the Duke's second son, fled to France. They would be back in force in the summer of 1460 and things would take a very different turn in this early stage of the Wars of the Roses, but you'll have to wait for the second in the series for that story! 

In the meantime, you can pre-order Alliance with her Renegade Knight on Amazon and the Harlequin website. It's due out in e-book in June in the UK, Australia and USA, and in paperback in the USA in July 2025.

 

 

 Amazon UK | Amazon US | Harlequin

 

The Warriors of Wales

This week saw the publication of book two in my Warriors of Wales series, namely Llywelyn's and Cristin's story.  These two were minor characters in the first book of the series, The Warrior's Reluctant Wife, and feature in a scene, early on in the book, when my heroine Rhianon's new husband, Peredur, is riding off to war. Her younger brother, Llywelyn, isn't riding with them, not because he's too young to fight but because his father considers him a coward. I knew as I wrote that line that Llywelyn was a fascinating character who needed a book of his own and that Rhianon's maid, Cristin, would be the perfect heroine for him. 

 

UK edition, published 23rd May 2024

 

In book one, Rhianon talks often of her favourite brother, and how, after the death of their elder brother Rhodri, he has had to renounce the life of a monk upon which he was set to take up the sword instead and fight for his prince, the Lord Rhys.   Even in these small snippits of information, I could see Llywelyn's character developing and as soon as the book was finished, I couldn't wait to get started on his story. 

The second book starts, however, with Cristin, who had featured more than Llywelyn in book one but whose character I hadn't really thought very deeply about. She was instantly one of those characters who writes themselves, and the relationship between the two was one of the easiest I've ever written. Perhaps that was because they were childhood sweethearts, even though they were born at the extreme ends of the medieval social scale, Llywelyn being a lord and Cristin a bondswoman to his family. 

There was a important and, for me, very interesting spiritual side to the story, inevitable of course given Llywelyn's thwarted vocation.  His vow to become a monk at the abbey of Ystrad Fflur (Strata Florida) introduced me to a very special place in west Wales, one I've been back to many times over the last year and a half.  Also, threading in material from the medieval Life of Saint Padarn, the legendary Cwn Annwn (the hounds of the underworld) and, on a lighter note, the Celtic-Christian mix of the May Day feast really helped me add colour to the story - as of course did Mwg!

 

West door of the ruined Cistercian monastery of Ystrad Fflur

 

All in all, of the four Wales-set books I've written to date, I think I've enjoyed writing this book the most.  And I hope those who are kind enough to buy and read The Warrior's Forbidden Maiden enjoy it too!

You can read the prologue to the book on my website: https://lissamorgan.com/prologue/

Available to buy from:

 Mills and Boon | Harlequin |  Amazon UK | Amazon US 

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus - Happy St David's Day!

Okay, I am a bit late posting a happy St David's Day  here, but as it isn't officially a public holiday in Wales - at least not yet - most people are celebrating it today, Saturday.  I imagine that many leeks and Welsh cakes are still being consumed even as I write, though sadly, this year, Dydd Gwyl Dewi Day has rushed up at me rather, and was gone before I knew it!

My publisher, Mills & Boon, remembered however, and put together this fabulous image for my Warriors of Wales series - the daffodils are my addition!  The first in the series, The Warrior's Reluctant Wife, was out in September 2023 and the second, The Warrior's Forbidden Maiden, will be out in June. This second book features the Abbey of Ystrad Fflur (Strata Florida) where the Life of Dewi Sant was possibly preserved after the Normans demoted the mother church of Llanbadarn, where it was written by Rhigyfarch, son of Bishop Sulien. The story features the Life of another saint, almost as revered in the period, St Padarn, who founded the mother church, probably in the 6th century, the golden age of Welsh saints.

 

 

I'm currently writing a new book for Mills and Boon, though this one isn't set in Wales, but just over the border in Ludlow in 1459, at the beginning of the Wars of the Roses. I've enjoyed revisiting this period of English history, as it's one that has always fascinated me, and I've also enjoyed discovering medieval Ludlow, the streets of the market place having changed very little since the 15th century. 

I'm also concurrently writing a side project, still medieval, but set in Shrewsbury in 1215, which most people know is the time of Magna Carta, and this one does indeed have a Welsh focus, with the story straddling the border and with the political relationship between King John and Llywelyn Fawr as a backdrop. 

Shrewsbury is a town I should know well but, like a lot of people travelling from Wales to England, I've gone through it hundreds of times but never really ventured further than the train station - unless I've missed a connection or the train is cancelled, at which times I've nipped into the town for a coffee and a quick mooch around. 

 

Fish Street

Last week,  however, I decided to visit properly and to stay overnight.  A key location in my book is Milk Street and the old market place, near the churches of St Juliana and St Alkmund, and imagine my delight to find the Old Post Office inn on the site of the imaginary tavern where my heroine sings of an evening! Of course I booked myself in and had a delightful two days exploring the medieval centre - Fish Street, Butcher Row, the Bear Steps, Grope Lane, St Mary's Church and of course the Abbey and the Welsh and English bridges. 

 

The 16th century Old Post Office inn
 

I came away not just inspired but with a very accurate picture of how Shrewsbury must have been in the 13th century, sure proof that all authors should visit the locations of their books if they can.  Needless to say, I'm already planning a second trip!

 

 

Nadolig Llawen - Merry Christmas!

It's an unusual December for me this year, as I'm taking a little break from writing until January. My last novel - The Warrior's Forbidden Maiden (sneak preview of the cover at the end of this post!) - was accepted by my editor at Harlequin Mills and Boon at the beginning of November, and since then I've been sitting back and mulling over the next project.  It's been a few years since I took such a long break from writing, and for someone who writes every day, it's been very strange. However, it has had exciting results.

Before I started writing, I was always a voracious reader of historical fiction, and particularly the medieval period. Among my favourite books are those by Rosemary Hawley Jarman, set against the  Wars of the Roses - We Speak No Treason, The King's Grey Mare and The Courts of Illusion, the latter, to my mind, her best work.  I've had a desire to write about the Wars of the Roses for a while now, and after re-reading these wonderful books recently, I've decided to make it so!

Therefore, 2024 will see a departure from my Welsh-set stories and I'll be moving over the border and into the English side of the March, namely Ludlow and a little further eastwards into Tewkesbury. These towns were pivotal in the Wars of the Roses and are steeped in history still.  I've visited Ludlow several times but had never been to Tewkesbury, so I made a point of staying with a friend for a few days in the lovely Hop Pole Hotel, combining this visit with some research for my next book. 

 

Tewkesbury is a beautiful town that exceeded all my expectations. Wide medieval streets, timbered buildings, historical bridges and of course at this time of year sparkling Christmas lights! The abbey dates from 1087 and it stood as a witness to the bloody battle of 1461, when the vanquished Lancastrians who'd sought sanctuary within its holy walls were dragged out by the victorious Yorkists and savagely put to the sword, including the seventeen year old Edward, only son of Henry VI and the heir to the throne.

. 

My book, which may be the first of two linked stories, is only an idea as yet but will be a marriage of alliance between a Lancastrian on one side and a Yorkist on the other.  The wars, which lasted for over three decades, wasn't all fighting. There were periods of uneasy concord, enforced peace treaties, precarious stalemates and, of course, political marriages, the most infamous and, ultimately, tragic of which was that between the Yorkist King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, widow of Sir John Grey, a Lancastrian knight who was killed at the battle of St Albans at the age of 29.  

According to Rosemary Hawley Jarman in The King's Grey Mare,  John and Elizabeth's marriage was a love match rather than a political alliance, a theme that works well for the story, but it is likely there was a strategic element involved, as there certainly was in her marriage to Edward of York.  However, while most high status medieval marriages were political - engineered by men and leaving women with little choice in the matter - human beings were much the same then as they are now, and feelings like affection, hope, desire, joy, fear and grief must have entered into all those forced unions, alongside resentment, tolerance, ambition and intrigue. 

 

 

So I've got plenty of inspiration for this next book, and on my bookshelves as of yesterday are half a dozen academic tomes on The Wars of the Roses, borrowed from my local university library, where I'm lucky enough to work. I won't start reading them just yet though, but will enjoy a final Christmas and New Year's Eve of mixed feelings in my flat - because I'll be on the move in 2024, to a new house, but hopefully not too far away!

Watch this space for more news of my June release, The Warrior's Forbidden Maiden, and to find out how my Yorkist-Lancastrian story is shaping - or not (you know what they say about best laid plans!) In the meantime, wishing you all a very wonderful festive season and all good things in 2024!

Lissa Xx  

 

US cover of my next book, the second in the Warriors of Wales duet, out in June 2024

Dipyn o Gymraeg ~ A bit of Welsh

Readers and reviewers often comment that, while they enjoy the Welshness of my books, they sometimes struggle to get their tongues around some of the characters' names and other words I use to add flavour to my stories.  Some have said they wish they could speak Welsh in order to 'hear' the words on the page, and others have suggested a glossary might be useful. 

Due to word count restrictions, it's not really possible to include a glossary in the books themselves, but here is a quick guide to some of the names and frequently-used Welsh words in my books, and also a useful link to a fuller pronunciation guide to be found online, courtesy of Aberystwyth University.

Basically, all letters in Welsh are sounded purely, none are silent, and consonants are the same as in English but are usually hard, not soft. Vowels are often very different to the English and we have two extra ones - w and y - and also diphthongs, which are two vowels run together that have their own unique sound.  'R's are always rolled, 'f' is a 'v' sound and 'ff' is an 'f' sound, and 'u' is never pronounced in the English way, 'l' is an 'l' sound, but 'll' is an aspirate sound, made by placing the tip of the tongue against the back of the front teeth and speaking out of the side of the month instead of the front!

'Wales' in Welsh is 'Cymru' and is a good example of how Welsh is pronounced, hard and pure - Kumrreee, with the stress on the first syllable and rolled 'r'.

Have fun, and if you have any further questions or comments about Welsh pronunciation or meanings, do feel free to pop them in the comments section below. 

 

Characters:

The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride

Rhun - pronounced Rheen, a long sound, with slightly aspirated 'Rh'

Huw - like Hugh, but flatter - Hiw.

Goronwy - all hard sounds, rolled 'r', stress on second 'o', wy is a diphthong of two vowels, so pronounced Gorrronwee. 

Morfudd - Morrrvith, with rolled 'r's, stress on first syllable, and heavy 'th' sound at the end 

Owain - as written, stress on first syllable, sounds like Ow-wine

Cai - hard 'c', rhymes with eye

Eryr - rolled 'r', stress on first syllable, like Errrirr, all short sounds. 

 An Alliance with his Enemy Princess

Gwennan - pronounced as written but with the stress on the first syllable, a short sound

Rolant - stress on first syllable, 'o' sound is short, not long

Cynddylan - the two 'y's are a 'u' sound as in 'dull'; 'dd' is a thick 'th' sound, stress on the middle syllable, ie, 'ddyl' 

Angharad - the 'gh' is aspirate but is almost swallowed at the back of the throat, and carries the stressed syllable. 

Meuryn - the 'eu' is a diphthong and pronounced like 'eye', and is the stressed syllable, the 'y' is sounded like a short 'i'. 

Nest - as is bird's nest. 

Ywain - like Owain, but the 'y' is less rounded than an 'o'

Tarian - stress on first syllable, rolled 'r'

 

The Warrior's Reluctant Wife

Peredur - 'r' is always rolled in Welsh so this is pronounced Perrredirrrr, with short sounds, not long, 'u' is never sounded like an English 'u' but more like a long or short 'e' or 'i', stress on the second 'e'. 

Rhianon - quite easy, as it's a common name even outside of Wales, but the 'rh' is an aspirate sound and the stress is on the 'a'.

Tangwystl - Tang-whistle, with stress on the first syllable and sounded, not silent, final 't'.

Cadwgan  - Cadoogan, with stress on the first syllable.  

Eilyr - stress on the first syllable, short sounds, pronounced 'eye-lirrr' 

Maelgwn - stress on the first syllable, pronounced 'mile-goon'

Hywel - like Howell, with stress on first syllable

Elin - as it's written, a short sounding word

Esyllt - the double 'll' is a aspirate sound that is difficult for non Welsh speakers (see above), stress is on the first letter E, and the 'y' is a short 'i'.

Fawrgi - Vowrgee, with rolled 'r' and hard 'g'

Mêl - the accent makes the sound long, but it rhymes more with ale than with eel

Other Welsh words and their meanings:

I tend to use some stock words for exclamations, endearments or mild cursing, and here they are!

Duw annwyl - Dear God

Arglwydd mawr - Good Lord

Uffern dân - Hell fire

Nefoedd fawr - Great heavens

Diawl or Cythraul - Devil

Ysglyfaeth - rotter, of dubious character

Cnaf - knave 

F'nghariad - my beloved

F'anwylyd  - my dearest

 

Fuller guide can be found here: https://users.aber.ac.uk/jcf12/project/welshcheat/welshcheat.pdf 

 

Me and 'Fawrgi' on the summit of Foel Offrwm ('the bare hill of offerings') - an iron age hill fort in Meirionnydd. Photo by Claire, owner of 'Fawrgi', aka Ffergus!

 

 

 

 

A variety of book covers

One of the nicest and most exciting things about being a writer who is published with a traditional publisher - in my case Harlequin Mills & Boon - is the thrill of seeing what sort of cover the design team create for each book.  

I have loved all my covers to date, from my debut The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride in May 2022, to my latest book, The Warrior's Reluctant Wife, out this month - today, 16th August, in Australia, 22nd in USA and 31st in the UK. 

There are very subtle differences between the covers for each of these regions, and I've made a little montage below to show what they are.  Which do you like best?

 

I think I just lean towards the UK cover but I'm delighted with them all.  These are home market covers, ie published in the English language, but as my books reach markets further afield and go into translation, sometimes a totally different cover appears, like the one below for the Italian edition of The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride.  

My second book, An Alliance with his Enemy Princess, which was published in January this year, is coming out in Italy in October as Alleanza Con La Nemica, and needless to say I am breathlessly awaiting to see what the cover will be like!

 

 

The beauty of book covers

One of the nicest and most exciting things about being a writer who is published with a traditional publisher - in my case Harlequin Mills & Boon - is the thrill of seeing what sort of cover the design team create for each book.  

I have loved all my covers to date, from my debut The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride in May 2022, to my latest book, The Warrior's Reluctant Wife, out this month - today, 16th August, in Australia, 22nd in USA and 31st in the UK. 

There are very subtle differences between the covers for each of these regions, and I've made a little montage below to show what they are.  Which do you like best?

 

I think I just lean towards the UK cover but I'm delighted with them all.  These are home market covers, ie published in the English language, but as my books reach markets further afield and go into translation, sometimes a totally different cover appears, like the one below for the Italian edition of The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride.  

My second book, An Alliance with his Enemy Princess, which was published in January this year, is coming out in Italy in October as Alleanza Con La Nemica, and needless to say I am breathlessly awaiting to see what the cover will be like!

 

 

First Book Anniversary!

This week a year ago, my debut novel for Harlequin Mills & Boon was published! The year has flown by so quickly between writing and my various day jobs but on another level it's been such a rapid learning curve.  While I'm still a newbie compared to some authors, I know a lot more now than I did a year ago.

I'd been writing for fifteen years by the time I was published in May 2022, and while I submitted to M&B every year, my deadlines and my writing schedule were at my own pace.  Since then, with two consecutive two-book contracts, I've had to adjust the way I write slightly. Gone are the luxurious days of writing as much - or as little - as I want; now I'm much more focused on a daily word count of 1000 plus, whereas before I rarely did that in a morning's writing session, although I used to hit 500-800 words on a good day.

It's still important to not sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity, and this is especially true for an historical author, even when that deadline is coming nearer and nearer.  Having an editorial deadline, as opposed to my own, does however tighten up one's writing and helps sort the wheat from the chaff, aka the important stuff from the waffle!

I've also discovered that rough first drafts are not for me.  I've tried this with my current and fourth book, having got very bogged down in the middle of my third book and having to rush to finish it. But I realise that I do need to get to know my characters first rather than get the plot down, so for the next book, it's back to editing and layering as I go along. 

And, as well as writing lessons, I'm a whole lot more clued up on marketing and promotion now, especially on social media, and I really enjoy the interaction with other writers, readers, reviewers and bloggers.  Best of all, I've met and become friends with a lovely group of fellow historical authors, all relatively new like myself, who are a wonderful, supportive and fun group of people that I feel truly blessed to be part of. Thank you UK Newbies 💓

To celebrate the first anniversary of The Welsh Lord's Convenient Bride, I'm doing a GIVEAWAY this bank holiday weekend. One signed copy (UK only) and two digital copies (world wide).  To win, just message me on Facebook or Twitter with your preferred format and I'll pull the lucky winners out of a hat on Sunday! Good luck!!

https://www.facebook.com/lissamorganhistoricalromance/

https://twitter.com/LissaMorganAuth

Look at this beauty!

Usually I can just choose between my UK and US book covers, with one version I like just that little bit more than the other. This time, no chance!  This is the cover of my new book, The Warrior's Reluctant Wife, due out in mid-August, and I think it is utterly beautiful  It depicts the wedding night of my two characters, Peredur and Rhianon, and the Harlequin Design Team have got it to a tee!  

My hero is Welsh-Flemish so I didn't want him too blond but just enough to stand out among his fellows.  Isn't he handsome?  And my heroine, strong willed and quick witted, as well as beautiful - and inside, quite vulnerable - is perfectly represented here.  And that dress! And that vaulted ceiling and gothic window, and the atmospheric candlelight...

As you can tell, I was totally swept off my feet when I saw this.  I hope you like it too!

 An arranged marriage

An unexpected love…?

Recently widowed, Rhianon hopes never to find herself bound to a man again, after being raised by a violent father and married to an unpredictable husband. But to seal a strategic alliance she’s forced to marry Peredur ab Eilyr―a warrior lord with a formidable reputation! Rhianon might be a reluctant wife but ruling with her new husband is revealing a passionate side to Peredur that Rhianon is anything but reluctant to explore…

THE WARRIOR'S OF WALES #BOOK 1 

 On sale in August at Amazon UK and Amazon US and on the Mills and Boon and Harlequin websites.

A history and landscape weekend - with some book research thrown in!

I'm currently writing my fourth historical novel for Harlequin-Mills & Boon historical romance, which is the second in a duet of linked books. The first of these - The Warrior's Reluctant Wife - will be out in e-book, paperback and large print in August 2023. 

When I began that first book, I didn't intend to have a linked book at all, but as sometimes happens, there were two characters who refused to go away, even though I 'sent' them away early on in the book. I even had a book four waiting in the wings, but these characters kept poking their heads up, so eventually, of course, I had to give in and put the planned story aside and give book four to Llywelyn and Cristin. 

After all, not only their characters were there waiting to be fleshed out, their home was too, hence a little trip this last weekend down south to the castle of Ystrad Meurig and the Cistercian Abbey of Ystrad Fflur. Shameful to say, this was my first visit to either!

 

Head of St Bernard, part of a white marble statue that adorned the Abbey

I combined this recce with attending a history and landscape weekend course with the Ymddiriedolaeth Ystrad Fflur - Strata Florida Trust, which in itself was an eye opener and so inspiring.  Led by Professors David Austin and Dafydd Johnston, who gave so generously of their time and expertise, wonderfully organized by Carys, and with a lovely mix of people - and cake too - I could have stayed a whole week, not just a weekend!

 

The beautiful west gate which somehow survived the dissolution

From iron age burial grounds, to holy wells, to Welsh medieval poetry, as well the founding of the Abbey by the Lord Rhys, and its demise at the dissolution and its passing into secular hands, it was a fascinating weekend. The course ended with a walk up along what had been a perimeter wall and the afon Glasffrwd river, to the holy well, to see how the Abbey's sophisticated water system would have run. 

 

The ancient holy well that may have been part of an earlier Christian religious site here

 

I treated myself to a stay in a guest house and on the morning of the second day was able to visit Castell Ystrad Meurig, home of my two new characters.  First built in the early 12th century as a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, it was easy to see why that site was chosen, as it has stunning and strategic views that stretch for many miles.  It was retaken by the Lord Rhys in the Welsh resurgence of 1164, which is when my  novel is set.  

Surviving 14th century tiles from the nave

Annoyingly,  the battery on my phone ran out so I wasn't able to get any photos of the castle, but I hope you enjoy a few of the many photos I took around the Abbey. The one below is a tenth century burial slab that may mark the grave of Cadell ap Gruffudd, prince of Deheubarth and brother to the Lord Rhys, who retired to the monastery after he was grievously injured in an attack by a band of Norman and Flemish knights in 1155. He become a monk and died at Ystrad Fflur in 1179.

 

The possible grave of Prince Cadell ap Gruffudd

 

10th century slabs marking the graves of former abbots and monks

 Find out more about Ymddiriedolaeth Ystrad Fflur - Strata Florida Trust