The Bard’s Daughter
The Bard’s Daughter is a 22,000 word prequel to the Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries:
As a bard’s daughter, Gwen has spent her life traveling from castle to castle and village to village with her family, following the music. In the winter of 1141, Gwen’s family is contracted to provide the entertainment for the coming-of-age celebration of a lord’s son. But before the celebration can begin, Gwen’s father is found over the body of his friend, with a harp string as the murder weapon and blood on his hands.
With the lord of the castle uninterested in finding the true killer, it is up to Gwen to clear her father’s name before her father’s music is silenced … forever.
The Bard’s Daughter is available for FREE at: Barnes and Noble Amazon Apple Amazon UK Kobo
So if you are a non-US reader, pick it up for free at Smashwords (Kindle/Nook/Apple etc.): https://www.smashwords.
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The Good Knight
An enthralling story, sympathetic characters and a visit to another time, another culture. What more can you ask of an author? – Medieval Mysteries (medievalmysteries.com)
Intrigue, suspicion, and rivalry among the royal princes casts a shadow on the court of Owain, king of north Wales…
The year is 1143 and King Owain seeks to unite his daughter in marriage with an allied king. But when the groom is murdered on the way to his wedding, the bride’s brother tasks his two best detectives—Gareth, a knight, and Gwen, the daughter of the court bard—with bringing the killer to justice.
And once blame for the murder falls on Gareth himself, Gwen must continue her search for the truth alone, finding unlikely allies in foreign lands, and ultimately uncovering a conspiracy that will shake the political foundations of Wales.
Also at: Barnes and Noble Apple Amazon UK Kobo
Available at international Amazon stores, Apple stores, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, and Smashwords
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The Uninvited Guest
It is the winter of 1143 and all is not well in the court of Owain, King of north Wales. His future in-laws are untrustworthy, the Norman lords on his eastern border are restless, and among his wedding guests lurks a cold-blooded killer. Gareth and Gwen have marriage plans of their own, but their love will have to wait while the pair race to separate truth from lies, friends from foes, and unravel the mystery before King Owain—and his new bride—fall victim to their uninvited guest.
Also at: Barnes and Noble Apple Amazon UK Kobo
Available at international Amazon stores, Apple stores, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, and Smashwords
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The Fourth Horseman
May 1144. Newly wedded, Gareth and Gwen travel across the border into England on a diplomatic mission with Prince Hywel of Wales. Within moments of their arrival, however, the mission goes awry and a murder case drops (literally) at their feet. Hindered at every turn by a climate of civil war and constantly shifting political alliances, Gareth and Gwen race to solve the murder and expose a plot that threatens not only their lives, but the life of the future King of England himself.
Murder, intrigue, and treachery take center stage in The Fourth Horseman, the third Gareth and Gwen medieval mystery.
Look for The Fourth Horseman in June 2013.
Just finished both Gareth and Gwen books and loved them! Was just wondering when another book would be coming out?
I’m working on it!
Thats good news, just found these books and really enjoying them, I am lucky enough to live not far at all from Aber and find the travelling back in time fascinating
I am so glad you enjoy my books
I have just read both of the Gwen and Gareth books and enjoyed both of them very much. I am glad you are working on another book. I live in beautiful Pembrokeshire not far from so many castles so I am really interested in books about Wales.
Thank you so much!
Just finished reading all three Gareth and Gwen books; really enjoyed the story line wrapped around so much history. Looking forward to getting to know more about these characters in future books.
Stormey
I’m glad you enjoyed the books! The next in the series in the works
I have fallen in love with these characters and the subtle intrigue of the msysteries. I look forward to your next book and possibly a secondary story line for Mari and Hywel???
I’m so glad! That is a book I’m working on
I enjoyed The Uninvited Guest because it has a very good plot. And, because you skillfully inject Welsh history and geography into the plot, I get to learn a little bit about the land of my great grandparents.
Rhuddlan is an important component of the plot. A sentence in Wikipedia (yes, I know Wikipedia has its limitations, but I notice that, on occasion, even your blogs have referenced Wikipedia) brings up a question. Wikipedia states that Owain Gwynedd did not conquer Rhuddlan until about 1150. It appears that the Welsh/English border was somewhat fluid during the reign of Owain Gwynedd, and other online sources are not clear on whether Rhuddlan was part of Wales or England in 1143. It is my perception that your research is thorough, and I am guessing that there is a historical basis for your describing Rhuddlan as part of Gwynedd in 1143. Can you elaborate?
Nadolig Llawen!
I confess this is off the top of my head since my notes are elsewhere, but it is my understanding that Rhuddlan was reunited with Gwynedd as part of the campaign of Owain’s father, Gruffydd, that cost the life of Owain’s elder brother, Cadwallon in 1132. Cadwallon killed some of his own uncles in order to achieve this. Owain’s marriage to Cristina reconciled these two sides of the family. The campaigns of 1136/37, which brought Ceredigion into the fold, expanded Gruffydd’s (and then Owain’s) hold over Wales to include all of north Wales and most of the west coast.
Earlier, Robert of Rhuddlan controlled both Deganwy and Rhuddlan (these locations are referred to as in the hands of the Earl of Chester in the Wiki quote below), but Gruffydd killed Robert in 1093 and I find no indication (other than the quote below) that Normans regained control of either site after his death. (For example, a quote here: “Robert’s lands in Gwynedd were now taken over by Earl Hugh of Chester, but the Welsh revolt of 1094 led by Gruffydd ap Cynan resulted in the loss of most of this territory.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_of_Rhuddlan)
I draw your attention to this map: http://www.sarahwoodbury.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/565px-Cantrefi_Medieval_Wales.jpg
along with some further wikipedia information. The cantrefs in question are Rhos, Rhufoniog, and Tegeingel, all of which intersect at Rhuddlan.
“In 1120 a minor border war between Llywarch ab Owain, lord of a commote in the Dyffryn Clwyd cantref, and Hywel ab Ithel, lord of Rhufoniog and Rhos brought Powys and Chester into conflict in the Perfeddwlad. Powys brought a force of 400 warriors to the aid of its ally Rhufoniog, while Chester sent Norman knights from Rhuddlan to the aid of Dyffryn Clwyd. The bloody Battle of Maes Maen Cymro, fought a mile to the north-west of Ruthin, ended with Lywarch ab Owain slain and the defeat of Dyffryn Clwyd. However, It was a pyrrhic victory as the battle left Hywel ab Ithel mortally wounded. The last of his line, when Hywel ab Ithel died six weeks later he left Rhufoniog and Rhos bereft. Powys, however, was not strong enough to garrison Rhufoniog and Rhos, nor was Chester able to exert influence inland from its coastal holdings of Rhuddlan and Degannwy. With Rhufoniog and Rhos abandoned, Gruffydd I annexed the cantrefs.[23]
On the death of Einion ap Cadwgan, lord of Meirionydd, a quarrel engulfed his kinsmen on who should succeed him. Meirionydd was then a vassal cantref of Powys, and the family there a cadet of the Mathrafal house of Powys. Gruffydd gave license to his sons Cadwallon and Owain to press the opportunity the dynastic strife in Meirionydd presented. The brothers raided Meirionydd with the Lord of Powys as important there as he was in the Perfeddwlad. However it would not be until 1136 that the cantref was firmly within Gwynedd’s control. Perhaps because of their support of Earl Hugh of Chester, Gwynedd’s rival, in 1124 Cadwallon slew the three rulers of Dyffryn Clwyd, his maternal uncles, bringing the cantref firmly under Gwynedd’s vassalage that year.[23] And in 1125 Cadwallon slew the grandsons of Edwin ap Goronwy of Tegeingl, leaving Tegeingl bereft of lordship.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Gwynedd#cite_note-Tegeingl-21
I grant the possibility that Rhuddlan remained a tiny outpost amidst a sea of control by Gruffydd/Owain. Given the bloodbath he instituted, however, I went with the assumption he’d taken the whole of it in The Uninvited Guest. I also must point out that the the book from which all of this information is taken is A History of Wales; From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest by John Edward Lloyd. It was written in 1911.
Here is a link to my other post on Rhuddlan and the videos of when I visited the two castle sites in May 2012: http://www.sarahwoodbury.com/rhuddlan-castle-s-26-may-2012/
When I asked for elaboration, I hoped you would respond with a few sentences. Although maybe I should have known better, now I feel guilty that you went to a lot of work to respond so thoroughly and so promptly – off the top of your head without notes!
Your map and your last three paragraphs convince me that your assumption that Rhuddlan was part of the domain of King Owain is valid.
Thank you very much for pointing me to the Rhuddlan video. I have been to two Welsh castles, Harlech and Cardiff, and am surprised that your family seems to have had Rhuddlan Castle to yourselves. I enjoyed seeing the dry moat and other features that you highlighted.
I notice that you have made your response to me part of your blog. I hope other visitors to your site also appreciate this information.
Diolch, Sarah!
Honestly, it was fun. It’s good sometimes, too, to have readers ask questions or for clarification, because it’s a reminder as to why I try to be so careful!
So ready for the next G&G book! Absolutely love your style of writing! One of the few authors that I can say that I love every book you’ve written.
So glad you wrote to me. The next one is coming out at the end of this month!