Hi Everyone! I would like to welcome author Scarlett Valentine to the blog. She has a great new historical romance, Awakening out that you will definitely want to read. Scarlett is here today to talk about the history and inspiration behind the setting and characters for this wonderful novella.
Snowdonia and Rhyd Ddu Castle
First let me say, thanks for having me here today. I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. And thanks for asking me to talk about the setting for Awakening.
Let me start by saying, I love Wales. Yeah, I know. I’ve lived in Ireland for nearly fifteen years and love it too, but I loooooove Wales. From the moment I stepped onto Welsh soil, I fell madly, deeply and irreversibly in love. Everything I love about Ireland is multiplied with Wales—the people are proud to be Welsh, the scenery is amazing, the culture is fascinating, the history is incredible, and I can’t forget the castles. Welsh castles are simply stunning. And fortunately, Wales is about three hours by car ferry so my husband and I go over as often as we can.
My favorite part of Wales is north Wales, particularly around Gwynedd. Snowdonia is a range of peaks in the Snowdonia National Park, which is at the heart of the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Mount Snowdon is the highest peak in Wales and England at 3560 feet above sea level, but not as high as some in the Highlands of Scotland. But from Snowdon’s peak, on a clear day and in the right conditions, one can not only see southern and eastern England, but also mountains in the Scottish Highlands AND across the Irish Sea to Ireland. As the crow flies, that’s about one hundred to one hundred and fifty miles in each direction. Until then, I thought it was cool seeing Scotland’s Kintyre Peninsula from the shores of Northern Ireland . . . a distance of only about ten miles! But seeing over a hundred miles? Wow!
As mountain ranges go, Snowdonia is as diverse as any, with rocky slopes, low-growing grasses and tiny wild flowers. But due to its unique microclimate, Snowdonia is perfect for rare yet thriving Alpine flowers, such as the Snowdon Lily.
Wales is also the traditionally richest place in Great Britain for mining, both coal and slate. Particularly around Snowdonia where slate has been mined for the last two centuries. Some of the old narrow gauge rail lines have reopened over the years, now taking tourists to the top of Snowdon for the outstanding views.
Today, the ancient Kingdom of Gwynedd is now just one of several Welsh counties, but it has retained its uniqueness in the country. It’s the largest county in Wales, but it’s also the most sparsely populated. Probably due to such a huge mountain range in the center of it! The people have fought for centuries to keep their Welsh identity intact. They’ve succeeded to such a degree that nearly everyone grows up speaking the native Welsh language as a first language. It’s heard everywhere from cafes and shops to the dinner table at home. And while this part of Wales has welcomed the modern world, they have not forgotten their rich and diverse history as the most powerful of the medieval Welsh kingdoms.
It was my love of North Wales and Snowdonia, and its medieval history that inspired me to write Awakening. While Awakening is first and foremost an erotic tale of love, the historical backdrop is based on real Welsh history—of two kings vying for more land, wealth and power who eventually become related through dynastic marriage and return to war as brothers-in-law. King Owain Gwynedd had twenty one documented children, most of whom were illegitimate, so it was easy to create my Bedwyr.
But as the tale goes, Bedwyr is also being forced into a dynastic marriage to the Prince of Powys’ ward. A man of war, Bedwyr argues with his father until the pot is sweetened to the point that Bedwyr cannot refuse—land, a keep, title and wealth. Unheard of for a bastard son in those days.
So, I had the setting for Awakening—Snowdonia; my time period—1149; and my characters—Bedwyr and Ysbail. Now I just needed a keep, one that promised everything Owain promised his son, and one as formidable as Bedwyr himself. Dolwyddelan Castle.
I love Dolwyddelan Castle. It’s a boxy stone keep set high on a precipice overlooking wide valley. It served as an important outpost to protect the Kingdom of Gwynedd. The site itself included the keep, outbuildings and courtyard, all surrounded by high, protective walls. Compared to the grander castles in Wales, Dolwyddelan was a simple keep meant for a small retinue of soldiers, a few household staff, and a small family. Small as it was, it was also stately enough to welcome guests for a night or two. This was the kind of keep I wanted for Bedwyr and Ysbail, and Rhyd Ddu was created.
While Rhyd Ddu Castle is a work of fiction, there is a small village of the same name located on the southwestern side of Snowdonia. From the late 19th century, Rhyd Ddu was one of the stops on a narrow gauge rail system linking slate mines in south Snowdon with harbor towns such as Portmadog where slate was exported.
I’ve been on some of the narrow gauge rail journeys around Snowdonia, and it’s a very interesting mode of transportation. And I can tell you, the view from the top of Snowdon is truly breathtaking and remarkable. Standing at the summit with Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland at one’s feet, one can image all is right and peaceful in the world.
Thanks for visiting me today and letting me share one of my favorite places on Earth.
~*~
Thank you, Scarlett for sharing with us. Wales sounds lovely!
And now for the blurb and an excerpt of Awakening. Please come back tomorrow for my review.
Awakening
by Scarlett Valentine
Release Date: October 8, 2011
Ysbail of Ellesmere is a pawn in her guardian's war. For decades there has been unrest between the marcher lords and Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd, King of Gwynedd. The most recent war had been the bloodiest she could remember in her eighteen years. Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys, and his allies lost untold numbers of men at the hands of Owain's soldiers. When a settlement of truce is presented to Madog, it's at Ysbail's expense. She is to marry Bedwyr ap Owain, one of King Owain’s bastard sons, and his most notorious henchman. If all the rumors and stories she's heard are true, she knows her marriage will be rife with horror and fear.
Since proving himself worthy with his sword, Bedwyr fights at his king's side. He's shed oceans of blood and sent untold numbers of men to their graves. He's become what his name foretold—the grave-knower. He's afraid of nothing, least of all death. All men fear him, including those who fight at his side, and sometimes even his own king. Terror of him lives within women's hearts; only the bravest of whores accept him into their beds. And children weave their own tales of the monster they hear him to be, embellishing the details to their own gruesome degrees.
When King Owain informs Bedwyr that he's to marry Ysbail of Ellesmere as part of a peace settlement with Madog, Bedwyr is furious. A man such as Bedwyr can only survive on the battlefield. For without love, hatred will send a man like him to the edge of insanity. Then push him over. But when Bedwyr sees Ysbail for the first time, blood-thirst turns to blood-lust, and he vows to show her that she should have no fear of him.
Book Excerpt
He glanced at his wife lying beside him, panting as hard as he. When she looked his direction she gave him a broad smile. Her face was awash with light that had nothing to do with that which emanated from the hearth. She held passion’s glow.
Rolling over, he pulled Ysbail onto her side to face him. He stroked her cheek with the back of his finger.
“Ysbail, what is it you are doing to me?” It was a rhetorical question, but she replied anyway.
“What do you want me to do to you, my lord?”
Such an innocent question, yet it was loaded with so much intimation.
“You know not what you are asking, cariad.”
“I may be naïve in the ways of lovemaking, but I am not a simpleton.”
She did not say this with malice, but of forthrightness.
“You are anything but simple, Ysbail. Everything about you speaks of dignity and pride.” When she tried to look away, he steadied her gaze with his. “You would have had to be raised in a nunnery not to know the stories surrounding me. Yet, you held your head high when you were forced to wed with me. If you were not a strong woman, I fear you could not adapt to life with a man such as me. For you will need to be strong to be my wife. My life is not an easy one.”
Ysbail raised herself onto an elbow and gazed down at him. He was not prepared for what she asked him.
“Will you grant me a boon?”
“A boon? You need ask no favors from me. Ask and I will give you want you want.”
That must have pleased her, as she reached down to smooth the damp hair from his face. She delicately stroked the scar over his left eye, and said, “Tell me how you came to be the Grave Knower.”
Author Bio:
Scarlett Valentine is the alter ego of award-winning romance author, Kemberlee Shortland. Together they write Erotomance -- Erotic Romance.
Originally from Northern California, Scarlett has spent the last fourteen years living in Ireland. She's traveled extensively through Ireland and Wales. When she's not writing, she can often be found castle hunting.
Scarlett's stories cross subgenres to explore hetero, gay and bisexual relationships in a series of stories that include time periods from historicals and contemporaries, futuristics and science fiction, paranormal and suspense, and more.
Awakening is the first book in The ABCs of S-E-X: Love by the Letter series and is available 2 November 2011 though Highland Press.
Giveaway:
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