Life in the time of King Alfred
By Tracy Ann Miller
In the time of
King Alfred, in Anglo-Saxon England, there existed a world I knew would make a
rich, exciting backdrop for a romance novel. Vikings and Saxons still battled
for control, but peace was in sight. This Saxon/Viking aspect, then, was both a
built-in conflict between my hero and heroine, and a plausible possibility.
Women were
independent. Sort of.
I discovered in my
research of the year 877, that married women and widows achieved a higher
status, could own and inherit property, engage in legal transactions, and had
offences against them penalized heavily. Girls and boys were close to equal in
terms of status when it came to inheritances. Though most women were relegated
to domestic life, many women came to power as abbesses and leaders of
government.
This information
gave me enough license to create Amber, my heroine in The Maiden Seer, as a
woman who was not beholden to a man for her future prospects. She chose her own
path. The same is said of my heroine, Llyrica in Loveweaver.
Learning about
Alfred, King of Wessex, also shaped The Maiden Seer.
The events of
877-878 have been told so often that it’s a history lesson simple enough for
even me to understand! It tells of how King Alfred escaped the Vikings when
they attacked his royal stronghold of Chippenham. With his family and small
band he fled to the marshes of Somerset, and from this hidden fort,
surreptitiously continued to fight against the Vikings.
I decided I
could let Amber be Alfred’s niece, have her timeline parallel his, and have her influence the outcome of her
uncle’s struggles.
Of course, I
brought in a Viking. But Konnar is not a Viking who fights against her, but one
who becomes an ally. And so much more!
As some Vikings
began to settle peacefully, marriages between Vikings and Saxons were becoming
common. It would not have been out of the question that Amber and Konnar could
end up together and become a part of the local community.
It was the
details in the time Anglo-Saxon England, though, that most caught my attention.
Or rather *lack* of details.
We have
rudimentary drawings from the time, wonderful artifacts, and scant descriptions
of where and how people lived, what they wore, and what they ate and drank.
With the known
facts as my foundation, I exercised freedom embellishing how things *might*
have been, from earthworks and forts, towns and harbours, homes and their
interiors, mode of dress and accessories, hair styles, and meals.
When I learned
about the Elder Futhark and runes, I knew the story Amber would tell.
The Elder Futhark
originated as an alphabet, a writing system, dating back to perhaps the 1st
century. When it took on mystical attributes as runes is debated, but it was
this divinatory use that sparked my interest. Amber would know how to “read”
runes, and would be her power and defense in the dangerous time of King Alfred.
Tracy Ann Miller
Although Tracy Ann
Miller is primarily a graphic designer, (see her work at
tracymillerdesigns.com) she has been writing novels for over 20 years.
She was an active
member of the National Romance Writers of America with her local chapter, The
Virginia Romance Writers. It was there she honed her craft by attending
workshops, conferences, and by coordinating The VRW's Fool for Love Contest.
Before being
published, she entered and won numerous writing contests, including The Fool
for Love Contest for Loveweaver, and the Between the Sheets best love scene
contest for The Maiden Seer.
She writes to keep
the hero and heroine interacting in story as much as possible (no long
separations) and of course they get a spectacular happily ever after.
Tracy invites you
to read The Maiden Seer, and her other book, Loveweaver.
The Maiden Seer
Konnar doesn't
believe in the power to tell the future or to see into the unknown. But that
changes when Amber comes into his life.
Amber, known in her homeland of Wessex, as the Maiden Seer, seeks refuge from her dark foretelling dreams of war. The rune readings she gives to her followers have also become too much to bear. But this can only happen after she fulfills her blackest dream ... one in which she foresees herself killing a man.
Konnar hopes the violent memories of his life as a Viking raider and tragic losses will be quieted when he leaves England forever. This upcoming task will pay for his future and provide for the village that depends on him. But, abducting the Maiden Seer and delivering her to the wealthy client goes wildly awry.
Amber seems to know Konnar's painful secret and claims to foresee a solution. While it enrages him that she negotiates her freedom with this knowledge, should Konnar dare believe the prophetess can help him?
He is her captor, but hiding behind his might and violent history, is a man in need of forgiveness. It is that vulnerable side of him that she learns to love, as she enlists him on her dangerous mission to help the king of England.
The Viking and the Maiden Seer journey throughout England to carry out her prophetic vision. Yet, they struggle with their mutual passion for each other, each unsure of the others true intentions.
But what could it mean, Amber's dark dream that began it all?
Amber, known in her homeland of Wessex, as the Maiden Seer, seeks refuge from her dark foretelling dreams of war. The rune readings she gives to her followers have also become too much to bear. But this can only happen after she fulfills her blackest dream ... one in which she foresees herself killing a man.
Konnar hopes the violent memories of his life as a Viking raider and tragic losses will be quieted when he leaves England forever. This upcoming task will pay for his future and provide for the village that depends on him. But, abducting the Maiden Seer and delivering her to the wealthy client goes wildly awry.
Amber seems to know Konnar's painful secret and claims to foresee a solution. While it enrages him that she negotiates her freedom with this knowledge, should Konnar dare believe the prophetess can help him?
He is her captor, but hiding behind his might and violent history, is a man in need of forgiveness. It is that vulnerable side of him that she learns to love, as she enlists him on her dangerous mission to help the king of England.
The Viking and the Maiden Seer journey throughout England to carry out her prophetic vision. Yet, they struggle with their mutual passion for each other, each unsure of the others true intentions.
But what could it mean, Amber's dark dream that began it all?
What an interesting post! Thank you for sharing!!
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