Bad Boys and Good Girls

Some of my detractors criticize the way even my villains turn out to have hearts of gold. I hold my hands up - I believe every person has at least one redeeming feature. Even when I spent a decade and a half trying to teach kids who'd rather be anywhere but in a maths class, I found enough goodness to keep me turning up to school every day. And more than enough material to fill a dozen books.

So this "fun bridge between the Hengist and Colour of Light series" gives a brief glimpse into some of the unsung characters - not necessarily heroes except in their own minds. Although they never made it to the mic, they all have a part to play in the bigger picture of the Hengist people’s adventures when two worlds collide.
Please indulge me with the fairytale blurbs, they kinda fit. The stories are way darker than the Hengist YA series with no guarantees of HEA endings, but the satisfaction that justice was done. Mostly.

Context is available for 99c/99p. Here's the blurb:

Seven unlikely protagonists. Seven taxing situations. 
Seven opportunities for rebellion and/or redemption.

Maura's Magical Saviour
A poor-little-rich-girl follows the hippie trail to become a poor-little-poor-girl. All essential preparations for meeting a time-travelling Viking prince.

Lynette's Stonehenge Rite
A spunky misfit meets a rugged soldier at the Dark Side of the Moon in this psychedelic, Alice-in-Wonderland adventure.

Edlyn's Evil Scheme
A villainous bully with no redeeming features plots a violent revenge against a virtuous hero. Bonus - you get to hear Archer's side of the story too.

Jack Jumps Hoops
A cowardly anti-hero learns valuable lessons from a tyrant-with-a-twist. Watch out for the Punkarella ending.

Kia's Hot-dish Revenge
A rebellious Cinderella's accidental revenge on her lazy mother backfires big time.

How Tamas Got his Scar
A happy prince falls under the spell of the most craven of bullies after a life-changing accident.

A Lie, a Witch and a Wardrobe
What is a drama brat to do when her lie results in incarceration and certain death? Why, rant, wail and wring hands, of course. Luckily, Claire's geeky friend is trapped with her, so she can engage science brain and figure out their survival.

And finally, although not exactly vintage, these stories are mostly set in the 80s and 90s, when your average teen didn't own a mobile phone and messaging/streaming/Netflix were mere twinkles in someone's eye.

Colour of Light series:
#1 Context: Seven short stories of rebellion and redemption - Available May 2020
#2 Chrysalis: Medieval magic meets modern-day mystery - Available June 2020
#3 Captive: Modern-day mystery meets medieval magic - Available August 2020
#4 Catalyst: Modern military thriller meets medieval magic - Available October 2020

Hengist Boxsets

The Hengest books are now available in 3 boxsets, each only 99c/99p for a limited time.
Archer's Quest has the two books featuring Archer - a 16-yr-old hottie who sets female hearts a-flutter in 2 worlds.
#1 - Archer, the Warrior, follows his adventures in his own world, where he must fight - against his enemies, his friends and even the girl he loves - in order to prevail.
#2 - Rory, sees Archer travelling to a foreign world filled with marvels such as chocolate, cars and computers, none of which exist in his own, quasi-medieval homeworld. The challenges are very similar as he meets a raft of lads - and even a girl - who want nothing more than to take him down.
Extra - Bad Lads, sees three of the thugs Archer encountered along the way grabbing the mic and telling their own tales.
Uniting the Tribes is available to read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited, and features 3 more heroes: a math geek, a time-travelling techie and a rebel gypsy.
#3 - Reagan, the Magi, has to solve a DaVinci-style mystery to determine the correct position for the next White Horse.
#4 - Slater, the Outil, travels back in time to when Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles were being built, but only he can spot the flaw in the design.
#5 - Geraint, the Renegate, has a huge task. His relationship with the Townie girl, Siany, is essential in defeating the rogue Renegates who would take over the Hengest world.
Extra - Good Guys, gives a few more supporting players a crack at the mic.

These medieval, romantic adventures form the prequel series to the Hengest adventures, and will appeal to fans of Call the Midwife, Poldark and The Good Witch who enjoy elements of magical realism, mystery and humour. Also FREE on KU.
The Nature's Tribe stories are set in 14th Century England, when plagues and witch-hunts meant it was not a great time to be a midwife. Especially one using the magic of herbs and earth energy in her healing. But Gaia has a plan for Senna and her family when the Black Death ravages the country.
#1 - 3 Handfastings and a Burial. Exactly whose handfasting is this? Senna feels like nothing but an inconvenience at her own wedding.
#2 - 12 Days of Yule. A ruthless magister or a reckless mercenary? Not much of a choice as Senna's mourning year ends.
#3 - 8 Sabbats of the Sun. Why does everyone (including Gaia) keep Cal and Lyrelie apart? Even themselves.
#4 - 13 Esbats of the Moon. Does a fallen woman deserve to find love? Eanje has no time for regrets when she falls pregnant and the father could be any of three men.

A series of Boxsets, anyone?

Nature's Tribe Books 1-4 is the first in the Hengist Boxset collection which tells the epic saga of Archer's Medieval-alternate-world.

Each series has a different feel - the first one is sweet, clean, romance with a cozy-mystery feel, perfect for fans of Call the MidWife, Poldark and The Good Witch.

For a short while, you can read nearly 1000 pages for a mere 99c/99p, and the whole bumper bundle (plus a couple of bonus short stories) is FREE on Kindle Unlimited.





The stories are set in 14th Century England, when plagues and witch-hunts meant it was not a great time to be a midwife. Especially one using the magic of herbs and earth energy in her healing. But Gaia has a plan for Senna and her family when the Black Death ravages the country.

#1 – Three Handfastings and a Burial
Exactly whose handfasting is this? Senna feels like nothing but an inconvenience at her own wedding.

#2 - Twelve Days of Yule
A self-important official or an unreliable mercenary? No real choice as Senna’s mourning year ends.

#3 – Eight Sabbats of the Sun
Why does everyone (including Gaia) strive to keep Cal and Lyrelie apart? Even themselves.

#4 – Thirteen Esbats of the Moon
Does a fallen woman deserve to find love? Eanje has no time for regrets when she falls pregnant.

Hibernating, me?

I might as well have been. Just so much other stuff going on in my life, the writing had to take a back seat. On the upside, the kitchen got a complete makeover, as did the bathroom and downstairs cloakroom.

I'd love to say I've come back raring to go, but all the enthusiasm from mid January is already starting to wear thin as the crazy effort spent promoting my books seems to have plateaued out.
Watch this space for some cool updates on a brand new, 4-book series coming later this year.

Stags and Hens

Boys will be Boys

The first bachelor parties goes were as early as the 5th century B.C. where ancient Spartans were the first to celebrate the groom's last night as a single man.
Spartan soldiers held a dinner in their friend's honor and made toasts on his behalf — with, one assumes, a Spartan sense of decorum.
Since then, the events have generally grown more raucous.

The event is known by different names in different countries: the stag party in the U.K., Ireland and Canada; the buck's party in Australia; and, with typical panache, the enterrement de vie de garçon in France (translation: "the burial of the life as a boy").

In the past, a bachelor party could commonly involve a black-tie dinner hosted by the groom's father, with toasts to the groom and the bride.
The traditions of hazing, humiliation and debauchery — often consuming entire weekends and involving travel to an exotic destination such as Las Vegas or its nearest available facsimile — became a staple of bad '80s sex comedies. (The 1984 Tom Hanks vehicle Bachelor Party hit the genre's perfecta, featuring beer, drugs, strippers, an ill-fated donkey and MTV video vixen Tawny Kitaen.)
Modern bachelor parties are diverse, ranging from Las Vegas trips (losing teeth, dignity and sometimes the groom, as in The Hangover) to a casual party with friends and/or the fiancée. The event is an important step in saying goodbye to one's single life and relieving prewedding jitters. There doesn't even have to be a party: some men now opt for "groom's showers," in which they acquire their own dowry of football tables and power tools.

Girl Power

In Ancient Greece, there were three parts to marriage. First came the Proaulia, in which the bride would spend the last days before her wedding with her mother, female relatives and friends preparing for marriage. The festivities included a feast, and offerings made by the bride-to-be and her family to the gods. The bride would sacrifice her childhood toys, clothing, locks of hair, and her girdle to the virgin goddess Artemis, whose protection she was departing for Aphrodite’s sphere of sexuality.
Prior to the late 19th century, women were limited to bridal showers, the main function of which was to acquire a dowry and gifts to prepare them for marriage. The name may derive from the custom in Victorian times for the presents to be put inside a parasol, which when opened would "shower" the bride-to-be with gifts.
By the sexual revolution of the 1960s, women had launched their own version of the prewedding festivities: the bachelorette party or hen night in the UK.
Bachelorette parties are every bit as diverse as men's and often involve the "hen" wearing a pink sash (and "L" plates) and all the "chicks" wearing similar outfits or even identical t-shirts with witty slogans. They may be themed, for example: Butler in the buff, It's a Knockout, Spa day and even Medieval Jousting with proper knights in shining armour.

Combined Dos

Other couples, uncomfortable with the expectations of debauchery, celebrate their last night together in combined stag and doe parties — an idea that's grown popular as more couples live together and marry later in life. These are known variously as "Sten" or Hag do's in the UK, both combinations Stag and Hen.

via GIPHY

Plighting your Troth

You gotta love the olde-worlde speak. Well, maybe not gotta, but many of us do.
Decode: to Plight One's Troth is literally to Pledge One's Truth.
Almost everyone associates it with a proposal of marriage, and maybe, in a series of wedding-related blogs, this one shoulda come first. But such is life.

Hence we have a betrothal (literally, be true), nowadays known as an engagement, where you are affianced to your prospective wife/husband. Hence fiance. All good stuff.

So what did it mean back in medieval times? So many customs which modern women would find downright insulting - but back then, the fairer sex were naught but chattels to be bought/sold and used by our betters (i.e. men)

Eligibility
Once the marriage settlement had been agreed (between the families), there would be a betrothal ceremony. If one of the participants was a very young child, the betrothal wasn’t always binding. Effectively, where children had not yet reached the age of reason, it was much easier to wriggle out of a marriage alliance than after. Seven was regarded as the age of reason and after that time is was harder to break a betrothal. A full coming of age was twelve for girls and fourteen for boys.

One of my favourite scenes from a top-10 movie "Moonstruck" sees Cher demanding her hapless would-be fiance get down on bended knee while Bobo the waiter complains:
"She's got him on his knees. He's ruining his suit."

And then later, she gets another proposal from the guy's brother - the yummy Nick Cage.

via GIPHY
If you've never seen this ultimate feel-good family film, it's a start-to-finish romp about how not to plan a wedding. Utter Genius!

The Dowry
As in "money, goods, or estate which a woman brings to her husband in marriage."
Charming, eh?
Essentially, it meant the Father of the bride had to pay a bunch of money to a guy to take his daughter off his hands. Which is why, with five daughter's to offload, poor old Mr Bennet is such a quivering wreck for most of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. That and an overbearing wife ...
The closest we get to it in modern day is the idea that the bride's father should pay for the wedding. Although in my experience, it's way more likely the bulk of the cost is down to the couple getting wed, and some spend the first few years in hock to personal loans. Ah well, it's all good practice for when those sprogs start a-popping.

The Ring
The exchanging of betrothal rings dates back to the ancient Egyptians, who believed circles were symbols of eternity. Wedded couples exchanged rings made out of braided reeds. These were worn on the left hand ring finger, which apparently had a vein that ran directly to the heart, later named Vena amoris.
Western European countries wear their engagement rings on their right hands, instead of their left. This is also common in England, France, Germany, and Norway. Russia and Canada also follow this tradition. Once you're married, tradition dictates that your engagement band be moved back to the third finger on your left hand. When you do so, your wedding ring should remain closest to your heart (where your spouse placed it on your wedding day) and your engagement ring is placed next to the wedding ring. Many of these traditions get passed down from generation to generation, but the meanings of the rings symbolize the same ideas no matter what finger the ring is worn on: love and fidelity.

The Bended Knee
During the Middle Ages, chivalry was not yet dead and formal courtship was the medieval version of modern-day dating. Kneeling was also the protocol for many ceremonial rituals and rites of passage, including those of the romantic kind. Medieval artwork and literature shows knights genuflecting before their feudal lord as a sign of honor and respect, or kneeling in front of a noblewoman to express their eternal servitude and admiration in a show of “courtly love.”



The Venue
Back then, the strict etiquette rules meant a young noblewoman could not be alone with her beau, so in theory, all proposals were in front of some manner of chaperone - and only after the suitor had sought (and gained) the approval of his prospective father-in-law. In most cases, this meant it would have taken place in some kind of "parlour" or equivalent of a drawing room.
For the peasants, there was a little more freedom, and it was not unknown for the proposal to be virtually on the way to the church.
Just like everything else to do with weddings, nowadays there is a huge variety of places - the more unusual the better, with people hiring musicians, sky-writing planes and people holding placards to ask the question. Rings can be hidden in a variety of receptacles from a banana to the bottom of a glass of champagne (hopefully with an anti-choke-hazard warning!) There are lots of ideas on the internet, I thought this was a great summary: https://www.stagweb.co.uk/blog/2016/01/25-awesome-marriage-proposal-ideas/, and I didn't get bugged by reams of intrusive ads - always a plus!

The Party
According to Wiki, olden-day engagement parties had the appearance of normal parties at which the father of the bride-to-be made a surprise announcement of the engagement to his guests. The engagement party had the purpose of sharing the engagement news with family members and friends. Therefore, it was not a traditional gift-giving occasion, as none of the guests were supposed to be aware of the engagement until after their arrival.
 In ancient Greece, an engagement party was a commercial transaction. It was essentially an oral contract, made between the man who gave the woman in marriage (usually her father) and the groom. The bride was not present.
A Jewish engagement party is known as a vort (Yiddish: word‎). Breaking a ceramic plate at a vort is customary, symbolizing the permanence of marriage and mirroring the breaking of a glass at a Jewish wedding.
In the Scottish Gaelic tradition, a rèiteach was a betrothal ritual which typically ended in a dance party for the whole community.

The Timing
Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages, and it was not uncommon for parents betrothing children to arrange marriages many years before the engaged couple were old enough. This is still common in some countries. The duration of the courtship varied vastly, and was largely dependent on cultural norms or upon the agreement of the parties involved.


While I was researching, I found this - top ten marriage proposals from movies.
Not surprisingly, "The Proposal," and "Four Weddings and a Funeral" are in there, but can you gues the top three? Have a go before you watch.


Here's how  the scene played out in 12 Days of Yule.
I was going for fun and originality - did I do it?

Jarl shuffled himself into a sitting position, favouring his wounded shoulder, but regaining some of his former agility and strength. He allowed Senna to administer the drink, then cleared his throat. “Thank you. And good morn to you. As you can see, I’m feeling much better.”

She put the beaker down and would have moved away, but he caught hold of her arm with his good hand.

“Wait. Before you dash off to start, I want you to know something.”

Tension filled her body at his touch, but she did not pull away for fear of hurting him. His smile was unexpected, but none the less devastating to her tenuous defences.

“Firstly, I don’t know if I should be affronted by the fact that you wake up in bed with me and your first thought is to tend to my needs as a patient.”

Mischief lit his eyes, and she mirrored it back. “What makes you think it my first thought?”

He laughed. “I choose to believe my own version of your other thoughts, and it makes me bolder. Senna … dash it, I should be down on my knees.”

“I recommend against that in your current state.”

“Always the healer first but, I hope, the woman second. Senna, I love you dearly. I have loved you since the first day with the pails and the yoke.”

“Stop, Jarl. Before you go any further, I have to know the truth about you and Eanje.”

He released her hand. “You know the truth. She was in trouble after her father died, and Tavern held back most of her wages because she refused to act the strumpet.”

“But that was a year ago. Why did she continue to live in your house after Shayla and Quinn left?”

“My cousin asked me not to sell it. Quinn’s business means they need somewhere local to stay for a few days every moon. So Shayla pays Eanje to tend the house. It works well because I’m rarely there.”

“But when you are …” She couldn’t finish the thought.

He nodded. “I see. You think I am … With Eanje. No. Definitely not. I promise you.” He shrugged. “The girl has no family to look after her. I have been staying in the hut my father built for me when I came of age.”

“So you are not … in love with her?”

“Absolutely not. I could never love anyone but you. I have never loved anyone but you.” His sincerity made Senna’s questions dry up, and she glanced away.

Jarl cleared his throat. “Will you do me the immeasurable honour of becoming my wife?”

“Oh, Jarl. You know I cannot.”

His face crumpled.

After a scant moment, he spoke, his voice a whisper. “Is it because you don’t trust me?” Without allowing time for an answer, his words tumbled out. “I have been searching my memory for the promises I may have broken, ever since he mentioned them, but ...”

“Who mentioned promises?” She butted in, her tone cautious.

“No one.” Again, he forged ahead before she could speak. “The only time which comes close was at Beltane when I pledged I would stop fighting the raiders and start training the militia instead. But I never broke that.”

“So why did you go back up north a week ago?”

“Because Dennon had a direct order from the council that he, Aleksi and I must join with men from every village to support the troop at the border and repel a massive force. But it turned out to be a falsehood. We had no chance, even before the ambush.”

“I see. In that case, you did not break your pledge.” A sly glance. “What else did Lyran say?”

“That I broke two promises and you could not trust … how did you know it was Lyran?”

“I know he watched over you when you were away. He’s been with me for the past moon, advising and protecting.”

Jarl recoiled. “He said I attacked you in a dream.”

“I was mistaken. It was Domenyk, wearing a glamour so I thought it was Lyran, then you.”

 “So, you do trust me, then?” He leaned forward – barely an inch.

She put her hand on her heart. “With my life.”

“And I haven’t broken another promise to you?”

“Not to me, no.”

“Then to whom?”

Her lips twitched. “To Lyran.”

“What? No, that cannot be. I vowed to take care of you, and that’s what I’ve been doing. I even gave up my livelihood for you. How is that breaking my pledge?”

“You promised him you would be my husband.”

“How can you know that?” He frowned.

“He made you repeat it three times to make it an oath.”

“Oh. He told you that?”

“No. I heard him ask you on the day of our handfasting.” She echoed his embarrassed expression.

“So you’ve always known?”

“That you made a vow? Yes.”

“That I love you.”

She glanced at him, mischief shining through her eyes. “Since that day with the yoke. I would have worked it out by myself, you know.”

“Of course I do. Now. But back then, I just wanted to impress you with how strong and smart I was.”

A giggle escaped her lips. “All I saw was a boy who respected his mother enough to learn what she taught him.” She paused as he absorbed this idea, and could almost see his mind wanting to ask the question she could never answer. Only one way to distract him; she bent forward and kissed him, something she’d wanted to do all those years ago when she was Lyrelie’s age.

He stiffened, not a wise reaction with his wound. Then he allowed himself to follow her lead, resulting in a kiss of such exquisite tenderness, her eyes filled with tears.

She finally had to breathe, so she pulled away, noting the moisture in the corner of his eyes. “Ask me again.” Her voice caught in her throat, and it took him a while to understand.

“Senna, love of my life. Will you do me the immeasurable honour of becoming my wife?”

“Yes, Jarl. I will marry you. As soon as I am able to.”

He glared at her. “You mean …? Why did you not say that when I asked you earlier.”

“Because I was teasing. If you’d waited, I would have added not until my mourning year finished. But at least I now know you are doing it for the right reasons.”

“I said I love you – is that not enough?”

“Men speak those words lightly. I needed to be certain.”

“And now you are?”

“Yes, Jarl. I know you love me as I love you.”
     “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go and see if the Archdruid is busy.” He threw aside the covers, but the action caused pain.
      “Calm yourself. We have several weeks yet.”

Wedding Party Roles

Attendants of the Happy Couple

Ancient Roman law required 10 witnesses to be present at a wedding, which is considered a precursor to the bridal party tradition. Traditionally, in many countries, bridesmaids and groomsmen had to dress just like the bride and groom to confuse vengeful spirit presences (or real-life jealous suitors) who might try to harm the newlyweds.

Another origin story for the bridesmaid tradition is Biblical: When Jacob married Leah and Rachel, each brought her own “maid,” but these were personal servants who tended to the bride's every need. The bride was often accompanied by a child meant to symbolize a fruitful union. Flower petals tossed in the bride’s pathway were representative of the way to a beautiful future.

In a time in which “marriage by capture” was practiced, close friends of the groom would assist him in taking the bride from her family. They’d form a small army to fight off angry relatives so that he could escape with her. In some early traditions, the groomsmen were called Bride’s Knights, because they helped protect her—and her dowry, and her virginity—or because they assisted in her kidnapping.

Bridesmaids of the past also used to walk down the aisle with aromatic bunches of garlic, herbs, and grains to drive evil spirits away (and to help make things smell nice). Being a bridesmaid was considered a good way to procure a husband. In the 16th century, if you had served as bridesmaid three times without getting married yourself, it was believed that evil spirits had cursed you. To break the spell, you’d have to be a bridesmaid four more times, for a total of seven rounds on the wedding circuit.

In early Victorian times, tradition called for all-white weddings, so bridesmaids—who were supposed to be younger than the bride—wore white dresses with short veils, contrasting with the bride’s more ornate veil and train. By the 20th century, this had fallen out of favor, and the bride alone wore white to better stand out. Victorian bridesmaids were tasked with making party favors out of things like ribbons and flowers and pinning them onto the sleeves and shoulders of guests as they left the ceremony.

Historically, no person of status went out unattended, and the size of the retinue was closely calculated to be appropriate to the family's social status. A large group of bridesmaids/groomsmen provided an opportunity for showing off the family's social status and wealth.

Nowadays, the number of bridesmaids in a wedding party is dependent on many variables, including a bride's preferences, the size of her family, and the number of (family) attendants her partner would like to have as well.

The male equivalent of a bridesmaid is the groomsman, known in the UK as an usher from one of the original functions, that of escorting guests to their seats.

In some cultures, particularly in Europe, one (or more) of the bridesmaids can be a small girl, frequently carrying flowers during the wedding procession and known as a flower girl.

Parents of the Bride/Groom
Father of the bride: The Anglo-Saxon word "wedd" means a pledge or vow. This could refer to the groom vowing to marry the woman, or the barter money or trade agreement with the bride's father for his daughter. The bride's father would setup a contract with the groom, involving land, social status, or political reputation. A female child in those days was known to be property of her father and so the transferring of "ownership" to her groom on her wedding day was a legality. The tradition of "giving away" signifies that the bride's family no longer had control over her or her possessions (dowry) and her husband would take on the responsibilities and obligations her father once boasted. The tradition of taking his hand and placing the groom's on the bride's is symbolic of the "passing" of his property or duty.

Nowadays, the most common functions of the bride's father are to accompany his daughter to the church, lead her down the aisle where he "gives her away." He often gives some manner of speech thanking people for attending and toasting the bride and groom. In many weddings, he will dance with his daughter, and it is still traditional for the bride's parents to pay for the reception, if not the whole thing.

Mother of the bride: Historically, the bride's mother planned most of the wedding, organising the church, reception, catering, guests and accommodation for out-of-towners. Nowadays, many couples take care of it themselves, or engage a wedding planner. Great emphasis is placed on the emphasis of the mother's outfit, usually including a hat (or fascinator), and most mums will coordinate with the grooms mother to ensure their outfits do not clash or - horror of horrors - are identical.

Mother of the groom: There's a not-so-nice traditional saying about what the mother of the groom is supposed to do: show up, shut up, and wear beige. For most people, that saying is not true and there are some distinct responsibilities of most mothers of the groom, such as supplying a list of the groom's relatives, paying for certain events like the rehearsal dinner and, if he is keen, dancing with her son.


For more details about the history and roles of the wedding party, there are some great websites and books - I recommend you try:
https://mentalfloss.com/article/57821/21-historical-roles-and-responsibilities-wedding-party
https://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/bridesmaids-groomsmen-history

https://www.thespruce.com/wedding-and-father-of-the-bride-1270128

Save the Date: The Occasional Mortifications of a Serial Wedding Guest