Overview
Fascinating stories from medieval Gower: battles, brutality, adultery, daring escapes, fairies and an ogre!
If you like scandal, intrigue and true stories from history, then you’ll love Ann Marie Thomas’ book.
Buy Medieval Gower Stories and witness the crimes of mad King John, the atrocities of the Ogre of Abergavenny and search for the lost treasure of Edward II.
By the author of Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth and Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John, both big hits with locals and tourists alike.
Amazon Reviews:
1. The first local history book I ever read left me totally confused. It assumed its readers would already know all the people and places. Ann, doesn't do that. Her disarmingly straightforward style unpacks the complexities of all those unfamiliar medieval characters even though many have the same name generation after generation. A delightful book.
2. A nicely readable overview of the political history of The Gower and the surrounding areas of Wales in the period following the Norman Invasion of Britain. Some of the tales tempt much further investigation - this will be a good introduction to the subject for many readers.
3. As a complete novice to this subject I found this little book very easy to dip in and out of. Each story stands alone, the combination of fact with legend works well and it held my interest throughout.
4. Well researched interesting, informative book. It was written in simple easy language so would also be good for teens or perhaps older children if they were interested in history. I hadn't read any of the authors previous books but I am likely to now.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940155112402 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Ann Marie Thomas |
| Publication date: | 01/27/2018 |
| Series: | Stories of Medieval Gower , #4 |
| Sold by: | Smashwords |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 4 MB |
About the Author
Writing poetry and making up stories since I was a child, I only started to write seriously when my children were grown. My main ambition is to write science fiction, but along the way I got fascinated by local history and distracted by a major stroke. I wrote poetry about my stroke and spent my recovery writing a local history book. Taking early retirement gave me the chance to concentrate on my writing. I have been married for over 45 years, with 4 grown children and 8 grandchildren.
I had already written up my research into the de Braose family before my stroke, but the long hours in hospital gave me time to think about it in detail. Once I came home, rather than sitting doing nothing, I rewrote the book, and taught myself to format and publish in both ebook and print. My husband contacted the art department of the local university, who helped me find a wonderful artist to illustrate my books.
Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth came out as an ebook and in print for the locals and the tourist market at Easter 2012 and it's success gave me the impetus to write another, Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John, which came out in September 2013.
The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015 led me to adapt and enlarge my Broken Reed book and produce The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter. This came out in May 2015.
During my research I found other fascinating stories which are not long enough for a book, so I collected them together into Medieval Gower Stories, published in October 2017.
I am now working on another great story from Gower medieval history: Swansea Miracle.
When I was in hospital I wrote a flood of poetry, about my stroke, my therapy, my faith, and random things like the rain outside my window. I have now published them as an ebook and print, My Stroke of Inspiration. 22 poems in all: verse, doggerel, and blank verse. The poems talk about suffering and patience, therapy and faith, and are surprisingly cheerful. If you are a stroke survivor or know someone who is, or just enjoy poetry, these poems will comfort, encourage and inspire you.
There is also a Christian non fiction book, Blinded by the Light, warning of the traps Christians can fall into, published in February 2020.
I continue to work on my recovery from the stroke, and although I am disabled I lead a very busy life. I am involved in my church and active on social media. I am still writing science fiction, a series called Flight of the Kestrel, about the adventures of the crew of the Fast-Response spaceship the Kestrel. The first book in the series - Intruders - was published in April 2016, and the second - Alien Secrets - was published in October 2017. The third - Crisis of Conscience - was published in June 2021. Watch out for book 4 Planet Fall.