The Dragon Bard (Dragon of the Island) (49 page)
Read The Dragon Bard (Dragon of the Island) Online
Authors: Mary Gillgannon
Tags: #Historical Fiction
The End
,
In 1991, soon after starting work at a public library, I decided to write a historical romance. In choosing my time period, I considered my favorite historical novels: the Merlin series by Mary Stewart (
The Crystal Cave
,
The Hollow Hills
, etc.),
Sword at Sunset
by Rosemary Sutcliffe,
Here Be Dragons
by Sharon Kay Penman. They were all set at least partially in Wales, and two of the stories take place in the time of King Arthur.
I went to the Wyoming State Library, which back then had a good British history and literature collection, and began my research. Everything I read reinforced my fascination with this era. And then, in some obscure dusty tome discussing the historical evidence for King Arthur, I read about a monk named Gildas, who had written a manuscript in the early 6th century called
On the Conquest and Ruin of Britain
. The manuscript was not a historical account of the era, but a heated condemnation of five kings, who Gildas blamed for pretty much everything wrong in his time period. Chief among them was Maelgwn, king of Gwynedd, who Gildas refers to as "o, thou dragon of the island." Gildas account of Maelgwn was pretty venomous, but his words also revealed a larger-than-life and intriguingly complex man. I instantly knew I'd found my hero, and inspired by these historical tidbits, I began writing.
The "dark ages" are called that for a good reason, as very little is known about this time period. The few literate individuals in this era, like Gildas, had very definite agendas and didn't write much of anything meaningful to a modern historian, let alone a novelist. But as much as I struggled to get the details and history right, I had no problem with my characters. From the moment I imagined them, Maelgwn and Aurora were real and alive to me, and their story carried me away to an enthralling world of love, hatred, sex and violence.
Having visited this vibrant, passionate world, I found I didn't want to leave it. And so one book evolved into two. Then I realized I had to tell Rhun's story...and then Bridei's. As I wrote the ending chapters of
The Dragon Bard,
Anwyl appeared: fiery, stubborn and rebellious, and I knew this daughter of Maelgwn would have to have a book as well. So the story of the Dragon of the Island doesn't end with this book, but continues on, likely as long as I have the energy and imagination to keep writing.
Happy reading,
I am fascinated by history, as well as Celtic myth and legend. These interests inspire and enrich most of my books, both historical romance and historical fantasy. Raised in the Midwest, I currently live in Wyoming with my husband, four cats and a dog. Besides writing and working (I’m employed in a public library) I enjoy gardening, travel and reading, of course!
For more about my books and me, visit my website
http://marygillgannon.com
.