The Du Lac Chronicles by Mary Anne Yarde Pages: 318
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on February 21st 2016
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy & Magic, mythology
“It is dangerous to become attached to a du Lac. He will break your heart, and you will not recover.”
So prophesies a wizened healer to Annis, daughter of King Cerdic of Wessex. If there is truth in the old crone’s words, they come far too late for Annis, who defies father, king, and country to save the man she loves.
Alden du Lac, once king of Cerniw, has nothing. Betrayed by Cerdic, Alden’s kingdom lies in rubble, his fort razed to the ground and his brother Merton missing, presumably dead. He has only one possession left worth saving: his heart. And to the horror of his few remaining allies, he gives that to the daughter of his enemy. They see Annis, at best, as a bargaining chip to avoid war with her powerful father. At worst, they see a Saxon whore with her claws in a broken, wounded king.
Alden has one hope: When you war with one du Lac, you war with them all. His brother Budic, King of Brittany, could offer the deposed young king sanctuary—but whether he will offer the same courtesy to Annis is far less certain.
PG -13+
“An evocative, timeless saga of love and betrayal”
Tony Riches, author of The Tudor Trilogy
Amazon #1 Best Seller in Young Adult Medieval Fiction
Today I have author of The Du Lac Chronicles, Mary Anne Yarde here to tell us a little bit about herself and her book! Check out the interview and then enter to win a copy of this post-Arthurian book for yourself!
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Where did you grow up?
I lived in a small Somerset village surrounded by fields and woods. My parents owned a smallholding, so it was not unusual to find ducks in the bath or sheep wandering in and out of the kitchen!
I remember when I was little, the school I went to had a ‘dress-up as a nursery rhyme character’ day – the obviously choice for me was Mary had a little lamb. I don’t think the teachers were that impressed when I turned up at school with a real lamb on the end of a lead!
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What were you like at school?
I was a shy little girl who spent all my time in the library with my head in a book. I always went to geography and my Spanish teacher did know my name and as for gym…well, I loved every minute of it. Truthfully, if I could avoid my geography lessons then I would and I only went to Spanish once – it seems I wasn’t missed. As for Gym, I guess that depended on our lovely English weather! I did, however, love English and history – I took those subjects very seriously. I had great friends at school and yes, sometimes we did get up to mischief, but usually I managed to elegantly talk my way out of any awkward situation.
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What was your first job?
I got my very first ‘job’ when I was about ten years old – I was a keen equestrian and worked for rides. When I was fourteen I volunteered at a veterinary surgery and I had a great time there. At 16, I got my first ‘paid’ job, working evenings, after school, in a pharmacy.
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Was writing something you always wanted to do?
I have always loved to make up stories and imagine different times in history. But it wasn’t until 12 years ago when my closest friend and I were talking about writing. She was in the middle of her English degree and was doing a module on creative writing. I already had this idea buzzing around my head about a book and I told her about it. She liked the idea and told me to get on and write it.
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Your novel, The Du Lac Chronicles, is set after the death of King Arthur. Was Arthurian Legend always something you were interested in?
I grew up very near Glastonbury – The Ancient Isle of Avalon – and for me King Arthur was as much a part of my childhood as say, Santa Claus. My older sister would tell me these beautiful stories about The Once and Future King and I was enchanted. As an adult I began to research the period Arthur supposedly lived in. I reread the stories by Monmouth and Malory and the other great Arthurian authors. But I was always a little disheartened about how the stories of King Arthur ended. Arthur is fatally wounded at the battle of Camlann – he is taken to Avalon and never seen again. His knights – if they had not fallen at Camlann, seem to disappear or become hermits. I never really bought into that. I wanted to write about what happened next to these great men.
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If you could go back in time to the period in which King Arthur lived, would you?
To be able to see a time in the past with your own eyes would be truly incredible, but also very foreign. I don’t know if I would want to. I don’t think I would be brave enough. And besides, I have my imagination. I am happy creating the world of Arthur in my stories.
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Hi thank you so much for this opportunity ??