Accepting Reality

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Sandra Wagner-Wright

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Saxon Heroines

Literature & Fiction

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Synopsis
Seventh century England is a hodgepodge of warring Anglo-Saxon states filled with shifting alliances and treacherous grabs for royal power. Kings rise and fall, depending on Woden's Luck. Northumbria, the damp kingdom north of the River Humber, is a state riven with rivalries and kings determined to expand at any cost. Women have no obvious role in a warrior society, but by using their wits, four women—two queens and two abbesses—make monumental changes. One woman marries a pagan king and successfully converts him to Christianity before he dies in battle. One becomes the most powerful abbess in Northumbria and holds the Great Synod at Whitby Abbey, which brings the kingdom back to the Roman Church. Another becomes queen and keeps political alliances strong despite different religious denominations. The fourth woman ushers in a new age by negotiating with kings and churchmen to establish one united church in the Northumbrian kingdom. Based on true events and people, this is the story of Northumbria through the eyes of the most important women of their time.

bio

Author Biography

Sandra writes historical fiction. Her latest book, "Ambition, Arrogance & Pride" focuses on 18th century Salem MA. Sandra also blogs about history, travel, and other topics that catch her attention. For more information about Sandra, visit her website https://www.sandrawagnerwright.com

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Author Insight

Accepting Reality

When ten-year-old Hildegard contemplates her future, and concludes she doesn't have one, her mother laughs, as if to ask "What did you expect?" Hildegard can't believe that when the previous queen died, she was quickly forgotten. A new queen is coming, and Hildegard must adjust. There is, her mother seems to say, only the present moment.

Book Excerpt

Saxon Heroines

I clench my eyes closed and concentrate on my future. I’m the daughter of a dead prince. The king can’t use me for an alliance, so he’ll probably give me to one of his thanes as a reward.

I look at my mother. “I don’t think I have a useful purpose.”

Mother laughs again and hands me my cap. “Perhaps not. But you’ll never find any purpose if you can’t accept reality. A new queen is coming, and we’ll support the king and make her welcome. Can you do that for me?”

I nod. “But . . .”

“There is no but. We belong to King Edwin. As long as he rules, we are safe. And the alliance with Kent makes us strong.”
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