An Unexpected Visitor

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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.

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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

An Unexpected Visitor

Hildeburg thinks she's going to meet her sister in Frankland. The bags are packed. The last farewells are being written. And then an obstacle shows up. Abbot Aiden received the letter from Abbess Enfleda and traveled from Lindisfarne in the north to East Anglia in the south. It isn't a short journey. Imagine Hildeburg's surprise when she sees this stranger. He must have seemed like a ghost from her past. How could he be standing in her chamber? Why was he here? Trying to control her scattered thoughts, Hildeburg sends for refreshments.

Book Excerpt

Saxon Heroines

At last, all is ready. The winter storms die down. We pack our chests for the journey. Ealdwulf comes to wish us Godspeed and gives me a letter for his mother.

I’m finishing my farewell letter for Enfleda when a visitor arrives. His feet are bare, his hair unkempt, and his tunic torn. He holds a staff and wears the largest cross I’ve ever seen.

“We haven’t met,” he says. “I am Abbot Aidan from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.”

“Lindisfarne?” I repeat dumbly. “In Bernicia?”

“Your family home. Do you remember it?”
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