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Sydney Williams will be awarding $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Author Interview: Sydney Williams

How do you pick your character’s personalities or looks?

When writing my book I was using historical notes, which is where most of my characters came from. When I read the notes about each character, I imagined what they may have looked like based on what they did. For example, my main character was a warrior and it was clear in the notes that he was noble and cared a lot for his family and his people. So I took what the notes showed about the man and expanded it to make him more than just a name and notes on a page and make him a real person again with feelings and everything else that makes us human. As for looks, again I based that on what the character did. Any of the ones that were warriors would have been athletes, so I imagined they would have been very fit and muscular in build. In a battle quite often people would be hurt and so for some of the characters I put in scars on their body and so on.

What are your favourite genres to read? What are your favourite genres to write? And why are they your favourite?

My favourite genre to read has to be historical fiction, but I also love reading a good fantasy novel with magic in it like in the Harry Potter series. I like how historical fiction authors bring people   historical figures back to life through their writing. A good fantasy book is great to though. The worlds some authors come up with in their imaginations can be very captivating. I like writing historical fiction because it is a lot of fun to imagine a historical figure as a person and I love the having the chance to bring them back to life through my writing.

Once an idea takes root, how long does it take you to write it down? Do you use outlines?

When I got the idea for my book it took me quite a while to write it. The first thing I did though was create an outline to be able to figure out which historical notes went where and through that was able to create my chapters. I think the first draft probably took me about eight or nine months to write in total.

Do you have a favourite author? Or someone you would say has influenced your writing style?

I think my favourite author is probably the author of the Outlander series. But I wouldn’t say that just one author influenced my writing style. I base my writing style on what I have liked from many different books I have read by many different authors.

What are your hobbies other than writing?

As well as being an author, I am also a songwriter and an artist. I also like just sitting back and relaxing while watching a show or listening to some music while knitting.

Do you have a genre you would never write?

I couldn’t see myself writing horror or romance novels. I don’t think I could pull off a good mystery novel either.

What was your favourite book growing up?

I think my favorite books’ growing up was the Harry Potter series. They came out when I was 11 and my dad would read them to me. I loved disappearing into Harry’s magical world.

Princes & Kings

A Rose in a Thorn Bush

by Sydney Williams

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GENRE: Historical Fantasy

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BLURB:

In the year 1240 AD, the land of Gwynedd Wales found themselves without a leader when their king, Llywelyn the Great, died at a ripe old age. The natural successor to the king was his son Dafydd, who took on the job of ruler after his death. Soon after taking on the job he was forced to sign a treaty with the king of England and send his brother Gruffudd and his nephew Owain to England to be imprisoned in the Tower of London in exchange for keeping his land and title. His other nephew, Llywelyn, became the new head warrior after his father’s imprisonment, travelling the country and patrolling the borders to the north and the south. After four years imprisonment in the Tower of London, Gruffudd died while attempting to escape from his tower cell, and his son Owain was released by the king himself. He wanted Owain to help him start a civil war in Gwynedd. Meanwhile, after finding out about his brother’s death from a letter sent by his nephew Owain, Dafydd declared war on England, prompting Owain to escape Winchester Castle, where he had been recovering from his time in prison to find his brother Llywelyn and help him in the war between England and Gwynedd. During the course of the war, Dafydd was killed in battle, leaving the Welsh army without a leader. Being the brave and noble man that he was, Llywelyn called the men to him and, with his leadership, they managed to send the English packing. With the new weight of responsibility thrust upon his shoulders, Llywelyn rode home at the head of the army to find that his world had changed. Now not only was his father gone but his mother as well, and the land of Gwynedd was once again without a leader. It became clear that the best man for the job was Llywelyn himself, and he decided that there was nothing else to do but become the new ruler. He would do anything to keep his people safe, even if that meant taking on a responsibility that he felt he was too young for. He would never abandon his people for anything and let the English take everything from him.

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Excerpt:

Chapter 1: A Funeral to Remember

The town of Aberfraw Castle in the Valley of Clwyd Snowdonia, Gwynedd, Wales in the year 1240 AD

It was a cold, damp afternoon. In the town of Aberfraw Castle, all of Gwynedd wails as a procession of finely dressed nobles carried the coffin of the late King of Gwynedd, Llywelyn, the Great, through the streets. From all over the land, Gwynedd’s subjects arrived: they came to look upon the face of their dead King and to mourn his passing. The cobbles, slippery from a powerful rainstorm the night before, hampered the procession of nobles as they prepared to lay him to rest. The sky was still overcast with clouds that promised more rain as if nature was mourning for the great man. Filthy street urchins roughly shoved through the crowds of people, trying to catch a glimpse of the nobles while more fortunate children sat upon the shoulders of their father to see the royal party in their fine outfits.

Leading the royal procession were the King’s two sons, Dafydd ap Llywelyn and Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. Gruffudd, the King’s younger and illegitimate son, had no claim to the throne. He didn’t mind; he had never wanted to be a ruler. Gruffudd preferred being the head warrior of the royal army, protecting the people of the land in that way. It gave him a sense of freedom somehow that he felt being ruler would not. He was resplendently dressed as any noble should be in a thick green wool tunic, wool leggings tucked at the knee with high leather boots. His height and physique gave him an air of command and respect, both on the battlefield and off it, and gained him a lot of respect with the people of the land.

Gruffudd’s wise gray eyes turned towards his wife, Senana, who walked beside him with her head held high, giving her an air of great confidence. She felt him looking at her and caught his eye with a loving smile. Smiling back, he felt blessed to have such a woman by his side. From the moment they first met, he had known that she was the woman he would marry. Her light brown hair fell in the way that he liked, in a single braid that snaked down the back of her dress. Her dark-green silk skirt complimented his tunic and set off her deep blue eyes nicely. Such eyes any man in love could easily get lost in.

The heavy air wasn’t helping his somber mood. Instead, Gruffudd felt like it weighed heavily down on his heart, finding it hard to breathe. He had loved his father very much and would miss him terribly. He felt the loss of his father like a dagger to the heart. But he would not cry. He told himself that he had to stay strong for his children who must also be feeling the loss of their grandfather. He felt blessed that he had at least been able to say goodbye to him.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Sydney has a big imagination and has been writing and performing from a young age. After going blind from Leukemia at the age of three, she found release from the medical part of her life through her music and her writing. In high school she excelled in English and history and after she left school she continued to write and to create her music. She formed her band, The Undercurrents with her best friend and drummer, Alex Nacci at the age of 22 and has been playing music with the band ever since.

Her book, Princes and Kings, is her first professional novel and it is book one of the historical fiction series she is writing titled, A Rose in A Thorn Bush about the last king of Wales. She was introduced to her main character in high school and with the encouragement of her Business Abilities coach she finely decided to write his story. Splitting the story into three books. Sydney has always enjoyed reading historical fiction and has found it an interesting genre to write in. After her series is finished she plans to continue writing about different historical British characters for as long as she can. Being Welsh on her father’s side and Scottish and English on her mother’s Britain is a place that interests her greatly and she has enjoyed writing about one of its characters. Giving her a chance to explore her heritage in a fun and exciting way and she looks forward to sharing her passion for the genre and the history of the British Isles with the world.

CONNECT WITH SYDNEY

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21888149.Sydney_Williams

Website: http://sydwilliamsauthor.com/

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/princes-and-kings-sydney-williams/1140023042

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CMYGZKW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect

PURCHASE LINKS   

AMAZON.COM

https://amazon.com/dp/0228863457

KINDLE

https://amazon.com/dp/B09CMYGZKW

INDIGO CHAPTERS

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/princes-and-kings/9780228863472-item.html

BOOK DEPOSITORY

https://www.bookdepository.com/Princes-and-Kings-Sydney-Williams/9780228863458

RAKUTEN KOBO

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/princes-and-kings

SMASHWORDS

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1099246

APPLE BOOKS

https://books.apple.com/us/book/princes-and-kings/id1581434633

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a Rafflecopter giveaway