Flint

Will and his brother Ned are commandeered into the army of ditch-diggers whose task it is to build the foundations for Edward I's castle at Flint. But the lads are nervous - and not just because they're far from home. Ned is a mute whose affinity with horses and skills as a herbalist make him suspicious in the eyes of their English overseers. In addition, Ned has been tutored by the exiled Welsh bard, Ieuan ap y Gof. An atmospheric and unusually affecting first novel, rich in historical and cultural detail.

PRAISE

'Its particular strength is the poetry of the language and the way it draws the reader into a stark, beautiful, dangerous mediaeval world, so rounded out and tactile that I believed I was there. It's a wonderful, miniature gem of a novel. The reader will need to concentrate as the novel does flick about in time, but once absorbed into the rhythm, it's a highly rewarding, skilled piece of writing. One for my keeper shelf.' - Historical Novel Society

'Flint is a novel you can read for the sheer joy of reading and that is the highest praise I can give to any writer.' - Lacuna A Journal of Historical Fiction

'...a poetic tale of brotherly love, conflicting allegiances and discovery. ...deep and true and feeling and spiritual attunement.' - Margaret Donsbach, www.historicalnovels.info

'Emotionally resonant, and considerably deeper than its short length might suggest, Flint celebrates the power of song and story to help us remember people and places that might otherwise be forgotten. Highly recommended.' - Reading the Past

'Fiction stamped with authenticity on every page, an original novel from a mature and imaginative writer.' - Steve Dube, Western Mail

'Delightful, erudite and gripping' --- Christine Willison, Pembrokeshire Country Arts Officer