Godwine Kingmaker: Part One of The Last Great Saxon Earls
Description
<p><span><span>Harold Godwineson, the Last Anglo-Saxon King, owed everything to his father. Who was this Godwine, first Earl of Wessex and known as the Kingmaker? Was he an unscrupulous schemer, using King and Witan to gain power? Or was he the greatest of all Saxon Earls, protector of the English against the hated Normans? The answer depends on who you ask. He was befriended by the Danes, raised up by Canute the Great, given an Earldom and a wife from the highest Danish ranks. He sired nine children, among them four Earls, a Queen and a future King. Along with his power came a struggle to keep his enemies at bay, and Godwine's best efforts were brought down by the misdeeds of his eldest son Swegn. Although he became father-in-law to a reluctant Edward the Confessor, his fortunes dwindled as the Normans gained prominence at court. Driven into exile, Godwine regathered his forces and came back even stronger, only to discover that his second son Harold was destined to surpass him in renown and glory.</span></span></p>
Story Behind The Book
I wanted to write a novel for a younger generation of readers (the ebook generation perhaps?). There has been no big-selling book on youth culture since The Beach and Trainspotting over 15 years ago!
Club culture has been popular with young people for many years so I thought it was a perfect setting for a crime thriller/murder mystery, incorporating the good and bad aspects of the scene and some colourful characters.
Many of the story strands are based on real events, I just invented characters and narrative to fit the plot, much like Mario Puzo did with The Godfather(He's my biggest inspiration). Some of it is based on my own experience, but not the crime though!