Cover of the Month The Matchmaker's Mare Hello Everyone, I’m excited to tell you that my book has been nominated for the "Cover of the Month" contest on AllAuthor.com. It will help me so much if I could see some votes coming in, so I would really appreciate a vote my book cover - and it would be a great gesture for the cover artist too - she deserves all the credit for bringing the essence of my story to life! Thanks so much https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/19836/ Vote Now »

Thanks, Hywela Lyn

Welsh Myths and Legends Twm Sion Cati

Today's legend is a day late since I was hosting a fellow author yesterday.

The male romance lead in The Matchmaker's Mare,  my latest release, is a horse trainer, Glyn Phillips, who not only love horses, but also sharing Welsh myths and legends (a bit like me then!😄)

This is one of the tales that he mentions.

It's not just Sherwood Forest that has a famous outlaw who stole from the rich (although it's not confirmed that he gave his ill gotten gains to the poor, but we'll gloss over that.)

As a child, growing up in the area of west Wales where he lived, I was enthralled by the tales of Twm Siôn Cati. (Tom son of Cathi). He  may have become a legendary figure in Welsh folklore. but it seems he actually existed. Thomas Jones was of noble blood, born around 1530, supposedly the illegitimate son of the squire of Porthyffynnon (Fountain Gate), near Tregaron, mid west Wales and Catherine (Cati), the illegitimate daughter of one of the ancestors of Syr John Wynn of Gwydir. (a rather immoral lot some of these noble families), although it is actually more likely he was  the son of a farmer, Sion (John) son of David ap Madog. It was  common practice in rural Wales, traditionally a matriarchal society, for children with common names to be nicknamed after their mothers, so he became known as Twm Sion Cati.

Twm Sion Cati earned his reputation, roaming the rugged west and mid regions of Wales, relieving well to do travellers of their riches. It is thought he had some formal education and  was a talented poet. He appears to have progressed from being a a common thief and highwayman into quite a crafty and clever conman.
 
 According to one well known tale he once stole a fine chestnut mare from a farmer named Powell. Twm then painted the animal grey and sold it back to the farmer - who didn't find out how he'd been cheated until rain washed the paint off the horse!

Another tale tells how Twm stayed an inn overnight and learnt that a certain highwayman planned to  rob him the following day. He had a large sum of money with him and allowed the rumour to   get around that he had the money hidden in the pack saddle of his horse.The next day, Twm rode an old, broken winded nag along the track which the highwayman frequented. When the robber accosted him, Twm tossed the pack saddle in the middle of a pool. While the highwayman waded into the pool to fetch it, Twm  switched horses and galloped off on the highwayman's own horse, a fine, swift stallion.

Another time a shopkeeper tried to cheat him by selling him a pot with a hole in it, while claiming the it was sound. Twm dropped the pot over the man's head, saying that there was certainly a hole in it or he would not have been able to fit such a large thing as the shopkeeper's head inside it. He then made off with the other pots!

He was reputed to be compassionate though, and to have avoided hurting those from whom he stole. It is said he was able to secure his victim by firing an arrow which would pin the rider to his saddle, rendering him unable to move, but unharmed.

Twm often hid from his arch enemy the Sheriff of Carmarthen in a cave on the slopes of the rugged, densely wooded Dinas Hill, about 12 miles north of Llandovery, close to the village of Rhandirmwyn. Beneath the cave, the mountain river Pysgotwr joins the larger River Towy and thunders through the rocky gorge below. These days Dinas Hill is on RSPB nature reserve and  can be visited by tourists and visitors interested in the legend of Twm Sion Catti.

When Elizabeth 1st came to the throne he was pardoned and returned from Geneva where he had fled to escape the law. He served as steward for the lordship of Caron and later a Justice of The Peace and geneologist, becoming wealthy and marrying an heiress widow. becoming much loved and respected until his death in 1609.

There are several books written about this loveable rougue, including Lynn Hughes' book about Twm, entitled 'Hawkmoor', which was serialised by the BBC in back in 1977.

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The origin of 'The Matchmaker's Mare'

It's hard to believe that it's a week since The Matchmaker's Mare was published! It's also the 5th day of my blog tour. Thank you to Rachel's Random Resources for organising the tour, and to all the kind hosts on the tour. I really appreciate your support.

I was recently asked how I came to write The Matchmaker's Mare. 

It actually started (like several of my books) as a short story. I had an idea about a white witch and her pony, and that led to wondering what their history was.  Then my publisher put out a 'Call for submissions' for stories featuring 'friendly ghosts'. I immediately thought about my mystical witch and her pony. The heroine changed from a witch, to a matchmaker from the distant past. Gradually the plot began to change and evolve, starting with the young woman, Rhiannon,  fleeing from an arranged marriage. 

The story  had always been set in my native Wales, in an imaginary village, but also in an area near where I used to live. After introducing Rhiannon and her truelove, Sion, it flashed forward to the present time. Gradually the character of Megan began to emerge. (Neither she nor Glyn had been in the original short story.)  I've always loved horses, but despite owning and riding them as soon as I could afford to buy my first horse, I'd never written a full length story featuring horses. They do make an apearance in two of my Science Fiction Romances that form part of The Destiny Trilogy, and my fantasy novella Dancing With Fate, but now was my opportunity to  indulge  my passion, and have them play a  greater role, with my male protagonist being a skilled horseman and trainer. However between working full time and looking after my horses, as well as some personal health issues and  family bereavements, I got no further than a very rough draft. 

A couple of years ago I decided to return to the manuscript. I revised it several times and made a few changes. I  developed my characters more fully,and introduced some supporting characters. Then, after feedback from my beta readers and crit group, submitted it to my editor with my fingers crossed. To my delight, she liked it.  I hope my readers will enjoy it too, it's a short, fairly lighthearted romantic paranormal read, which I hope will leave you smiling.

BLURB

When Megan Johnson inherits an old cottage in the Welsh countryside, she seizes the opportunity to cut ties with her past life, after a broken romance. Her nearest neighbour, a horse trainer, is also something of an enigma. Single dad Glyn Phillips does his best to balance his love of horses and hard work, with his devotion to his son. When he meets his new neighbour, he knows he should resist any attraction. A feisty pony mare which mysteriously appears on his land adds to his problems, but another, larger problem lies ahead. Two matchmaking spirits find their carefully laid plans may not go as smoothly as they hope.