The Time of Singing
Synopsis
Based on the true story of a royal mistress and a knight in search of his inheritance. The Time of Singing is a bittersweet tale of love and loss and discovery set in late 12th century England.
When Roger Bigod, heir to the powerful earldom of Norfolk arrives at court in 1177 to settle a bitter inheritance dispute with his half-brothers, he encounters Ida de Tosney, young mistress to King Henry II. A victim of Henry’s seduction, and the mother of his son, Ida is attracted to Roger and sees in him a chance of lasting security beyond the fickle dazzle of her current life. But her decision to marry Roger carries an agonising price.
Roger’s importance as a mainstay of the Angevin government puts an increasing strain on their marriage. Ida is deeply unhappy with the life she must live in his absence and grieves for her losses. Against a volatile political background, the gulf between Ida and Roger threatens to widen beyond crossing, especially when so many bridges have already been burned.
Note: This title has been published in the US as ‘For the King’s Favor‘.
“Arise my love, my fair one,
And come away;
For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone,
the flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come.”
~ Song of Solomon ~
Extracts for download
Links, blog posts and resources
- Roger Bigod II’s biography
- Sources used to write the biography of Roger Bigod II
- A novel experience – a blog post about the writing process with particular reference to The Time of Singing
- Change of plan – how I came to write The Time of Singing in the first place
- Where did you get that hat? – Roger Bigod and his beloved hats
- Three blog posts about research trips:
On the trail of the past
Ruined reputations!
Furred grey gloves and hot air - Four related posts about the research for The Time of Singing:
New Year, New Title and grubbing among the tomes
Continuing the research books
Next lot of research books
A few more photos - Post Script. Roger Bigod’s Christmas – Roger Bigod at Christmas time as seen through the Akashic Record