Guest Post w/ Cornelia Amiri + Giveaway

On this lovely Friday I would love to thank Cornelia for stopping by Uniquely Moi Books and sharing a little of her time with us and her knowledge in some really interesting things! Check out the picture of her first before you read! Cornelia is the author of 
The Prince of Powys, freshly released January 7th!

Daffodils & The Prince of Powys

By Cornelia Amiri

Daffodils and newborn lambs heralded springtime in Wales for thousands of years. Not only are yellow daffodils the essence of spring but they also hold a place of sacred honor to the Welsh. One of the daffodil's many Welsh names is Cenhinen Bedr (Peter's leek). St. David, also known as Dewi, the patron saint of Wales, was a monk who lived on bread, water, herbs and leeks. The day he died, March 1, 589 A. D., is celebrated each year in Wales as St. David’s day. At the battle of Heathfield in 633 AD, which took place in a field of leeks, St. David told the Welsh warriors to wear a leek on their helmet so they could tell them apart from the Saxons they were fighting. Legend has it the wild daffodils open their buds on March 1st to remind people of Saint David. Also Welsh soldiers wear a leek or daffodil in the their caps each year on St. David's Day. Daffodils are often worn in place of leeks in hats and buttonholes, because they’re prettier and smell much sweeter.

When the Welsh began to settle in the New World, they did not leave their love of daffodils behind. They planted daffodils outside their homes to welcome new arrivals from Wales, so the immigrants would know where their fellow countrymen were living. As my maiden name is Welsh, my ancestor, Joseph Pritchett, may have gotten off the boat in Virginia in 1650 to find blooming daffodils welcoming him. Recently I attended the Daffodil festival in Round Rock Texas where they celebrate the national flower of Wales each year with fun and food. They have daffodil balloons, daffodil corsages, and daffodil note pads. A photo is attached of me holding a daffodil balloon. The daffodil cup cakes were mouth watering, melt in your mouth delights. Don’t’ tell anyone, but I ate three. They were so good. But best of all the Daffodil festival had bunches of sunny daffodils.

Even warriors, both present and past, loved daffodils. The 8^th century Welsh Warrior King, Elsiedd, has a pillar, a standing cross his grandson erected to honor his deeds in battle, which still stands in Powys near Eglwyseg Mountain. In my new young adult novel, The Prince of Powys, King Elisedd picked daffodils at the hill fort of Dynas Bran and discovered the magic within them.

Excerpt:

“Men like your sire and I are warrior kings. We have no time for pretty words and daffodils. We must look after our land and our people." As the stern-faced king spoke those words, he twirled a daffodil in hand.

Branda covered her trembling lips to keep from laughing. She gathered a bouquet of the yellow flowers and handed them to the king.

”Don’t tell Carthann that you picked these flowers," Elisedd said.

“No." Branda leaned in close to him. "Are you going to give her the daffodils?"

"Yes. Let her think I picked them, for it was my intent. It is why I offered to bring you here, I remember a time when I picked daffodils for her. The summer scents and a pretty maid meant much to me. You make me feel young again girl."

Here is blurb for The Prince of Powys:

In an age of heroes, Branda, a Saxon princess helps Blaise, a Prince of Powys, escape her father’s stronghold. In turn, he vows to escort the princess to her sister in Scotland so she can escape an arranged marriage. Instead, he holds her captive as his hostage in the unbreachable hill fort of Dinas Bran, where she captures his heart. Will Blaise be forced to throw away his honor for love or to tear out his heart for honor?

Blogging Contest: I am having a blogging contest today. The other national emblem of Wales is a Red Dragon. I’m giving away a Welsh toy dragon. Leave a comment or question below and I will randomly select a winner from the comments. Please include your email address so I can get in touch with you if you win.

For more on The Prince of Powys please visit my website at http://CelticRomanceQueen.com

How fascinating! Thank you so much Cornelia! The Prince of Powys is available at Amazon. Don't wait to download yours!