Most of my series tell the stories of several generations of one family. The 12 books of The Montbryce Legacy, for example, trace the family from the Norman Conquest in 1066 through to the reign of Henry II in 1152. The subsequent series, The Montbryce Dynasty narrates the stories of the first generation of Montbryces to call themselves Frenchmen after Normandy came under French control in 1204.
The Montbryce family survived and prospered in the turbulent world of medieval politics because they alway put the interests of the family first. The head of the family made the decisions and everyone followed his direction, like it or not. Family honor and unity was paramount.
Some readers have taken issue with my introduction of an illegitimate son of the Montbryce family. One of my favorite series, The FitzRam Family, introduces readers to Caedmon's children. The heroes and heroines of The Von Wolfenberg Dynasty are his grandchildren. A child born on the wrong side of the blanket was a very common occurrence in medieval times. I feel the way I portrayed the circumstances of Caedmon's conception and his subsequent acceptance into the Montbryce family did not dishonor Ram and Mabelle since they were no longer betrothed when Caedmon was conceived. Their deep love for each other survived the unexpected discovery of Ram's illegitimate son. This is what love does.
Anyway, I suppose thoughts of family have resurfaced this week for me with the arrival for a visit of two of my grandsons. They are both fine young men now but geographic circumstances have kept us apart for years. This visit will be a chance to get to know them better.
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