The Wistful and the Good by GM (Mark) Baker now available in paperback

The Wistful and the Good {Book One of Cuthbert’s People}

In the year 793, a great Viking raid devastated the rich monastery of Lindisfarne, announcing the opening of the Viking age. In a small coastal village a few miles south of Lindisfarne, Elswyth, the daughter of a simple thegn and a slave, is preparing to marry a nobleman, Drefan of Bamburgh, a match that will secure her family’s fortunes.

But Elswyth’s family has been trading with a Norse clan since before she was born and when Leif, the son of the Norse jarl, arrives seeking to raise a ransom for his kidnapped father by selling Christian holy books, Elswyth is charged with keeping the peace between Drefan and Leif. On its own this would be difficult enough, but it becomes so much harder when Elswyth finds herself starting to fall for Leif.

If Elswyth follows her heart, or fails to allay Drefan’s growing suspicions, bloodshed and slavery are certain to follow.

The Wistful and the Good is being serialized on Substack here and is available in Kindle or as a paperback here.

Mark Baker recently moved to Bridgewater, Nova Scotia. One of Brian's students for several years, he is currently serializing the first book of his trilogy, The Wistful and the Good, on Substack under the pen name G. M. Baker.

Mark has also published three nonfiction books as well as stories in a number of journals including: Dappled Things, The Rockford Review, Storyteller, Solander, Our Family, New England's Coastal Journal, and Fantasy Book.

Find him as G. M. Baker on Facebook here. Subscribe to his newsletter here. 

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.