For months, Lady Laura has begged me to send off a swab to MyHeritage for a reason I'll get to in a second.
And for months, I've put it off for two genuine reasons:
- I've been bloody busy with Book 6 of The Divided Region (which is speeding along now that I've reverted to my tried-and-true outlining).
- I don't really fancy them cloning me.
Though, come to think of it, the extra manpower would definitely help here in my writer's corner…
So why did I finally relent?
Was it Laura's incessant nagging?
Because I had been violating the "Happy Wife, Happy Life" tenet for too long?
No, the reason is far more hilarious:
For as long as we've been together, I've teased her about my Spanish roots, which took on many exaggerated forms. Some days, I'd say "Gracias" when she made me a coffee. Other times, I'd rattle off some Spanish for the hell of it.
These antics were always met with an eye roll and something akin to:
"Daniel. You're English — now, put a sock in it or take the damn swab!"
Realising I've dragged this joke out long enough, I took the swab, and I can now reveal…
THE RESULTS ARE IN
(And they are more surprising than I thought.)
But before I share the screenshot, a little prelude:
Laura and I agreed that if I had 10 per cent or more Spanish blood rushing through my veins, she'd concede defeat and let me live out a long and happy life with my paellas.
So what will it be — paellas or pork pies?
Well, take a gander for yourself:
English: 34.4%
Spanish, Catalan and Basque: 21.7%
Scottish and Welsh: 19.3%
French: 5.5%
Dutch: 4.8%
Danish: 3.7%
Breton: 3.4%
Irish: 2.8%
And the rest is a mix of Portuguese and Italian.
In other words…
I’M A MONGREL
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Safe to say, Lady Laura (who, as it turns out, is 60% Irish) isn't best pleased — she even had the cheek to accuse me of doctoring them!
If you thought I had an ego, you haven't met my fine lady yet.
Needless to say, despite the irrefutable evidence, there's still more chance of Iran wishing America a Happy 250th Birthday this July than Laura ever calling me Señor Watson.
But that won't stop me from trying.
I'm a stubborn ol' boil, me.
A bit like Jangar from The Divided Region in an uncanny way. While he and I don't share Spanish blood, or even come from the same world, we are outspoken, deeply flawed, and occasionally bloody hilarious.
Though I'll admit he probably does a better job at all three of those things.
Keen to meet this unruly brute of a man?
Then you'll find him in Chapter 2 of Exiled here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/Exiled
Or if you'd prefer to grab it at your favourite retailer, go here:
https://books2read.com/dividedregionexiled
Adiós, amigos y amigas (oops).
DJJW