Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

I've just finished one of the most fun writing projects I've ever worked on: six writers collaborated on an anthology of short stories. We are all women who write about Vikings--some of us historical, some of us paranormal--so it makes sense to call our collection TALES OF THE VALKYRIES. Writing can be a very solitary exercise and working with Gina Conkle , Lisa Hendrix , Anna Markland , Emma Prince , and Harper St. George on this project refueled my creativity. Since we finished the anthology, I've written more words per day than I normally do. The anthology is currently free at Barnes & Noble and Kobo . We're still waiting for Amazon to price match, but they say they will do so shortly. Meanwhile, you can claim your Kindle version through our instaFreebie campaign. And then mark your calendar for our super fun Facebook party on Thursday September 15 at 5:30 - 9:10 PM (EDT) . You'll be able to win great giveaways and a grand prize of Amazon gift car...

One of the best things about being a writer is that your all consuming interests are called research instead of obsessions . While writing my Viking Warriors series, I can bury my nose in books about Norse mythology and nobody can fault me for not working. It's so awesome! Most of my research comes from books and the internet, but during a visit to my parents' house a few years ago, I took a side trip to the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum in Denmark . The museum houses five original Viking ships from the 11th century. These ships were used in a blockade in a natural channel close to Skuldelev, which is 20 km north of Roskilde, the Viking age capital of Denmark. During the scrimmage, the ships were purposely sunk. In 1962, they were excavated in thousands of pieces. An unbelievable feat of underwater archaeology. Each piece of timber had to be conserved and then painstakingly puzzled together to recreate the ships. Each ship is a different type and together they give a unique in...

It's been quite a year for the Viking Warriors series so far. Immortal Viking King Leif snagged double RITA nominations for the first book, VIKING WARRIOR RISING, and this October Valkyrie Astrid arrives to kick ass. Check out the amazing cover that the Sourcebooks Casablanca team created for VIKING WARRIOR REBEL!   She can’t let him discover…Immortal Vikings are among us. Astrid Irisdotter is a Valkyrie, a fierce warrior fighting to protect humanity from the evil god Loki and his brutal minions. She’s on an urgent mission for her queen when everything goes hideously sideways. Undercover agent Luke Holden arrives on the scene just in time to save her life—and put his own on the line. Luke may have saved her, but that doesn’t mean Astrid can trust him. Tempers flare as they hide secret upon secret from each other, but Astrid’s inner warrior knows what it wants…and it will not take no for an answer. Pre-order links: Amazon: http://hyperurl.co/0fx3ut Barnes & ...

Once upon a time a young writer started querying her finished novel to publishers and agents. She finished two more novels, and queried those projects too. Although she got many full requests and very helpful feedback, all the rewrites in the world didn’t what she she so wanted—someone who loved her stories as much as she did. Someone who would help her make it shine bright and deliver it to the world's readers. And then one day, her dream came true! Okay so she wasn’t all that young, but the rest of the story is totally true! ;-) The person who loved my book as much as I did is fabulous editor Cat Clyne. She picked me out of the slush pile and saw something in my immortal Vikings that made her want to shape my story into a proper novel. The book had been rejected 47 times by then. I had rewritten it several times using the feedback I’d gotten from some of those rejections, but that input was very limited compared to what Cat sent me. She included a broad overview of how ...

Since my Viking Warriors series is contemporary paranormal, I spend more time reading about Norse mythology than history. Although when you study Vikings, the two are very much linked. And it was because of the enthusiasm of one of my history teachers that I first became so interested in my Norse forefather explorers and their gods and goddesses.   Skåne Coat of Arms I grew up in the very southern part of Sweden and history lessons were a little problematic for my school teachers. If they went by the standard curriculum, we’d be studying all the kings of Sweden and the various wars they fought. However, the southernmost tip of Sweden was actually Danish until 1658 when it changed hands according to the Treaty of Roskilde. The people where a bit reluctant to change nationality and organized an uprising against the Swedish militia. It wasn’t until 1720 that things settled down and Skåne province (Scania) finally flew the blue and yellow flag. The one thing my history tea...

I've shared my Viking-nerd side in previous posts. If you'll indulge me, I'd like to share a little more in this post and the next. Vikings had their own brand of democracy: one voice, one vote through their annual Thingvellir meeting (also called   Thing or   Althing ).  Independence and rule of law are their hallmarks. But in all Vikingdom, volcanic Iceland bred a fierce style of self-governance. The near-arctic Vikings lived by their own set of rules on remote Iceland.  They never had a king in residence, rather a "Law Giver" or "Law Speaker" led the island who answered to a distant king.* Iceland's democratic spirit was tested in what I call "The Great Vote of 1000."  Discord brewed between two factions --- Christians versus pagans. The surprise? The two groups had lived peacefully most of the time. From early settlement, leaders divided Iceland into four main sections. One person oversaw his or her...

A section of the famous Bayeux Tapestry. October 14th marks the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings.  History lists battle after battle, so what's the big deal?  William the Conqueror changed the face of Europe on that fateful day, moving England...the world into a new era.  How  did  William get there? Here's Five Fast Facts: 1. Son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and Herleva (aka Arlette), William didn't let his illegitimate birth stop him from claiming his birthright. Robert I declared William heir to the Dukedom, a mantle William took after his father's death in 1035. 2. In 1051, William visited Edward the Confessor (then King of England). Childless Edward supposedly named William his heir. A deathbed change-of-heart caused Edward to name Harold Godwinson, son of an Anglo-Saxon nobleman, England's new heir. 3. October 1066, William showed up in Sussex with 7000 men. Edward showed up with 6000. Most agree the battle was fought all day a...