Please give a warm
welcome to historical romance author, Gina
Conkle. Gina is going to tell us all about her inspirations behind her
fabulous book…
To Find
A Viking Treasure
Survival’s
in his blood…
Rough-souled
Brand has one task —protect the Frankish slave, Sestra. Her life's full of
hardship…until she learns the location of a treasure. With war coming, stealing
the enemy's riches will save lives and possibly win her freedom, but only one
man can defend her —the fierce Viking scout, Brandr.
The two
have always traded taunts, now they must share trust. A clash of wills rises on
the trail as passion flares and secrets unfold, leading one to make a shocking
sacrifice on the quest To Find a Viking Treasure.
***
Author’s
Inspiration
When
someone says Vikings, what’s the
first thing that comes to mind?
Alpha
males in overdrive? Hard working farmers? Skilled craftsmen?
The truth is all of the above. Viking culture
was nuanced with forward-thinking ideas when it came to women and power. True,
they were at times brutal, but the more you explore their past, the more
complexities you find. One Viking leader, King Olof Skotkonung, surprised me.
His story planted the seed for my Norse series.
King Olof ruled Svea (the historic core of
Sweden) from 1008 – 1022. His kingdom spanned the island of Aland to the north,
the southern island Gotland, and the throne seat, Uppsala and the surrounding
land. During his reign, the Viking Age as we know it today was winding down.
Big changes happened in Norway. Those Viking kings and jarls converted to
Christianity (in word…perhaps not in deed). Yet, Svea was a hold out to the old
ways, maintaining the grisly sacrifice of nine men every nine years.
All accounts paint King Olof as a strong leader.
Svea had a reputation of being the richest and most brutal of all Vikingdom,
yet the region of Svea enjoyed peace. That changed in 1022. It was time for the
Ninth Year Blot and King Olof stunned his people by calling for the end of the ritual
sacrifice. When other Viking kings flashed swords calling, “Convert, or else!” to
Christianity, King Olof chose the nonviolent route.
Shock spread through Svea. These were a proud,
mighty people who held fast to their superstitions and their many gods. The
response to this cultural crisis was yet another bombshell.
By now you might think King Olof lost his head, right?
Surprisingly, no. King Olof’s fourteen year old son, Anund Jakob made a play
for the throne, and he won! History paints Anund Jakob at fourteen as fully
bearded and nearly as tall as a full grown man. Facial hair and height don’t
make the man, but what Anund Jakob did once he took the throne showed his true
mettle. He peacefully exiled his father rather than commit patricide.
This cross roads of paganism and Christianity of
violence and goodwill fascinated me. It made me go deeper into Viking history.
I visited Sweden and parts of Scotland (I’ve even visited the controversial
Kensington Runestone in Minnesota). The more you dig, the more you discover
different sects in the Viking religion as evidenced by burial methods and other
archaeological finds. You see ambivalence among Vikings to their capricious
gods. You also learn the vibrant place women had in their culture.
My Norse series is strongly interconnected,
beginning with the divorced Viking chieftain Hakan, who wants to lay down his
sword and live a peaceful farmer’s life. Hakan is apathetic to the Norse pantheon
in that tumultuous summer…right as the king calls for his sword arm. To make
matters worse, he falls in love with a staunchly Christian Frankish thrall in Norse Jewel.
In To Find
a Viking Treasure (Norse series book 2) the heroine, Sestra, is a feisty
thrall who thinks skalds spin entertaining stories about Norse gods, but that’s
it for her and religion. She falls in love with Brandr, a House Karl (common
warrior) who believes Odin whispers to him. Yet, these are only a fraction of
the depth and breadth of these books.
To Heal
a Viking Heart (Norse series book 3) explores a hardened
Ulfhednar warrior, an elite rank of Viking warrior on par with the most elite
soldiers today. You didn’t decide to join these shaman-like fighters; you had
to be invited. In To Save a Viking
Warrior (Norse series book 4) you meet not one but two female silversmiths.
Viking women weren’t content to sit back and let
men run the show. They inherited land and wealth on equal footing with men.
They could divorce easily. Even more interesting, sexual pleasure was as much a
province women sought as men. Some women divorced when their husbands couldn’t
or wouldn’t meet their sexual needs! History tells of foreign female thralls
(slaves) staking their claim in Vikingdom. Ever heard of Melkorka of Iceland?
I’ll share her story another time. The woman deserves her own post.
But you get the idea. Viking strength, Viking
diversity, Viking people are much more than the one dimensional “raid and
trade” view many hold. Viking men and women and the people who lived among them
are an enthralling lot.
My thanks to Mary Anne Yarde for hosting me.
It’s lovely to be here and talk history.
~Gina Conkle
Links to Purchase
About
the author
Hi, I’m Gina Conkle
and I write Viking and Georgian romance, which makes for interesting characters
in my head. I grew up in southern California and despite all that sunshine, I
love books over beaches and stone castles over sand castles. Now I live in
Michigan with my favorite alpha male, Brian, and our two sons where I’m known
to occasionally garden and cook. Living in snow gives me the perfect excuse to
get lost in reading and writing.
Hi Mary Anne,
ReplyDeleteThanks again for hosting me on your blog and for the pleasure of getting to converse with you via email and social media. It's been great! ~ Gina