My Viking Soujurn Day 2—The Viking Ship Musuem!

As many of you know, I have long been obsessed with all things Viking. One of my more ‘mystically’ oriented friends is convinced that my current fixation on the Norse is because in a past life I lived either as a Viking or with Vikings. Not sure I believe in past lives, however I admire and respect pioneers. Long a go when asked to name my heroes in a job interview, I didn’t hesitate for a second, and answered, “Eric the Red, Shakespeare, Neil Armstrong, and my father.”

The interviewer was at first taken aback, and then he said, “You admire pioneers.” Until then, I had never made the connection between those four men.

Today we visited the Viking Ship Museum which is located on the island of Bygdøy in the Oslo Fjord in Norway. It is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo, and houses archaeological finds from Tune, Gokstad, Oseberg and the Borre mound cemeteries. The Viking buried their dead in the ships in which they traveled the world.

When you think back to what was known about the world in 982 A.D. it’s impossible (for me) to imagine the absolute courage it must’ve taken to sail into the unknown. Eric the Red left Iceland and sailed west with not a single clue as to if he would hit land or die first. To travel 1016 nautical miles (a nautical mile is 1852 meters or 6,067 feet, while a land mile is 1609 meters or 5280 feet), a journey estimated to take at least two months of solid rowing with completely no idea of not only what lay on the other end, but if there was anything at all there must’ve been harrowing.

Here are some pics of the Tune, Oseberg, and Gokstand Viking longships:

IMG_2827   IMG_2922   GOKSTAD

 

OESBERG   TUNE

Here’s the link to the museum for those who’re interested:

https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/

Can you tell I’m living and breathing Vikings these days?

Vikings & Mad Max!

First of all—the new Mad Max rules! And Charlize Theron rocks as a kick-ass heroine! She steals the movie.

Normally, I’m not a huge sci-fi fan, but Mad Max has so many elements of Viking lore and practices built into not just the plot, but also the visuals, that I was thoroughly enthralled. This is the kind of action-packed adventure where you are holding your breath for a majority of the time. Either that or cringing for the same-old same-old knee-jerk reaction to a scene only to be slack jawed when what happens is NOT at all what I expected.

A ton of movies these days rely on Viking lore. There was Yggdrasil, the Viking tree of life, in James Cameron’s Avatar. In The Mask, Jim Carey plays a man who finds a mask that gives him thee powers of the Norse God, Loki. The theme of Valhalla reigns in Max Max. And these are just a few examples.

The long and short of it is that if you want a breathless action adventure—go see the new Mad Max!

Floki Rules!

I love this!
FLOKI

 

The only drawback to loving the series The Vikings is having to wait until Fall 2016 for the next season.

Sigh, began my new Viking series in consolation and to get a daily Viking fix.

 

Wùlfe, Book #1 of Viking Invaders.

The Viking and I have recently discovered Netflix and binge-watching. Life may never be the same again. I even got my mother hooked on binge-watching. When she was here the last time, we watched Vikings, Season 1 and 2 in one day. We were bleary-eyed and totally mesmerized. She’s coming to visit in a couple of weeks and has already emailed me to mention that we need to watch all of Season 3 while’s she’s here.

After that, I decided to build models of castles. Go figure, senility has really settled in. These are the two castles I’ve built so far. What do you think? The bigger one is the model for Castle Wick, which is the site where my new series, Viking Invades begins.

Castle Wick front       Castle Wick overview      Castle Wick side

This smaller keep is Thurso Castle.

Castle Thurso front       Castle Thurso overview       Castle Thurso side

Three more to go.

So, here’s a little teaser from my Norse work-in-progress, Wùlfe, Book #1 of Viking Invaders:

***

In less than three weeks Lady Kelsi’s life had been turned upside down and inside out. All she had been taught meant naught. The rules and traditions of Fortune Priory held no sway at Castle Wick. And now she feared her life and those of her people would be lost.

Castle Wick’s defenses had been sorely neglected. If, as her uncle Bertram suspected, the Vikings who had killed her father and his warriors were bent on invasion, the siege would not last long.

Donnan, Castle Wick’s steward, charged into her father’s chamber.

He had a gash on his temple and blood streamed a scarlet river down his cheek. “It is the Norsemen milady. We are overrun. You must hide at once. You needs go post haste to the secret passages.”

“Where is my uncle?” Kelsi’s heart drummed against her ribs. Her palms were damp. Never had she felt such a strange combination of terror and, yet at the same time, a peculiar calm.

Donnan shook his head. “Dead. As are his men. We must throw ourselves on the Norsemen’s mercy.”

“Mercy. From Vikings? Nay. I will prepare for the worst.” Kelsi searched in her herb basket, selected several dried foxglove flowers and stems, and put the poisonous plants into the side pocket of her overtunic.

Did she have the courage to end her own life? Could she go against the teachings of the church?

The door banged against the wall.

Three gigantic men armed with shields and axes, their faces smeared with blue war paint, advanced into the room. Their height and size, their blood-stained flesh, their half-naked state, proved so menacing Kelsi feared she would swoon.

The man in the middle towered above the other two and she could not drag her glance from him. His gaze pierced her.

She prayed for a quick death.

He carried a massive sword in one hand and a terrifying gleaming axe in the other. Blood and mud marred the gleaming surface of both weapons.

“Who are you?” he growled and stalked to stand not a foot in front of her.

She smelled sweat and male musk. Her stomach cramped. Though she willed her mouth to open and utter words, sheer terror strangled her voice.

“I will not ask again. Who are you?” he snarled and raised his axe.

“Lady Kelsi of Wick.” She clasped her hands together at her waist hoping the action would still a sudden violent shudder that wracked through her.

He assessed her with a quick raking from head to toe. Then he turned his attention to her father’s body lying on the bedcovers. “The Duke is dead?”

Kelsi swallowed. She nodded. How did he know? Had he been the one who killed her father?

“Woman, you will answer when I speak to you.” He shook his axe. “Or you will pay the penalty.”

“Aye. My father, the Duke of Wick, is dead.”

What should she do? Wait for him to throw her down and take her by force? Run? She could not escape. Not three of these enormous marauding Norsemen.

“I give you two choices, Lady Kelsi. Wed me or die. I will have your answer now.” He fingered the tip of the axe’s blade and a drop of blood stained the tip of his thumb.

Bitterness soured the saliva in Kelsi’s mouth. She had expected no choice at all and in truth, she had none. “When are we to marry, my Lord?”

“Before the sun sets.”

Her her knees wobbled when she stared into eyes the color of a summer’s sky, blue, bold, and blazing. The temper that went with her red hair and freckles combusted. She snapped, “And, who sir are you?”

“I am Earl Wùlfe of Lyngen, now Duke Wùlfe of Castle Wick.” A grin crept across his mouth. For some peculiar reason she noticed that he had fine even teeth, white as new fallen snow. Most of her father’s warriors had yellowed and rotting teeth.

Prymal Obsession Releases Today!

Hartwood---prymal_obsessionIt’s always thrilling when your book releases. Of course, then there’s the will-anyone-buy-it anxiety followed by the suppose-everyone-hates-it trepidation. Thankfully, I have at least one good review out there courtesy The BookChick Reviews. Here’s what she had to say about Prymal Obsession:

Prymal Obsession was a wonderful installment in the Prymal series. In this story we find out more about Sidonie and Brut who are introduced in book one. I enjoyed the push-pull nature of their relationship. Brut tried to push Sid away at every turn but she pulled him with her “sunshine.” Both Brut and Sidonie bore series bruises from their past. Sid came from her horrible upbringing from absentee parents. Brut’s came from the slaughter of his mate and his pack. He swore that he would avenge them which is why he pushed Sid away — she was much too tempting for him. But Brut succame to his desire for Sid. His plan was simple…he would have a physical affair with her until they found her friend and figured out had taken him. But as Brut gave Sid his body, he gave her his heart as well, although he fought it tooth and nail. I appreciated how Carlo crafted the story so that it was not an insta-love kind of deal. Sure, those stories have their place in fiction; however, the fight to get to love makes the story even more enjoyable. I am greatly enjoying the direction of this series.

 

I’m an ostrich kind of author on release day. Basically, I hunker down, refuse to check bookseller sales rankings, and immerse myself in a curent WIP. So, today I’m working simultaneously on Prymal Passion (Bandit’s tale),  a new story based in the Caribbean, and my still unnamed Viking series.

In my last newsletter, I’d asked for suggestions on the title for this new Viking series. Karen Anderson, one of my readers, suggested The Warriors of Ragnarök. I love this title and am definitely going to use it. So, Karen, you get to star in this new series. I’ll email you so we can discuss the details. Cristina Machado also suggested Viking Realms and I’m tucking that title away as a possibility for a future Viking series.

Anyone know of a good calendar plugin for WordPress? My current one is so cumbersome that I avoid it like the plague.

Ah, shoot, I’m wandering all over the place today. Put it down to nervousness and forgive me. Have a great Thor’s Day!

Cheers,

 

Jianne