It’s a risk of
a lifetime loving a man you’re supposed to hate…
Betrayed by a
brother she hardly trusted before the bloodthirsty Viking, Jarl Randvior
Sigurdsson, attacks her home, Noelle Sinclair is conveniently bartered as a
means to save her cowardly sibling’s skin. Forced to leave her homeland and
accompany the petulant Viking to the untamed wilderness of central Norway,
Noelle is ever-aware of the burgeoning dangers around her—including her
weakening resolve to resist Randvior.
Should Noelle
surrender to his resplendent charms and seduction, or fight with every ounce of
strength she possesses to get home?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Violetta Rand
holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Policy and a master's degree in
Environmental Management. Serving as an environmental scientist in the state of
Alaska for over seven years, she enjoys the privilege of traveling to remote
places few people have the opportunity to see.
Violetta has
been "in love" with writing since childhood. Struck with an
entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, at five, she wrote short stories
illustrated by her best friend and sold them in her neighborhood. The only
thing she loves more than writing is her wonderful relationship with her
husband, Jeff. She enjoys outdoor activities, reading whatever she can get her
hands on, music, and losing herself in the ancient worlds she enjoys bringing
to life in the pages of her stories.
===========================================================================
GUEST POST BY VIOLETTA
What books/authors inspired you to become a writer?
The first book to really grip
my imagination as a child was a fantasy story, Shadow Castle by Marian Cockrell. I loved it and carried it with me
wherever I went. It had beautiful illustrations. For my ninth birthday, I asked
for two gifts, a thesaurus (weird) and Lord of the Rings. Every year, my
brothers and sisters gathered in front of the television to watch the animated
version of The Hobbit. I can’t
express the effect it had on me. Reading Lord
of the Rings altered my mind.
I’ve always written. Short
stories and poetry at first, later, I wrote fantasy adventure in middle and
high school. I used to pass around my handwritten stories to all the students
and attached comment sheets to the folder.
At twenty, I submitted a
manuscript to a small Texas publisher and was offered a contract. The company
went bankrupt prior to its release date. I was heartbroken. Years after, I
continued to only write poetry and short stories to share with friends and
family.
Three years ago, cancer hit
close to home. I needed an outlet for my frustration. I began reading more, in
every genre, fiction and nonfiction. The
Pillars of the Earth and World Without End (Ken Follett) resurrected the
serious writer inside me. I began exploring the possibilities of getting
published. I discovered romance.
It’s incredible to think I
never read a romance novel until three years ago.
I went to the bookstore and
randomly selected four novels. Need I say how fortunate I was to pick up Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) and books by
Karen Marie Moning and Jackie Ivie? Historicals won my heart.
My debut novel, Blind Allegiance, incorporates all the
inspiration I’ve received throughout my lifetime from friends and writers. Pieces
of my soul are in those pages and possibly the spirit of the writers I so
deeply admire.
Thanks for sharing that with us, it is always interesting to see how authors got their start!
===========================================================================
EXCERPT
Cringing from
his brutal words, Noelle finally burst. Through the blur of tears, she saw a
warrior of tremendous proportion storm across the hall. He seized Brian’s arm
and pried his fingers loose from her hair. She heard a loud snap as he curled
Brian’s arm behind his back. Her brother stumbled and hollered, then dropped to
his knees.
“Say it,” the
colossal warrior demanded, visibly applying more pressure to his hand.
Brain tried to
wrestle him down, but the stranger was larger and stronger—controlled him with
little effort.
Although she
detested her brother, her first instinct was to protect her own flesh and
blood. Yet, it seemed a fitting punishment. Let Brian suffer the same
mortification she felt whenever he embarrassed her, which happened too often.
Brain quit
struggling. “Mercy,” he begged.
The Viking
released him, and Brian staggered to his feet as gracelessly as a drunk.
“Is this how
you treat your own kinswoman?” her rescuer asked.
“She’s
faithless—no blood of mine. We’ve made our bargain Norseman, take her.”
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GIVEAWAY
Violetta will award a $25 Amazon Gift Card to
one randomly drawn commenter.
Check out the rest of the stops HERE
Thanks for hosting Crystal, nice to be here.
ReplyDeleteI do like finding authors at the beginning of their published journey. It's exciting.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hello Mary, new writers like to be found. Thanks for visiting.
DeleteThe story sounds very exciting.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Howdy Ingeborg. Hope you enjoy it.
DeleteI love the cover art. Did you collect them in your research?
ReplyDeletefencingromein at hotmail dot com
Hello Shannon. Ramona Lockwood designed my cover. Unfortunately, I don't own the artifacts. Thanks.
DeleteAlthough this book is set in a time period I know little about and seldom read, I think I would enjoy this book.
ReplyDeletekareninnc at gmail dot com
I hope you read it. Please let me know what you thin after you finish. Thanks Karen.
DeleteSo did you base any characters off real people? Either modern day people you know or historical figures?
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
I can't wait to read this book. It sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteThanks :-)
Lori
lorih824 at yahoo dot com