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I’m late posting this today. I’m relaxing a bit. So far, I ate breakfast, went for a swim, took a shower… I’ve been looking through emails trying to catch up. I hope to write new words later today…

Conquests was a labor intensive effort to get produced. Now, it’s out there, and I can’t wait to see what people think. I’ve done collections before (see my Collections website), selecting the stories and doing the first round edits, but then I had the luxury of throwing it over the fence to the publisher to handle “the rest.” This time, I had to arrange the intensive editing, the promotion, the corralling of authors to help with getting the word out. They also helped with the art work, the blurb, etc. It was a true group effort! I hope all goes well, because I’d love to do more of them—be it for other publishers or on my own.

Next up will be the tentatively titled Rogue Hearts…

Conquests begs the question, is there a market still for erotic anthologies of short stories? I’d love to hear your opinions. From my perspective as a reader, I gravitate toward shorter fiction because 1) I have very limited reading time, and 2) I appreciate the skill it takes to condense a complete story into a shorter format. Of course, I’ve been doing the latter for several years now, so I know I’m biased! 🙂

I’d love to do more historical anthologies—medieval knights and Ancient warriors—and of course, more iconic contemporary heroes—more cowboys, Spec Ops dudes, etc. Is there anything you’re eager to see? I’d like to do one or two collections every year (it’s all I have time for given my writing schedule).

Let me know what you think!

This anthology was a pure labor of love. I adore Vikings. Read the introduction I wrote for the book below, and you’ll know why.

Congratulations to all the contributing authors! Thanks for trusting me with your stories!

Readers, I hope you enjoy it. There’s variety in settings and characters—despite the fact every story has a Viking hero! I think you’ll be surprised! And if you have time after reading it, we’d really appreciate your taking the time to review it and tell a friend about it—anything to help us get the word out. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

For now, you will only see it on Amazon. You lucky Kindle Unlimited subscribers can purchase it for free; and for the rest of you, for a very limited time (get your copy now!), the price is $0.99! A print version of this book is coming very soon!

Buy at Amazon

Vikings. Fierce warriors who terrified all in their path as they raided and marauded, enslaved and murdered during Europe’s Dark Ages.

But these rough men from a rugged land were also sailors, explorers, craftsmen, and highly sought after mercenaries.

Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance will transport you to the realm of fantasy where such fearsome and loyal men are relentless potent lovers. Whether the lady of the keep demands a few stolen hours of pleasure with a captured Viking warrior or the handsome Northman is the one seducing his captive, you will find plenty of lusty adventures in settings as far-flung as Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Byzantium, Moorish Spain and the New World.

Let your fantasies run wild to a time when men wearing bearskin shirts and shining iron helms could capture a fierce maiden’s heart!

The Captive by Lizzie Ashworth – A captive turns captor when the lady of an English keep commands a few stolen hours of pleasure with a captured Viking warrior

Ásgeirr and the Tree of Life by Mina Murray – Danger and desire collide when a wounded Viking warrior washes ashore on a remote Irish island

A Varangian Guest by Melissa Fuchs – When her brother returns to Constantinople in the company of a warrior from the far north, a widow finds herself drawn to him with irresistible desire

How to Train Your Skjaldmaer by Delilah Devlin – A Viking jarl tricked into marrying a shieldmaiden sets out to tame his fiery bride

The Viking’s Prize by Emma Jay – Treachery and desire greet a Viking warrior who travels to the coast of Newfoundland to broker peace with the indigenous tribes

There for the Taking by Nym Nix – A captive is seduced by her Viking captor as he couples with an amorous shieldmaiden whilst she is left to watch

Sweet Silk by Megan Mitcham – A Viking returns to Persia years after saving a merchant from certain death to retrieve the child-bride awarded him–yet never claimed

Little Warrior by Evey Brett – A woman braves a pair of daunting shieldmaidens and her father’s wrath in order to take her sister’s place as bride to a Viking warrior

Protecting Her by Regina Kammer – A Byzantine noblewoman seeking refuge in a monastery loses her heart to an invader when Constantinople is sacked by the Rus

Enslaved by Elle James – A conquering Viking vows to tame his sassy Celtic slave–if she doesn’t kill him first

The Oak and the Ale by Beatrix Ellroy – A businesswoman trying to secure trade routes for her family instead finds love with a crippled warrior

New Words by Teresa Noelle Roberts – An Andalusian Arab poet learns that her new Northman husband is more than just a handsome barbarian

The Needle and the Strap by Bibi Rizer – A young man hasn’t lived up to the Viking standards of his brave and ruthless kinsmen–until he rescues a wild and wicked shieldmaiden from a burning ship

From my introduction…

My step-grandfather’s name was Olaf. Now, before you start picturing a cuddly snowman with a carrot nose, picture instead a man of medium height, light brown hair, and pale eyes–pale blind eyes. Grandpa began going blind in his early twenties. By the time I came along, he lived completely in the dark.

Not that blindness ever stopped him. He rarely walked with a cane. He climbed tall ladders to re-shingle the roof, clean the gutters, or prune trees. But the thing I remember most about him was his keen mind and wicked-sharp sense of humor. His parents migrated from Norway, and he spoke the language and visited cousins back home. He built a workshop in the garage and set up a micro-brewery where he and his friends would gather, and laughter was everywhere.

When I was a child, I attributed my blonde hair and blue eyes to him, but sadly realized very early on that was impossible. Because of him, I never accepted the stereotypical view of Vikings as base, marauding warriors. They were artists, poets, farmers, traders, adventurers, and yes, fearsome warriors.

In this volume, I’ve collected stories written by some amazing writers who’ve captured the breadth of the Viking experience–settlers in a brave new world, raiders and traders who travelled from northern Europe to Africa and Byzantium in wooden boats, soldiers whose superior might made them feared and sought after. More, they gave me stories about the men who remained in their cold, rugged land and the strong women who matched their courage and will.

And I can well imagine my grandfather aboard one of those Viking ships, his face turned to the wind as it caught the sail and carried him to the edge of the known world. Despite the racy content, I think he’d be tickled about this book. So Grandpa, this one’s for you.

It’s almost here! Conquests: A Smoldering Anthology of Viking Romance releases tomorrow! Let me know whether you’re a Viking fan, too!

If you’d like to chat with the authors who contributed to this book, go like our Facebook page at: Conquests: Viking Romance. We’re busy planning events to tempt you to play. And again, there will be prizes involved, so I know you don’t want to miss that either.

And in the meantime, you can pre-order our book. Right now, it’s just $0.99—but that price won’t last! Here’s the link: Conquests

And if you’d like to read excerpts from the stories inside Conquests, head to our blog: Conquests Blog

You probably already know what inspired the title of my story, “How to Train Your Skjaldmaer.” 

Yeah, I’m a big fan of the movie. I think I’ve watched it a dozen times with the kids. I never mind when they beg to see it one more time.

So, when I was trying to come up with a title for my story in Conquests, the phrase “how to train…” kept banging around. Add that to my love of stories about Viking shieldmaidens, who were female warriors who fought alongside the men, and there you have it.

I loved my story from the first scene when my hero, who has come to retrieve his bride,  first sees his wife. Enjoy!

*~*~*~*~*

How to Train Your Skjaldmaer 

A Viking jarl tricked into marrying a shieldmaiden
sets out to tame his fiery bride

Norway, 924 AD

“That creature is a Jarl’s daughter?” Left unsaid in Lothar’s wide gaze was the fact she would also be Torvald’s wife.

Given the sight that beheld their eyes, Torvald might have felt it unfair to chastise his companion, but he couldn’t overlook the disrespect. So he jerked his elbow backward and up, neatly breaking Lothar’s nose. While the man groaned and bent at the waist to keep the blood streaming toward the rushes covering the rough dirt floor, Torvald stepped deeper into the taproom.

The brawl was well underway. His bride seemed to have things well in hand. Something that might have amused him in his younger days, but he had a position to uphold and ambitions beyond his own jarldom. Bringing back such a wife to his holdings could prove a hindrance to his plans.

Not that she wasn’t a handsome woman. Beneath the dirt on her cheeks and the blood smeared on her chin, her face was nicely formed and her eyes a direct and chilling blue. Her hair was such a pale shade as to be nearly white, and so thick it escaped her braids to fly about her back and buttocks like a wild mare’s mane. And she had surprising strength and stamina in her tall robust frame, which admittedly intrigued him.

As he watched, she turned sideways, gripped the edge of a table, and flipped over it, planting her feet in the center of a large, brutish man’s belly to topple him. The man went down with a roar then kicked out his feet, pulling himself to stand in a single, astonishingly graceful motion.

His bride glanced up the big man’s frame then planted both fists on her hips in a fearless stance. “I tipped a bull once. He thrashed a bit, but didn’t get back to his feet nearly as quickly as you.”

Her words were brusque but admiring, and her expression gave away her cheeky lack of contrition.

The red-headed brute glanced down at her, nostrils flaring, his cheeks so flushed Torvald feared he’d pop a vein—and then suddenly, he tossed back his head and laughed.

The sound was large and loud inside the small, ale-saturated room. He clamped his arm around the woman’s shoulders and turned her toward the bar. “Mead for the lady,” he roared.

The brawl ended in an instant. Laughter and loud claps to shoulders filled the room.

Lothar sidled up beside Torvald, a cloth pressed to his nose as he stared through bruised and swelling eyes. “Will you break something else if I say she’s not exactly the woman Hagar promised?”

Torvald blew out a breath and nodded. “It can’t be the same woman. A sister, perhaps.”

Hagar, the chieftain of the neighboring jarldom, had promised a girl so fair roses blushed in dismay. A woman as slender as a reed, as graceful as a soaring falcon, with hair as dark as midnight, skin as pale as snow.

This harridan’s tall angular frame and blonde hair were the exact opposite of what he’d been promised, and her ruddy complexion was berry brown from exposure to the sun and weather.

“Is it a trick to save his treasure for a higher bidder for the beauty’s hand? This one’s more skjaldmær—shieldmaiden—than bride.”

“I don’t know, but this…” Torvald said, pointing toward the sturdy figure dressed in a man’s breeches and kyrtill wasn’t an acceptable trade. “This will never do.” No matter that she appeared strong and would likely birth warriors full-grown. She’d never stand up to the scrutiny a future queen would face.

Taking a deep breath, he indicated to Lothar to watch the door and strode toward the woman who’d raised a full horn of mead and drank it like water. He tapped her shoulder.

Her gaze swung toward him, a scowl digging a crease between her cold blue eyes.

“Are you Solveig, Hagar’s daughter?”

She set down her empty horn with a thump. “And who is asking?”

“Torvald Haroldson. I have come for you.”

Character Bio on Lia Cassidy…

I’m Lia Cassidy and I was born and raised in Ontario, Oregon, the heart sugar beet country.  My Dad is a farmer and I feel lucky I grew up with my feet in the dirt, wriggling my toes in that warm, sandy soil.  I didn’t really have much computer time because I loved being outdoors.  I came from a large family and often dreamed of having one myself.  When I rode my palomino horse, Goldy, bareback, I would throw my arms out at my sides, riding that rocking chair rhythm aboard my best friend.  I never gave a thought that my life would turn out so horribly different and difficult.  I look back on my wonderful growing up years, a loving set of parents, happy being in Nature, and shake my head.  That’s all gone, now.

Maybe it started because I loved adventure.  I joined the Army after graduating from high school.  I was really great at mechanics and the Army didn’t waste my talents.  I ended up being a mechanic in a motor pool at Bagram, Afghanistan.  I was one of the very few women and worked mostly with men in that building.  But I loved fixing things and I was very good at it.  Two years into my enlistment, I was attacked by two men who worked with me.  I had the duty that night and was alone in the huge building.

My father had taught me an Israeli fighting technique known as Krav maga.  When they pushed me into a corner, wielding knives, threatening to kill me if I didn’t let them rape me, my terror turned to rage.  I wasn’t going to lay down and let it happen,so I fought back.  They weren’t expecting it.  I still remember that terror-filled night like it was yesterday. Once they realized I wouldn’t capitulate?  They tried to kill me because they knew if I escaped, I’d turn them in.  Worse?  To this day, my body bears the scars of their knives.  My world was turned inside out.  I try to hide the scars from others by the kind of clothes I wear, but I can’t conceal all of them.  Men look at me, see the scars and turn away.  I never knew what loneliness was until this life-changing incident happened.

I survived the assault, but barely.  I left the Army and went to work for Delos, a global charity.  I wanted to hide and try to heal.  I was assigned to La Fortuna, Costa Rica, and became the manager for a Home School Foundation charity.  The jungle beauty of this country, the kindness of the people, the loving children who didn’t care about my scars, were exactly what I needed to continue to heal.

But even here, where I hid and was happy, evil stalked me again.  Dante Medina, the local drug lord who lived outside the village, attacked our small school and murdered the two teachers.  His soldiers came after me, to kill me, but I escaped, running for the jungle.  Tears ran down my face over the trauma of losing my two teacher friends.  If I survived Medina’s soldiers tracking me down, what was left of my twenty-five year old life?  Once, as a child I had dreamed of the man I would marry and how happy we would be.  Children would be just another form of love between us.  And since the attack?  I no longer dream those dreams.  And now, this demented monster who is going to hunt me down.  Was there nowhere to hide?

GIVE AWAY:  How do you think you would handle being badly scarred by violence?  Leave a comment below to be entered to win an e-book of NOWHERE TO HIDE.  International entries also accepted!  One winner will be chosen and notified.  Good luck!

NOWHERE TO HIDE

Welcome to my new series, DELOS!  Book 1, NOWHERE TO HIDE, introduces this romantic suspense series.  It features Lia Cassidy and ex-SEAL, Cav Jordan.  There is a FREE prologue, LAST CHANCE by Lindsay McKenna, so be sure to grab an ebook copy of it now!

This free novella is available on the five major ebook platforms (Amazon, KOBO, BN.com, and iTunes/iBooks/Apple on 7.13.15).

Don’t own an ereader but would like the ebook novella?  Come directly to my website, www.lindsaymckenna.com, and receive a free copy of it via the Selz software we have installed.  At the the end of the steps, you’ll receive a FREE copy of LAST CHANCE on your desktop of any device you want it on.

Paperback lovers, sorry, there is no paperback available on this free novella prologue.  But you can still download a copy from my website without any problem.  Try it!  It’s easy and quick!

Visit my website for all things Delos.  Family history, information on present and coming characters, their books, publishing dates, and so much more.  Just go to the Delos tab in the toolbar.  Download quote books on the Family and Delos charity.  Peek into the lives of the children you will read about!   This is a global, multi-national family who has a vision to help those who have less than they do.

Meet each of the siblings of General Robert Culver, USAF, and his Turkish/Greek wife, Dilara Badem-Culver.  Talia is first born.  Dilara then has twins:  Matt and Alexa.  Even though their family is worth billions because the Turkish-American-Greek family owns the largest fleet of container ships in the world, these three siblings learn early on that service to one’s country and being patriotic, is expected of them.

Follow their stories after the two above introductory ones.  Tangled Pursuit is Tal and Wyatt’s book, 11.11.2015.  Forged in Fire is Matt and Dara’s book, 12.3.2015.  Broken Dreams is Alexa and Gage’s book, 1.2.2016.  Paperback/ebook.  Sign up for my quarterly newsletter that brings you ongoing information about Delos and other series I’m writing.  Exclusive info.  A give-away. And more!  www.lindsaymckenna.com.

Thank you for having me, Delilah.

I am so thrilled to be in another boxed set with you.  Yay!!! The SEALS of SUMMER 2 is now available for purchase. Eleven BRAND-NEW NAVY SEAL ROMANCES by NY Times and USA Today bestselling authors!

My book, THE GUARDIAN, was a loooong time in the making. I’d actually written this book in 2009 about how a man and woman who are fighting personal struggles find love in Haiti. Bam. It was done and I sent to my editor.

While I waited for her to read it, catastrophe struck. On January 12, 2010, the 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti to its knees. It was horrific. Scary. I live in California and know about quakes, 5.0 will freak you out of your skin, but a 7.0 quake? No, that’s beyond comprehension. It had to feel like the end of the earth for those poor people. Hundreds of thousands of people died.

I don’t know about you, but I held my breath watching the search and rescue teams on television. I cried as victim after victim was pulled out of the rubble. What I remember to this day was the human strength, the absolute determination to survive, and the kindness, generosity and love of everyone who jumped in there to help. Goodness, it was breathtaking.

But my book couldn’t be published the way it was. Obviously, I hadn’t known the earthquake was coming but now that it had arrived, I needed to change the book. All of it. The place I’d written about didn’t exist anymore.

I dove deep into the time period around the earthquake gathering all the data, pictures, articles, videos, and news reports I could find. I wanted to set my story inside the Montana, the beautiful five-story hotel that pancaked in the quake. It wasn’t easy to find the information I needed. Oh, there was plenty of information after the quake, but not much prior to. I needed to know what the inside of the hotel looked like on January 11, 2010. But how? I’d never been there.

Enter YouTube. The Montana was a beautiful five-star hotel in Haiti and people had been proud and delighted to stay there. And, bless them, they’d posted their family videos on YouTube. I couldn’t understand the language, but I could watch. Learn. Understand. I worked really hard to get the facts and little details right because the people who were there would want it that way.

It is my hope that I did the place and people justice. I am so grateful to the Search and Rescue teams and relief organizations who work so hard in these situations.

Thank you all for reading.

Kimberley Troutte
Website   NEWSLETTER  @KTroutte

Kimberley Troutte is a 2015 RITA® award nominated, NY Times, USA Today and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author as well as being in the Top 10 on Amazon for Romantic Suspense. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, a wild cat, an old snake and all the other creatures hubby and boys rescue.

To learn more about her adult novels and nonfiction books, please visit her at www.kimberleytroutte.com or sign up for the newsletter at http://ymlp.com/xgbqwswygmgj.

First, I’d like to thank the beautifully talented Delilah Devlin for having me on her blog once again! She’s both nurturing and kick ass. 😉

Most women are nurturing. It comes from a combination nature and our historical “place” in society. Hormones and history say we are loving, meek, homemakers. I say to you, there is nothing wrong with this. But aren’t we also more?

All the heroines in my books are kick a** in their own right. Not all of them are ninja-riffic, weapon welding, ball busters. But this one sure is. She takes every assumption about women and flips it on its ear.

DANGER MINE

Base Branch Novel 5

Released July 7th, 2015

One determined to avoid it. One determined to conquer it. Both on a wayward mission and unable to deny it.

Khani Slaughter has dealt with danger since the day of her conception. After thirty-one years dealing with the bullshit, she knows how to attack it, defeat it, and avoid it. Yet, for some unfathomable reason, she still gravitates toward it. When you’re the head—and sometimes-deadly hands—of the Base Branch, the special operations force for the United Nations, hazard is everywhere. Her personal life, though, is restricted territory for trouble. No strings flings. That’s what she went for. Uncomplicated rolls in the sack. That was all she allowed. Or it was … until the rookie showed up.

Base Branch operative King Street takes danger and molds it to his benefit. Only there’s not much advantage in screwing the boss when regret sends her across an ocean. The desire to make her see him for more than a mistake places his wide frame directly in her path.

He is cocky and way too brash. Not at all what she wants. But when her brother goes missing, he is who she needs. Someone willing to navigate a wasteland and dodge bullets and her prickly demeanor to help rescue her only family. And, just maybe, in the process they can save each other from their painful pasts.

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | B&N | All Romance

ISBN ebook: 978-1-941899-13-7
ISBN print: 978-1-941899-14-4
Length: 272 pages

You finish the sentence and leave your email address!!! I’ll give away a digital copy of Enemy Mine to the winner!!! Women are…

—

Megan Mitcham
USA Today Bestselling Author
Sizzling Suspense – Are you sizzling yet?

The Base Branch Series

The Blacklist Series

Anthologies

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

My sis and I have been busy with box sets! Thanks so much for your support of SEALs of Summer.

Here’s where we sat on Amazon at 6 AM:

Now, onto the quick note from my sister, giving you a heads-up regarding another soon-to-be-published collection… ~DD

*~*~*~*~*

I’m putting the final touches on my book HELLFIRE, TEXAS for the 12-ALARM COWBOYS boxed set coming August 4th. This is going to be a great set of cowboy firefighters. All new stories, by your favorite cowboy authors! Get your copy while it’s only 99 cents. Price is going up after release!

12-Alarm Cowboys

NYT & USA Today Best Selling Authors

AFTER THE FIRE
Cora Seton
WHERE’S THERE’S SMOKE
Becky McGraw
SADDLES AND SOOT
Cynthia D’Alba
CONTROLLED BURN
Delilah Devlin
HIS FIREFLY COWGIRL
Beth Williamson 
HER VOLUNTEER COWBOY
Donna Michaels
COWBOY’S MATCH
Lexi Post
HELLFIRE, TEXAS
Elle James
REKINDLED
Paige Tyler
TEXAS WILDFIRE
Sable Hunter
HOT IN THE SADDLE
Randi Alexander
COME HELL OR HIGH WATER
Sabrina York

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