Two years ago, my husband and I took a trip to Norway. At one of the museums outside of Oslo on an island called Bygdøy, three Viking longboats sat mostly preserved, excavated from burial mounds nearly a hundred years ago. This fired my imagination, envisioning muscle-bound, blond or red-haired warriors marauding their way across the lands of Scotland and the islands of the North Sea.  Ten men rowing across the swells of the open ocean, braving harsh weather to conquer, and finding themselves scaling cliffs of a foreign shore. The story of Harald Sigurdsen and Eivind Halvorsen was born.

As we continued our vacation and exploration of Norway, we drove along the rugged coastline of the east and south of the country. Rounding the southern tip, the rugged cliffs and long fjords became flatter and more fertile with farms as far as the eye could see. After the warriors conquered, settlers arrived from Norway and integrated with the locals, setting up commerce and trade between the new colonies and the Viking homeland.

The Orkney Landing incorporates both the warriors and the eventual settlements of the Vikings on the Ornkey Islands. Halvor and Eivind, along with their raiding party, pillage their way across the islands, taking no prisoners until they find a Pict servant cowering behind a tapestry. Halvor makes Talorc his slave, and allows him to live and serve. Talorc is a willing and enthusiastic servant, coming to Halvor’s aid in the midst of battle. Things heat up between the two warriors and their slave as the Vikings continue their conquest of the Orkney Islands.

****

You can pre-order Harald, Eivind, and Talorc’s story The Orkney Landing here, part of the Warlords and Warriors anthology.

Excerpt:

In the morning, after a breakfast of rations, Harald directed Talorc in the efficient packing of the tent and its contents as Eivind looked on.

“Be quick. It’s time to move forward.” Harald stepped from the tent into the crisp morning air.

Talorc finished the packing and carried a large bag of supplies as the other Vikings disassembled the camp. “Ready, Lord Viking.”

Two of the closest warriors glanced at Talorc, and then to Harald with a smirk.

“You men have something to say?”

Both of their faces reddened. “No, Harald. We’re only admiring your new slave.”

Harald bristled for a moment, and Eivind placed a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed and grinned. “He’s a quick learner.” He watched Talorc lift the bag of supplies, his slender muscles straining. Why did that bother me? He’s a slave. A willing slave, but a slave nonetheless.

Shaking off his confusion, he focused on the march at hand. The raiding party covered several leagues over the hilly countryside, burning farmhouses as they went. At each dwelling, Harald paused to look inside.

After they plundered their fourteenth farm, he shook his head as he lit a torch. Each house deserted. This doesn’t bode well for the stealth of our assault.

Before he could light the thatched roof, a cheer arose from a far off hill. He dropped the torch and turned to his company. The men crowded behind him, facing the oncoming attack.

Grey clouds descended as Harald counted the naked Pict men painted blue, yielding swords and clubs and surging across the moor. Twenty seven. These look more like warriors. The farm woman or the children survived and sounded the alarm. He turned to his men. “Torvald, Andreas, and Halvor, take the savages on the right. Erik, Tallak and Sigurd, take the left. The rest of you with me and Eivind down the center.”

Turning, he brought his attention to Talorc. “Hide amongst the supplies. If the battle goes ill, run. If you’re needed, you will hear two blasts of my horn.”

“Yes, my lord.” Talorc scurried to the pile of wood for the tents and ducked out of sight.

Harald raised his sword as the rain fell and a peel of thunder rolled over the moor. “Forward, and take no prisoners!”

He roared as they ran toward the approaching savages. Excitement surged through his veins, and he slashed his sword at the lead Pict, slicing the life from him. Another swung a club at him, but he missed. He dispatched the fiery-haired man with a single stroke.

Harald looked on with satisfaction as more of the Picts fell to the Vikings’ swords. He stabbed another man in the shoulder, and the savage fell. Turning toward another, he thrust the blade through the attacker.

“Harald, look out!”

*~*~*

Brent Archer began writing in 2011 at the nudging of his cousins. His first story sold, and he was hooked! The second story in his Golden Scepter Series, Pennington’s Conquest, will release in the Summer of 2016 with MuseItHOT Publishing. Stay tuned!

Visit his website to keep up on upcoming releases, and follow him on Twitter: @brentarcherwrit.

Life happens, and last year I hit rock bottom. In an emotional whirlwind, I found myself unable to write mysteries or crime stories. They took me to a place that I couldn’t quite crawl out of. Their darkness I couldn’t so easily wash away.

But the love of writing didn’t just leave. Words continued to loop. I needed to write, to place words on a page—even if no one ever saw them. Simply put: I had to again find out who I am, and why I write the things that speak to me. Sometimes the sexy Highlander is just what this girl needs, but other times a vampire or two would be enough to keep reality at bay.

During my worst days, the comfort I found in a paranormal romance—the action, adventure, romance and smoking hot heroes—made it all worth it. I could curl up and enjoy the ups and downs, following their trials and tribulations. So, it wasn’t long until the muse showed up again with characters in tow. And the characters just happened to be of the fantastical kind, carrying the Viking sword called the Ulfberht.

The Ulfberht made it that the Vikings were fierce in battle, for the steel sword was strong, practically unbreakable (it was in such a demand and quality that there were even counterfeit Ulfberhts created and sold for those who could not afford or obtain the original).

Getting in bed with a paranormal romance has not been an easy feat for this crime fiction author. Sure, research is part and parcel of creating a story, but there is so much that I didn’t know. As the story unfurled, I then realized that I wished to tell more than what people might expect with Vikings—the stereotypical tale, especially since Viking is probably not a name that they called themselves, but a name given to them. There was no united Viking army, but instead they lived in factions, as tribes (and it must not be forgotten that these tribes, led by chieftains, fought each other).

I didn’t just want to throw in the names of Norse gods, but truly celebrate what we typically know and maybe even reveal things that we didn’t know. So, the what-if questions formed and elements of time travel mixed with Vikings, and the fantastical tale of a shape-shifting dragon. I wanted to build a world that provided enough of a backdrop that could embrace this fantasy with all of its magick.

Taking Delilah’s Plotting Workshop also helped tremendously in pushing me in the right direction with my story. Through this, I learned that my process is multifaceted. It will start with a simple idea, and then the layering begins. Surely, inside my head is a magnificent web of intricate information that I am not even aware of. When I’am inspired and the muse is talking, I am practically living a movie – watching as the characters interact, taking notes as to their performance, and trying to herd the cats struggling to take lead.

I am putting the finishing touches on my next release, and first paranormal romance, Snakes and Dragons.   Who doesn’t like men wielding swords?

Why Vikings and Dragons? The answer is why not!

So tell me, what do you like about Vikings and Dragons?

About the Author

TINA GLASNECK is the author of the Spark Before Dying Series, including Deadly Sins, and Angels Cry, as well as 7 Twisted Fairy Tales, a collection of fractured flash fiction fairy tales.

In 2015, Tina created a reader-centric blog called Celebrate with a Book, where she promotes authors and their works. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime Central Virginia, Romance Writers of America, and Virginia Romance Writers.

A proud geek-girl, Tina resides in Virginia. She holds a Masters of Arts in Religion degree; enjoys history, traveling, and cooking; and, when she is not creating a story, she can be found putting paint on a canvas or playing video games. Connect with Tina online at her website and join her newsletter to stay up-to-date on her next release.

Some of you might have new eReaders ready to gobble up some books! Let me help you out with that! Just click on the cover to pick up your free copy of Conquests: An Anthology of Smoldering Viking Romance today!

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

*~*~*~*

And if you didn’t know, I have another short story, newly released…

A Dominant policewoman, fresh from the mean city streets, finds her perfect match in a curvy small-town, bicycle cop…

Enjoy! And I hope your holiday continues, that Santa was very good to you, and that everyone is safe and happy!

I’m a fan of mythology in general, from Roman to Greek to Egyptian to Norse. I’m intrigued by the gods and goddesses, the mysticism, the magic and the creatures unique to different cultures and/or religions.

Most recently, I put pen to paper inspired by the myths and legends of the Norse people.

What is it about the Northmen that fascinates us? Is it their voracious appetite for violence? Their long hair and beards? Over the last year, I teamed up with a talented group of authors to answer those questions with fiction. In RISE OF THE NORTHMEN, each of us presents our take.

RISE OF THE NORTHMEN brings forth five stunning tales of sex, love, violence and triumph. From Vikings to Krakens to Berserkers to Valkyries, there is something for anyone who is a fan of Norse mythology and the mighty Northmen of days gone by.

This heart-stopping erotic anthology features Saranna DeWylde, Paul Goat Allen, Alyssa Breck, Mark Henry and Annice Sands.

Amazon: amzn.to/1QhbOK3
B&N: https://bit.ly/1iRsSHV
iBooks: https://bit.ly/20Kc4Vm

For a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card, tell me what mythological character captivates your attention. The winner will be selected randomly from all commenters.

About the Author

Alyssa Breck is an author of horror/urban fantasy, paranormal romance and erotic fiction. She grew up reading Stephen King and V.C. Andrews. The Shining changed her life and sparked a love of all things scary, spooky and spine-chilling. Add some romance to that and she found her niche weaving paranormal and erotic romance stories. Alyssa hangs her hat in the South with her family of humans and fur-babies.

You can learn more about Alyssa by visiting her website www.AlyssaBreck.com and by following her on Twitter @AlyssaBreck and Facebook.

Click here to buy!

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.”