Day 5 of Kris Tualla's Blog tour- Coming soon from Kris Tualla - A STRANDED NORSEMAN AND A SCOTTISH KNIGHT...*Contest*

A stranded Norseman and a Scottish knight.

It's true confession time.

After I wrote the Nicolas and Sydney trilogy - and ran into the "We don’t publish American historicals" and "No one can sell Scandinavia" and "We don't do westerns" debacle - I condescended to write a story set in Scotland. Now before you throw your hands up in disgust, please hear me out.

"Loving the Norseman" does take place on the northernmost coast of Scotland, but in 1354 following the Black Death which wiped out at least half of Europe's population. This particular plague was a cataclysm which shifted the European societal structure and set the groundwork for the Renaissance.

In practical terms, that meant if your village's sheriff died, someone else needed to step into the position. If an entire noble family succumbed, some remote relative claimed the estate and titles. When half or more the peasants died, the remaining peasants charged double for a day's wages - and though that practice was outlawed, they were paid it. Wheat doesn't harvest itself.

For the first time, Europeans were moving around the countryside, and moving up society's ladder. Everything was in flux. In some ways, it almost as terrifying as the plague itself.

Back to the Norseman.

In the eleventh century, Eric the Red founded a Norse colony in Greenland. It survived - barely - for three hundred years until two things happened: a shift in the climate which dramatically dropped temperatures, and the Black Death which halted supply ships.

My hero, Rydar Martin Petter-Edvard Hansen (don't blame me - his father named him) had been in Greenland twenty years, since his father dragged the family there when Rydar was ten. Smart enough to figure out what was happening around him, Rydar and his friend cobble together a boat and set sail east toward Norway - 1200 miles away.

The boat crashes in a storm on the Scottish coast. The friend dies, but Rydar is recued by the heroine, Grier, a healer who buried three fiancés in the Death. Due to the chronology of the deaths in her family, her father's estate now belongs to her cousin. When he marries, she will be homeless.

Rydar and Grier don't speak the same language, and he is unwavering in his determination to continue his journey to Norway. She wants to convince him to stay in Scotland. But neither will survive without the other.

There is a secondary character in Loving the Norseman - Lord Andrew Drummond - who is a knight and courtier to the long-imprisoned King of Scotland, David II. Lord Drummond has proven to be so well-liked, that I agreed to write his story - and have the heroine be the Hansen in this book. Loving the Knight is Drew's story.

If all goes as planned, Loving the Norseman and its sequel, Loving the Knight will be released in October of 2011.

And just wait until Brander Hansen is released in 2012: A Discreet Gentleman (of Discovery) will knock your socks off.

Thanks for reading. And don't forget to comment!


Last chance to win!!!!!!
For every 10 people who comment, I will give away one free e-copy of A Woman of Choice - the beginning of the trilogy. And, yes. Commenter #11 warrants 2 copies! Comment #21? I'll give away three.

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A Woman of Choice - Missouri Territory, 1819
A woman is viciously betrayed and abandoned by her unfaithful husband. She is rescued by a widower uninterested in love. In desperation, she becomes engaged to his best friend. One woman, three very different men. Life is about choices.

A Prince of Norway - Christiania, Norway, 1820
American-born Nicolas Hansen has been asked to candidate for his great-grandfather's throne. His new wife Sydney isn't about to let him go to Norway and face that possibility alone. The moment they arrive at Akershus Castle, the political intrigue and maneuvering begin. Can Sydney trust anyone? Will Nicolas resist the seduction of power? Or will he claim the throne for himself? Most importantly: will their young marriage survive the malicious mischief of the ambitious royal family?

A Matter of Principle - St. Louis, State of Missouri, 1821
Nicolas Hansen has returned from Norway determined to change the world. But when he runs for State Legislator in the brand-new state of Missouri, the enemies he made over the past two years aren't about to step quietly aside. Sydney has made enemies of her own, both by marrying Nicolas and by practicing midwifery. When a newspaper reporter makes it his goal to destroy them, Nicolas must rethink his path once again. But this time, it's a matter of principle.

http://www.kristualla.com/
http://www.goodnightpublishing.com/

Day 3 of Kris Tualla's blog Tour- The True Story behind Kris Tualla's second book "A Prince of Norway" ...*contest*

The true story behind "A Prince of Norway."

Most Americans don't realize that Norway was under the control of Denmark for centuries: from the late 1300s until 1814. And in order to understand the period of Norwegian history that A Prince of Norway deals with, we must take a brief look at Napoleon.

At one time, Napoleon Bonaparte dominated Europe, defeating Austria, Britain, Russia and Prussia. Suffice to say, the little dude grabbed a lot of power.

But Napoleon made mistakes. Big ones. Long story shortened: by the end of 1812 Napoleon had destroyed (as in frozen and starved) most of his own army. And when the British invaded France in 1814, Paris surrendered without a fight, Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of France, and hid out on an island.

Now back to Norway.

After Napoleon's defeat in 1814, the Danish Prince, Christian Frederick, convened the National Assembly in Norway, where he was elected as King. But Austria, Britain, Russia and Prussia refused to accept this attempt by Norway to become independent, with the Danish prince as their new king.

Following a brief show of strength by Sweden, King Christian Frederick caved, renounced all claims to Norway's throne, and fled the country.

When I created the setting for "A Prince of Norway" I backed up a couple of generations to King Christian VI. His son, Frederick V had seventeen children by 2 wives and a mistress - and one short-lived sister. So I gave Frederick a stronger, fictional sister.

My Marit Christiansen married and escaped her brother's lifestyle by emigrating to the New World. Settled in Philadelphia, she birthed a daughter, the princess Kirsten Sven. Kirsten's life was saved during the Revolutionary War by a handsome American soldier of Norse heritage - Reidar Magnus Hansen.

These are Nicolas's parents.

Before I could see which of the seventeen descendents of King Frederick might be involved in the 1814 switch of regents, they needed to be charted, tracked, and fictionalized if they fell off the radar, which almost all of then did. That was fun. (And the family tree is posted on my website: http://www.kristualla.com/)

So in 1818, the oldest and most powerful of these fictionalized descendents sent Nicolas a letter, strongly requesting that he return to Norway (he went there in 1806 at age 19) to candidate for a reclaimed throne. The times being what they were, the letter didn't reach him until 1820, at which point he had remarried and had a second child.

This is the set-up for A Prince of Norway.

The back-cover blurb: American-born Nicolas Hansen has been asked to candidate for his great-grandfather's throne. His new wife Sydney isn't about to let him go to Norway and face that possibility alone. The moment they arrive at Akershus Castle, the political intrigue and maneuvering begin. Can Sydney trust anyone? Will Nicolas resist the seduction of power? Or will he claim the throne for himself? Most importantly: will their young marriage survive the malicious mischief of the ambitious royal family?

"Norway is the new Scotland!"

Links for all three books can be found at:
http://www.kristualla.com/
http://www.goodnightpublishing.com/

*CONTEST*

The offer still stands: For every 10 people who comment, I will give away one free e-copy of A Woman of Choice - the beginning of the trilogy. And, yes. Commenter #11 warrants 2 copies! Comment #21? I'll give away three. Winners will be picked at random and will be posted on Jan 27th.

*Contest winners will be posted DAILY in the WINNERS BOX*

Norway is the new Scotland. ~

Tomorrow: Dirty Politics - or - Some Things Never Change.

Our SPOTLIGHT is on KRIS TUALLA! *CONTEST*

Norway is the new *say it with me!* Scotland!


Norway is the new Scotland. Spread the word.

When I first decided to write an historical romance novel, I didn't know anything about the romance market. But I did know there are a mega-zillion "kilted warrior" stories already published. That sub-genre has been going strong for decades. When I went to Amazon and searched book titles for "highlander" there were 2,976 results…

I didn't want to write more of those.

So. What DID I want to write? Well, they say write what you know. I was already going to need to research my time period… (I may be old, but "Historical" still precedes my lifetime.) (Okay, barely. But still.) I chose the Missouri Territory because I spent my childhood in Kansas City. The terrain and the weather are familiar to me.

One thing I knew - the hero would not be Scots. What else is sexy? Vikings! So my hero became Norwegian: big, blond, buff, blue-eyed and beautiful. Strong. Stoic. Spectacular.

For years a woman had been nudging around in my head. She had just awakened in an unfamiliar room with no idea how she got there. She was beaten head to toe and didn't know who or what did that to her. And when pressed by the master of the estate, she realizes that she doesn't even know her name!

Go! Who is she? Who is he? And what the heck happened?

So, imagine my surprise when this creative streak turned out to be a hindrance! Publishers said, “We don’t do American historicals… no one can sell Scandinavia… write Scotland, BUT Scotland is a very crowded market… publishers LIKE their boxes…” And (my fave as a Arizona gal) "We don't do westerns." Are you kidding me?

Now what?

I was driving past IKEA when I heard a hyped-up commercial on the radio: H&M was coming soon! "Hmm," I thought. "These are both Scandinavian stores… I guess that's the next big thing."

And then it hit me. My hook. My brand. My big, blond, buff, beautiful heroes with oceanic eyes! Norwegian men are the next big thing.

And I'll tell everyone that Norway is the NEW Scotland! I even made a video about it: http://www.youtube.com/user/ktualla#p/u/3/uN64hFA0lPQ

Ta-daaaaaaa!

My Nicolas and Sydney turned out to be such strong characters, that her "nudging" became a trilogy:

A Woman of Choice (September 2010 / Goodnight Publishing)
A Prince of Norway (November 2010 / Goodnight Publishing)
A Matter of Principle (January 2011) / Goodnight Publishing)

So. Is it time you found a new sort of hero? Please allow me to help.

*For every 10 people who comment EACH DAY, I will give away one free e-copy of A Woman of Choice - the beginning of the trilogy. And, yes. Commenter #11 warrants 2 copies! Comment #21? I'll give away three. *

********

A Woman of Choice - Missouri Territory, 1819
A woman is viciously betrayed and abandoned by her unfaithful husband. She is rescued by a widower uninterested in love. In desperation, she becomes engaged to his best friend. One woman, three very different men. Life is about choices.

A Prince of Norway - Christiania, Norway, 1820
American-born Nicolas Hansen has been asked to candidate for his great-grandfather's throne. His new wife Sydney isn't about to let him go to Norway and face that possibility alone. The moment they arrive at Akershus Castle, the political intrigue and maneuvering begin. Can Sydney trust anyone? Will Nicolas resist the seduction of power? Or will he claim the throne for himself? Most importantly: will their young marriage survive the malicious mischief of the ambitious royal family?

A Matter of Principle - St. Louis, State of Missouri, 1821
Nicolas Hansen has returned from Norway determined to change the world. But when he runs for State Legislator in the brand-new state of Missouri, the enemies he made over the past two years aren't about to step quietly aside. Sydney has made enemies of her own, both by marrying Nicolas and by practicing midwifery. When a newspaper reporter makes it his goal to destroy them, Nicolas must rethink his path once again. But this time, it's a matter of principle.


Tomorrow: My Beloved Nicolas and Sydney.

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To Purchase Kris Tualla's books click on the link below-

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/22944




CONTACT Kris Tualla:
http://www.kristualla.com/
http://kristualla.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/KrisTualla


*Contest winners will be posted DAILY in the WINNERS BOX*