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A kidnapped royal…
Could be the Viking’s undoing!
After Brand Ivarsson of Kald abducts Anne of Termarth on the eve of her wedding, the Viking’s consumed with only one thing: revenge against her loathsome betrothed. But confronted with the stunning princess, so foreign to his world, Brand’s captivated not only by her beauty, but by her spirit and her kindness. Is Anne his prisoner…or is she the one who’s captured his scarred heart?
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Q&A
When and where do you prefer to write?
At home in Cookham at the kitchen table or in my office. Our kitchen offers views of the fields in the village and we can see a lot of sky. It’s great for thinking… I’ve always liked the idea of getting up early and writing before anyone else wakes up, but it rarely happens. There’s too much going on in the mornings. We have to get the girls to school and walk the dog, and I have to be at my desk for work at 9am. So night-time is my quiet time, when the girls are asleep and my hubby is watching something on TV. I can then focus and lose myself in my writing, often until the early hours.
Do you have a certain ritual?
I put the girls to bed, then switch on the kettle and pour myself…
Is there a drink of some food that keeps you company while you write?
… a nice cup of coffee and open up a large bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk. I like to read over what I wrote the night before, to get me back into the story, before starting to write.
What is your favourite book?
Ooh, impossible to pick.
Anything by Sharon Kendrick or Kate Walker. They are fantastic writers.
Bridget Jones’s Diary will always be a favourite. I read it in a night with a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Fifty Shades of Grey. Debra Cowan’s Still The One… Also Pride & Prejudice…
Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
I read a lot of Mills & Boon Modern books, as well as historicals, but for now, I do love writing stories set in the 9th century. The historical setting helps to ground my characters in a time and place and I can get lost in the romance of it all.
Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
My characters aren’t based on real people, no, although I perhaps listen to how people speak, or behave, and may learn from this and use some of their traits or habits in my stories. Watching Vikings, The Last Kingdom and Game of Thrones, or warriors such as Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, even Aquaman, certainly helped to inspire some of my own characters.
Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
I do always have a notebook or my phone to hand, in order to write down ideas. Generally, these come to me at night. I’ll sit up and type it into my phone and then I won’t be able to get back to sleep, wondering if I should get up and write or save it for the next day. If you don’t write it down, it’s so easy to forget something that pops into your head while you’re doing the washing up, or sat in the car waiting for the children to finish a club.
Which genre do you not like at all?
I tend to avoid fantasy and science fiction books, I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’m too much of a realist.
If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
Ooh, that’s a tricky one. My friend and fellow Mills & Boon Historical author, Ella Matthews, is a brilliant writer – it would be fun to co-write a book with her.
If Jane Austen was still around today, I’d love to have written a book with her. She invented the best heroes!
If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you choose and why?
I’d have to pick Denmark, Sweden and Norway… to visit the museums, the longhouses, see the ships and scenery, and generally learn more about the Vikings’ heritage.
On our own shores, I’m off to Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island in April, to celebrate my second book release, and to visit the Viking sites there…
Thank you, Sarah Rodi and Rachel’s Random Resources
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Author Links
Twitter: @sarahrodiedits
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Book Links
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B096TBKQ7D
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096TBKQ7D
B for Bookreview 