Michelle Styles: Premise for Return of the Viking Warrior plus giveaway

because I love knowing where authors get their ideas from, I thought I'd explain a bit about mine for Return of the Viking Warrior. 

The premise for Return of the Viking Warrior came to me several years before I actually wrote it. I wanted to tell a tale of a woman whose husband returns from war, and then the relationship is very different to the one they had previously.

 At first it was going to be a Roman and then a  Regency. Finally it seemed right to be a Viking and the two leads decided to be cast. My heroine, Kara decided that she was tired of waiting around for my hero and in any case, he was supposed to be dead, so she was going to remarry. Ash, my hero responded by showing up on her wedding day. So it is a back from the dead story which is a trope that I happen to love and have done ever since I first read The Return of Martin Guerre in high school. Does anyone else remember the story? It was made into several movies, most recently Somersby, but it was based on a true story. However, in my story, the returning warrior is indeed the husband, rather than someone pretending to be him.

 I also happen to love the true story of one of the dukes of Richmond (I believe the father of the one whose wife gave the ball before Waterloo) where it was a marriage of convenience to pay a gambling debt. After which the Duke took off on a tour of Europe. When he returned than going to see his bride, he went to the theatre and spied an absolutely gorgeous woman. He made enquiries and learnt that the woman in question was in fact the Duchess of Richmond. It is not recorded how he wooed her, but they did remain devoted to each other for the rest of their lives.

Back from the dead stories are easier to write in historical as communication is so much better today. What was plausible once is far less plausible in our social media connected world. But you still do have the problem of readjusting when someone returns from a long absence, particularly if they have been through a life changing experience such as being on a battlefield.

Return of the Viking Warrior is available both print and ebook in the UK. In the US, it is available as print and ebook through Harlequin and ebook everywhere. 

Giveaway:

Because   Return of the Viking Warrior is officially publishing in May, I am doing a giveaway for readers of this blog. Please email me contest@michellestyles.co.uk  with the answer to this question: In what year does Return of the Viking warrior take place. (hint read the excerpt).  Please put ToteBags contest in the subject line.

I will do the draw on 21 April. Void where prohibited.

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romances in a wide range of time periods. Her latest Return of the Viking Warrior is published in May 2014. You can learn more about Michelle and her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk