Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Interview: Viking Fire by Andrea Cooper


I have the great pleasure of having author Andrea Cooper with me on the blog. Viking Fire sounds like such an interesting story that I just had to pick Andrea's brain about it. Enjoy the interview, and stick around for the giveaway! 

 Where did you get the idea for Viking raiders? The premise sounds quite intriguing.

I love history. Just reading through events can spark an idea for me. The Vikings weren’t just raiders, they were also traders and explorers. They traveled as far as Egypt, Greenland, Iceland, and Asia. We even have who discovered America wrong, it was the Vikings

Did you already know quite a bit about Vikings, or did you have to conduct much research?

I do know a lot about the Vikings, but I still did research to check a few things. I love research, when it’s a favorite subject, so I have piles of notes and books.

While conducting your research what was one unique, intriguing, or mystifying fact you have come across?

Actually it was the start of the idea for this book. I read that my great-grandfather’s name McLaughlin or Laughlin was thought to be derived from Lochlann which is the Gaelic word for Viking. Some historians believe a Viking could have married an Irish princess and their son would have been called McLochlann (meaning son of Lochlann).

Vikings married other nationalities to gain land, money, etc. On the wife’s side, her family gained protection against raiders and a Viking to help fight against other clansmen.

All of this information made me think about this arrangement, and what if the heroine hated Vikings, and refused to succumb to her families’ agreement of the marriage?

What was your favorite part in writing Viking Fire?

The dialogue between Kaireen and Bram. He banters with her while she won’t let go of her stubbornness. Also Elva snuck up on me. She starts off in the book as Kaireen’s handmaid, but she has secrets of her own. Even I didn’t know her secrets until writing the story when she revealed them to me and Kaireen.

What can readers look forward to from Kaireen and Bram in Viking Fire?

A sweet love story between a feisty Irish lass and a charming Viking. I loved writing the maturation of Kaireen into a woman who accepts love no matter preconceived notions, and Bram’s persuasion. 
***Giveaway Time***
Andrea Cooper is kindly giving away one (1) ebook copy of Viking Fire to one lucky commenter. Open Internationally! To enter, please leave a comment for Andrea about the interview or Viking Fire. For extra entries, tweet this post, and leave a comment saying you tweeted. 
Connect with Andrea Cooper

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17 comments:

  1. Andrea CooperJuly 31, 2013 at 12:23 PM

    Thank you for having me on your wonderful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ella Quinn - Romance NovelistJuly 31, 2013 at 12:31 PM

    Great interview!! I tweeted!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJuly 31, 2013 at 12:39 PM

    This book has everything I love! Definitely gonna read it! Congrats on the release, Andrea!! I tweeted!
    jennyrlowery(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrea CooperJuly 31, 2013 at 1:16 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Andrea CooperJuly 31, 2013 at 1:29 PM

      Thank you. I love romance and history too. It was so fun writing this story.

      Delete
  4. BrendaJuly 31, 2013 at 11:20 PM

    I want this book, lol.
    brenda_dyer212@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. D'AnnAugust 1, 2013 at 12:22 AM

    Looks so good!!!
    horses5@frontier.net

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    Replies
    1. Andrea CooperAugust 1, 2013 at 2:21 PM

      Thank you. I'm addicted to The History Channel's Vikings show as well-but this novel has filled my time while I wait.

      Delete
  6. UnknownAugust 1, 2013 at 8:00 AM

    Very interesting find on the possible evolution of your family name. Best of luck with your book.

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    Replies
    1. Andrea CooperAugust 1, 2013 at 2:22 PM

      Thank you. I had a friend dream about my grandmother and saw a Viking ship. At the time I had no idea why that would be until I saw the last name connection.

      Delete
  7. Cass GraftonAugust 1, 2013 at 8:52 AM

    Sounds intriguing! I also enjoyed the connection re your family name!

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    Replies
    1. Andrea CooperAugust 1, 2013 at 2:23 PM

      Thank you. Whenever I have more time and money, I'd like to dig deeper into my ancestry. Who knows, I might find an idea for another book :)

      Delete
  8. MonicaPAugust 1, 2013 at 5:14 PM

    This looks really good! Researching genealogy is pretty fun, I think. I helped my grandma with ours but we didn't get *quite* as far back as the Vikings ;)

    Thanks for the giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. MonicaPAugust 1, 2013 at 5:18 PM

    I tweeted! https://mobile.twitter.com/jaffobsession/status/363045655079428097?p=v

    @jaffobsession

    ReplyDelete
  10. UnknownAugust 3, 2013 at 4:57 PM

    Thank you, everyone, for your comments! Sorry I am just getting to these. We are in the process of moving states and the corporate housing we are staying in does not have wifi (can you believe that?)!
    Thanks so much for the wonderful interview, Andrea! I have to be honest, I have never given Vikings a thought until I read the premise for your book and had the pleasure of interviewing you. You sure do make Vikings sound HOT! :)
    Best of luck in the giveaway, everyone! :) I will announce a winner Tuesday! :)

    ReplyDelete

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