I'd like to spotlight some books today by Jianne Carlo. Although I post a lot of YA book trailers and information, my reading tastes are broad. One genre or type I don't tend to pick up is the historical romance. I'm so glad that I chose to read a book by Jianne. Jianne is a prolific author of adult romance books. One of her series is the Viking Warriors series.

I've read two books of the series, The Dragon Slayer and The Peace Maker. The other three are on my TBR list.  It isn't necessary to read these books in a certain order. 

Here's my short review I posted on Amazon (Aug. 2011) about The Dragon Slayer:
This is not the type of book I usually read. I tend to stick with contemporary or paranormal romances. This book hooked me from page one. I fell in love with both characters immediately. Ruard is a strong, sexy hero. Catriona is also a great female lead with a good head on her shoulders. The Viking environment was so natural and authentic that I had no problem feeling that I was there. One of my favorite things was how the dialogue had a musical quality. This was my first book from Jianne Carlo, and I just downloaded The Peace Maker. I look forward to reading more. 

• Please tell us what inspired you to write about Vikings?
  

Jianne:  Bear with me as this is a roundabout way of answering that question. My first job interview was almost 31 years ago. Back then, no one prepared you for interviews, you went in cold and learned from each one.

After the preliminary niceties, the interviewer asked me, “If you could name someone as a hero, whether living or dead, who would it be?”

Now again, bear in mind that was a highly unusual question back then.

Without missing a beat I answered, “Eric the Red, Shakespeare, Neil Armstrong, and my father.”

The interviewer smiled, looked at me, and said, “We’ll finish the interview, but I’ll tell you this right now, you’re hired.”

Flummoxed, I asked, “Why?”

“Every single one of those individuals are pioneers. That’s the type of person I want working for me.’

Eric the Red and his son, Leif the Lucky have fascinated me from the get-go. For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to put myself in their place, setting out into the totally unknown, travelling without navigational aids, braving Mother Nature. What amazing men!

To answer your question – it wasn’t so much being inspired as it was being compelled. I had to write about Vikings. I didn’t attempt the genre for two years, because I didn’t believe I had the requisite knowledge to portray them accurately. I’ve since taken two college-level courses on the period and the people and researched the topic to the nth.

I’m now on my second Viking series – Viking Vengeance. This is a trilogy and the books will be full-length novels.

• Who is your favorite hero and heroine from the Viking series?
  

Jianne: Ah, that has to be Njal from The Peacemaker, and Ainslin from The Bear and The Bride.

Njal, because he is a Viking who values peace. Ainslin, because she turned what could’ve been a life sentence into a true partnership.

• So, Jianne, if you could live in the Viking world, would you?
  

Jianne: Uh, no way. I hate the cold and I relish my comfort, as in a real bed, hot water, and good food.

However, if I could visit for an extended period, I definitely would.

Actually in 2013, I’m hoping to go to the Jorvik Viking Center in York, England, to spend time in the reenactment of Viking daily life and learn how to weave and make mead.

There is also a medieval reenactment at Warwick Castle with a full village in the grounds and jousts. Hopefully, I’ll manage a visit there too.

About Jianne Carlo
I'm an Iron Chef America and Law and Order addict who loves to cook, eat, and read. I wish you could burn a ton of calories being sedentary and eating. Don't you? 

Married for thirty-four years to an amazing man who still astounds me every single day, I'm also the proud mama of three fantastic sons, all of whom are now of legal age. If only they'd stop changing majors in college...

I grew up on the Caribbean island of Trinidad where the population is representative of almost every race and nation on the planet, so multiculturalism oozes from my pores. Though I attended an all-girl Catholic school run by nuns, we were taught all religions, Hinduism, Muslim, Buddhism, and celebrated all the holidays associated with those religions. Did you know many delish foods go with religious holidays? 

Alpha males, strong heroines, exotic locations, and cultural differences are my forte. And from Monaco, to Trinidad at Carnival time, to rural Washington, to Denali National Park in Alaska, to Sleeping Dog, Texas and Norway in 1028 AD, I'm travelling the world through my books, and sharing my view of it with readers.

One of the most rewarding aspects of writing is hearing from readers, and nothing makes my day more than an email from someone who's read one of my books. I love to hear what tickles someone's fancy. So far, I've heard from readers from almost every continent on the planet. Almost...