It’s Release Day! The Christmas Book Flood

It’s Release Day! The Christmas Book Flood

Welcome to the Launch Day Celebration
for The Christmas Book Flood!

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a story only coming out in digital formats–and the first time that those digital formats include both eBook and audio. This was my first of two contracted novellas for Tyndale, and can I just say that this is also the first time I got to write a Christmas story during the Christmas season??? That was pretty sweet! I finished this last January, sitting on the couch beside my Christmas tree. Ahhhh.

So what is The Christmas Book Flood about? It’s a friends-to-more historical romance set in Iceland of 1944…the year the Jolabokflod tradition began! I go not only inside this Allied-occupied island nation (this Scandinavian country was occupied by the Allies instead of the Nazis!), but into a (fictional) publishing house as they’re putting the very first Book Flood together. Both my heroine, Tatiana, and my hero, Anders, work for this publishing house and are in a frenzy to get the mountain of orders out on time…made all the more hectic because Tatiana is hosting her niece for Christmas this year, and she’s determined to bring joy to the heart of this precious girl who is devastated to be away from home.

Turns out Icelandic Christmas traditions are very unique too! Scroll down to get a peek at the differences you’ll encounter in this story!

Live DUAL Event!

I ended up cancelling my live event for The Collector of Burned Books due to travel, surgery, and then a month-long migraine that didn’t go away until I was again out of town for vacation…so tonight we’ll have a BIG celebration for BOTH The Collector of Burned Books and The Christmas Book Flood! Though these two books are both standalones, they are thematically linked by books (deliberate choice, yes!), and I think we’ll have fun talking about them both.

So join me for a Facebook Live video tonight, Tuesday October 7, at 7 pm Eastern! (You can watch it afterward too, and I’ll try to answer any questions in the comments!)

  • Behind the scenes of both books
  • Fun facts
  • What’s coming next

The Christmas Book Flood focuses on Tatiana and Anders

First, a quick note on Icelandic names.

Iceland still maintains the ancient Viking naming tradition, which is that each individual’s surname is their father’s name with a suffix. Girls get name + dottir (daughter) and men get name + son. So while two sisters would have the same surname and two brothers would as well, a brother and sister would actually have different surnames (different suffixes, anyway), and they do NOT have the same last name as their own parents!

Because of this, unlike with most other countries, they don’t call each other by any sort of honorific (Mr. or Miss) most of the time. They just use first names. =)

So let’s meet my heroine and hero!

First we have Tatiana. Tatiana moved from her fishing village several years ago to work for her uncle in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik at a publishing company called The Story Society (based on a mashup of actual Iceland publisher names–isn’t that fun?). Though she’s just her uncle’s secretary officially, she has a secret no one at the company knows. That she’s also the author of one of the books the Story Society has just released, written under a male pen name. And her editor, the man who’s become such a good friend through their shared correspondence over the many months of edits, is none other than the Story Society’s star–Anders.

Anders is an editor for the company, yes, but he’s also an acclaimed writer and artist, publishing a series of books for children that retell the traditional Icelandic sagas in a way that’s appropriate for young readers. Though he’s lived all his life in Reykjavik, Anders is from a family of fishermen who don’t quite know what to make of his scholarly self. He’s always felt like a disappointment to his family, like the odd duck that baffles and infuriates them, especially his many strapping brothers, who so embody the paradigm of Nordic heroes that Anders is always left feeling like an unhero in comparison. But at the Story Society, he has found his people. And maybe, just maybe he can finally find a way to get the attention of the publisher’s beautiful niece.

~*~

Tatiana is eager to welcome her niece, Elea, to the city for the weeks leading up to Christmas, while her sister is on bed-rest in the final weeks of a much-longed-for pregnancy and her brother-in-law is recuperating from a U-boat attack on his fishing vessel. But the Book Bulletin that all of Iceland’s publishers have worked together to put out–a catalogue that has gone out to every household in Iceland, promoting books as Christmas gifts this year, since paper is one of the few things not rationed–has been a little too successful. How is she supposed to find the time to do her job and give Elea the Christmas she deserves?

Turns out, it’s going to take some teamwork, on both counts. And maybe a little Christmas miracle…

Icelandic Christmas Traditions!

There are so many fun traditions unique to Iceland, and I had a ton of fun diving into them is this story!

For starters, instead of Santa Claus, they have the Yule Lads–13 brothers who are a sort of ogre-elf, who each trek down from their mountain home in the days leading up to Christmas, to leave gifts in children’s shoes in exchange for goodies like yogurt, cookies, candles, and meat. Elea arrives in the city frustrated that her aunt actually expects her to play along with this childish tradition, but through the Yule Lads, they bring some joy back into the season.

And something you might not know…Iceland doesn’t have many trees and NO native pines. So Christmas trees? Nope! Not traditionally a part of their festivities…or at least, not like you might think. They certainly weren’t immune to the allure, but since real trees weren’t to be had, they used their well-established ingenuity and craftsmanship to make their own. But not like the artificial trees we would recognize. No, they used things like metal hangers and dowel rods to create a “tree” with branches, draped them with juniper or other evergreens, and decorated them. By 1944, some pine trees were being imported for Christmas, but it was considered a luxury.

What’s your traditional dinner for Christmas? In Iceland, their big meal is shared on Christmas Eve, and gifts are exchanged afterward. Families will then attend Midnight Mass (the country is officially Lutheran) to welcome the arrival of our Savior. But that meal? Not turkey or ham! Those aren’t readily available in Iceland either. No, their traditional meal is skate. Various kinds of fish and lamb are their main meats.

They still love cookies though! Sugar and flour were both rationed during the war, of course, but families would save up their stores to make a few special things, including cookies and leaf bread–a thin-rolled dough cut in decorative designs and then deep-fried in fat (usually sheep fat at this period).

And of course…The Christmas Book Flood!

My favorite Icelandic Christmas tradition, though, is the one whose origin I’m writing about in this story. Jolabokflod has taken the book world by storm in recent years, so it’s quite likely you’ve seen something about it.

In short, it’s the tradition of giving books as Christmas gifts (again, opened on Christmas Eve after dinner) and then staying up until you leave for church reading your book and drinking hot chocolate. I mean…COME ON. Best. Tradition. Ever!

Of course, when it began in 1944, that hot chocolate was unlikely–chocolate and sugar were both seriously rationed. But I do approve of the addition. 😉 Paper, however, was not rationed, which meant that books were a logical and affordable choice of gift during the war. 

And they were well received! Iceland, even today, boasts more readers per capita than any other country, putting Americans to shame. Which is no surprise, because they’ve long been known as “a storytelling people.” Families will tell each other stories over dinner and in the evenings, often about their day (but told as a complete tale with beginning, middle, and end), but also the old sagas of the Viking heroes, often with tragic ends. (I read some of these as research, guys, and oh my gracious, LOL. Definitely that sort of story that always ends in death to everyone, hence why Anders has to make them kid-friendly. And Odin makes frequent cameos!)

What a splendid gift to books and book lovers! With her customarily reverent research, Roseanna M. White weaves a tale destined to reach deep into the hearts of word-lovers everywhere. Igniting a passion for the power of the written word, White shines a spotlight on an oft-overlooked snapshot of history and blazons a light on a little-known tradition with her confident and binge-worthy prose. White’s in-depth characterization and deft exploration of family dynamics are underscored by a spotlight highlighting a unique community easily transporting readers to an island of perseverance…and books. Destined to find its way onto every “keeper shelf” The Christmas Book Flood will be revisited by readers every Christmas…time and time again.

Rachel McMillan

bestselling author of The Mozart Code

Giveaway

US entrants, enter to win bookish Christmas ornaments and few (unshown) stocking stuffer style goodies,
PLUS a gift-wrapped book of your choice from my shop for you to give to a loved one this Christmas, signed to them!
(Yes, this can totally be a gift to you, signed to you, LOL. Put it under your own tree. I won’t judge.)

International entrants, enter to win a copy of any of my books, shipped from your usual online retailer.

(If the above entry form is not working, check it out here.

Cover Reveal of The Spy Keeper of Marseille

Cover Reveal of The Spy Keeper of Marseille

It’s Time!

For Another Cover Reveal!!

It’s no secret. Cover reveals are some of my favorite things. And the whole cover design process is a delight to me. (Yeah, I know. I’m a cover designer. This is to be expected, LOL.) 

And one thing I’m loving about working with Tyndale is that they often give me options. As in, they send two covers, with their favorite noted and why, but make it clear if I prefer the other, my opinion counts. That’s lovely.

As with The Collector of Burned Books, I absolutely agreed with their favorite, though in this case, I requested some minor changes to the lighting of the sky, which they quickly did. Now–chef’s kiss! I love it!

But of course, before I share, let me share with you a bit about the book and characters. =D

A woman unlike any other in France…

Zelie Bellarose

Zelie (pronounced zee-lee) is not what anyone would expect. As the wife of a late military officer and mother of two young children, everyone thinks she ought to be spending the war waiting in lines for food and tending her children. But Zelie, with her sharp mind and penchant for organization, isn’t ready to give up the fight after the Nazi invasion. She wants to give her children a France worth growing up in, so she’s been working with another military officer on building France’s largest intelligence network, Alliance.

She never expected to be put in charge of it. But when her superior is arrested, it falls to Zelie to keep Alliance running…and make sure that, at all costs, they keep Britain’s MI6 fed with information.

More than just another musician…

Marcel Laurent

Though a concert pianist at the pinnacle of his career before the war, Marcel couldn’t let his brother and cousins have all the glory. He’d enlisted, joining France’s forces at the Maginot Line…only to end up a POW for over a year. Now Marcel finds himsef released on a prisoner exchange, apparently at the behest of a wealthy industrialist with ties with the fledgling Resistance, brought back to France for one purpose–to be Alliance’s liaison to the arts sector. As the leader of a new youth orchestra, Marcel is able to travel through both free and occupies zones and even send out live messages on their weekly radio program.

He’s happy to do whatever he can for his country. Especially if it means bringing a smile to the lovely face of la patronne–a woman he knows is out of his league, but to whom he’s inexplicably drawn.

An evocative setting

Marseille, 1941

This beautiful Mediterranean city on France’s southern coast was technically in the dubiously-dubbed “Free France,” supposedly outside the Nazis’ control…but that didn’t keep Nazi soldiers and agents from roaming freely to oversee all the French officials and track down the Resistance proving to be a thorn in their side.

Both Marcel’s and Zelie’s families are from the region, so it’s a natural place for Zelie to set up operations; Marseille is the most diverse city in France thanks to its once-bustling seaport, now closed because of the war. Surrounded by rich farmlands and the famed flower fields of Provence, the city still has much to offer…and Alliance is determined to take advantage of it/

Roseanna’s next

World War II Romance

This high-stakes, fast-paced story is based on the real-life adventures of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the historical female head of Alliance, France’s largest intelligence network during the war. Her many escapades and close scrapes provided ample inspiration for my fictional Zelie, and Marcel, too, is a mash-up of several historical figures!

Ready? Here it is!
The cover of The Spy Keeper of Marseille!

What do you think??

I LOVE this cover! The gorgeous villa along the coast of the Med, the colors, the back view of Zelie, briefcase in hand yet stylish pumps and hat on…this fits the story and character to a T! In the story, they use a couple different villas as their base of operations, donated to the cause by the families who owned them for Alliance’s use. Airdrops were also an important part of the network’s work, so having the planes up there is perfect too.

The Official Description

Few would suspect a young widow and mother of two small children of being a spy.
Fewer still would believe she leads the largest intelligence operation in France.

Marseille, France, 1941. Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer’s wife. She was too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal expectations. After her husband is killed in the war, Zelie focuses on securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her country from the Nazi regime by joining the Resistance. She is soon one of the most trusted operatives in Alliance, and when their leader is imprisoned, she takes command, hiding her identity from all but a few. With enemies closing in, Zelie must earn the trust of her network and prove herself to those who doubt a woman’s place at the helm of the France’s largest spy ring.

Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance, Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra, gathering intelligence from patrons who are loose-lipped Nazi sympathizers. Marcel’s weekly radio broadcasts introducing the orchestra’s performances give him the perfect cover to send coded messages over the airwaves.

As Zelie and Marcel grow closer through their shared love of music, she begins to rely on him. But betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they’ve fought for at risk. When a double agent infiltrates their ranks and the two are captured, their bond faces its greatest test . . . and any misstep could jeopardize not only Alliance but the very outcome of the war.

It’s Release Day! The Collector of Burned Books

It’s Release Day! The Collector of Burned Books

Welcome to the Launch Day Celebration
for The Collector of Burned Books!

I’ve written a lot of historical romances at this point. Many of them were set during the Great War. One, Yesterday’s Tides, was both WWI and WW2. And as I was writing that one, despite having once said, “World War 2 is way too modern for me, thank you very much, I don’t think I’ll ever write anything set later than the 1920s,” I found I really enjoyed that 1940s line. And in typical me fashion, the more I researched for it, the more story ideas I began to have.

And so, today I am SO EXCITED to welcome my first solely 1940s book into the world! The Collector of Burned Books is set from June 1940 – January 1941 (with an epilogue that’s later), and GUYS…I love this book so much.

It’s partly the Parisian setting.

It’s partly the fact that it is ALL about libraries and books and how freedom of thought is intrinsically linked to freedom.

It’s partly the love story.

It’s partly the path this book has taken me on. If you read my post last week on “The Dangers of Dehumanizing,” then you know that this book led me to a new publisher, and while I loved my decade with Bethany House, my experience thus far with Tyndale has been AMAZING too.

And mostly…it’s just this story. A story I love so much. A story that made me ask hard questions. A story that let me write a love letter to the education I enjoyed in my college days, all about dialectic and free-thinking. A story that is far more apropos than I’d thought it would be. A story that is resonating so much with early readers, which just makes me all warm and grateful.

What Early Readers Are Saying

Publishers Weekly

Propulsively plotted and richly detailed, the narrative depicts how dangerous it can be under fascism to entertain ideas deemed “different”—and how deeply necessary. The result is a captivating historical romance and a resonant ode to the power of literature in dark times.

Starred review from booklist

Brilliantly written . . . [The Collector of Burned Books] captures the volatile intersection of art, academia, and authoritarian control, with the spark of unexpected romance bringing warmth to an unforgettable novel.

Live Event…Eventually. 😉

This week I’m at a writer’s conference with questionable wifi…and next week I’m having surgery. So we’re scheduling the Facebook Live video TWO WEEKS from now on Tuesday, July 29, at 7 pm Eastern! (You can watch it afterward too, and I’ll try to answer any questions in the comments!)

  • Behind the scenes
  • Fun facts
  • Short author reading
  • What’s coming next

Mark your calendars!!!

Courage, honor, and sacrifice born of great love overflow the pages of The Collector of Burned Books Rarely have I read a book with such perfect tension.  Meticulously researched, intellectually and spiritually stimulating, compelling and beautifully written, Roseanna White has written a book I could not put down, one I will not forget.

Cathy Gohlke

Christy Award Hall of Fame author

About The Collector of Burned Books

In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.

Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.

For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.

Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party―he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.

With her signature blend of page-turning storytelling, fascinating historical details, and enduring themes, Roseanna M. White draws readers into the dark days after Paris falls to Nazi occupation. Corinne and Christian shine in their undaunted determination to preserve books threatened by a regime that seeks to extinguish truth. The Collector of Burned Books is a stirring and inspiring tribute to the powerful bond between literature and freedom.

Amanda Barratt

Christy Award-winning author of The Warsaw Sisters and Within These Walls of Sorrow

A Book MADE for Book Clubs!

And I’ve got a Book Club Kit to prove it! 😉 In this kit you’ll find:

  • About the author
  • Letter from me, just for book clubs
  • Q&A with me, with answers to some of the most common questions about this book
  • Recipe for a classic French baguette
  • Discussion questions
  • Burned Books reading list
  • Article, “Who Are We Canceling?”
  • Meet the characters
  • A designed page for notes and questions

Interested in having me Zoom with your book club?
I’m always happy to join you! Just email me at roseannamwhite@gmail.com to set up a date!

The Collector of Burned Books is a heart-pounding historical that kept me riveted from beginning to end. Roseanna White, a brilliant storyteller, weaves together a gripping plot about the many dangers of distributing prohibited books during the Nazi regime. As her cast of heroic characters secretly fight for freedom, they risk their lives to spread the truth and protect those they love. The Collector of Burned Books should be read by every lover of a life-changing book!

Melanie Dobson

award-winning author of Chateau of Secrets and The Curator’s Daughter

Giveaway

US entrants, enter to win a signed copy of The Collector of Burned Books
(or another book of your choice) + a $25 gift card to my shop!

International entrants, enter to win a copy of the book sent from your preferred retailer!

Discover Captivated

Discover Captivated

Discover Captivated

She isn’t ready to be queen…

It must have taken amazing people to raise Seidon…

My hero in Awakened is making readers go ga-ga…which is good, because I’d hate to be alone in my total love for this character! And though he talks and thinks about his parents, especially his mother, we never meet them in Awakened.

So naturally, I thought it would be fun to write a short about them!

Brenn, Crown Princess of Daryatla

Brenn isn’t ready to be queen…

But her father is aging, which means the Crown of Daryatla will soon pass to her. Desperate for advice from someone who understands the burden of ruling, she takes an unscheduled trip to visit her cousin, queen of the mer…only to find herself caught up in an uprising.

And of course, the guard she can never stop thinking about—Atlas, who decades ago chose to serve the mer kingdom beneath the waves instead of Daryatla—is there to frown and insist she leave…when all she wants is to be seen and understood.

Atlas will beg if he must.

The ambitious, often violent world of the mer is not where Atlas ever wanted to spend his life, but after his Awakening, he chose to join the mer queen’s guard so that he could tend his mother, who was wasting away from the surface sickness, after spending too long on land with him and his father. Now that she’s gone, he yearns to return to Daryatla…and serve the woman who had first captivated him decades ago.

Atlas

But unrest is brewing in the Sunken Kingdom, and to avoid being caught up in the would-be coup, Atlas and Brenn must make a quick escape to the surface…which isn’t as easy as it should be.

Fall in love with Brenn, the princess who never wanted to be queen, and Atlas, the noble guard who will do anything to serve her, in this Awakened world short.

The mermaid artwork ^^ is by my daughter!!

During the Reign of the First Sea King

During the Reign of the First Sea King

During the Reign of the First Sea King

Hero or monster?

If She Remains Faithful, She’ll Be the Queen the Mer Have Been Waiting For

That’s the prophecy that has dictated every aspect of Taryn’s life. Born of two Awakened, both of whom are on the run from the wicked Sea King, she doesn’t dare to use her magic often lest the king ever growing in power senses her…and realizes that her very being is illegal. She is an unregistered Awakened who has been living for the last decade on a small islet, when even life beneath the domes of the mer proved too dangerous for her.

Her father, Brayden, has formed a band of revolutionaries whose goal is to win independence for the mer. A noble goal, but their violence isn’t the way she’d choose to win that freedom. And she knows it isn’t the way the Triada wants them to go about it either.

Taryn has remained faithful to the Triada…but her many decades of running from the Sea King are about to come to an end.

Taryn of the House of Byrne

She may just be the second-most powerful Awakened on land or under the sea…

Taryn has spent most of her 83 years in solitude, with only the Triada for company. She has learned to hear his voice, to practice her magic while being careful not to touch the sea that the evil king controls. And she yearns for a world where her people, the mer, can live freely. A world where they can rule themselves and not be subject to the whims of the tyrannical king. How, though, can she convince her two warrior parents that there should be a peaceful way forward?

He gave up his very identity to shape a better world.

Once, the world was a cruel place, struggling to emerge from the darkness the Great Cataclysm had plunged humanity into. So much had been lost, and no one knew that better than Alaric. Born of a trafficked mer mother and a gangster father, Alaric had no life to speak of before the Awakening Blade touched his finger…and changed not only his life, but the world.

Alaric, the Sea King

When he first wrestled the sea enough to allow the mer to build their domes, when he controlled the tempestuous tides and brought clean water forth again for land-dwellers, the people were happy to crown him king. He gave up his very name when he took the throne, swearing he would be nothing but their servant. The Sea King.

As the centuries have passed, though, Alaric continued to fall prey to his own weaknesses, and the deep faith in the Triada that once underscored his every move has turned into a chafing, a constant reminder of his every failure. For five centuries, he has ruled. But it seems the people don’t remember all he did to create the strong kingdom they now enjoy.

All they remember are his sins.

Tyrant. Monster. Heartless.

This is what they call them now. So this is what he’ll be.

Brayden, of the House of Byrne

Norinne, wife of Brayden

Brayden, once tutored by the Sea King himself when he was Awakened to great magic, is now the leader of a group of revolutionaries dubbed the Black Tails by the mer…and the Death Demons by the unfortunate land-dwellers who get in his way.

Norinne was once a Guardian to the Sea King, but she faked her own death and went into hiding in the Sunken Cities to escape him. She married Brayden when the priests urged her to, for the sole purpose of creating a powerful child.

Taryn, who is everything they could have asked for.

Norinne is aging now, which means her days are numbered. But Brayden could still have decades or centuries to see his daughter on the new mer throne he intends to create.

But no one anticipated the Sea King
taking Taryn captive.

Alaric knows at first glance that Taryn will be his.

          Taryn knows at first glance that he is the enemy she’ll have to defeat.

Neither can anticipate how the Triada will use them
to shape the world both above and beneath the waves.

An unlikely friend…

Jasmine Bleu, one of the king’s courtesans, is soon the only friend Taryn can claim, a woman who shows her the cost of the Black Tails’ war.

 

Jasmine Bleu

A bitter enemy

Silvanus, the Master of the Guardians and hence Alaric’s most trusted guard, would sooner see Taryn killed than let her get her claws in the king.

 

The Black Tails will do anything
to reclaim their would-be queen…

But the longer Taryn is in Daryatla, the more she wonders if anything is quite what she’d been taught. If perhaps the king isn’t so much a tyrant…if the mer aren’t quite as oppressed…and if anyone can be trusted when those she loves most threaten the thing she most craves.

And the longer Taryn is in Daryatla, the more Alaric wonders if there’s hope that he’ll yet outrun the sins that have so long stood between him and the Triada. But the cost of salvation may prove too high for his timeworn heart, and Alaric may be doomed to be nothing but a cautionary tale for those to come.

The origin story of the First Sea King, 
Foretold,
will be coming soon!

Discover the World of Aflame

Discover the World of Aflame

Discover the World of Aflame

Where the magic is in the meeting of those who should never be friends…

A Kingdom of Snow and Ice…
and lava

In the world of the Awakened, where Seidon rules in Daryatla and new magic has been Awakened in that tidal kingdom, the other lands are also primed for the new gifts from God. In Fjordlandi, the kingdom of ice and lava, prepare to meet the rulers of ice…and the family of fire ruling the volcanoes as well.

Princess Valkyrja (Kyrja)

Kyrja has always been a princess…but she’s never had to use her power.

Valkyrja, known as Kyrja (KEER-ya), is the thirdborn child and second daughter of the reigning king, Isidor. In her father’s eyes she’s nothing but “Mamma’s pet,” the extra child her mother petitioned him for after already giving him an heir and a spare. Or as her sister likes to call her, “pretty and useless.” Though beloved by the people for her frequent trips into the capitol, Reykstoll, to give aid to the commoners, called thanes, the ruling body of magically Blessed considers her weak of magic and far too emotional. In a world ruled by ice, passion and emotion and faith are considered destructive to the logic needed to guide the land.

But Kyrja can’t help but be who she is—a woman who prefers the intricacy of creating art with her snow and ice magic to the brute strength required to keep the snows and ice in a magical fist. A woman who yearns for acceptance and love. A woman who, when forced by tragedy to step up, finds strength even she never suspected she had.

Nikanor only ever wanted to study the Words.

Nikanor (Nik) Tristansson

Born and raised beneath the greenhouse dome of Harroby, Nik should have been a farmer like everyone else…but he didn’t mind when his revolutionary father sold their plot of land, because Nik never wanted to farm. What he wants is to learn. To study. In Fjordlandi, only sixty men at a time are allowed to join the church, so his heart’s desire to study the Words is forbidden…but he finds a way. To learn the scriptures, and to study the law—as if a thane would ever be allowed to do that either.

But when he and his best friend, Raf, travel to Reykstoll to join Nik’s father for what he thinks is a summit requesting more resources for the thanes beneath the domes, a horrific attack shakes his world…and sends him on a course that redefines everything he thought he knew about himself, his family, and the Giver of All who he’s always sought with all his heart.

Daemon, primal of the lava wielders

Elianne, youngest of the lava wielders

But Fjordlandi has a secret that no one but the king knows…a secret they call the Curse, which stands in opposition to the Blessing of magic over snow and ice. A century and a half ago, a new magic was discovered, one that gives its holders control over lava and flame.

Daemon was the first, and for many years he was the only man living in the heart of Helviti, Fjordlandi’s biggest and most ferocious volcano. He is now the head of a small family of Cursed…but it’s Elianne, the newest member, who he tries not to be too intrigued by. In the years since she joined them in Helviti, a mountain once thought to be the gate to the underworld, she has resisted his training, always holding back, and she seems to have some tie to the king Daemon despises, the one holding his family in the mountain as slaves.

They are glad to help their land, to control the ring of volcanoes encircling the island nation…but what would it be like to taste fresh air again? To see the sun, to mark the passage of time? To feel the wind cool their brows?

But the king will do anything to keep
the Cursed inside Helviti.

King Isidor

Isidor has been ruling for a century with an icy fist, and part of that is keeping his father’s secret, keeping the Cursed where they belong. But in the wake of the attack that destroys part of the palace and thrusts his youngest child into a position of authority, Isidor’s frozen reign is threatened when the anointing of the Giver falls upon another.

And Fjordlandi will never be the same.

A visitor from Daryatla…

When Daryatla’s newest ambassador arrives after Isidor dismisses the previous one, she brings with her not only magic over wind as well as water, but insights into these newly-Awakened powers…

 

Princess Perla of Daryatla

And another unexpected visitor arrives…

from the ever-warring land of Ellas.

 

Thrown together by chance…or the Giver?

It seems to be only happenstance that put Kyrja and Nik together when the attack shakes Reykstoll, but as they work together to save whoever they can, a bond is forged…one that only deepens as her father’s desire for revenge on the revolutionaries who orchestrated the attack focuses on Nik in the weeks to come.

Do they have a hope of changing their land, though? Can anything better come? Or are all their hopes for a fair Fjordlandi bound to go up in flames?

The Ice Palace and Mt. Helviti

Book 2 of the Awakened Series, 
Aflame,
will be coming in 2026!