{"id":207,"date":"2017-11-10T11:41:23","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T16:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/korysteed.com\/?p=207"},"modified":"2017-11-10T11:41:23","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T16:41:23","slug":"check-out-lea-bronsens-new-mm-dark-viking-romance-torn-avenger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/10\/check-out-lea-bronsens-new-mm-dark-viking-romance-torn-avenger\/","title":{"rendered":"Check out Lea Bronsen’s new M\/M Dark Viking Romance ~ Torn Avenger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome, Lea. Your new novel,\u00a0Torn Avenger<\/strong><\/i>, is brimming with action and what a stunning cover!<\/p>\n

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Torn Avenger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All authors have their own reasons for writing a book. What are yours?<\/b><\/p>\n

I love putting my fantasies to paper, always have, and I\u2019m more comfortable and skilled with the written word than the spoken. Then, the more books I publish and reader feedback I get, the more I understand this really is what I\u2019m supposed to do. It\u2019s a part of me!<\/p>\n

What would you like readers to take away from your story? Does it contain a message?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Torn Avenger is a story of impossible love (of course, lol) so I\u2019m doing my best to prove that concept wrong and tell my readers if you want something bad enough, you can get it. It\u2019s not going to be easy and you must prepare to make sacrifices \u2013 sometimes you have to be so brave to turn your life upside down, say a few goodbyes, and start everything anew \u2013 but if your mind is set to it, you can definitely succeed.<\/p>\n

Where did you find your inspiration for the story? Was it a person, a current event, something you witnessed, or something else?<\/b><\/p>\n

It was the cover! When I saw this premade last year, it immediately spoke to me and I had<\/i> to have it. I knew it would be a historical romance, but not what period the story would be set in or which type of characters should be featured. It took almost a year of my looking at it every now and then and thinking, \u201cdammit, it deserves a story!\u201d before an idea came to mind in April, and suddenly I couldn\u2019t write fast enough.<\/p>\n

Did you face any obstacles or challenges while writing the story and if so, what were they?<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, historical accuracy bothered me from start to finish. I wanted to set the story in a real period and not be arrested for having my facts wrong. One character was to represent the last of the Norwegian raiders and Roeland the first of European merchants to settle in Norway, so I had to conduct quite the research to make sure these two civilizations actually met!<\/p>\n

Also, I wondered whether they co-lived in peace or bloody confrontations occurred. I couldn\u2019t find any information, but thought it quite probable that some Vikings, tempted by the precious, imported goods and the wealth of their merchants, raided the trading post the same way they were reputed to in the rest of the world. Why wouldn\u2019t they? In this case, I allowed myself some artistic freedom \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

How much emphasis do you put on supporting characters to move the plot of your stories along? Have any of your supporting characters ever gotten their own story?<\/b><\/p>\n

I usually give great importance to supporting characters. In Torn Avenger, Alv\u2019s mother is practically the driving force, scheming and manipulating, forcing him to make decisions that aren\u2019t really his, and thus sparking his need to rebel. As for giving her her own story? Ha, she\u2019s such an irritating and disturbing element in the book, I almost want to strangle her!<\/p>\n

I was delighted, though, to hear a reviewer say she hoped I would write a companion novella for one of the other couples that was formed in Torn Avenger. Well, who knows, maybe someday I\u2019ll be tempted to dive into the turbulent Viking world again and write another romance.<\/p>\n

Do you write in other genres and if so, what are they? What genres would you like to try that you haven\u2019t already?<\/b><\/p>\n

I write many genres, but my favorite is dark thriller\/suspense. That\u2019s where my corrupted heart thrives, where my dirty soul roams and finds what to feed on. I\u2019ll leave it at that, ha ha!<\/p>\n

What is your writing process? Are you a patnser or a plotter, or a little of both?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m mostly a plotter. Just an example \u2013 last week, I spent two days painstakingly outlining my next project, which has 70 short chapters\/scenes told from 5 different POVs (three conflicted protagonists and two bad, bad antagonists), one in 1st<\/sup> person present and the others in 3rd<\/sup> past. I had to punch everything into a spreadsheet, with a strict timeline, expected word count per scene, etc.<\/p>\n

I guess by now, you are yawning and thinking I\u2019ve completely lost it. But wait, I\u2019m not always that crazy! There have also been times when a special scene flashed in my mind and I liked it so much, I proceeded to build a story around it, little by little adding layers and meat to the bone.<\/p>\n

Do you have any author idols and if so, how would you like to meet them?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a mega super huge fan of psychological thriller authors Mo Hayder, Cody McFadyen, and Lisa Gardner. James Patterson is awesome, too. Oh, and many others, of course. Their influence is evident in my darkest books, and I would sit down with them in a bar any time of the day to pick their brains and toast to their literary genius.<\/p>\n

What are your three favorite books by other authors and why? You don\u2019t have to limit this to three. (I know I can\u2019t.)<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cShadow Man\u201d by Cody McFadyen is a must, hands down. Then, I\u2019d recommend the equally brilliant \u201cBirdman\u201d by Mo Hayder and \u201cHide\u201d by Lisa Gardner. Why? I thirst for dark, hold-your-breath, high-tempo stories that blend the strongest of human emotions, graphic violence, and nauseating gore with the sickest forms of mental deviance. Lol, it probably says something about me\u2026<\/p>\n

What do you do in your down time to feed your soul?<\/b><\/p>\n

I read (not often enough, these days, sadly) or watch gangster\/western movies, cuddled up to my man with a nice drink in hand ?<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next on your literary horizon?<\/b><\/p>\n

I mentioned earlier that I\u2019ve started work on a new project: it\u2019s the sequel to my debut novel Wild Hearted, a gritty inner-city crime drama that came out in 2013, and I\u2019m very excited about bringing my two favorite characters Tomor, an imprisoned gang leader, and Luz, his long-lost love, back to life in a new psychological thriller!<\/p>\n

Blurb:<\/b><\/p>\n

Murder. Passion. Two worlds colliding.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

As the second son of a Viking earl, Alv Gunnulfsen wasn’t meant to inherit a throne or avenge a murder. But when his brother is slain during a raid and their father dies of grief, Alv is expected to take command and claim the killer’s death. In a world of ruthless retaliation and strict social codes, he must also maneuver cleverly to protect a troublesome secret: his attraction for men.<\/p>\n

Roeland van Dijk, a wealthy Dutch merchant settled in Norway, has done the unthinkable to protect his family \u2014 hacked off the head of a Viking rapist. The wrath of the blond savages will cost him his freedom, and possibly his own head\u2026 Unless he’s willing to accept the love of another man.<\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/b><\/p>\n

After a moment, Alv looked up again and almost gasped from the erotic vision in front of him. While shaving Roeland, he\u2019d only seen his wet, hairy chest and stomach, but the handsome man moved to a kneeling position in the basin and washed his lower body. His stunning maleness made Alv hot and bothered. They had discussed, argued, shared personal details, and apologized to each other, but now, the seriousness of their conversation faded. The sight of Roeland\u2019s cock bathing in white foam between his legs had Alv\u2019s own cock jolt and press painfully against his pants.<\/p>\n

Oh, Roeland attracted him on several levels\u2014mental, emotional, and physical\u2014and Alv longed to discover and develop more of everything with him. Hedin was an exciting lover, but nothing like what Roeland had the potential to be.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Hedin, it\u2019d been a surprise to see him again this morning, right after Elke left. He\u2019d arrived in a terrible mood and refused to excuse his disappearance act. It was outrageous of a slave to come and go like that, but Alv had too much on his mind to think of punishing him.<\/p>\n

For one, he worried about Roeland\u2019s future. He\u2019d inherited part of Father\u2019s wealth, but not his title. After returning to E\u00f0ni, he\u2019d claimed to be the only one who could decide of what to do with his brother\u2019s murderer, but it wasn\u2019t true. He had no standing, no support from his fellow citizens. They could choose to kill Roeland if they wanted to\u2014all it took was a word from Mother. It made her idea to have Alv marry Elke and adopt the community\u2019s natural heir that much more important to push through.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something we need to talk about,\u201d he said, hoping Roeland wouldn\u2019t oppose to the plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, I would ask you, but since you\u2019re not in a position to make decisions, I\u2019m just going to tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout what?\u201d Roeland frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m marrying your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roeland stood so fast in the basin, water splashed to all sides. He stepped out and leaned into Alv\u2019s face. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare to touch her!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m not\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHasn\u2019t she suffered enough?\u201d Roeland bellowed, his dark eyes slit with anger.<\/p>\n

By Thor, he was insanely sexy, standing naked and wet, so near Alv could feel his damp bodily heat, water drippling from his hair and rolling alongside his tanned, chiseled cheeks. Alv couldn\u2019t help hardening more, and needed to focus on the words that came out of Roeland\u2019s luscious mouth to be able to answer. \u201cShe has already accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buy Links: <\/b>Amazon.com<\/a> \/ Amazon.uk<\/a> \/ Smashwords<\/a> \/ Barnes & Noble<\/a> \/ iTunes<\/a> \/ Kobo<\/a><\/p>\n

Get your print copy on<\/b> CreateSpace<\/a><\/p>\n

Add the book on your shelf on <\/b>Goodreads<\/a><\/p>\n

Social Media Links: <\/b>Website<\/a> \/ Blog<\/a> \/ Facebook<\/a> \/ Twitter<\/a> \/ Amazon<\/a> \/ Pinterest<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome, Lea. Your new novel,\u00a0Torn Avenger, is brimming with action and what a stunning cover! All authors have their own reasons for writing a book. What are yours? I love putting my fantasies to paper, always have, and I\u2019m more comfortable and skilled with the written word than the spoken. Then, the more books I … Continue reading “Check out Lea Bronsen’s new M\/M Dark Viking Romance ~ Torn Avenger”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-promoting-other-authors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209,"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207\/revisions\/209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.korysteed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}