"Norway is the new Scotland!" - Kris Tualla
So, what does that really mean, that Norway is the new Scotland?
It means that though a man in a kilt is a thing of beauty, there are some other really hot heroes in the world. And my big, blond, buff and beautiful Hansen men - with eyes the color of seawater and the blood of their Viking ancestors flowing through their veins - are just such heroes. Isn't it time to expand your horizons?
A Woman of Choice, a novel of the Hansen Series, follows Nicolas Hansen and his wife Sydney through three life-changing years and two continents:
A woman is viciously betrayed and abandoned by her unfaithful husband. She is rescued by a widower uninterested in love. In desperation, she becomes engaged to his best friend. One woman, three very different men. Life is about choices.
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How long have you been writing with the hopes of publication and how did you get started?
I started writing on August 1, 2006 after I read Diana Gabaldon's "Outlandish Companion." When I got to the part where she said, "The best way to learn to write a book is to write one," I turned to my husband and said, "I think I'll try writing a romance novel."
I was totally ignorant about the ins and outs of being an author, but I completed my 100,000-word first manuscript in just ten weeks. Of course the writing was crap. But after literally countless edits, rewrites and fixes, that book is now A Woman of Choice. I even received this cover quote from Diana herself: "A charming love story, gracefully told, in a fresh and engaging setting!"
What have you published and what are you working on now?
Currently available is my historical romantic trilogy: A Woman of Choice, A Prince of Norway, and A Matter of Principle. My fourth Hansen Series book, award-winning Loving the Norseman, and its sequel, Loving the Knight, will both be released in September 2011.
Now I'm now working on a trilogy of romantic crime stories with A Discreet Gentleman of Discovery. This Hansen hero is a deaf private investigator in 1720s Norway, and he is a-ma-zing. I'm planning for a 2012 release for all three of these books.
Can you describe your daily writing routine?
Sure. I get up about 9am. I do online work first: emails, blogging, etc. Then I do lunch, usually with a friend or my husband. Afterwards, I touch base back online, then I sit down to write or edit a manuscript.
I'll write for four or five hours, until around 6pm. Then comes a light supper. Writing, online work, and promotion alternate until after midnight. I'll read in bed on my Kindle - a variety of genres - until 1am or later.
Besides the new releases, is there anything coming up that you are particularly excited about?
Yes! My tag line is "Norway is the new Scotland" - and six-plus manuscripts later, I am going to Norway this summer. In 2007 my husband and I took a tour of northern Italy, and the tour guide was from Oslo. I talked to him about my books in general, and my "Prince of Norway" specifically. He gave me a thumbs-up on the plot!
Now he's leading a tour of Norway and I'll be there. In fact, he's tweaked the tour route so we can visit Hamar, one of the towns I set a story in. When the tour ends, I'll be going to the coastal town of Arendal - the ancestral home of my fictional Hansen heroes. I've connected with someone who'll give me a town tour and I'll spend the night at the town's lighthouse.
After I get back, I'll be blogging and posting photos at http://kristualla.wordpress.com/ If anyone is interested, please subscribe so you won't miss the August series!
Any last words?
I guess I would urge your readers to give someone new a try. My books are all available in print (Amazon). Ebooks (Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords) can be had for the cost of a Starbucks coffee - but they will enjoy them for a lot longer!
Readers just might agree: Norway is the new Scotland!
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Kris Tualla, a dynamic award-winning author of historical romances, writes with a fast-paced and succinct style. Her plots are full of twists, passion, and very satisfying outcomes! Kris started in 2006 with nothing but a nugget of a character in mind, and has created a dynasty - The Hansen Series. Norway is the new Scotland!
