Blog Tour: Blind Allegiance by Violetta Rand (Interview + Giveaway)

Love Saves the World is very pleased to welcome Violetta Rand, who is currently on a blog tour for Blind Allegiance.

Violetta will award a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one randomly drawn commenter from the blog tour. To visit her other stops, click here.

For this stop, Violetta was kind enough to answer some questions for me.

Here's the full Q&A:

LStW: Hi, Violetta!  Reading through your bio, your educational and professional background in Environmental sciences is very interesting.  What inspired you to be a writer?

Violetta: I began my writing career before I started kindergarten. I can’t name any one thing that inspired me. Perhaps my mother was my first muse. She constantly reinforced the importance of reading/writing. And I come from a long line of artists and musicians, why not add a writer to the bunch. I was a strange child, I asked for a thesaurus and the Lord of the Rings trilogy for my ninth birthday. My favorite game growing up was playing library. I guess I could safely say writing is in my blood.

LStW: Blind Allegiance is your first book.  Using three adjectives, can you describe the experience of writing and publishing it? ^_^

Violetta: Quixotic, frustrating, and gratifying

LStW: I love that Blind Allegiance is set in Norway -- an unusual location for a historical romance novel.  What was the greatest challenge and best thing about writing this novel in this setting?

Violetta: The greatest challenge was preserving the Viking spirit in my characters. I wanted my hero to be as close to the real thing as possible and still possess that sensitive side that all fans of romance love. The best thing is Norse culture (religion/mythology, politics, food, marriage traditions ...). There’s so much to explore and share.

LStW:  What books are on your bedside right now?

Violetta: A History of the Vikings by T.D. Kendrick, The Inquisitor’s Wife by Jeanne Kalogridis, Apollyon by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and the Bible

LStW:  Any current and future projects that you would like to share with our readers?

Violetta: I recently signed a contract for Book 2 of the Blind Series, Blind Mercy. Book 3, Blind Vengeance, is nearly finished. I’m also working on my first contemporary romance.

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Thank you very much, Violetta! 

Congratulations on the contract and we look forward to the next books in your series!

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About the book:

Blurb:

It’s a risk of a lifetime loving a man you’re supposed to hate…

Betrayed by a brother she hardly trusted before the bloodthirsty Viking, Jarl Randvior Sigurdsson, attacks her home, Noelle Sinclair is conveniently bartered as a means to save her cowardly sibling’s skin. Forced to leave her homeland and accompany the petulant Viking to the untamed wilderness of central Norway, Noelle is ever-aware of the burgeoning dangers around her -- including her weakening resolve to resist Randvior.

Should Noelle surrender to his resplendent charms and seduction, or fight with every ounce of strength she possesses to get home?

Excerpt:

She covered her face, blocking Randvior’s eyes from her own. She was only guessing -- which never served anyone very well. She whirled, retreating full speed, heading directly for the cabin. She collided with a soldier. Noelle shoved him away in a huff, and tripped over her own feet as she stumbled through the door. She slammed it shut, barricading herself inside.

Confinement was the only escape at her disposal. But that only lasted a few minutes. Randvior tried to open the door. She braced her legs, hoped to keep the rest of the world locked out until they reached Norway. Randvior twisted the knob and pushed, but she stayed stubbornly locked in position. He banged on the planks and demanded she open the door. If she refused any longer, he’d probably just kick it down. She braced herself for what might happen when he came in and reluctantly stepped aside.

“What happened out there? Did you see a ghost?” he asked, entering the room.

“I would consider myself most fortunate if it was only an apparition taunting me.” She sat on the bed and wringed her hands nervously. “My conscience troubles me.” She raised her eyes to meet his.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. She couldn’t keep herself from sneaking admiring looks at his body. Only flesh and bone, she reminded herself, he’s only flesh and bone. His fine looks did little to relieve her; she was so helplessly riddled with guilt, she didn’t know what to do with herself any more.
He closed the door and moved closer. “Remember the things I told you in England?”

“I remember too much.”

What she really wanted were assurances for her future. She wanted him to vow he would care for her life as loyally as he would his own kinswoman’s. If he wouldn’t make her his wife, he should choose someone else. She needed a husband to protect her interests now. Even an inexperienced adolescent or an old man would do. As long as he had a pulse and a respectable name, she’d accept it. This was the only bargaining chip she had left.

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About the author:

Violetta Rand holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Policy and a master's degree in Environmental Management. Serving as an environmental scientist in the state of Alaska for over seven years, she enjoys the privilege of traveling to remote places few people have the opportunity to see.

Violetta has been "in love" with writing since childhood. Struck with an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age, at five, she wrote short stories illustrated by her best friend and sold them in her neighborhood. The only thing she loves more than writing is her wonderful relationship with her husband, Jeff. She enjoys outdoor activities, reading whatever she can get her hands on, music, and losing herself in the ancient worlds she enjoys bringing to life in the pages of her stories.

Website: http://www.violettarand.com/

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Violetta will award a $25 Amazon Gift Card to one randomly drawn commenter from the blog tour.

To visit her other stops, click here.