As the author of many time travel romances Sandra Hill has perfected the art of bringing the Vikings to life and placing them into the modern world.  She is also the author of a couple of popular books with Cajun heroes. And there are more Cajuns and Vikings to come in the future.

Please welcome Sandra Hill to the Magical Romance website for a talk about all those books.

LB    First of all could you please tell us a bit about yourself as an introduction to the visitors to the Magical Romance website?

SH    I am wife (married forever to my stockbroker husband), mother (of
four sons) and author (of fifteen published novels and four novellas in anthologies).  Avid reader.  Antique collector.

LB    What first made you choose the time of the Vikings as a popular era to set your novels in?

SH    I had been working on a family history.  My father's side of the family can trace their roots all the way back to the tenth century and Hrolf the Ganger, first duke of Normandy.  That whetted my appetite to learn more about Vikings, whom I consider fascinating.
 

LB    A Tale of Two Vikings and Cajun Cowboy are scheduled for
release next summer.  Can you tell us about these books please?

SH    A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS is a story with two heroes and two heroines, written in a unique, alternating chapters style.  Toste and Vagn
(pronounced Toss-tea and Vay-gan) are identical twins, handsome as
sin, inseparable from birth.  But then there is a battle, and each thinks the other has died.  They are devastated.  But coming to the rescue are Esme, the world's oldest novice nun, and Helga the Homely.  ATTV is the sixth book in a loosely linked series (can be read out of order) that began with THE RELUCTANT VIKING, THE OUTLAW VIKING, THE TARNISHED LADY, THE BEWITCHED VIKING, THE BLUE VIKING, and MY FAIR VIKING.  Toste and Vagn were secondary characters from THE BLUE VIKING.

THE CAJUN COWBOY is the third book in another loosely linked series
that began with THE LOVE POTION and TALL, DARK, AND CAJUN.  In this book, Charmaine LeDeux is the quintessential bimbo.  Raoul Lanier is a be-still-my-heart Cajun Cowboy.  She's a four-time divorcee and a born-again virgin, on the lam from the Mafia.  He's her first husband, he's an ex-con, and he's baaaaaack!  Guaranteed laughter and sizzle.
 

LB    You mention on your site that there may some day be a follow up to Frankly, My Dear and Sweeter Savage Love.  I for one would love to see a return to that setting (not that I don't adore the Vikings).  Are there any plans in the pipeline?

SH    No, not yet...and possibly not ever.  It has been so long since those books have been published that I'm not sure readers would remember in any great numbers.  Still, it's not totally out of the question, and I already have ideas.  <grin>
 

LB    Do you plan to visit any entirely new settings with your novels?  Any other ancient lands or historical settings?

SH    I am always open to new settings.  It keeps me fresh.  For example,
my October 2004 book, WET AND WILD takes place in Coronado,
California, home base to the Navy SEALs.  Picture a tenth century Viking warrior landing in the middle of a SEALs training program.  This will be Ragnor's story.
 

LB    Can you tell us what are you working on at the moment?  I hear that Ragnor's story is going to be coming up and that it will be another time travel.

SH    Yep, Ragnor's story, as we speak.  And, boy, is he being difficult!
 

LB    You have a huge collection of jokes on your website.  (Many a long hour has been spent there reading through them.)  Can you tell us how this came about and do you have any particular favourites in the collection?

SH    I really don't have any favorites.  They change so often.  I will tell you this...most of them have come from fans who share my appreciation for humor.
 

LB    For The Very Virile Viking there were two covers issued for the novel.  Have you had much feedback about them and which do you
think has been the most popular with the readers?  (I went so far as to order the one with the model on direct from the US - because I really wanted it to fit in with the others in the series - really ;-)

SH    That two-cover experiment was a flop, in my opinion.  Mainly because they issued two different ISBN (tracking) numbers and because both covers were available in any one store, thus giving readers a choice.  Having said that, guess what they are doing for A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS?  Yep.  Two covers again.  However, this will be two hunk covers and they will have the same tracking number and both covers should be available in most stores.  We shall see.

LB    How are the plans for the Cajun part of your website going?
Have you had a good response from your visitors with ideas for that
link?

SH    Slowly.  I just need to find a day where I can sit down and put this together.  I've had great response to the Cajun books, including folks from Louisiana; so, I think the link should be fun.

LB    And finally, do you have a message for all your readers out there?

SH    Just, thank you for all your support.  And if you're in the mood for a fun continuous contest check out this website I put together with four of my friends.  www.writersinhiding.com
 

I would like to thank Sandra Hill for taking the time out of her schedule to do this interview.  We all know how hard it is to tear ourselves away from her Vikings so we are especially grateful that she has taken time away from Ragnor to answer these questions.  I think I speak for everyone who has visited this site when I say we look forward to next summer and the release of the new books.

Links to  online stores

Also by Sandra Hill:  Frankly, My Dear..., The Reluctant Viking,  Sweeter Savage Love,  Desperado,  The Last Viking, Truly, Madly Viking, The Bewitched Viking, The Outlaw Viking, The Very Virile Viking, The Tarnished Lady (the story of Eirik), The Blue Viking, Tall, Dark & Cajun and The Love Potion

Read more about Sandra Hill's books at her  web page.