First a little about Her Heart's Surrender
Taken from her village as a child, Ealasaid has
lived under the iron rule of a Viking king for far too long. The only good to
come out of her life is her son. As long as the king lives, their freedom and
hope for the future seems dismal. Despite her contempt for the king and his
bloodline, she's drawn to Hella Ingvasson, the man who kidnapped her, and the
plight he faces when the king dies.
His father's final demand is that Hella must wed
if he's to claim the throne. What better revenge than to marry the thrall his
father hated most? Despite her fears Hella will become like his father,
Ealasaid agrees to marry for her son’s sake, but she quickly learns her
husband’s battle scarred body provides more pleasure than nightmares.
Word comes that her brothers also survived the
raid and have assembled an army. They march toward a Norse settlement with the
intention of revenge. Unless she can reach her brothers and convince them not
to slaughter the man and people she's come to love, Hella may become another
bloody stain on history's tapestry.
Ealasaid – It's a
Scottish-Gaelic form of Elizabeth (betcha didn't see that coming). A strong
name for a strong heroine. When I start researching names, I almost called her
Keavy, but I stumbled over this one and it fit her to a T. Keavy ended up being
the name of Ealasaid's eldest sister.
Hella – Generally a
girl's name (and I had a beta reader point that out). I wanted to call him
Halle, but I thought that sounded way girlier. It means “flat stone”. Hard
body, you betcha, but there's nothing flat about this hero.
Eoghann – I laughed so
hard in Leap Year when Amy Adams' character called the guy at the bar E-o-gan.
Um, it's “Owen” in case you're Hookt on Fonix like me. Eoghan is the son of
Niall of the Nine Hostages in Irish lore. Yeah, he's a Saxon in the book and
his heroic deeds might be a little questionable, but our Eoghann is willing to
stand up for his sister when she needs back-up. They were the closest of the
Kentigern siblings.
Ingvar – Old Norse
meaning “warrior”. He's called many things in the book and he's also known as
the White Raven, because as we all know, ravens as scavengers. He had to be
fancy and rare, so his banner sigil is white—and very much to be feared.
Erik – Is there a Viking
family that hasn't had a Viking named Erik? Well, maybe. Erik is Hella's
adopted brother and potential heir to Ingvar's throne.
Birgir – Ealasaid's son
is called after his Norse relatives, although she considered giving him a Saxon
name. Birgir is from Birger, meaning “help, save, rescue”. Perfect, because he
was literally the only thing that saved her during her time as a thrall.
Ulrika – The given name
of two Swedish queens. She may be another Viking thrall, but she's also Ealasaid
best friend and confidant. She was there when Birgir was born and is like a
grandmother figure to him.
Diarmaid – It's consider
to mean “without jealousy”, but the more you come to know Ealasaid's eldest
brother, the more you realize Diarmaid's got a lot of jealousy and some poorly
suppressed rage going on. You can never have too many bad guys in a story and
he fits the bill pretty well. Okay, maybe you can have too many bad guys, but
there were just the right amount in Her Heart's Surrender.
These are some of the
major players in the book. I hope you enjoyed this little look at their names
and personalities.
~~~~~
About the author:
Allison graduated from College of the Ozarks in
Point Lookout, Missouri with a B.A. in mass communications that's gathering
dust after it was determined that she's better at writing fluff than hard news.
Social links:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/authorallisonmerritt
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/Allison_Merritt
Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/allisonmwrites/
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/allisonmwrites
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