BLURB:

Baltic Mist – A Timeless Saga is Jen Lohr’s next big creation. It all began when she came across Egil’s Saga, written in the mid11th century, chronicling the life of Egil Skallagrimsson. The history surrounding the Viking awakened within Jen an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of the Norse culture. A story was soon born, seen through the eyes of a young woman named Helga, originating from a character in Egil’s Saga.

Baltic Mist begins on a farm Norway, and takes the reader through the epic adventures of Helga’s enchanting life. Beginning in Book One, her tale falls against the backdrop of Scandinavia’s conversion to Christianity.  The saga continues in Books two and three to a finale that no one, even Helga herself, could have ever imagined!

A must read!

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Excerpt:

Copyright © Jennifer Lohr, An Ancient Approach, 2013 All rights reserved

BALTIC MIST – A TIMELESS SAGA

FROM CHAPTER 1, JOURNEY HOME WITH ME

My name is Mist, and know it was your fate, decided ages ago, to hear my tale. I am a legend whose legacy you are now part of, as you join me in history.  Know as you read this:  all is as it should be, for there are no accidents. Destiny has brought you and I together, our connection has finally been made. This day was once foreseen, and your time to know me has come. Although I breathed in the air centuries before as you do now, pieces of me continue on. Come, as I now wish to show you not who I was, but rather who I am….

Follow me back to my time, before the likes of all that you know now, here and today.  Visit alongside me my beloved northern homeland as it once was, so very long ago.  Behold its massive forests – so lush, green, and already ancient by the time of my existence. Come to where great cascading rivers spill over rocky cliffs, where their spray can be felt, splashing on the rolling hills below.

The dawning of my life was a special time for my parents. I would be their firstborn maid-child.  I took my first breaths during the period after the Yule Festival and before the coming of spring, when the earth gave way to a warmer sun and seeds of growth.  After my birth it was told my mother, Hilde, accepted me by permitting me to nurse milk from her breast. It was then my father tearfully held me on his knee and passionately announced,

“It is known, a daughter has been born:  Helga Thorfinsdotter…she belongs to me, Thorfinn Bondesson.  I choose her name in honor of my mother, who is now among the dead.”  He then sprinkled drops of water over my tiny infant body.

This was the way I became a member of my family, officially, and they rejoiced in the goddesses Frigg and Freyja.  Many were grateful to the two goddesses for delivering me safely from my mother’s womb, while leaving her unscathed and in good health.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jen was first published when she was a sophomore in High School, and has been writing short stories ever since.  The Baltic Mist series is her fictional novel debut.  She lives in upstate New York with her husband and their four children.

BALTIC MIST Guest Post

My name is Jennifer Lohr, and I am a wife, mother, daughter, and an author – very pleased to meet you! Today, I have the pleasure to be featured on this blog, and it genuinely is an honor, so I thank you for the opportunity. I would like to take this moment to share with everyone the inspiration behind my latest piece, Baltic Mist – A Timeless Saga. This project is a three-part series, following the life of a young woman named Helga (whose name changes to Mist), and falls against the back-drop of Scandinavia’s conversion to Christianity.

I was inspired by many things, but primarily by history and culture. I am one of those people who has a thirst for knowledge – which, at times, can be insatiable, as it seems the typically talked about subjects are not enough…I find myself desiring more and more wisdom, particularly that of the ancients’. The instinctual know-how of our ancestors, that most of us seem to have lost the more ‘civilized’ we have become, is a subject that never fails to mesmerize me. I am also fascinated in the way religion and faith-based belief systems motivate people. …Naturally, I do a LOT of questioning, in my quest for knowledge.
So, now that you have a general idea of how my inquisitive mind works, it probably wouldn’t be a surprise to you that once I came upon an Icelandic saga called, “Egil’s Saga,” I was hooked. To summarize, it chronicles the life a real-life Viking who is also a skald (poet). He was a lot like the Teddy Roosevelt / Ernest Hemingway / Chuck Norris of his time. This is the best description I can give to make him more relatable to a modern / general audience. Basically – he was a real ‘Bad-ass,’ as the grandson of a famous Norwegian, berserker Viking named Kveldúlfr, which translates to the ‘Evening Wolf.’ Jumping straight into history, Egil had been outlawed from Norway by a King named Erik ‘Blood-axe’ (who most definitely wanted Egil’s blood on his axe). But as it happened, Egil was in Norway, and found his way to a farm of a land-owner named Thorfinn. Thorfinn had a daughter, Helga, who was suffering a terrible illness, and on the brink of death – until Egil saves the day! Using his knowledge of the runes, she was cured, and then Egil proceeds on to his next adventure.

I couldn’t help but come back to Helga – who was she? What was she like? What was her life like? I kept thinking of all the possibilities – and the artist in me could not resist the temptation of the blank canvass I saw in her story. And what a ‘palette’ I had to work with: Vikings, Paganism, Christianity, politics, family, relationships, and love….the possibilities seemed endless. I became so determined to tell this story, it was borderline obsessive as it unfolded in my mind like a movie I was watching. It was so compelling: the culture, their society, the landscape – all of it. Some nights, after writing so intensely that I could no longer keep my eyes open, I was still unable to rest. I’d go to lie down for sleep and it was as if my characters were actors on a stage, and would wander down into the audience to ask, “Are you paying attention? Did you get that? Yes? Good – now get back to work and go write it down!”

I cannot even convey how special the history and culture, behind my book series, has become to me – so much so, that I have become determined to get it all out to the world. I sincerely have been, and continue to be, inspired by it. With that, I also hope you have enjoyed reading this post as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Thank you, and I’ll leave you with this: inspiration is everywhere.

Author web links

Website: http://balticmist.anancientapproach.com

Blog: www.anancientapproach.com

Site: www.norsemyth.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/baltic.mist

Buy Links:

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/baltic-mist-a-timeless-saga-book-one-jennifer-lohr/1118622125?ean=2940148300380

Amazon Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.com/Baltic-Mist-Timeless-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B00I0D9WA8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393931606&sr=8-1&keywords=baltic+mist

Amazon Print:   http://www.amazon.com/Baltic-Mist-Timeless-Saga-Book/dp/0615934420/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1393931646&sr=8-3&keywords=baltic+mist

Back Cover Blurb:  

Baltic Mist by Jennifer Lohr is the first book of a trilogy. It is based in the times and land of the Vikings but after they had given up their old Gods for Christianity. The book is written from the perspective of farm girl called Helga.

I was drawn to this book as I love anything about Vikings. I was not disappointed and I could not put it down. It is well researched, engaging and even educational, I would say. I learnt a lot of things about the various Norse customs. The characters were well-developed with different dimensions to them. The action and adventure was totally gripping. Different themes are explored such as politics, beliefs (old and new) romance. The plot was great and the dialogue well written, as was the narrative. It’s a shame it wasn’t longer. I can’t wait to read the next part.

I definitely recommend this book. Just buy it. You won’t regret it.

Daniel Kenyon, author of The Bare Knuckle Fighter and The Savage Heart of Palermo.

Jennifer will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:

http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/03/virtual-book-tour-baltic-mist-by.html

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