Independent Author Index Book Bio - The Briton and the Dane Concordia by Mary Ann Bernal

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Mary Ann Bernal writes from Omaha, NE, in the USA.

Book Bio: The Briton and the Dane: Concordia by Mary Ann Bernal

 

Author: Mary Ann Bernal
Book title: The Briton and the Dane: Concordia
Book rating: PG-13 (questionable content for children under 13)
Publisher: Createspace

Book video:

 

 

Independent Author Index (IAI): What is your book about?
Mary Ann Bernal (MAB): Travel back in time to late Ninth Century Anglo-Saxon Britain where Alfred the Great rules with a benevolent hand while the Danish King rules peacefully within the boundaries of the Danelaw. Trade flourishes, and scholars from throughout the civilized world flock to Britannia’s shores to study at the King’s Court School at Winchester.
Enter Concordia, a beautiful noble woman whose family is favored by the king. Vain, willful, and admired, but ambitious and cunning, Concordia is not willing to accept her fate. She is betrothed to the valiant warrior, Brantson, but sees herself as far too young to lay in the bedchamber of an older suitor. She wants to see the wonders of the world, embracing everything in it; preferably, but dangerously, at the side of Thayer, the exotic Saracen who charms King Alfred’s court and ignites her yearning passions.
Concordia manipulates her besotted husband into taking her to Rome, but her ship is captured by bloodthirsty pirates, and the seafarers protecting her are ruthlessly slain to a man. As she awaits her fate in the Moorish captain’s bed, by sheer chance, she discovers that salvation is at hand in the gilded court of a Saracen nobleman.
While awaiting rescue, Concordia finds herself at the center of intrigue, plots, blackmail, betrayal and the vain desires of two egotistical brothers, each willing to die for her favor. Using only feminine cunning, Concordia must defend her honor while plotting her escape as she awaits deliverance, somewhere inside steamy, unconquered Muslim Hispania.
IAI: How did you pick the topic for The Briton and the Dane: Concordia?
MAB: My lifelong dream was to write a novel about Erik, the Viking, after having seen such Hollywood blockbusters as “The Vikings,” “The Longships,” and other period movies including “King Arthur,” and “Knights of the Round Table.” When it came time to put pen to paper, Alfred the Great’s reign was the perfect backdrop for my story.
IAI: How is The Briton and the Dane: Concordia different from other books that cover the same or similar information?
MAB: The Briton and the Dane trilogy is an epic adventure, which includes multiple storylines with multiple characters, Concordia being 3-years-old in the final novel.
When we meet Concordia, she has come of age in a turbulent era where women are expected to behave according to societal standards. Her story runs the emotional gamut of love and betrayal, and while her struggle may not be unique, her story is poignant, transcending time.
IAI: What do you like most about writing this book?
MAB: While many decisions have as many consequences, I enjoyed shedding light on the reason why someone did what they did, right or wrong.