Your Next Favorite Author—Jennifer Ivy Walker!

Dragon of Denmark is a sizzling, scintillating blend of historical fiction, Norse mythology, paranormal fantasy, and steamy Viking romance!

Skårde the Scourge, bastard son of the Danish king Harald Bluetooth, is a fierce Viking warlord who earned the prestigious title Dragon of Denmark through victorious battles and lucrative Viking raids. When his royal father announces that Skårde will forge a Viking alliance through an arranged marriage to the daughter of Richard the Fearless, the Dragon of Denmark considers the voyage to Normandy an infuriating banishment.
     Illegitimate daughter of Richard the Fearless, the Viking Duke of Normandy, Ylva is a Druid priestess and Celtic healer with the otherworldly gift of sight. She learns that she must leave her Breton village behind and travel to Normandy, where she will marry the Viking brute that she has foreseen in a terrifying vision.
     When the Frankish king, determined to drive the Vikings from Normandy, attacks and seizes Richard’s clifftop fortress, the Dragon of Denmark must ally with Ljósálfar Light Elves, a Viking völva with powerful seiðr magic, and a vitki— a shapeshifting sorcerer who can assume the form of a falcon–to reclaim the ducal palace.

     Jennifer Ivy Walker is an award-winning author of medieval, paranormal, Celtic, and Viking romance. A former high school French teacher and professor at a state college in Florida, she holds an MA degree in French literature.  Her novels encompass a love for French language, literature, history, and culture, incorporating her lifelong study and many trips to France. 

Avis: Welcome to Your Next Favorite Author! Today’s guest is already a favorite, Jennifer Ivy Walker! Her newest novel, Dragon of Denmark, released October 5, 2024. It is set in France on the Normandy coast and showcases her research on the Viking age and France during this tumultuous time of Viking occupation that becomes permanent!

            Let’s begin our discussion with this first question: 

Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

Jennifer: Yes, in my novel, Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle, there are hidden secrets for readers who finished my fantasy trilogy, The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven, that others will simply miss.

Avis: Readers will want to check out all your books to keep up with the stories, the characters, and find the secrets! That’s half the fun for me when I find an author I love. 😊 Question number two is:

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

Jennifer: Balancing family obligations with finding time to write.

Avis:  I agree! As a writer, we cannot hit pause so we can work on our writing! It seems like you are a great time-manger, though because you’ve written so many books in just the last couple years! 

            Which leads to question number three:

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

Jennifer: Generally, it takes me about four months to write a novel, or a month for a novella. 

Avis:  Like I said before, you are a terrific time manager! Your list of titles is growing so quickly, it will keep your fans very happy! There is a lot to read. 😊

Our fourth questions is:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Jennifer: I am friends with Michelle Godard-Richer and Virginie Marconato. Both are encouraging and supportive, giving me critiques and advice.

Avis:  They are both great writers and you’re lucky to have such great friends! We need that kind of support to keep doing what we do. 😊

            Our fifth and final question is:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Jennifer: I have done both. I’ve written a trilogy (The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven), with two spinoff novels that can stand alone (Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle and A Celtic Yuletide Carol) but both books are much better understood (to find hidden secrets, for example, as mentioned above in number one) if read as part of an ongoing series.  Dragon of Denmark is book 1 of the Valiant Vikings series, with each book capable of standing alone, but much better appreciated if read as a series in the proper order. I have also written a WWII romantic suspense (The Witch of the Breton Woods) and two steamy novellas (Amour in Avignon and Flames of Flamenco) which are individual works and not part of any series.

Avis:  You are one prolific writer, my friend! Thanks for sharing some of you secrets and a bit more on your writing life!     

And thank you so much for visiting YNFA today, and for all you readers meeting Jennifer ivy Walker for the first time, see below for Jennifer’s socials, and for a review of her wonderful historical/Viking Age novel, Dragon of Denmark. If you scroll beyond the review, you’ll find a list of Walker’s other books as well as a blurb of Dragon of Denmark!

Until next time, keep reading and writing! 😊

Jennifer’s Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jenniferivywalker.bsky.social

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bohemienneivy/vikings/

Website:  https://jenniferivywalker.com/

Book Links:

Amazon

Goodreads

Bookbub

Review by Avis M. Adams

Jennifer Ivy Walker does it again with The Dragon of Denmark, a romance set in a series from the Viking Age. Skärde the Scourge is the bastard son of Harold Bluetooth, and he stands to gain nothing from his father the Danish king. Ylva is the illegitimate daughter of Richard the Fearless, the Viking Duke of Normandy, France, is shunned by her Frankish neighbors because of her Viking father. When the two fathers get together and devise a marriage between these two, sparks of rage fly.

            Ylva is as outraged by the union as is Skärde, and the move to Normandy is a shock to Skärde, the Dragon of Denmark’s system, but the two have no recourse but to do what they are told. The anger felt by both young people sets this up as a union for disaster, but Ylva’s healing abilities, and Skärde’s prowess with a sword can sustain them both in this unwanted union. 

            Little do these two know that father knows best, as they go through with the ceremony, and their love unfolds the more they learn of each other. Walker’s mastery at developing relationships that give us goosebumps and make us swoon is front and center in this tale of royal disputes, battles of honor, and mystical healing.

Historical romance fans will love this tale of love, blended with Norse lore and legend. 

Bonus Info!

Other Novels by Jennifer Ivy Walker

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven

The Lady of the Mirrored Lake

The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight

Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle

A Celtic Yuletide Carol

The Witch of the Breton Woods

Flames of Flamenco

Amour in Avignon

Excerpt from Dragon of Denmark:  Vision of the Viking Beast

Inside the hidden sea cave, Ylva dipped her hands into the ebullient pool at the bottom of the cascade, bringing the icy water to her lips and drinking deeply from the sacred spring of Mont Garrot. She washed her face and neck with the cleansing spray from the waterfall. Bowing her head in reverence upon the altar she had built, Ylva bid her blessed goddess Divona adieu and prepared to exit the holy shrine.

But as she attempted to rise, the deafening roar of the waterfall suddenly stilled as a stifling darkness descended, transfixing her to the altar where she knelt before the pool. In the limpid depths before her, a towering, heavily armed warrior appeared in the mirrored waters of the sacred spring.

Pulse pounding, limbs trembling, Ylva was mesmerized by the terrifying image of the massive Viking beast.

Long blond locks extended past his enormous shoulders, and a braided beard covered his oxlike neck. Thick furs draped down his broad muscled back. Silver torques with elaborate carvings encircled his mammoth arms, inked with terrifying images of dragons, wolves, and bears. In an intricate scabbard belted at his sinewy waist, a gleaming sword with a glittering emerald in its hilt was sheathed upon his left hip. Dark leggings clung to heavily muscled thighs, and leather boots and furs laced up his wide, sculpted calves.

At the sight of the rippled torso riddled with scars and covered with dark blond hair, Ylva’s breath caught in her throat.

Emblazoned across his mountainous chest, a jagged thunderbolt scorched the bare skin.

As she beheld the lightning streak which marked the monstrous brute, a sizzling energy surged up her veins. Frozen in fear, Ylva was immersed in the current which flowed from the sacred spring and seared her from within. Gazing into the hypnotic waves of the mirrored pool, she glimpsed a white castle perched high upon an oceanfront cliff. 

And, in the distance, anchored in a sheltered cove, the red and white striped sails and carved dragon prows of an enormous fleet of Viking ships.