Thankful Author 2019- Laura Strickland

Life’s a See-Saw

It’s been another difficult year. I doubt very much whether our country’s been so divided since the Civil War. Whatever your political leanings, or whether you have none at all, I think you’ll agree that the climate is vicious, and ugliness abounds.

And, do you know what? After spending months dismayed, frustrated, and sometimes hollering at the headlines that pop up on my computer screen, I’ve realized something important. In a strange way, I’m thankful for the difficulties.

Why, you may ask? Who would welcome difficulties? Well, sure—I prefer harmony. And the ultimate goal is to get everyone pulling together for the common good. Or maybe, the true ultimate goal is manifesting happiness.

Life’s a see-saw at this moment in time. When one group’s up, having claimed some perceived or actual victory, the other group goes crashing down to the depths of chagrin. We’re busy scoring points off each other, not realizing that the whole time, we’re all perched on both ends of that see-saw. This is the way it’s always been. For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. Each happy moment carries the potential for dipping into unhappiness. And from each miserable moment we can launch to dizzying heights.

If we never knew those lows, would we even recognize the highs, when they come? That terrible review you just received really makes you appreciate the five-star you got a few days ago. There’s nothing like a simple head cold to make you appreciate feeling well again. And, that bad winter storm really makes the spring seem all the sweeter when it comes. And, it always comes!

I’m thankful for the difficult times, for they encourage me to reach for better. And I love the dark, because it allows me to see every shade of the glorious light. Happy Thanksgiving!

Blurb for The Berserker’s Bride:

Captured by Viking raiders, Eadha MacEwan, daughter of a chieftain, dreads falling into the hands of the berserker, Tolljur Magnussen. An empath, she easily senses the emotions of others, but she can feel nothing from Tolljur until he succumbs to one of his berserker rages. Then she shares the fire, darkness, and agony of his affliction.

Rarely does Tolljur give in to impulse, and he certainly didn't plan to claim the Scotswoman. Yet he soon discovers Eadha's music is the one thing that can soothe his pain, and in an attempt to shield her from his enemies, he takes her for his bride. Can love grow amid fear and doubt? And how can Eadha's magic save Tolljur from a legacy that may destroy him?

Excerpt for The Berserker’s Bride:

He turned where he stood to survey her again. He could not seem to get his fill of looking. Ah, by Odin’s eye, what a fool he was! Burdening himself with a woman of all things, even out of pity, only further complicated his life.

                He did not need a woman or any more complications, though he had to admit his dwelling could use a good sweep and scrub. Would this Eadha be a competent and willing worker? Something about her declared her less than versed in things domestic, with a streak, perhaps, of the wild.

                Ja, and that went to the heart of it, what he had sensed about her back in Gunnar’s hall that made him speak out as never before.

                Perhaps she would prove attractive once clean and properly clothed. In the light of the hall her tangled hair had carried a reddish gleam. Her face, with its sharp cheekbones, freckled skin and that odd mark on the cheek, looked foreign enough to fire the passion of one such as Friti.

He, Tolljur, tended to pour all his passion into the madness when it took him.

What color were her eyes? He had not been able to tell in the hall and could not see them well enough now. Would she ruin them spending her time weeping and moping for her husband back in the islands? Had she the wit to accept her lot, safer here with him than elsewhere around Husavik?

He grimaced. For this very reason had he never taken a slave; he knew too well how it felt to be held captive to a higher power and forced to serve.

Buy Links:

Amazon US:

https://www.amazon.com/Berserkers-Bride-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B07Z2KV9TM/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=laura+strickland&qid=1571490754&sr=8-8

Amazon Canada:

https://www.amazon.ca/Berserkers-Bride-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B07Z2KV9TM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Berserker%27s+Bride+Laura+STrickland&qid=1571490842&s=books&sr=1-1-catcorr

Amazon UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Berserkers-Bride-Laura-Strickland-ebook/dp/B07Z2KV9TM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1571490909&sr=1-1

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-berserkers-bride-laura-strickland/1133998202?ean=2940160902326

iTunes:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-berserkers-bride/id1483415280

Laura Strickland bio:

Multi award-winning author Laura Strickland delights in time traveling to the past and searching out settings for her books, be they Historical Romance, Steampunk or something in between. Her first Scottish Historical hero, Devil Black, battled his way onto the publishing scene in 2013, and the author never looked back. Nor has she tapped the limits of her imagination. Venturing beyond Historical and Contemporary Romance, she created a new world with her ground-breaking Buffalo Steampunk Adventure series set in her native city, in Western New York. Married and the parent of one grown daughter, Laura has also been privileged to mother a number of very special rescue dogs, and is intensely interested in animal welfare. These days while she's writing, you can always find her latest rescue, Lacy, nearby. Her love of dogs, and her lifelong interest in Celtic history, magic and music, are all reflected in her writing. Laura's mantra is Lore, Legend, Love, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Author Web site: www.laurastricklandbooks.com