MORE to BROWSE - Pages that might be of Interest

Thursday 8 December 2022

My Coffee Pot Guest: Donovan Cook - Son of Anger

 (Ormstunga Saga, Book 1) 


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Wander through wonderful worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find a few good books
to enjoy along the way!


Meet Donovan Cook...

One of the inspirations for writing Son of Anger is my fascination with medieval history, especially the Vikings. I’ve always enjoyed history, not history lessons in school though, and often wondered what life was like for those who lived in the past. But it was when I read my first novel from Bernard Cornwell about Uhtred of Bebbanburg that I really became interested in Vikings and their mythology. I read the whole series and was hungry to learn more about them. I spent hours and days reading articles online and other books. I read everything I could find about the mythology of their gods. Stories stranger than anything I had ever read before. I’ve read many novels about the ancient Romans and about life in medieval Britain and Europe, but it was the chaotic nature of the Viking gods and their fatalistic approach to life that really intrigued me. So when I decided to write my first novel, I really wanted to write about the Vikings so that I could explore their world even more. So I could see their world through the eyes of a Viking warrior.

Another inspiration behind Son of Anger was religion and not the way you think it might be. I am not a religious person, but I do not consider myself to be an atheist. I guess you could say that I’m confused about the whole thing. I was born in South Africa and lived there until the age of fourteen when my family moved to England. Religion is very important in South Africa and it played a large role in my upbringing. We had Bible lessons in school and had to say a prayer at the beginning of every school day. Priests would come to my school to give lectures and hand out free bibles. I still have one of those bibles. Most of my family are religious, even my parents, although they never forced it on me or my brother. They left it for us to decide whether we want to follow a religion or not. But even though I am not religious, religion has always intrigued me. When I decided to write a novel about Vikings, one of the things I wanted to do was to experience their world with their gods. The Middle Ages was a dangerous period, especially if you are a young Viking warrior trying to find your way in life. I was curious about how these vicious men and women from the north dealt with the realities of their world and how their belief in their gods affected this. Today, we know how mountains are formed, but in the 9th century, they would have had their own ideas. Did the gods create the mountains to protect their world or were the mountains the bodies of giants slain by Thor? If a rotten tree suddenly falls in front of you, almost killing you, is it luck or a message from the gods? How did they feel about their fates? Did the Vikings really believe that their lives were in the hands of three sisters weaving a tapestry of life? That these three sisters decided who became a mighty warrior or who would fall in their first battle. Or did they believe in creating their own fate? Did the gods really interfere in their lives or was it just bad luck, or the consequence of a bad decision? These were the type of questions I had as I wrote Son of Anger, and it was a lot of fun putting myself in the shoes of a young warrior trying to overcome life’s obstacles while trying to make sense of everything around him. 



About the Book

Book Title: Son of Anger     

Series: Ormstunga Saga

Author: Donovan Cook

Publication Date: 12 Nov 2020

Publisher: Self-Published

Page Length: 347 pages

Genre: Viking Historical Fiction

Ulf is like a storm, slowly building up its power, he grows more dangerous with each passing moment. And like all storms, he will eventually break. When he does, he will destroy everything in his path.

Ulf is one of a long line of famous Norse warriors. His ancestor Tyr was no ordinary man, but the Norse God of War. Ulf, however, knows nothing about being a warrior.

Everything changes when a stranger arrives on Ulf’s small farm in Vikenfjord. The only family he’s ever known are slaughtered and the one reminder of his father is stolen -- Ulf’s father’s sword, Ormstunga. Ulf’s destiny is decided.

Are the gods punishing him? All Ulf knows is that he has to avenge his family. He sets off on an adventure that will take him across oceans, into the eye of danger, on a quest to reclaim his family’s honour.

The gods are roused. One warrior can answer to them. The Son of Anger.

Buy Links:

This book is available on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Link (if you have it): https://books2read.com/u/m2dMOr

Amazon UK: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08NCNQPLH

Amazon US: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NCNQPLH

Amazon CA: 

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08NCNQPLH

Amazon AU: 

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08NCNQPLH

Barnes and Noble: 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/son-of-anger-donovan-cook/1137982445?ean=9781838300814

About the Author Donovan Cook 

Donovan Cook was born in South Africa but raised in England, and currently works as an English tutor. He is the author of the Ormstunga Saga, which includes his debut novel Son of Anger and the follow up, Raid of the Wolves. His novels come from his fascination with the Viking world and Norse Mythology and he hopes that you will enjoy exploring this world as much as he did writing about it.

When Donovan is not teaching or writing, he can be found reading, watching rugby, or working on DIY projects. Being born in South Africa, he is a massive Springboks fan and rarely misses a match.

Social Media Links:

Website: 

https://www.donovancook.net/

Twitter: 

https://twitter.com/DonovanCook20

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/DonovanCookAuthor

BookBub: 

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donovan-cook

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Donovan-Cook/e/B08PC3BDRX

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20887374.Donovan_Cook

Follow the Tour

Twitter Handle: @DonovanCook20 @maryanneyarde
Hashtags: #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub
Tour Schedule:

note: Helen has not yet read this title - it is on her TBR list!

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COFFEE POT BOOK CLUB ANNUAL AWARD 2022


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NON-FICTION

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for hosting today's tour stop for Son of Anger.
    All the best,
    Mary Anne
    The Coffee Pot Book Club

    ReplyDelete

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