Viking Voyager

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


This vivacious personal story captures the heart and soul of modern Iceland. Born in Reykjavik on the eve of the Second World War, Sverrir Sigurdsson watched Allied troops invade his country and turn it into a bulwark against Hitler’s advance toward North America. The country’s post-war transformation from an obscure, dirt-poor nation to a prosperous one became every Icelander’s success. Spurred by this favorable wind, Sverrir answered the call of his Viking forefathers, setting off on a voyage that took him around the world.


Read an Excerpt:


I left Iceland to pursue university studies in Finland in August 1958. I was a nineteen-year-old embarking on my quest to see the world. In my youth I had deeply admired the adventures of the Vikings. Even after the Viking Age was over, young Icelanders often did a stint in Norway, serving a king or nobleman and performing heroic feats in battle. In the modern era, this tradition takes the form of studying overseas and competing in international business and professional arenas. Like my forefathers, I needed to travel to distant lands to prove myself, and then I would return home and use my skills to help make my country one of the greatest in the world.


I was giddy with optimism in those days. Actually, it wasn’t just me. The whole nation was in a state of euphoria. Everything was going right for our newborn republic. With financial aid from the U.S. Marshall Plan, the country reconstructed the ageing fishing fleet that had been decimated by war and neglect. The World Bank, a United Nations affiliate that would employ me many years later, provided loans to Iceland to build the groundwork for an economic boom. Many more bonuses came our way during the Cold War, when the two superpowers contended for our loyalty. Iceland played hard to get, driving the rival suitors to shower her with gifts.


About the Author:


Sverrir Sigurdsson grew up in Iceland and graduated as an architect from Finland in 1966. He pursued an international career that took him to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the U.S. His assignments focused on school construction and improving education in developing countries. He has worked for private companies, as well as UNESCO and the World Bank. He is now retired and lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and coauthor, Veronica.


Veronica Li emigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong as a teenager. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University. She has worked as a journalist and for the World Bank, and is currently a writer. Her three previously published titles are: Nightfall in Mogadishu, Journey across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman’s Search for Home, and Confucius Says: A Novel. Her website is www.veronicali.com.


Amazon author page:

https://www.amazon.com/Sverrir-Sigurdsson/e/B08LFYCCPD

https://www.amazon.com/Veronica-Li/e/B001JOSCAQ


Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tssigurdsson

https://www.facebook.com/veronica.li.39


Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Sverrir_Sigurds

https://twitter.com/VeronicaLi5


https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/142534.Veronica_Li


The Book will be $1.99 during the tour. 


Amazon.com buy link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MDMRM66/


Amazon.ca buy link: https://www.amazon.ca/Viking-Voyager-Icelandic-Sverrir-Sigurdsson-ebook/dp/B08MDMRM66/



Giveaway:

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 





Comments

  1. Thanks for hosting. Happy for the opportunity to talk about my growing up in Iceland and getting the inspiration to travel the world like my Viking forefathers.

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  2. Really great post, I enjoyed reading it!

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  3. I liked the excerpt. Thank you for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Finland is a place close to my heart. That's where I got a degree in architecture and launched my international career.

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  4. I really enjoyed the excerpt. I am looking forward to reading as this is definitely a read I know I'll enjoy

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    1. Very happy to hear that. I love sharing stories of my experiences in Iceland and other parts of Scandinavia, as well as my worldwide travels. Thanks for your interest.

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  5. Definitely a subject I would love to learn more about. Sounds like a great book to get me started.

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    1. There are many books on Icelandic scenery for tourists, but few human interest stories about the country and its people. I hope my book will transport you to a different world.

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  6. Sounds like an interesting historical and personal story. Thanks for the chance.

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    1. This is the only Icelandic memoir in English that I know of. Hope you enjoy it.

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  7. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and stay well!

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  8. I have Viking ancestors, so anything remotely associated is of great interest

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    1. Viking descendants are everywhere. I've seen blue-eyed blonds in the unlikeliest places such as Turkey and Pakistan.

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  9. This sounds like a really great read!

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    Replies
    1. I try to link my personal story with events of the time. We're all part of something bigger. Thanks for visiting.

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  10. Veronica Li is a new author to me, but I look forward to reading this. I always love meeting new authors. Thanks to this blog for the introduction. I want to read "Journey Across the Four Seas: A Chinese Woman's Search for Home".

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    Replies
    1. Veronica has written 3 books. Her most popular is Journey Across the Four Seas, a true story about her mother's turbulent life in Hong Kong. Veronica's writing skills helped me turn Viking Voyager into a "page-turner," as a review calls it.

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  11. Sounds like an interesting storyline. Looking forward to reading the book.

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    1. My memoir is a good example of the connection between biography and history. Thanks for your interest.

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  12. Replies
    1. Glad you like the excerpt. Leaving home to study architecture in Finland changed my life forever. Finland is the launching pad for this Viking Voyager!

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  13. Interesting cover. It makes me want to read the book.

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    1. The cover is an aerial photo of the southernmost area in Iceland where I spent summers working on a farm from age 9-14. In the back is the volcano Eyjafjallajokull (don't try to pronounce it), famous for stopping international air traffic for a week in 2010. Iceland is full of magnificent landscapes like those in the photo.

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  14. Replies
    1. You're welcome. Happy to be here to talk about my adventures in Iceland and around the world.

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  15. Replies
    1. Thanks. My memoir is a human interest story about my family, my people, and how they shaped me.

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  16. Love the traditions! I'd love some traditional recipes! (writer61 @ yahoo . Com)?

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    1. Veronica will email you. She's Chinese but has learned to cook a few Icelandic dishes. We have some interesting multicultural meals!

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  17. I would enjoy reading about modern Iceland.
    Thank you for sharing this review.

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    1. My country has come a long way since the Second World War. Before the first class hotels and fancy restaurants, there was nothing but turf houses.

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