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If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?
I would like the ability to shapeshift into different forms.
What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
Though I may appear reserved, there is a tiger ready to pounce out and engage with other in a multiple of subjects.
When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?
I usually start out with what role my hero/heroine plays in the story and what are his/her primary goals. Then I look for distinctive physical or personality characteristics that will distinguish him/her from other characters in the story.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I consider myself as having attributes of both. Before I began the series, I wrote a 3-page summary of the series which provided big moments that drove the story ideas. But as I drafted and edited the scenes, I sometimes changed the original ideas. As I imagined the characters speaking in my head while writing a scene, they sometimes surprised me by doing something I did not anticipate. For example, I had planned that my heroine, Catrin, would go back to Rome with Marcellus, a Roman tribune, as his mistress after he arranges for her freedom from slavery in Gaul. But, Catrin has overcome almost impossible obstacles in Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3). It was not in her character to go back with him. She had a destiny to fulfill— avenge her father’s death and overthrow her evil half-brother, King Marrock. Thus, she offers Marcellus the option to rule alongside her as equals after they defeat Marrock. Marcellus, unwilling to forfeit his birthright and heritage, chooses to return to Rome without Catrin but gives her the option of joining him there if she changes her mind. As a result, I had to major chunks of the original summary in Skull’s Vengeance because of Catrin’s choice to fulfill her destiny without Marcellus.
Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?
Unlike the previous books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series, Skull’s Vengeance delves into the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty under the rule of Emperor Tiberius. As I researched the Roman political backdrop during the time period when the story takes place (27 – 28 A.D.), I became fascinated with the historical figure, Lucius Aelius Sejanus. He was the commander of the Praetorian Guard who over-reached to gain power from Tiberius through murder, conspiracy, and betrayal. Though Tiberius had been an able general and diplomat, his final years as emperor were tyrannical. Roman historians wrote about his sexual perversity and child molestation. At the height of Sejanus’s political power as a consul in 31 A.D., Tiberius unexpectedly had him arrested and mercilessly executed.
Antonia Minor, who is introduced in Skull’s Vengeance, is also inspired by my research. She was the youngest daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia, sister-in-law of Tiberius, and half-sister to Iullus Antonius. As a confidant to Tiberius, Antonia Minor had a role in the downfall of Sejanus. She feared her grandson, Caligula, would meet the fate as his older brothers whom Sejanus had imprisoned.
In Skull’s Vengeance, Antonia Minor helps my hero, Marcellus, to navigate the political waters to meet directly with Tiberius. I was tempted to expand on the Julio-Claudian family discord, but the story needed to revolve around the Celtic heroine, Catrin. Thus, I may write another standalone historical fiction novel outside the series about the fall of Sejanus from Marcellus’s perspective.
AS FORETOLD BY HER FATHER in a vision, Catrin has become a battle-hardened warrior after her trials in the Roman legion and gladiatorial games. She must return to Britannia and pull the cursed dagger out of the serpent's stone to fulfill her destiny. Only then can she unleash the vengeance from the ancient druids to destroy her evil half-brother, the powerful sorcerer, King Marrock. Always two steps ahead and seemingly unstoppable, Marrock can summon destructive natural forces to crush any rival trying to stop him and has charged his deadliest assassin to bring back Catrin's head.
To have the slightest chance of beating Marrock, Catrin must forge alliances with former enemies, but she needs someone she can trust. Her only option is to seek military aid from Marcellus—her secret Roman husband. They rekindle their burning passion, but he is playing a deadly game in the political firestorm of the Julio-Claudian dynasty to support Catrin's cause.
Ultimately, in order to defeat Marrock, Catrin must align herself with a dark druidess and learn how to summon forces from skulls to exact vengeance. But can she and Marcellus outmaneuver political enemies from Rome and Britannia in their quest to vanquish Marrock?
Exasperated, Catrin drew in a sharp breath. Then, she considered Trystan’s impassioned plea to meet with two of her most hated enemies. Recalling how her father had respected his second-in-command’s advice, she reluctantly conceded and squeezed her legs against her horse’s flanks to move toward the campfire’s glow.
The night’s chill mysteriously transformed into an embracing warmth as they neared a roaring fire with a black cauldron hanging over it. Sitting behind the crimson flames were two obscured figures.
“Welcome, Apollo’s Raven,” a woman’s deep voice intoned. “Come to our fire. Join us in the dance of souls.”
Though Catrin hesitated to join them, the fire’s radiance mesmerized her, luring her closer to the orange flames. She dismounted and handed the reins to Trystan, who quietly remained with the horses as she sat down on a fallen log near the roaring campfire.
“Drink the magic from the cauldron,” the woman offered. “It empowers all who partake with the knowledge of mystical mysteries from the ancient druids.”
“I already have that power,” Catrin proclaimed, trepidatious that perhaps Rhan had dropped hallucinogenic ingredients into the bubbling mixture. Thick steam flowed over the cauldron’s edge and down its metal surface in a thick, greenish fog.
“We know, my love, but you have only had a taste,” Rhan replied in a hypnotic voice. “You do not know how to control this dark magic. But we do.”
Suddenly light-headed from the smoky fumes emanating from the cauldron, Catrin struggled to maintain her wits. “Once before you said this, when you tried to trick me into revealing how I can travel to the Otherworld.”
“Believe me, this is no trick,” Rhan said soothingly. “I’ve seen your father’s spirit wander the top of cliffs, near a dagger embedded in a serpent stone. It is the blade on which my curse was etched.”
“I sense the curse has altered again, but I can’t see how the etched wording has changed on the blade,” Myrddin interjected. “You must help us solve the riddle of how the dagger got there.”
Catrin inhaled sharply, realizing Myrddin and Rhan had discovered the location of the dagger she had thrust into the stone. The image of her running away from the Romans played in her mind, and her thoughts transformed into words.
“After the final battle, I tried to escape the Romans, but…but there was nowhere to go, except jump off the white cliffs. At that moment, I chose to die rather than be captured.”
Rhan rose to her feet, walked around the fire, and sat next to Catrin. “But you didn’t die, did you?” she said, touching Catrin’s arm.
“No. A riderless horse galloped to me, stopping in front of me. My father suddenly appeared and told me not to jump,” Catrin disclosed, reliving the supernatural moment in her mind. “I couldn’t believe my eyes that Father was there. I knew Marrock had beheaded him. Yet, I felt his essence and his love radiate into me.”
Tears swelled in Catrin’s eyes as remorse that she had been unable to save her family from Marrock’s brutality overwhelmed her. She swallowed down a sob before continuing her story.
“Father told me to lift the cursed dagger toward the sky. To my amazement, sunlight flashed through the dark clouds, almost blinding me. He then ordered, ‘Thrust the dagger into the serpent stone that I create.’ What I saw next was not a vision. It was real.”
Catrin grimaced as she recalled the burning pain she’d felt as she’d held the hilt of the dagger.
“The blade turned orange, as if it had been taken out of a furnace. Father’s spirit burst apart into gold dust and melted into the blade’s etching. Serpents massed together on the ground. The venom dripping from their fangs hardened into stone. Somehow, I was able to push the dagger into the hard rock, like it was butter. And, and…”
“And what, my dear?” Rhan pressed.
Catrin’s voice cracked. “I was collared by the Romans and put on a warship.”
Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include "Apollo’s Raven" (Book 1), "Dagger’s Destiny" (Book 2), "Amulet’s Rapture" (Book 3), and "Skull’s Vengeance" (Book 4). She has also released the historical fiction short story, "Two Faces of Janus."
A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.
Website: https://www.linneatanner.com/
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Skulls-Vengeance-Curse-Clansmen-Kings-ebook/dp/B0BC2GCFGG/ref=sr_1_1
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