Researching Norse Mythology for my upcoming book - by Vijaya Schartz

Research is always a fun part of writing a story, even in science fiction. That’s where I usually find interesting details to feed the plot and define my characters.

In Angel Revenge, Book Three of the Blue Phantom series, coming out in October, my futuristic heroine is a Valkyrie. I had to brush up on my Asgardian knowledge through research. I learned much about the culture and symbolism of the ancient Viking gods.

We all know about Thor, Loki, and Odin through the Marvel universe, but Valkyries are not as well known. And I happen to like strong warrior women for my heroines.

Here are a few facts about Valkyries. They were women warriors ordained by Odin, given a magic armor where their powers resided. They could shapeshift into birds. They had many other abilities such as visions of the future. They flew into battle riding flying horses (Pegasus) or geese, or dragons. They wielded spear, bow and arrow, and dragon-fang swords.

Their function was to select the worthy fallen in battle and take them away to enjoy the Halls of Valhalla, a warrior’s paradise full of good food, beer, women, and fighting. The Valkyries were long-lived, like all Asgardians, but their armor also made them impervious to most weapons.

However, they had one weakness. I won’t tell you what it is, so as not to spoil the story.

In Angel Revenge, my heroine is Valka. She survived Ragnarök and finds herself on her own. She still fulfills her destiny and rescues worthy warriors fallen in battle… but for a different purpose. She rides a genetically engineered flying tiger and carries many blades and blasters. I'm considering either of these tigers for the cover:

 

Here is the tag line: An unruly Valkyrie on a possessive flying tiger, a strict angel in love with the rules, and evil pounding at the gate… What could go wrong?

The book comes out in October and will be the last of the Blue Phantom series. In the meantime, you can read the first two books:

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Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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