Chatting with Christina – about combmaking Vikings, hidden hoards and her latest release

Today, I have invited Christina Courtenay to visit. She has recently released a new book, Ripples Through Time (review further down) and I first asked her if she wanted to write a historical guest post, as she’s done several times on my blog. She sort of groaned. It becomes a bit tedious, after a time, to write historical guest posts about the same period for the same book, so after some back and forth, we decided that this time, I’d ask her some questions instead. Enjoy!

What got you into writing? – I needed a way to earn money while also staying home to look after my daughter when she was a baby so I thought I’d give writing a try. I’d read a lot of Mills & Boon books and said to myself ‘how hard can it be?’. VERY as it turned out. I didn’t actually get published until my daughter was 21 and had just left home, so that plan didn’t quite work out but I got bitten by the writing bug and persevered.

Tell us a bit about your books. – I started off writing historical romances set in exotic places like Japan, China and India, as well as 18^th century Sweden. I really wanted to write dual time (timeslip) novels though and that’s what I do now – they’re my favourites. Mostly mine are partly set during Viking times, but I’ve also done a couple of Roman ones.

What attracts you to the periods you write in? – There are some historical periods that just fascinate me more than others. The Vikings (obviously) – I love them because they were so much more than just violent marauders and I want to show readers what amazingly courageous and creative people they were. The Romans because they were so incredibly advanced compared to those who came after them (and then it all went wrong!). The English Civil War and the Jacobite Rebellion as both are events that I feel should have ended quite differently and I can’t help but sympathise with the Royalists and Jacobites. If only they’d won! (Anna: I totally agrees re the Jacobites, but Charles I was something of a disaster as a king . . . )

How do you approach researching your periods? – I try to learn as much as I can about them, using every method available. First I read up on the period in general, then I research specifics like clothing, customs, food etc. I write down noteworthy events and make a timeline. I go to as many museums as I can, especially outdoor ones with reconstructed buildings as it’s so helpful to be able to experience something in real life. And I watch films, TV programmes etc. I collect replica items, for example I own a Viking sword, knife, fire steel, and a costume I’ve mostly made myself. I also travel a lot to visit the countries and sites where my books are set.

I have noticed you often use a craft to anchor your stories in other times—you’ve had protagonists who are weavers, silversmiths and now comb-makers. Why this mechanism? Does this reflect a genuine interest in crafts? And how come comb-making for a tough Viking raider? – Some of them need to have a profession and those were crafts I’d read about. I also love doing crafts myself (see the Word Wenches latest blog post – https://wordwenches.com/aaw-word-wench-hobbies/ – where we talk about that), especially weaving, quilting and band weaving. It’s a good excuse for learning new skills and I had to take courses in all three of those crafts. Viking weaving was done on an upright loom rather than the kind we have now, and I’ve tried that as well, which was fun. In RIPPLES THROUGH TIME I decided to let my hero be a comb-maker to show that he had a creative side, he’s not just a violent thug. Also it was something he could easily do during winter camp. (The Vikings mostly stayed put somewhere during the colder months). You don’t need a lot of tools for it and antlers were presumably easy to come by. I liked the idea of this rough warrior making beautiful objects in between all that blood-shed. It shows that there was more to the Vikings, as I mentioned earlier.

Tell us your most surprising historical fact you have come across in your research. – How smooth it feels to ride in a Viking ship! I expected to be seasick almost instantly as I usually am in most boats, but I wasn’t. (Anna: Not so sure I believe you. I mean, anything floating on water is destined to make me seasick…)

In your afterword to Ripples through Time, you indicate it is to some extent inspired by a real story. Tell us a bit about that! – Yes the so-called Herefordshire Hoard was found by two metal detectorists, but they didn’t inform the authorities as they should have done and instead tried to sell the objects they had dug up in secret. Luckily the dealers they contacted alerted the police and some of the hoard was recovered, but sadly only a small fraction. A large part of it is still missing and I hope it will one day come to light. The hoard included a beautiful crystal pendant like the one featured in my story. I liked it so much I bought myself a similar one.

Are there any other eras you would like to write about? – I would love to write about the so-called Dark Ages, ie 500-700 AD. It’s a period shrouded in mystery for the most part and I find it fascinating. Also, from my research I’ve learned that the Germanic people of northern Europe and Scandinavia at that time, as well as the Saxons in Britain, customs and norms that were very similar to those of the later Vikings. So really they were “pre-Vikings” I guess you could say. (Anna: Frans. G. Bengtsson has written a very interesting essay about the Merovingians – The long-haired Merovingians. You know, in case you want to start off somewhere 😊)

What are you working on now? – I’m working on a new series, again featuring Vikings. I’m not really allowed to talk about it yet but look out for some official announcements soon!

And finally, what is the best thing about being a writer? – That I don’t have to get up early in the mornings! I’m a night owl and can happily stay up until very late, sometimes even all night. Writing can be done anytime, anywhere, and I love the flexibility of it.

Thank you so much for having me as your guest!
Anna: Thank you for visiting with me!

 Ripples through Time 

A love that will change them forever … A treasure that will bring them home

West Mercia, AD 873 – Merewen‘s settlement is on guard against the ‘Heathen’ Norsemen, but for her the real threats come from within. Eirik, a Viking, finds himself abandoned and injured after his uncle’s plunder of Mercian land goes wrong. He thinks his fate is sealed – until Merewen saves his life.

Hereford, Present Day – Alix moves to her grandfather’s farm in Hereford to heal her broken heart. She soon finds herself haunted by memories of a life she never lived, a relationship she never had, and a time in which she never existed. Local farmer Noah is hounded by the police to find the Viking hoard that his sister and her boyfriend stole from his farm. He must prove his own innocence while struggling with the curious connection he has to newcomer Alix. As they search for the lost treasure, Alix and Noah start to feel the whispers of a love powerful enough to echo through history.

Universal buy link for RIPPLES THROUGH TIME:   https://geni.us/ripplestime

My review:

Few writers are as adept at weaving together two timelines as Ms Courtenay. In this her latest book, we are treated to the story of Merewen and Eirik, two 9^th century people who by birth are enemies but who, through circumstances, become something else entirely, while also following present-day Alix and Noah. Ms Courtenay has us leaping back and forth over this sizeable time gap with ease, both narratives full of tension and danger.

Ms Courtenay’s protagonists are well-rounded and complex, shaped by their pasts and their hopes for the future.  Both Alix and Merewen are unlucky in their sisters, as is poor Noah who is burdened by Niamh, a jealous, angry and probably criminal sibling. But it isn’t only jealous sisters: Merewen’s father has decided she is to become a (most unwilling) nun, but this doesn’t stop her brother-in-law from trying to bed her; Noah is under suspicion from the police due to a Viking hoard found on his land which his sister’s boyfriend tried to conceal and sell off;  Alix is trying to build a new life for herself after having fled London after her sister’s latest back-stabbing. And Eirik is in hiding—an injured Viking raider cannot exactly expect to be welcomed by the people he’s been raiding.

As always, Ms Courtenay has invested a lot of effort in her historical research, anchoring the Merewen/Eirik story effortlessly in the 9^th century. The Heathen Army has been more or less disbanded, many of the participating heathen tired of war and eager to find somewhere to settle down instead. Eirik is one of these aspiring settlers, but his uncle will not hear of it, and Eirik owes him his loyalty—until things happen.

All in all, Ripples through time is a most enjoyable and well-written read that easily transports this reader back and forth in time. Warmly recommended!

Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a Vice President and former chairman and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. RIPPLES THROUGH TIME (dual time historical romance published by Headline Review 20^th November 2025) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

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