Win a $50 GC: Viking Voyager by Sverrir Sigurdsson with Veronica Li

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.

Can you describe your dream home?

I designed and built my dream home on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. As an architect and a passionate woodworker, I have the skills to do both. Thanks to my wife and coauthor, Veronica, who put up with my absences, I had free rein to implement my project during my semi-retirement. The construction, which was done mostly on weekends, took seven years.

I applied the concepts I’d learned in architecture school in Finland. First of all, a house should be in harmony with its environment, looking as natural as a tree in the forest, a ripple in the nearby water. I thus built the roofs of my house to resemble a set of cascading waves, with the final wave ready to crash into the creek. This synchrony with the surroundings continues inside the house, using natural materials such as flagstone at the entry and wood in the hearth area for contrast. Secondly, transparency is paramount for such a pristine natural setting. My house has glass everywhere to showcase the shoreline, the creek, the gorgeous sunsets, and the abundant bird life.

We’ve been using the cottage as a second home for twenty some years now. Despite minor flaws, I’m happy to say it turned out the way I wanted it to be.
br> If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?

That would be entirely up to Veronica. Being Chinese American, she has a repertoire of Chinese dishes that she can whip up at a moment’s notice. Usually some stir fry with meat and vegetables, plenty of vegetables. Or if she can find a leg of Icelandic lamb in the local market, she’ll roast it in the oven. In which case, you better come back the next day for the leftover lamb bone soup, an Icelandic specialty and absolutely divine. Icelandic lamb is prized for its brawny, free-range texture and clean, wholesome taste. It’s available in some US supermarkets in the fall.

Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.

As a newly baked author, I don’t have fan letters yet. But I’m most flattered by this review by Stephen Heyneman, professor emeritus at Vanderbilt University: “Who among us wouldn’t want descendants to learn from our life? Of the hundreds of memoirs available, perhaps one is worth reading. This is it. The origin of Viking Voyager is a land where 200 years ago, 25 percent of the population starved to death; where a widow had to have a license to ‘handle her own affairs’ and where farm life was a ‘study in minimalism’. Here is a story of survival and success, self-generated. From Roots to Viking Adventures and, finally, Home. The story is unusual because it includes a life of building schools in many parts of the world. The lesson at the end is summarized thusly: ‘I could collaborate with anyone from any background as long as the person wasn’t a jackass.’ Fair enough. All stories are told, perhaps with the ingenious pen of his wife and co-author, in hilarious and self-effacing detail. This is a story which gladdens the heart and makes one wish for more.”

Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?

Iceland. I’ve worked in more than thirty countries on five continents, but I believe I can do the most interesting writing about Iceland-related matters. Specifically, when the next volcano erupts, I’d like my publisher to fly me there. I’ll join the throngs of volcano watchers and hike as close as possible to the eruption. I’ll take lots of pictures and write about the event.

Iceland is well overdue for a major eruption. The last flare-up, which Icelanders consider a Mickey Mouse disturbance, disrupted international air traffic for a week in 2010. That volcano is called Eyjafjallajökull, a big name for a tiny heap. But if you hear about the eruption of an Icelandic volcano with a short, two-syllable name such as Hekla, Katla or Laki, watch out. Those are the big ones, and the world won’t be the same afterwards.

Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?

I did, with assistance from the publisher´s team. The front cover is an aerial photo of a dramatic sea cliff from the area where I spent summers as a farmhand in Iceland. When I emailed the Icelandic photographer to offer payment for using his photo, he asked for two bottles of good red wine. I threw in dinner for him and his wife. Unfortunately, since I live in the U.S., I have yet to fulfill my promise due to the current travel restrictions to Iceland.

The spine of the book, decorated with a Viking motif, is a picture of the mahogany carving I made when I was twelve. The sailboat on the back cover is the vessel on which my grandfather and his first-born lost their lives when my mother was a toddler. My book begins with the storm that capsized the boat while they were fishing in the turbulent seas around Iceland.

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.

Enjoy an Excerpt

My maternal grandfather, Þorkell Magnússon, was the captain of a fishing vessel called Gyða. In early April 1910, he and his seven-man crew, including his eldest son, set sail from Bíldudalur, a small town in northwest Iceland. Their destination was the rich fishing grounds beyond the fjord. April was the beginning of the fishing season, which lasted until September. These were the “mild” months. In reality, the weather was often stormy and below freezing, pushing both the boat and men to the limit of their endurance. Three weeks later, on April 23, Gyða headed for home, her hull laden with cod, the valuable cash fish many fishermen had died for. Nearing their home fjord, the men’s hearts must have lifted. A hot meal, a warm bed, and the family’s embrace were within a day’s reach.

That night, a furious northerly gale pounded the region with snow and sleet, whipping the sea into a deadly cauldron of crashing waves. All hands would have scrambled on deck to wrestle with the wind, jibing and tacking to keep the gusts from capsizing the boat. The battle went on all night. The next morning, Gyða was still upright and staggering closer to home. Einar, my grandfather’s neighbor and a former crew member, attested to seeing her from shore during a visit to his family’s farm on the outer reaches of Arnarfjörður (Eagle Fjord). The wind was still howling, pummeling the boat from left and right. But Einar was confident the boat could hold herself together. After all, Gyða was a sturdy oceangoing vessel, one of the first to be built in Iceland with state-of-the art technology. In just a few more hours, she would reach the safety of the harbor.

About the Authors:

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.

Veronica Li's Website ~ Sverrir Sigurdsson's Amazon Author Page ~ Veronica Li's Amazon Author Page ~ Sverrir Sigurdsson's Facebook ~ Veronica Li's Facebook ~ Sverrir Sigurdsson's Twitter ~ Veronica Li's Twitter ~ Veronica Li's Goodreads

The Book will be $1.99 during the tour. Buy it at Amazon or Amazon CA.

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