Groe, Diana (Emily Bryan)

PERSONAL:

Daughter of Robert and Evelyn Tapscott; married Brian Groe (a business manager); children: Elisabeth, Rachael. Education: North Iowa Community College, A.A.; attends University of Northern Iowa. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES:

Home—West Plains, MO. E-mail—dianagroe@centurytel.net.

CAREER:

Author. Worked previously as a professional opera singer and banker.

WRITINGS:

Maidensong (historical romance novel), Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Erinsong (historical romance novel), Dorchester (New York, NY), 2006.

Silk Dreams (historical romance novel), Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2007.

(Under pseudonym Emily Bryan) Distracting the Duchess, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Diana Groe was drawn to the ancient culture of Vikings because, as she states on her home page, she has one of her very own—her husband is of Norwegian descent. In her debut novel, Maidensong, a traveling storyteller is enslaved in a Viking raid and sent to Constantinople to marry an ally. She and her captor fall in love during the ensuing journey, but her destiny leads to a new life in a harem. Booklist contributor Diana Tixier Herald considered the book to be "well-researched," and predicted: "Readers will watch for Groe's next historical romance." Groe's follow-up novel, Erinsong, also incorporates the Viking theme. A Norseman washes up on a shore in Ireland with no memory of his identity or how he got there. Found on a beach by two princesses, he assumes an Irish name and begins to fall in love with one of his rescuers, only to have their relationship—and their very lives—threatened by the secrets that they both hold. Herald commented in another review for Booklist that Groe conjures a "a vivid backdrop for a dramatic love story."

In Silk Dreams, Groe's next Viking romance, young Valis is exiled from her Scandinavian family after suffering a seizure. She is sold into slavery and eventually forced into a harem in Constantinople, where she meets another banished Norseman who is now working in the Emperor's guard. The two begin a secret relationship that, if revealed, could send both of them to their deaths. Writing for Merrimon Book Reviews, a critic described the novel as "a romance where suspenseful moments inspire a fast-paced read as historical politics and cultures clash around the characters' personal lives."