daughters of denmark
PERIL AND PROVIDENCE
An historical fiction book series set in eighteenth-century Denmark-Norway, woven with war, romance, and a thread of Norse myth and folklore.
Nine no-spice novels with temporary titles under construction.
Original art created for this website by @kris_tinsart.
Karen Nyenhuis
Author
A particular soldier in the Norwegian artillery inspired six years of research and a mostly fictional story world of nine novels. The series is a full historical epic that spans four decades in Denmark-Norway, the Netherlands, and France. The stories stand alone with connected characters.
All writing in my books is my own, with no AI generation or revision.
I learned to write decades ago at Wellesley College, where I wept over paper essays covered in red ink, studied French, and met women with myriad world views. I have read widely on military and religious history prior to 1750 in Northern Europe.
I will ponder publication when the first nine books have 75,000 word second drafts and the story world is set. As of July 2026, I’ve written 351,000 of 675,000 words.
Books in Progress
Book One
Spring in Leiden
Stars and separation.
Partial first draft.
Book Two
Summer in Copenhagen
A knight and nobility.
Partial plot.
Book Three
Winter in Norway
A fortress and fear.
First draft complete.
Book Four
Autumn in Copenhagen
Storms and a snow brig.
Second draft complete.
Book Five
Winter in Bergen
Snow and succor.
First draft complete.
Book Six
Christmas in Copenhagen
Cardamom and crisis.
First draft halfway.
Book Seven
Winter in Brest
Wonder and a watch.
Second draft complete.
Book Eight
Summer in Bergen
Stones and struggle.
Third draft halfway.
Book Nine
An Arctic Summer
Shame and honor.
First draft halfway.
Book Ten
An Arctic Refuge
Science and safe harbor.
Partial plot.
The old man lifted the watch in his gnarled hands, reverently pressing the crown until the case popped open. “Retournez,” he whispered.
-WINTER IN BREST