Today is October 24.  On this date seven years ago, in 2015, the first edition of the popular book, Seven Viking Days, was published. It is illustrated by artist Mia Hocking, and written by author Lee Cuesta.  Publishers Weekly proclaimed: “Hocking succeeds in creating a dreamy, multilayered backdrop for the sun’s stories … while Cuesta gives readers a taste of Germanic, Norse, and Roman legend.” Midwest Book Review stated, “Vibrant details about Viking lives and history … lovely illustrations create a collage of images and backgrounds. …The result is a gorgeous presentation of Viking vignettes that will interest adults as well as children.”

A fun and well-attended Launch Party was held at an open market in Oregon (in front of the bookstore that sponsored the event) on the book’s publication date, October 24, 2015. In Viking attire, Lee Cuesta and Mia Hocking signed books; Hocking’s original artwork was displayed; special cookies representing the days of the week were served; and a drawing was held for memorable souvenirs.  Later, the book and the authors were featured at an Authors Fair in Beaverton, Oregon.

Now, precisely seven years later, the Second Edition of Seven Viking Days has been published.  It is a very special anniversary because the alignment of sevens is significant. Today, the Second Edition celebrates the seventh anniversary of the original publication of Seven Viking Days.

The email announcement from Kindle Direct Publishing that both hardcover and paperback are available to buy on Amazon is dated October 20, 2022. The hardcover is the Deluxe Edition, which includes a bonus section with Activity Pages for ages 3 to 8. Both versions of this Second Edition now present the quality of Hocking’s unique artwork in a far superior format, widely surpassing the quality of the first edition; in other words, the content has been remastered. Her vibrant, captivating illustrations make Seven Viking Days a hit not only with children and grandchildren, but for their parents and grandparents as well. Professional photographs showcase Hocking’s original 3-D, relief artwork crafted from mixed, recycled media, creating a collage of images and backgrounds.

Hocking teamed up with Lee Cuesta, who thoroughly researched ancient Norse and Scandinavian myths and legends to uncover the authentic origins of our days’ names. So Viking tales of Woden, Fenrir, Frigg, Saturn, Thor and his hammer, Mjolnir, and more fill this book. From these tales, Vikings named the seven days of our week. Cuesta weaves these stories in the context of Viking lifestyle, history and society. The result is a gorgeous presentation of Viking vignettes in an engaging, spirited conversation between Sun and the Viking boy, Canute, which reinforces the correct sequence of the days with repetition and symbolic icons, enabling children to learn the names of the days easily and accurately.

The respective ISBNs for Seven Viking Days, Second Edition are as follows:

ISBN: 9798819658871, Paperback; full-color; 66 pages; $14.99.

ISBN: 9798356237157, Hardcover, Deluxe Edition; full-color; 80 pages; $20.

The paperback is the authentic Second Edition, rendering the contents of the first edition in a superior fashion. Now the hardcover, 80 pages in length, is the Deluxe Edition with a bonus section that contains Activity Pages for ages 3 to 8. These Activity Pages include connect the dots, a maze, Which 2 Are The Same? (featuring Vikings and longships), drawing pages, and much more. The first edition of Seven Viking Days is no longer in print.

A link to Lee Cuesta’s Author Page is provided here, which provides direct links to the amazon pages for both books.  In addition, you are currently visiting the official website for Seven Viking Days, vikingdaysbook.com, which includes printable copies of the activity pages.  With the permission of their parents (or other adult caretaker), children may send photos of their completed activity pages to be posted on the official Seven Viking Days website. To submit photos of the child’s work, send them to the email address listed in the contact info on any of Lee Cuesta’s websites.

“If you’re a Baby Boomer, like me,” Lee Cuesta says, “you likely have grandchildren who would adore this new Second Edition of Seven Viking Days!  I think you’ll love it, too!  The grandkids will love having you read it to them, as do mine.  Plus you can do the Activity Pages with them that are a part of the Deluxe Edition.”

Jump to the downloadable, printable Activity Pages from the Deluxe Edition by clicking here.

A resourceful professional artist, Mia Hocking’s passion is mixed media (recycled) visual art. This book expresses her abstract style with a specific vision and purpose. The Sequoia Gallery in Oregon has exhibited her work, which represents core life philosophies of environmental consciousness and personal journeys. One side of Lee Cuesta’s family came from Denmark, sometimes called the “Heartland of Viking Society.” So this book reveals his roots. Cuesta is an author and professional journalist. He gained extensive cross-cultural experience while working with a nonprofit organization. An internationally recognized public speaker and writer, he’s been published online and in periodicals such as World Pulse, Indian Life, Northwest, InSite, Eternity, Prisma, El Faro and Apuntes Pastorales. Cuesta also has published two other books.

He now resides in a forested area of the USA’s Pacific Northwest where he enjoys bicycling and kayaking with his wife, as well as hanging out with their grandchildren. In fact, he dedicated this second edition of Seven Viking Days to their seven grandchildren  Their sixth grandchild, a boy, shares his middle name with his grandfather, Lee, and he was born just ten days after the publication of the first edition in 2015.  Cuesta had to miss a reception for Seven Viking Days at the Sequoia Gallery due to the birth of his grandson because they occurred on the same day!

A final note:

Lee Cuesta’s newest spiritual, self-help book, Successful Spiritual Waiting: the 7 Maxims, was also published recently. This is a preponderance of sevens.

In Successful Spiritual Waiting: the 7 Maxims, Lee Cuesta draws upon 40 years of experience to unpack the deepest, fullest meaning of waiting on and for God, along with why and how. With lively and upbeat guidance enabling the reader to implement these principles, he shows that waiting is a positive spiritual practice that delivers success while reducing stress. The book is rich with Cuesta’s autobiographical adventures and lessons as he implemented waiting on God, and for God, in his own life. These truths are universal; so followers of all faiths and spiritual traditions likewise will benefit from Cuesta’s insights. He relates the experiences of more recent historical waiters, as well, such as William Carey and Nelson Mandela. A maxim is generally any simple and memorable guide for living. Immanuel Kant said that a maxim is a principle of action that one gives to oneself, and Lee Cuesta’s in-depth and compelling explanation of these 7 Maxims reveals the lifestyle of successful spiritual waiters.

The respective ISBNs for Successful Spiritual Waiting: the 7 Maxims are as follows:

Hardcover ISBN: 9798845851901

Paperback ISBN: 9798433571730

Copyright © 2022 by Lee Cuesta.