November 5, 2024

When Children came out in October 2020, I fully expected Land to be released a year later. What I didn’t take into consideration was how badly my mental health would decline; a sensitivity reader; that my trauma therapist would spend a year away with a burnout; and how energy-consuming first survival, then the recovery would turn out to be.

And, of course, what my characters would decide to do, because it’s not like I get to tell them!

Land is a re-telling of Hrafnaflóki’s (Raven-Flóki) discovery of Iceland. Only mine has Gods in it (which makes it fantasy) and magic and the Hidden Folk (which doesn’t, this is Iceland). My original idea was that Magni would become their King, and in his need to be the Protector and make everyone equal, would inadvertently build communism – not as young communists imagine it on social media, but what I have lived through in the 1970s and 1980s. Then Magni sort of crossed his arms, and went “nope, that’s not me, come up with something else.”

The thing with actual communism was that some people didn’t want to be made happy and equal by it, and so had to be convinced; when this didn’t work – silenced; when they became better heard – imprisoned. All for the good of the society. In retrospect, I should have guessed Magni wouldn’t want to be that sort of person!

Maya, who now understands her powers have a reason, has to find that reason, her own destiny, and destination. Unfortunately, initially I didn’t know it either. I just wanted to write about Iceland and, because I am me, make it all traumatic and political (but with magic and inappropriate humour!) As I wrote numerous drafts – because I actually did work on the book over the 3.5 years when it seemed I was gone forever – Maya discovered her purpose together with me. I knew some of it already, because not only Maya, but clearly also I had premonitions in Children. She slowly revealed the rest. And as she kept asking herself questions, guess who had to answer them? (Hint: IT WAS ME.) So, if this is called coming of age, and her age will surprise you, I guess it’s me who came of it!

Another thing that tends to happen with my books: Children was supposed and meant to be Magni’s book. Then Maya, a character from a book I binned, saw it and said “I like this, I’m moving in, and I’ll have half of it.” This time Thorolf, who started as Black-coded sidekick (remember another premonition Maya had?) not just developed into a fully fleshed-out character. Oh, no. He’s getting the third book. All of it. Except the half where… but that’s for later.

Lastly, I can’t not mention Queen Timy. Timy is the editor of Queen’s Book Asylum, a blog I write for sometimes (and destroy its street cred with my music taste) and a few authors, including me, decided to put characters named Timy in their books, then (maybe) kill them violently. In my vision, Queen Timy was going to sort of wander around melancholically, Enya-style, around her castle, then get quickly beheaded. I must have had a slow day (3.5 years) to think Timy would settle for THAT. She’s all over the bloody (sometimes) book! Okay, only 1/3 of it. (It = 550 pages; Land is approx. 20% longer than Children.) My editor – Marian L Thorpe, the author of Empress & Soldier and the Empire series – made things worse by saying that Timy’s stories, which are necessary, felt like massive infodumps. So, now Queen Timy even gets to have POV sections. I decided to publish this book ASAP before she managed to become the actual protagonist and removed Magni and Maya from it!

Those who have read Children should expect to meet many of their favourites again. And of their not-quite-favourites. And… you have a favourite character? There’s a 50% chance you don’t have them anymore!

Land will be published on November 5. My ko-fi supporters will be receiving the e-book in October. Preorder now with 50% discount (worldwide, all stores).