First, a little about the lovely authoress herself:
Heather Day
Gilbert enjoys writing stories about authentic, believable marriages. Sixteen
years of marriage to her sweet Yankee husband have given her some perspective,
as well as ten years spent homeschooling her three children. Heather regularly
posts on Novel Rocket about
self-publishing. And here's is the book itself (I told you it was a gorgeous cover, didn't I?):
One Viking woman. One God. One legendary journey to North America.
In the tenth century, when pagan holy women rule the Viking lands,
Gudrid turns her back on her training as a seeress to embrace
Christianity. Clinging to her faith, she joins her husband, Finn, on a
journey to North America.But even as Gudrid faces down murderous crewmen, raging sickness, and hostile natives, she realizes her greatest enemy is herself--and the secrets she hides might just tear her marriage apart.
Almost five centuries before Columbus, Viking women sailed to North
America with their husbands. God's Daughter, Book One in the Vikings of
the New World Saga, offers an expansive yet intimate look into the world
of Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir--daughter-in-law of Eirik the Red, and the
first documented European woman to have a child in North America.
_____
Heather has joined us today for an interview. I hope you'll enjoy learning more about her and her work . . . and be sure to stick around for the giveaway at the end!
INTERVIEW
Welcome, Heather,
to the Tales of Goldstone Wood blog! Would you mind telling us a little about
yourself? Hobbies, personality . . . tea or coffee?
Heather: Sure!
So excited to be here! I'm a homeschooling mama and I have three kiddos. My
girls, as you know, are CRAZY about your books.
Hobbies...I
don't have many, since I'm a self-published author and I spend a lot of time
marketing and working on schemes to take over the world (kidding)! I like to
play video games to unwind, I liked Doctor
Who before it was trendy, and I'm addicted to coffee. Personality...I'd say
I'm a very transparent person and I don't usually read into things. I do have
several "marshwiggle" tendencies, though...if you've read C.S. Lewis'
The Silver Chair, you know exactly
what I mean.
What
led you into the writing life? Were you always a storyteller? What was your first published novel?
Heather: I
think I fell in love with words from the time I was small, since I learned to
read pretty young (I remember loving phonics). I won my first essay competition
in fifth grade, but didn't realize I was a "writer" until I was maybe
twelve. I did take a lot of writing classes in college, but didn't pursue that
as my major (I did, however, start college thinking I would become a police
officer!). My first published novel released November 1, 2013. It was so
thrilling to finally see my book in print!
Tell
us a little about your debut novel! What led you to start writing God’s
Daughter? Was this your first manuscript?
Heather: God's Daughter was not my first
complete book. I actually participated in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing
Month) and completed a paranormal novel—that was my first book. I did have an
agent with that, and it went out on submission. But I decided to write a
historical novel next, in hopes of getting into the Christian book industry
more easily. Thus, I researched the Viking sagas I loved, and wrote God's Daughter.
God’s Daughter is such a gorgeous book! Would you mind telling us about your
publishing process? What was the world of indie-publishing like for you? Any
helpful hints you’d like to share?
Heather: Thank
you so much! It has been such a whirlwind, from the day I decided to
self-publish to now. Planning, editing, working on cover art with my brother,
lining up early readers/endorsers, learning to format books, and finally,
marketing. I have truly learned SO much, and it's wonderful, because I can take
this knowledge with me as I publish my next book (a contemporary mystery—hopefully
releasing this year!).
Primarily,
I worked with two people on my book—my techie brother for the cover art and
map, and my critique partner for the edits. The novel had been content edited
by my agent, and somewhat line-edited, but really, the bulk of the load did
fall on me (and my poor brother and crit partner!). But honestly, though the
process was exhausting, I'm getting excited as I gear up to do it again.
As
far as indie hints, my biggest one is do
not publish until you're ready. Give yourself time to get everything in place (editing, knockout cover art, early
readers, guest posts) and get the biggest bang possible when you launch your
first novel.
Can you pick a
favorite character from God’s Daughter?
Heather: Hm.
This is hard. I love my main character, Gudrid, because she's so compassionate
and has a healer's heart. But I also love her wild sister-in-law, Freydis, who
would probably be a feminist if she lived in this day and age! They each have
lessons to learn...and I'm glad my second Viking book, Forest Child, will follow Freydis as she sails back to North
America.
I
also love all my "dudes." They each have very different, and I hope
very realistic personalities. I hope
readers will feel they're similar to the men they know and love.
And
my wolf. I love the wolf in the book. I won't say more on that...but yes. The
wolf was definitely real in my mind, as real as my characters were.
What
inspires your work? Where do you turn when you need a renewal of inspiration?
Heather: For
my historicals, I definitely return to the Icelandic sagas. It's like putting a
puzzle together as I fit all the events together in my mind and interpret them
through the eyes of my characters.
As
far as my mystery and other writing, I can never tell where I'll get inspired.
Since I live in West Virginia and often set stories there, sometimes it helps
to just go outside. I also get inspired in church sermons—maybe my mind is more
relaxed there and I'm totally unplugged—but I've scrawled many an idea on
church bulletins.
What
are your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?
Heather: I
love writing. Editing is hard, but not as frustrating as writing proposals.
Synopsis-writing, in particular, kills me. But the lovely thing is that now I'm
an indie author, I don't have to write synopses or proposals! All I have to
write is back cover copy/book blurbs. In the past, my Facebook author page
followers have happily given input on my blurbs, and it is such a tremendous
help to me. I have a tendency to want to give the whole story away.
However,
as an indie, I have to format. Formatting is NOT my cup of tea, and I wind up
growling around in my office for days as I do it. My crit partner showed me how
to format and worked with me on God's
Daughter, but if there's anything I would want to hire out, it would be
book formatting.
If
you were forced to pick a single favorite author, who would it be?
Heather: I'm
a classics gal, so I'd have to say Thomas Hardy. Although he's pretty bleak, I
find his characters always have very relatable emotions. I also recently
discovered Sarah Jio, and enjoy her novels. I'd also have to say I love reading
anything my critique partner, Becky Doughty, writes. Her novel, Elderberry Croft, recently released, and
she's working on another release for 2014.
What are you
actively writing right now?
Heather: I
have started my second Viking novel, Forest
Child, but it's been hard to focus. We've been working on cover art for my
mystery, Miranda Warning, and I'll
need to get final edits done on that, plus gear up for its release this year.
Suffice it to say, I always have some writing project going!
Can
you share a short snippet from God’s Daughter?
Heather: Sure,
I'd love to. This prologue is from Gudrid's point of view when she is young.
It's pretty gritty (younger readers may want to skip it—the book is intended
for an adult audience), but I knew it was where Gudrid's story began. The rest
of the novel is from Gudrid's point of view when she's married (to her third
husband!). So this just gives you a glimpse of what's she's repressing
throughout the novel:
Prologue
Hellisvellir, Iceland
The gods only accept what is valuable.
Gudrid repeated this to
herself as they hoisted her mother into the tree. Her beautiful mother with the
long shining hair, like her own.
Her cousin, Yngvild,
touched her hand. Not a word was spoken, from anyone. No one could believe a
young mother would die for the required nine-year sacrifice, along with the
expected slaves and animals. But the chieftain had ordered it. And the
chieftain was her father.
Gudrid's aunt hunched
over, sobbing into her sleeves. Uncle Thorgeir did not even look at the tree.
He seemed happy to gain more control of her mother’s family farm.
Gudrid clenched her
fists on her shift, bunching it so tightly she felt she could rip it apart. She
longed to fight the men who would drop the ladder, breaking her mother’s neck.
But interrupting a sacrifice to Thor was punishable by death—the immediate
death of hanging.
The sprawling, twisted
tree loomed like a giant against the gray Icelandic sky, its limbs clutching at
the dangling dead animals and people. Gudrid imagined the tree held them back
from dropping straight into Helheim. Truly, Mother should go straight to
Valhalla for being a willing sacrifice. But only the men who died bravely in
battle got to go there, to drink endless mead for eternity.
Her father blew the
ram’s horn, and a slave kicked the ladder out. For one second, Father’s eyes
glazed over, as if he was far away. Even though he was devoted to Mother, he
believed the only way to restore the bounty of the farm, failing since he had
charge of it, was to give up the one thing he really cared about.
Mother’s face went
slack and lost color. Gudrid was strangely thankful that she did not turn blue,
with her eyes bulging, as some of the slaves had. It meant she died quickly, as
a perfect sacrifice should.
Gudrid looked around,
aware she needed a protector. Even at eleven years old, she understood this.
Father had never wanted a girl. Her aunt was too grief-stricken—she would
barely be able to care for her own children now, after watching her sister die.
Orm’s sad gaze met her
own. He was a neighbor from a nearby farm, on a cliff overlooking the
shoreline. His wife, Halldis, was a volva,
a seeress who knew magic. Gudrid refused to look at her. She did not want to
see the eyes of the woman who had told Father he needed such a significant
sacrifice this year.
The last body was
hanged, and another volva led a chant with the drum. Since many slaves had been
killed, their families began to sing quietly in their own languages. As the
words clashed, each group sang louder and louder. It was the only time they
sang publicly.
Gudrid
felt her insides burning, down to the core, like the volcanoes on this island.
Anger and loneliness forced her from her seat. She hated Thor and anything to
do with him. She groped for her knife before raising it to her throat. Then she
charged straight for her father.
___________
Wow! What an intense opening scene! And I'm sure the rest of the novel is equally gripping, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Heather. It was lovely to get to know you better and to learn about your work.
What do you think, dear readers? Are you eager to read more about Gudrid? Well, be certain to grab a copy of Heather's book . . . and enter your name in the giveaway below for a chance to win a paperback copy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
14 comments:
God's Daughter sounds like an interesting story. Thanks for doing the interview!
Question: What's your favorite strategy for when you get stuck?
Wow! This looks like a fascinating story!
So you said you have a husband and three children who you home school. How do you juggle writing with all your responsibilities as a wife and mother?
Hi, Sarah! Great question. When I get stuck on my Viking historicals, I always go back to the Icelandic sagas, since much of the "action" in the books comes straight from there. It gives me a fuller view of my main characters! And for my WV mysteries...I tend to go outside or just turn on my "author radar"--I start noticing little things about people/nature and let my mind just mull for a while.
And Anna, yes. I actually have homeschooled all three, but right now my son is at a Christian school. Juggling writing is still hard, especially now that I've added marketing/formatting/editing to the list as a self-publisher. Thankfully, my girls are older and more independent learners now, but we do have lots of morning time together to read Science or History, go over Math, etc. I will admit I'm not always up-to-date on housework and sometimes supper time comes as a surprise to me, too! I figure many authors wish for a full-time cook and housekeeper!
Sounds like you're very busy...I think these ladies have asked the main question I had. I have a toddler who takes up a lot of my time, and I'd like to homeschool him when he's older, but I worry about whether or not I'll be able to get ANYTHING done...We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Excited to read your book!
Jennifer, I hear ya. When my kids were toddlers (and they were all 3 toddlers at the same time, almost!), I just didn't have a chance to complete a novel. But when my youngest was about 5 or 6, I was able to participate in NaNoWriMo and write a novel in a month. That really helped me see that I COULD do it if I made time for it.
Times have changed and my writing takes up MUCH more of my life now, but I really believe we have seasons in life. It is a balance of pushing yourself and yet knowing when something is too much. For me, it was too much to write and have 3 young-uns in diapers. But I know some moms who do.
I just constantly re-evaluate responsibilities. At this point, I'm not active in homeschool co-op/church activities as I once was. I'm able to look at writing as a career. But it did take about 6 years to reach this point!
All the best to you as you mommy, possibly teach, and write!
You'll be pleased to know that I'd already seen God's Daughter floating around on Goodreads and put it on my to-read shelf. : ) My question is... out of the Norse legends and Icelandic sagas, do you have a favorite, and why? It's good to see another Thomas Hardy fan; my favorite of his is Far From the Madding Crowd, because I feel like that's when his characters act most human. Thanks!
Allison, sounds like we'd be good friends! My fave Hardy novel is ALSO Far from the Madding Crowd--I agree--it seems the most hopeful ending of all the books (love Farmer Oak!). And thank you for putting God's Daughter on your To-Read list!
Oh, wow! The sagas...that's kind of tough because I've been SO immersed in the two about Eirik the Red's family (Eirik the Red's Saga and The Saga of the Greenlanders) that I haven't read back in a while. There was one about a witch who married a younger man, I vaguely remember, but I really need to re-read those stories and refresh my memory! Norse tales...one of my faves is the fairy tale East o'the Sun and West o'the Moon. I've always LOVED that tale and thought about rewriting it, only to realize someone already had (I believe the book is titled EAST). Great question! And thanks for chiming in!
Thanks so much for the interview and giveaway! This book caught my eye a while ago and I've been waiting for a chance to read it!
As for East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon, I would LOVE to see your take on it. There have been plenty of retellings of it, but every author brings something new to the table, and I think you could do a fantastic spin on the tale! :D
As for my question:
I read somewhere that you have a Viking heritage (I have Viking blood, too), and I was wondering if that connection to the past has given you a more personal connection to the characters you've written about? Do you feel more connected to this story than others you've written?
Blessings!
Beka
Hi, Heather! :) Since I so loved Gudrid's story and CAN'T WAIT to read about Freydis, my question is, do you think you'll continue on in the Viking world and write more books set in that period?
Beth
Anne Elisabeth, you have the BEST readers! I love their questions!
Beth, yes, I'm writing Freydis' story in the follow-up novel, Forest Child. It's going to be very intense! Thanks for reading God's Daughter!
And Rebeka, I do think that would be so fun to rewrite East o'the Sun and West o'the Moon. Another fairy tale I love is Snow White and Rose Red--the story of the sisters. I have kicked that around, for sure.
And YES, I do feel pretty connected to the characters. Really, the character I'm supposedly related to is one of the dead brothers--Thorvald--the one who was killed by a Native American arrow in North America. But I loved writing about his wife, Stena. Stena is actually a family name and because we're also part Sami (Lapland reindeer herder), I was able to "make" Stena one. She's one of the few totally fictional characters in my books, but I do feel pretty close to her, as well. And Eirik the Red...I just feel like I know him and his jolly sense of humor, yet his protective edge (even though he's dead when my novels are set, Gudrid does remember him a lot). I REALLY hope I can meet the real Gudrid in heaven someday, so I can know her whole story!
That is so cool!! : )
Wow, I can't even imagine how intense that must be, researching Norse history and bringing it to life through fiction. I have trouble enough getting accurate sources for the 1790's, and your story is much further in the past than that! :-) Can you tell us how you went about researching for GOD'S DAUGHTER?
Thank you for the great interview and the sample scene! I look forward to reading your story.
Jill, thank you (and all the best with your upcoming release!). Yes, it was definitely tricky researching such a long-dead culture. I frequently asked The Viking Answer Lady (she has a website by that name) some of the cultural questions, and I had lots of resource books.
But I really focused on sticking close to the sagas, so that made it somewhat easier to get to know the characters...since I already knew historically what happened to them, especially in North America.
That said, I still got things wrong. My content editor for this book was also my agent at the time, and he pointed out that sweet potatoes were NOT found in the area my Vikings were, so I had to strike that from their root vegetable "meal plan." I discovered other little details like that--strawberries weren't available, etc. However, you'd be amazed at what WAS available, since the Vikings traded so far and wide (down the Volga river, into Arabic countries, etc).
But yes--lots of research. I've kind of gotten spoiled writing my latest novel, which is contemporary. For my second Viking novel, we'll have a lot of action on a ship, so I have to make sure I get those Viking ship details as close to true as possible.
Then again, I do cut myself some slack. Historical fiction needs to be rooted historically (esp. when it's biographical), and I don't want anything to jump out as anachronistic. But I know I'm not a historian by trade, so I don't expect I'll get every detail right. The histfic I love gives a sweeping overview of life in a certain time period, but it's always the characters I remember longest. I should add that a dearth of source material also helps the histfic author--what we don't know for sure, we can fill in (esp. in time periods that aren't heavily documented, like the Viking age). So in a way, it gave me more freedom to have fewer details accessible.
Woah, long answer, sorry! But that was a great question! All the best to you, Jill!
And thank you for your long and very interesting answer! :-) I do envy your being able to fill in the gaps. I get frustrated by contradictory accounts of the same event--but I guess that way I get to pick the one that suits me. Heh.
Blessings to you and your writings, Heather!
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