tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post6233858551578187298..comments2024-03-23T02:45:17.058-04:00Comments on Tales of Goldstone Wood: Interview Feature: Heather Day GilbertAnne Elisabeth Stenglhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09462605949792523331noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-78049720434245046312014-03-06T14:01:49.925-05:002014-03-06T14:01:49.925-05:00And thank you for your long and very interesting a...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.<br /><br />Blessings to you and your writings, Heather!Jill Stenglhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13218641704241875981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-20415560453137058062014-03-05T19:53:10.008-05:002014-03-05T19:53:10.008-05:00Jill, thank you (and all the best with your upcomi...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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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). <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />Woah, long answer, sorry! But that was a great question! All the best to you, Jill! Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-87335761923949640332014-03-05T19:11:12.971-05:002014-03-05T19:11:12.971-05:00Wow, I can't even imagine how intense that mus...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?<br />Thank you for the great interview and the sample scene! I look forward to reading your story.Jill Stenglhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13218641704241875981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-28865788108433987692014-03-05T07:23:31.533-05:002014-03-05T07:23:31.533-05:00That is so cool!! : )That is so cool!! : )Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06401287896327956210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-23151010413165150962014-03-04T09:40:43.726-05:002014-03-04T09:40:43.726-05:00Anne Elisabeth, you have the BEST readers! I love ...Anne Elisabeth, you have the BEST readers! I love their questions! <br /><br />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! <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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!Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-52611965522435187752014-03-03T21:23:14.022-05:002014-03-03T21:23:14.022-05:00Hi, Heather! :) Since I so loved Gudrid's stor...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?<br /><br />BethBethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10900653740500129315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-6207470907746708382014-03-03T20:58:53.357-05:002014-03-03T20:58:53.357-05:00Thanks so much for the interview and giveaway! Thi...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! <br /><br />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<br /><br />As for my question:<br /><br />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?<br /><br />Blessings!<br />BekaAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-46828414557123904432014-03-03T17:35:29.185-05:002014-03-03T17:35:29.185-05:00Allison, sounds like we'd be good friends! My ...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!<br /><br />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!Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-49764586079042401692014-03-03T16:55:44.829-05:002014-03-03T16:55:44.829-05:00You'll be pleased to know that I'd already...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!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06401287896327956210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-60810158647509868512014-03-03T12:46:28.265-05:002014-03-03T12:46:28.265-05:00Jennifer, I hear ya. When my kids were toddlers (a...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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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! <br /><br />All the best to you as you mommy, possibly teach, and write!Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-68288049328368351612014-03-03T11:39:33.673-05:002014-03-03T11:39:33.673-05:00Sounds like you're very busy...I think these l...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!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02533384195004284005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-78249813506740166352014-03-03T09:55:49.852-05:002014-03-03T09:55:49.852-05:00Hi, Sarah! Great question. When I get stuck on my ...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.<br /><br />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!Heather Day Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12353914883176152555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-9915458819020090722014-03-03T09:01:48.827-05:002014-03-03T09:01:48.827-05:00Wow! This looks like a fascinating story!
So you...Wow! This looks like a fascinating story! <br /><br />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?Annanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7102067376746188002.post-68432474826470371972014-03-03T07:29:57.072-05:002014-03-03T07:29:57.072-05:00God's Daughter sounds like an interesting stor...<i>God's Daughter</i> sounds like an interesting story. Thanks for doing the interview!<br /><br />Question: What's your favorite strategy for when you get stuck?Sarah Penningtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06377945004067760298noreply@blogger.com