Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!
As you might have noticed – I’ve been gathering a keen interest in Viking Historical Fiction, sagas set round Anglo-Saxons and after canon stories about Camelot in recent years – continuing into this vortex of interest, I came across a rather curious novel called “Forged by Iron” – which I immediately wanted to read except to say it is a digital first release – meaning, there isn’t a print copy yet available to be read!
My interest in this story and the series it is attached to parlays into my interest I’ve been expressing in regards to the following authors: Marissa Campbell (ie. Avelynn series), Nicole Evelina (ie. Guinevere Trilogy), Signe Pike (ie. The Lost Queen), Jon Black (“Bel Nemeton”) and others like them I haven’t yet discovered! As I have come to realise there are a few niches of Historical Fiction which are curiously drawing my attention towards reading areas of History I might otherwise have overlooked or felt were just outside my zone of comfort to read.
Part of the allure is delving into lost histories of people who lived long enough not to be remembered by contemporary descendants is also an appeal because it allows the writers to draw a strength of believability in how they approach writing their character’s stories. I love getting lost in those kinds of stories where there is a lot of supposition about what actually happened and a wealth of industrious guesswork towards how these people not only lived but thrived, struggled and overcame their adversities just as readily as we face our own paths to walk in our own lives. There is a cunning sense of research stemming out of these kinds of stories intermixed with the human condition and the belief that despite the age of where the story can become set, there is a permeating confluence of interest in how these characters can tuck themselves into our heart for their compellingly brilliant courage and the strength of their character as they lived rather extraordinary lives indeed!
As soon as I read the premise of this lovely, I knew I wanted to host an interview with the author – if only to dig out a bit of the story itself, as a way of presenting what you can find as a reader if you delve into “Forged by Iron” whilst I want in the wings for a day wherein a print copy might surface and I too, can take this journey inside his story about Olaf. For now, I hope my questions and my curiosities help you choose to decide if this is also a saga you feel is right for you as a reader – as that is why I love blogging my readerly life – sharing my route into literature might spark a newfound curiosity for another reader as they stumble into a new area of literary adventure they might not have known about previously!
Brew yourself a cuppa and hug close to the convo!
Forged by Iron (Interview)
Subtitle: Olaf's Saga (Book One)
by Eric Schumacher
From the bestselling author of Hakon’s Saga comes Forged by Iron, the first in a series of thrilling tales about Olaf Tryggvason, one of the most legendary and enigmatic kings of the Viking Age.
Norway, AD 960. The fabric that has held the Northern realm together is tearing. The sons of Erik Bloodaxe have returned and are systematically killing all opposition to the High Seat. Through treachery, Harald Eriksson slays Jarl Trygvi, an heir to the throne, and then he comes for Trygvi’s wife, Astrid, and son, Olaf.
Astrid and Olaf flee their home with the help of Astrid’s foster father, Torolv Loose-beard, and his son, Torgil, who are oath-sworn to protect them. The group escapes east, through the dark, forested land of the Swedes and across the treacherous East Sea, all the while evading the clutches of Harald’s brutal henchmen.
But the gods are fickle and the group is torn apart, leaving them to fend for themselves in Forged by Iron, a must-read for all who enjoy action-packed historical fiction.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 979-8627636924
ASIN: B085DDRK7M
Also by this author: Sigurd's Swords
Series: Olaf's Saga
Published by Legionary – A Next Chapter Imprint
on 25th April, 2020
Published by: Legionary – A Next Chapter Imprint
Converse via: #Viking/s, #HistFic OR #HistoricalFiction
This is a Digital First Release – however, hours after my interview posted I received word the paperback release is now available to be seen. I’ve added the ISBN to the book info section. I’ve also edited the pub date to reflect the new paperback now available to be purchased.
The premise behind “Forged in Iron” is a unique lead-in about Olaf himself – how did you first discover Olaf and what inspired you to settle a series during the age of the Vikings?
Schumacher responds: Thanks for having me on your blog!
I’ll answer the second question first. The Vikings and the time period in which they plied the seas have fascinated me since I was a small boy. So it was natural for me to turn to that time as the setting for my stories.
My first three books (collectively known as Hakon’s Saga) tell the story of one of Olaf’s predecessors, a king named Hakon Haraldsson, or Hakon the Good. He is a relatively unknown and uncelebrated Viking king, yet in researching him, I became fascinated with his story and all that he accomplished during his long reign. I also loved putting the meat on the bone of a character about which we know so little.
Olaf’s father played a significant role during Hakon’s reign, so I already knew much about Olaf going into this new series. Like Hakon, Olaf is another king who played an important part in the history of Norway. While we know more about him than we do Hakon, we still don’t know all that much. Putting the pieces of his life and character together seemed like a really fun challenge. And while Hakon’s story occurs predominantly in Norway, Olaf’s life takes him across much of the Viking world. I thought it would be interesting to bring all of those areas and cultures to life.
All that said, Olaf is not an easy character to write about. Depending on where you look and what you read, he is either a saint or a villain or something in between. I would be lying if I said writing about him in a series of books didn’t seem daunting, but then, I wanted to push myself, so here I am.
Throughout your research what impressed you the most about the Vikings and what did you think might be hard for contemporary readers to understand about them? Were they as brutal and war hungry as we believe they were or is there more to the Vikings than what is observed?
Schumacher responds: Wow. I could write a dissertation on this question alone. I do think the Vikings were violent, but most people may not know that “Viking” was a profession, not a people. To go “a-viking” was something someone did. There were plenty of Scandinavians who stayed at home and/or did not raid –– traders, farmers, artisans, fishermen, etc.
I also think it is important to remember some of the positive things the early Scandinavians brought to our culture. The discoveries of far off lands, their skills at seamanship and navigation, their contributions to democracy and literature. If you go behind the warlike stories from the early writers, you will find a lot of fascinating details about their culture.
I found this remarkably interesting how none of the documentaries I’ve watched every mention that this is a noun of ‘action’ rather than a sequencing of population – I wonder why they empathise more the culture of the Vikings rather than the fact the word has been misused for more decades than needed? I had a right proper laugh about that! And, how the Vikings themselves might find it rather curious about our own curiosity on their own behalf knowing how we’ve approached honouring their legacies in a bit of a misguided fashion!
I love a wicked good story – especially one that involves a Quest and/or a transition into a new beginning – how did you settle on the age progression of Olaf as you delve into the series focused on his legacy? How did you choose where to start his story and how did you determine the fuller progress of the series itself?
Schumacher responds: Olaf story is a story of movement. His life takes him from Norway, to the land of the Rus (modern day Russia and Ukraine), to Northern Germany, to England, to Ireland, and eventually, back to Norway. In understanding that and the stories that occur in each spot, I have been able to break down his life into smaller adventures that (I hope) can fit into a series of books.
This first adventure is an escape from Norway. His family’s enemy has taken the throne and begun killing off all challengers. This sets in motion Olaf’s flight across the forested lands of the Swedes to the East, where he hopes to find his maternal uncle. Only things don’t go as planned.
In the sagas, Olaf is born during this flight, but this is a much-disputed “fact.” For several reasons, I chose to make Olaf a young boy at the beginning of his story and a young man at the end of it. This served two purposes: it built tension with his friend/protector, Torgil, who is slightly older than him and the narrator of the story. And, it showed the tension of Olaf maturing in the face of adversity. Those things would not have come across as clearly had he been younger.
How did you want to show the kind of life Olaf had to forge for himself – as he was Norwegian by birth but in his escape to reach his Uncle in Sweden – he had to learn to lead a different life – how did you want to visually represent the changes of his life and to articulate how this part of History would reflect to your audience?
Schumacher responds: Great question! I tried to show the changes in Olaf in several different ways. First, in his appearance. I won’t give away any spoilers, but Olaf is a boy who becomes a young man in the book, so it was important for me to show his physical growth. Second, I wanted to show his mental growth, too. Life and adversity changes Olaf and I do my best to show that change. As mentioned, Olaf’s life is one of movement. His life changes as he grows, and that change forges him into something stronger, though we will see in subsequent books whether that was for the better or not.
On your blog you breakdown the social structures of the Vikings quite well – especially as you give an easy to read guide about those social standings and how they are structured into their lives. Which of the groups did you feel were the least understood and the minorities of their day? How did you want to incorporate their lives into the backbone of your series?
Schumacher responds: First, thank you for reading my blog! Really, I think we’re still learning about all of the groups in Viking society. Some of how they lived and what they did in their various groups has been researched and documented, but we’re still discovering more details. In my post, I described how getting into the mind of the people in those various rungs of society is really a difficult and fascinating task because each group is driven by different motivations and desires and fears. But to answer your question more directly, I think that slaves, or thralls, in Viking society are the least understood mostly because they are the silent folk. In Forged by Iron, more than any other book I’ve written, I wanted to bring their plight out and show it in direct contrast to the lives of nobles.
Anyone whose put this much dedication and attention into a blog which not only tucks a reader into the fuller Histories of an author’s bibliographic research but into the heart of what he’s writing about is definitely a blog which deserves to be highlighted and noted – I am hopeful other readers will click over to read your blog as it truly does give a great introduction into both your collective works and the timeline of interest you’re exploring.
Of your secondary characters, whom stood out to you as having a larger presence in the series as new installment are written and why?
Schumacher responds: I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say that one of the women in Forged by Iron will see her way into subsequent tales. Stay tuned.
Alas! I’ve struck too close to the bone with this question – wherein I stumbled into a bit of a preview of stories yet to come! Ooh dear, my!
What are your favourite resources for Viking heritage, legacy and historical authenticity? I was curious about your sources as you’ve written a blog which is a beautiful testament of a person whose loved his research but can also re-break it down for a lay reader whose curiosity has just begun.
Schumacher responds: I’ve read a lot of books that provide a good general understanding of the Vikings. Those are great places to start. A History of the Vikings by Gwyn Jones stands out, but there are dozens more. I’ve also read what I can of the ancient texts, such as translated versions of Heimskringla, The Poetic Edda, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and The Russian Primary Chronicle. When those don’t get far enough into the details, I read research papers, such as a paper written by Andres Tvauri titled “The Migration Period, Pre-Viking Age, and Viking Age in Estonia.” I’m also constantly on the lookout for recent articles that might share new information. (Yes, I am an ubergeek when it comes to Vikings and this period in history). There is enough out there to piece together plausible Viking stories. I think the trick for me is how to work that information into the story, or a blog post, without tripping up the reader or making the prose sound like a textbook.
What did you want readers to best understand about this moment in time and History? How important was it to write the story from Torgil’s perspective and not Olaf’s?
Schumacher responds: I wanted people to understand that Norway and its rulers were not a country as we think of it today, and that its kings were ever changing, even though they were related. This made for a dangerous setting, especially for nobles. However, that had no effect on why I chose to write the book from Torgil’s POV. That was done because Olaf is a tricky fellow who gets trickier as he gets older. He might not see that in himself, but someone else –– a friend –– would definitely see that progression, hence it made more sense to tell it from Torgil’s perspective.
As the series shifts forward – how many installments do you foresee will develop to tell the rest of the story and what will the age progressions be for Olaf directly?
Schumacher responds: At the moment, I believe there will be four or five installments. Some, like Forged by Iron, will incorporate large leaps in age. Others will be short periods in time. But all of them will have plenty of action and adventure.
On your blog you shared a poem writ about Olaf – what do you think has given his legacy such endurance at different moments in History for different writers to find his story and commemorate his life?
Schumacher responds: Olaf is widely seen as the king who converted Norway to Christianity. Hakon may have been the first to try, but Olaf was the first to succeed. The ancient history books, written by Christians, saw him as a hero, and for many centuries I believe that mantle stuck. That may have been what attracted Longfellow to him when he wrote his epic poem. However, more recent research has given us a different perspective of this man, so while some may still think of him as a hero, others think of this man as a villain or, if not that, than someone in between. That is really what I want to investigate in my stories.
What do you feel is harder to encompass into one of your stories – the historical backdrop of what was occurring in the timescape you’ve chosen to write about and/or inserting a historical figure into the story itself? How do you find balance between the two and still own the originality of what you want to disclose as the story evolves?
Schumacher responds: More difficult is working a character into a historical timeline or storyline that doesn’t always seem to work. In my historical notes, I give a good example of this. Olaf’s mother is said to be the daughter of a man who lived in the “west of the land.” That would put him in the area in which lived the men who killed her husband. In addition, Heimskringla says that upon her husband’s death, she fled to her father before escaping east to Sweden. So the reader is to believe that she fled all the way west in Norway (a difficult journey to be sure!), into the land of her husband’s killers, before turning around and fleeing all the way east to Sweden. It made no sense, so I altered the story. It’s those things that I find the most challenging to blend together. Some writers may brush over those details, but I want my books to be as accurate as possible, so I spend a lot of time trying to conjure up plausible and exciting alternatives.
Whilst your not researching or writing your stories what renews your spirit the most?
Schumacher responds: I actually have a day job, so researching and writing are my escapes and what renews my spirit. I try not to put too many restrictions or goals on myself when I write, otherwise it might lose that fun and become more like a job. Outside of writing, I love to travel, to ski, to play pickle ball (it’s like tennis), and to go on beach walks with my family.
I found the whole conversation wicked fascinating – even though on a personal note, being a reader who loves topographical inclusions of descriptive narrative sequencing’s – I did miss having a response about how the topography was explored in this world – however, counter to the responses given about the layers of Olaf’s story as it is set against the fuller backdrop of the Olaf Saga series – I must say, I was most impressed by the depth and the breadth of the author’s replies! I was fully invested in what he had to say, whilst I am hoping this was equally enthralling for my readers who might hold a curiosity of their own about this time period!
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NOTE: Similar to blog tours wherein I feature book reviews, book spotlights (with or without extracts), book announcements (or Cover Reveals) – I may elect to feature an author, editor, narrator, publisher or other creative person connected to the book, audiobook, Indie film project or otherwise creative publishing medium being featured wherein the supplemental content on my blog is never compensated monetarily nor am I ever obligated to feature this kind of content. I provide (98.5%) of all questions and guest topics regularly featured on Jorie Loves A Story. I receive direct responses back to those enquiries by publicists, literary agents, authors, blog tour companies, etc of whom I am working with to bring these supplemental features and showcases to my blog. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them: I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. Whenever there is a conflict of connection I do disclose those connections per post and disclose the connection as it applies.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “Forged by Iron”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Eric Schumacher, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
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What a fantastic interview, thank you Jorie & Eric! We appreciate the great blog tour support!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours