From an early age I enjoyed reading fish-out-of-water stories. Among my favorites are The Chronicles of Narnia by Lewis, Red Moon, Black Mountain by Chant, and Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series. Even McCaffrey’s Dragonflight was a fish-out-of-water story—and it had romance!
So when I started writing the Vinlanders’ Saga, it made sense that I would follow that path. At first I was just telling myself a story. Who were these men that rescued Celia from the desert? Why were they out there? What did they think of her? What misunderstandings might they have? As I answered those questions I realized they were the descendants of people who had, themselves, been transplanted into this strange new world.
In Dangerous Talents I followed Celia’s stumbles and mis-steps as she navigated the unknown, sometime creating the world just a few steps ahead of her. But as Robert Frost observed, “way leads on to way,” and as Celia explored, Alfheim was established. The landscape became solid and real.
I’m still discovering new things about Alfheim and developing the characters alluded to in previous books. Right now I’m refreshing what I know about the ancestors of the Tewakwe, because they’ll feature prominently in the next book. (I’ll share more about that in another newsletter.)
In the meantime, Dangerous Talents is Free for the next few days. As you probably know by now, I like to open the door to Alfheim once or twice a year, and make it easy for readers to discover the Vinlanders’ Saga. This is a great time for you to give it a try (if you haven’t already) or give it to a friend. Because, heck, it’s Free! And right now seems like a good time to escape into another world.
Stay safe, and happy reading!
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