Here’s a quick interview with Snorri Kristjansson, author of Viking-tastic Swords of Good Men, which was published at the beginning of August, by Jo Fletcher Books…
Let’s start with an introduction: Who is Snorri Kristjansson?
Teacher, writer, lover of cake, mild-mannered Viking and all-round enthusiast.
Your latest novel, Swords of Good Men, was recently published by Jo Fletcher Books. How would you introduce the novel to a potential reader?
As a subversive, gritty, Grimdark-with-a-heart genre-buster, straddling the realms of Historical Fiction and Fantasy like a mythical God – or an action book with Vikings. Depends, really.
Is it part of a series?
It is indeed! Book 2 is currently finished and at the being-beaten-with-sticks-until-it-behaves stage. Work starts on Book 3 at the end of the month.
What inspired you to write the novel?
An abundance of time, a lack of employment and a couple of ridiculous coincidences.
And where do you draw your inspiration from in general?
All around. An awful lot goes in, gets mixed somewhere about an inch behind the right ear and comes back out in idea form. Some of them aren’t very good at all.
Why are Vikings so cool?
Big question. Short answer: A combination of beliefs, actions, ingenuity, style and individuality. Shorter answer: ’coz they are. Wanna fight?
How were you introduced to genre fiction?
We are all children of Tolkien, I suppose. Stacks of Raymond Feist and David Gemmell followed.
How do you enjoy being a writer and working within the publishing industry?
It’s great. My publisher and her army of Book Ninjas are a terrifying joy to behold.
Do you have any specific working, writing, researching practices?
I write well in cafés, but I haven’t had the luxury of establishing rituals yet. The time will come, though.
When did you realize you wanted to be an author, and what was your first foray into writing?
I’ve been writing for a long, long time, but never really viewed it as my Main Thing until relatively recently, when I totaled up the years and brain-miles spent doing text work of one sort or another.
Do you still look back on it fondly?
I’m not big on looking back, truth be told. I’m a forward kinda guy.
What’s your opinion of the genre today, and where do you see your work fitting into it?
The genre’s main problem is that there are way too many clever storytellers out there pumping out great and glorious work, and I don’t have the time to read it all. This is serious, so I would like fellow authors to be less awesome, thank you kindly.
What other projects are you working on, and what do you have currently in the pipeline?
The conclusion to the Valhalla Saga, an outline of another thing that I can’t speak about, a couple of film things with cool kids that I can also not speak about and various other things. This list might have been more interesting in mime.
What are you reading at the moment (fiction, non-fiction)?
Tome of the Undrgates by Sam Sykes, which is great fun.
I completely agree! What’s something readers might be surprised to learn about you?
I have done a full 50 minute standup show on a warship.
What are you most looking forward to in the next twelve months?
Oh, that list is LONG, but right at this moment I’d say, “Not being in the state of moving house”, which will happen very soon. Oh, and cake.
In a Q&A organised by Samantha Shannon’s publicists in the UK, Andy Serkis discussed the acquisition of movie rights for Shannon’s debut novel, The Bone Season. Serkis, best-known perhaps as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies, has set up his own film studio, Imaginarium Studio. The Bone Season will be one of their first projects, alongside an adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, both of which will be directed by Serkis.
