"May your actions bring honour to your name and your courage never fail in times of adversity."
Today is publication day for my new book, Norse Magic, which I began writing on the winter solstice, December 21st last year. Originally the deadline had been the end of September 2023, but I just knew that this was a book that needed to be written during the winter months in the first instance, so my editor and I juggled a few of my projects around to mean that I could deliver Norse Magic in January instead. That meant that I could spend the whole of the Christmas season and the first part of the New Year writing this book. It was honestly the best decision, because my love of winter is apparent on every page.
I really wanted this book to have all the charm of a snowy Norse winter, along with seafaring adventure and the danger and victory of battle. To me that is what the Vikings were all about - honour and glory and making a name for themselves. I didn't want this book to be a simple spell book that slotted the names of Norse deities into the rituals. I wanted it to be a book that left you feeling as if you had spent some time in Scandinavia and set sail with the Vikings themselves. I wanted it to be a reading adventure with a little bit of history, a little bit of magic and spell-craft, a touch of psychology - all rooted in the mythology and mindset of the Norsemen. Learning the history of a culture is important because it gives a greater depth of understanding to the spells you cast with a specific pantheon of gods and goddesses, in this case Norse.
My research visits to The Viking Museum in John O'Groats and The British Museum in London really helped to inform this book. There is nothing like diving deep into the culture of a place and its people through the ancient artefacts in museum exhibitions to add colour and authenticity to your work. This kind of immersive research is essential for writers. I love history and I learnt so much from these visits about the values and beliefs of the Norsemen, so hopefully that translates to the page. It is why I was able to write the Viking blessing at the top of this post, which my copy editor thought was an authentic piece of Viking lore! So that was a lovely compliment.
Norse Magic is also quite a personal book as I was able to dedicate it to the memory of my Highlander friend, Alexander, who sadly passed away a few years ago. He had the heart of a true Viking and I never felt safer or more protected than when I was with him. He is the man who came throwing pebbles at my hotel window in the middle of the night so that he could show me the Northern Lights glimmering over the Highland village of Strathpeffer. It was a very special time and I know that he would be delighted with this book and the dedication.
There are some stunning illustrations in the book too and the design team at the House have done a fabulous job, sourcing fantastical images of Vikings, Valkyries, Odin, Freya, Thor's Hammer, wolves, reindeer, the northern lights, the polar region adrift with snow and ice and of course, Yggdrasil the World Tree. It's such a pretty book, illustrated almost like a fantasy novel in some ways, which being a fan of fantasy myself, I absolutely love!
I have had a fabulous couple of years of writing about the various mythologies of the world and it is proving to be such a great writing time for me. As someone who adores myths, legends, fairy-tales and folklore, this aspect of my writing career has been incredibly joyful and rewarding. It really doesn't feel like work when I get to immerse myself in the legends and stories of world mythology and I feel incredibly lucky to do what I do for a living. I never take it for granted.
In my book of Norse Magic you will find elves, dwarves, shield maidens, Nordic witch trails, deities, tricksters, wolves, reindeer, the firefox, trolls, as well as runes, rituals, spells and Nordic charms. It was such a joy to write and I spent a very, very cosy Yuletide sitting by my pink twinkling tree, writing this book into being last year, so I hope that it might find its way under a few of your Christmas trees this year. May you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Perhaps it could be your own Jolabokaflod gift this Christmas Eve? 😊
Bright Blessings
Marie x
AD: My book of Norse Magic is published today in hardcover. My book of Natural Magic was also published in hardcover on the 15th of November 2024.
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