With the release of the third book in Giles' epic Rise of Sigurd trilogy, we've been lucky enough to be included as part of the authors blog tour. (For more stops see the poster further down the interview.)
As such we wanted to dig deep into the mind of this modern skald and bring you some answers to some questions we've been pondering for quite some time, so without further ado here we go:
You spend a lot of time writing about the Viking period. How well do you think you'd survive if you were thrown back into those days?
Great question! The truth is, of course, I’d be woefully ill-equipped in every aspect to survive in late 8th century Norway. The itchy woollen clothes alone would finish me off. We are, after all, products of our environment, and my environment is mostly centrally heated, populated with labour-saving technology, relatively sterile and lacking the immediate threat of physical danger. And yet. There is a part of me that would fit right in. Let’s call it my feasting hall mentality. Plus, I’m sure I could do my bit in the mêlée if it came to it. In fact, there’s a dark part of me (buried deep, fortunately) that would love to swing an axe in anger. Still, it’s probably for the best that I can write about Vikings from the comfort of my slippers and save the axe for my enemies that lurk within the log pile.
New discoveries are made every so often that affect the way that we today see those who have gone before. What is the weirdest period fact that you've come across and why has it amazed you?
When I visited the British Museum’s exhibition Vikings: life and legend, I was struck by a collection of bones and decapitated heads, unearthed during the creation of the Weymouth Relief Road, which are believed to be those of fifty-two young Viking warriors. Something else which made this rather disturbing discovery extraordinary was that some of the men’s front teeth have horizontal grooves etched into them. However this was done, it can’t have been a pleasant experience and we don’t know why they did it. There is a suggestion that these grooves were filled with pigment or resin and it could be that having filed teeth was a status symbol, perhaps the mark of a great warrior. Or perhaps it was done in order to frighten one’s enemy, for it must have made for a strange and outlandish appearance. Or could it even have been purely decorative? We just don’t know why a young Viking might have filed his teeth, but it certainly adds fearsome colour to the image of a warrior who has chosen to live outside of society’s norms. And what could be more Viking than that?
Who has been your favourite character to write about and why?
It’s funny how this has changed the older I’ve become. I used to like writing Black Floki best. He’s just so dark and dangerous and good with his blades. He’d kill his own grandmother for the fluff-covered Werther’s Original in her coat pocket, and this lack of decency makes him fun to write. He seems fearless and just does not care for the rules of men or even, perhaps, the gods, and yet he has some sort of spiritual side in as much as he believes his wyrd - his fate - is woven into Sigurd’s own. Then of course I realised I enjoyed writing Sigurd so much that I wanted to base another series on him and how he became a jarl and a man who inspires others to pledge oaths of loyalty to him. But these days I really like writing Olaf. I like his slight cynicism when it comes to the gods. I enjoy his banter and the way he talks to his enemies and I think he is often the voice of reason and experience in the face of some of the other men’s rash bravado. I also like that even among a crew that includes Black Floki, Svein and Bram the Bear, you wouldn’t bet against Olaf being the last man standing if it came down to it. I like to think experience counts for a lot.
What can you say about your next project?
My work-in-progress, LANCELOT: The Betrayal, is my take on the Arthurian myth. What makes it so different from anything else I know of is that it tells Lancelot’s story, not Arthur’s or
Merlin’s, but Lancelot’s. He is, after all, the great warrior. The famous lover. The betrayer. We see the world through his eyes, man and boy, and his journey will be our journey. His inner conflicts will be our conflicts, his battles our battles.
Set in a 5th century sub-Roman Britain besieged by invading warbands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, this will be a tale of love, lust, guilt and tragedy. It will be earthy yet spiritual. It will be imbued with pagan beliefs and the associated ‘magic’ of divination, spirit-flight and incantation, but there will not be dragons.
What would you say is the most valuable lesson you've learned about writing?
This is a lesson not so much about writing but about the business of writing – and that is: there’s nothing, or at least very little, I can do about what happens after the book is written and published. So, for instance, when I receive emails from angry readers who want to know when book III of the RAVEN saga is going to be translated into Spanish (for whatever reason the Spanish publisher has so far only bought books I and II); when readers mail me to say that this Waterstones or that Waterstones doesn’t have my new book in stock (alas, nothing I can do); when some of my ebooks are available in the U.S. while others are not (all to do with the licensing agreements); when audiobook listeners complain that they can’t find my audiobook on CD, or else they can only find it on CD (depends what deals have been done); when someone doesn’t like the image on the cover of the book (ultimately the publisher’s decision); or when they think a book is too expensive (I don’t set the price); or when the map on the ebook is not big enough (not my area); or when Amazon doesn’t deliver the book fast enough or the box it comes in is damaged so they give me a bad review (seriously); however frustrating all this stuff can be, there’s really not much I can do about it. I guess this is the double-edged sword of being available via all the social media platforms. It upsets me when a would-be reader can’t find my book in a branch of Waterstones, and I do tend to pass the info on to my publisher, but I must try to not let it bring me down, because it’s out of my control. All I can do is try to write the best book I can, then be available to my readers should they want to get in touch. That is what I am trying to learn.
When you're working on a project, what is your biggest flaw and likely to cause delays?
The enticing black hole that is social media. On the one hand it’s amazing to be able to chat to readers and other writers about books or the business or whatever. After all, being an author can be lonely and intense and very, very quiet, so Facebook and Twitter go some way to making up for that. Also, from a business perspective, social media is the way by which we authors, who are, after all, running our own small businesses, can interact with our customers and publicise our work.
And yes, it’s all too easy to let social media, or the internet generally, lead us toward temptation and procrastination. Writing can be hard work. Chatting to friends or looking up medieval recipes for mead is fun. The trouble is that both involve the same keys and the same screen, which are both within arm’s reach. I mean, who hasn’t started Googling images of Iron Age hill forts only to be sucked into a wormhole where you find yourself looking at pictures of supposed ghosts captured on camera, then end up buying a pair of shoes and checking Leicester City’s position in the league? Or is that just me?
Release Date: 01/12/16
Publisher: Bantam Press
SYNOPSIS:
Fighting in Sweden for an ambitious warlord, Sigurd Haraldarson and his small but loyal band of oathsworn warriors are winning fame and reputation. But Sigurd knows that to take on his hated enemy, the oath-breaker King Gorm - the man who betrayed his father, a man Sigurd has vowed to kill - he must earn riches enough to build an army.
Many believe Sigurd to be Óðin-favoured, but his exploits have drawn the eye of another god, too: Loki the Trickster, and when a daring assassination attempt goes wrong, Sigurd finds himself a prisoner of the powerful Jarl Guthrum. Bound like a slave, his luck having seemingly deserted him, Sigurd is taken to the sacred temple at Ubsola, a place where the blood of human sacrifice flows to appease the gods.
It is at Ubsola that Sigurd will face the sacrificial knife. And it is here that he will find a powerful relic, the great spear that was said to have once belonged to Óðin himself. With such a spear in his possession Sigurd might now assemble a host strong enough to challenge King Gorm and wreak the revenge he craves.
For, like Óðin, Sigurd will be the Wild Huntsman tearing through the sky on his fearsome steed, and the rage of his passing will be the sound of wings of the storm.
With Wings of the Storm, one of our finest young historical novelists brings his extraordinary Viking saga - an adventure to that is sure to satisfy any 'Game of Thrones' fan - to a triumphant close
REVIEW:
The final book in the Rise of Sigurd series and one, as usual with Giles, will grab you from the beginning and not let go until that final page is turned. The writing is crisp, the warfare brutal and bloody which when blended with Giles' own unique storytelling style, generates a book that is a triumph and for me, his best to date.
Back this up with great dialogue, norse mythology alongside some magical twists and all round you'll be in for a treat. If you know a fan of the viking and they haven't yet picked up this series, it is a great gift that they;ll devour this holiday season during the cold winter months. Magic.
Release Date: 23/05/13
Publisher: Bantam
SYNOPSIS:
Rebel Cast out from his home, rejected by his family, Tom Rivers returns to his regiment. But his commander believes the young hothead's recklessness and contempt for authority has no place in his troop. But to a spymaster like Captain Crafte, Tom's dark and fearless nature is in itself a weapon to be turned upon the hated Cavaliers - who else would dare to infiltrate Oxford, now the Royalist capital, to destroy the King's printing press and strike a blow at the very heart of the enemy?
Renegade Raw with grief at the death of his father, Edmund Rivers rejects the peace talks between Parliament and the King. He chooses instead to lead a hardened band of marauders across the moors, appearing out of the frozen world to fall on unsuspecting rebel columns like wolves. But Prince Rupert - recognising in Mun a fellow child of war - has other plans for him, from stealing a colossal gun, to tunneling beneath the walls of Lichfield. The only peace the enemy will get from Mun Rivers is that of the grave.
Huntress Her heart broken following the deaths of her beloved Emmanuel and her father, Bess Rivers takes the hardest decision of her life: to leave her new-born son and depart Sheer House in search of the one person who might help her re-unite what is left of her broken family. Risking her own life on the road, Bess will do whatever it takes to find her brother Tom and secure his Royal pardon, but can she douse the flames of her brothers' fury and see them reconciled?
REVIEW:
I love a journey into the past and getting to live in history alongside heroes that you wish had existed in times of peril that shaped the nation and perhaps, as far as Britain is concerned, one of the most startling times was during the English Civil War when brother fought brother, father fought son and whole families were torn asunder as the Roundheads fought the Cavaliers.
To this arena, Giles began a saga that places his lead characters family in just such a situation as they fight for their leaders under separate banners with familial bonds being pulled and torn with various struggles. It’s a story of heartrending proportions, a story that taps into the readers emotions and with Giles’ usual style of graphically written combat backed up with dialogue that works wonderfully all round makes this a book to sit down to and lose oneself.
Add to this a very strong story arc, great prose and all round I had a lot of fun with this title. I can’t wait to see what the next part has in stall for all concerned.
Release Date: 26/04/12
SYNOPSIS:
England 1642: a nation divided. England is at war with itself. King Charles and Parliament each gather soldiers to their banners. Across the land men prepare to fight for their religious and political ideals. Civil war has begun. A family ripped asunder. The Rivers are landed gentry, and tradition dictates that their allegiance is to the King. Sir Francis' loyalty to the crown and his desire to protect his family will test them all. As the men march to war, so the women are left to defend their home against a ruthless enemy. Just as Edmund, the eldest of Sir Francis' sons, will do his duty, so his brother Tom will turn his back on all he once believed in...A war that will change everything. From the raising of the King's Standard at Nottingham to the butchery and blood of Edgehill, Edmund and Tom Rivers will each learn of honour, sacrifice, hatred and betrayal as they follow their chosen paths through this most savage of wars.
REVIEW:
Having fallen for Giles’ writing charm with the Raven series, I was a little apprehensive when I learned that he was jumping forward in time to one of the most tumultuous times in English History. Don’t get me wrong but I did expect a good story but when you change weapons you have to adapt strategies, tactics and of course learn about their use and effects on the battlefield to give the story a real hint of authenticity.
What Giles presents is a story of family, of love, vengeance and of course warfare in the English Civil War. The characters are interesting, their personalities ideal for the readers and when added to the authors no nonsense prose, top action sequences alongside a breakneck pace really makes this a book to devour. For me the only downside is the wait for the next title. Great stuff.
Having interviewed Giles a while back on his original release Raven: Blood Eye, we thought that it was high time (or tide) to catch up with him to see how things have changed. Now with his third book Raven: Odin's Wolves about to be released we chatted to him about Procrastination, finding his zone and the writers best friend, coffee...Falcata Times: How would you say that your perspective has changed about selling your own work with multiple novels under your belt?Giles Kristian: More than ever I’m aware that you have to spend a great deal of time on self-promotion, as crass as that sounds. Your publisher does not have the resources to do it all and, let’s be honest, they have plenty of other authors. This is your career so don’t sit around waiting for someone else to get you noticed. Get yourself, your ‘message’ and your books out there. It’s exhausting and time-consuming and you’d rather just be writing, but these days you’ve just got to do it.FT: How would you sell yourself as an author?GK: I simply write the kind of books that excite me, the sort that I’d like to read myself. Each of my books is a journey, the destination unknown even to me, until the end. Many people have told me they’ve read one of my books in a day. I don’t know how you do that but I take it as a good sign. I want my stories to leave you breathless. I want them to linger in your subconcious, to weave themselves into your imagination. FT: How would you say that your experience of writing and publishing has changed your methods of writing?GK: I’m contracted to deliver a new novel every year, so you could say I’m rather more focussed these days. But I still write in the same way. I tend not to plan much. That’s just not me. I’d rather dive in to the water than submerge myself a piece at a time. It’s more exciting for me that way and I like to think that spontenaity comes across in the stories.FT: With the experience that you've gained now, what do you wish you could have told yourself when you were starting out that you now know?GK: Even now I still get sidetracked by trying to create the perfect writing environment, an atmosphere in which I believe the creativity will gush forth. Really it’s just another form of procrastination. The only way of writing a book is to sit down for long periods of time and get the words out. Writing a novel seems such an enormous task that you subconsciously avoid doing it, letting distractions come between you and the work. Just write. Simple. FT: What characteristics of your protagonists do you wish that you had yourself and why?GK: My characters are a pretty savage lot, at least those in the RAVEN series are. But I guess I admire their wanderlust, their ‘pack your sea chest and go’ attitude to life. These days life is a treadmill you just can’t get off. It’s all routine and habit and responsibility. I envy the life of the viking warrior who was able to cast off and go raiding and take what he wanted when he wanted. I suspect I’m being politically incorrect saying so, but I reckon the raiding life must have been great. FT: Which of your characters are most like you and why?GK: In a first person narrative like the RAVEN series there’s bound to be quite a bit of me in my principal character Raven, but also elements in the other characters too. On the other hand, part of the joy of writing these novels is the freedom I have to create characters entirely different, protagonists whose experiences fly far outside my own reality. Though, if I had lived back then I’d like to have been like Sigurd.FT: What of life’s little addictions could you not live without and why?GK: The obvious one; coffee. A full day’s writing slog is punctuated by moments of renewal and reinvigoration in the form of tea and coffee. Then, after work, a cold ale or a glass of wine. Small things but vital all the same. I also have to exercise most days. Expending energy renews energy, re-invigorates me for the next day. And works as penance for the beers the previous night! FT: With regular trips for book tours around the country as well as to various Conventions, what is an absolute travel essential that you couldn't do without?GK: My ipad. And a dashed fine pen. Not that it helps my handwriting. FT: Previously you've had some problems when others have critised your work, how do you think you've changed to adapt to it or would you say that you're just the same?GK: I’ve been lucky and the reviews have been very kind. The RAVEN series is critically acclaimed, which I’m thrilled about. I haven’t felt the need to blood-eagle anyone yet. Well, there was this one guy on Amazon…but he’ll keep. 
FT: On long journeys, reading is often the pleasure of choice, who's work will you grab at the airport to ensure a good journey?GK: On my last holiday I read and enjoyed 21 Hours by Lee Child. Thrillers are good when you’re travelling or in a different environment – I’m not sure why. Same with Stephen King’s thrillers, though I don’t read his horrors. Otherwise anything of Bernard Cornwell’s will keep me very happy thank you.FT: Out of all your novels, which is your favourite and why?GK: Odin’s Wolves, the third in the RAVEN series. I know that’s a bit obvious seeing as it’s the next one to come out, but I really felt I knew the characters and their world intimately by then. I could read their every thought. And it has the best fight scenes I’ve ever written.FT: With everyone having thier own personal view as to who should be cast in a film version of thier work, who do you think should play your principle protaganists and why?GK: We just made a short film to celebrate the unleashing of Odin’s Wolves. It has a cast of about thirty-five and David Clayton, the actor who plays the old warrior Raven telling his saga by the hearth, was incredible. Absolutely captivating. The rest of us sat there in the meadhall completely spellbound by him. You’ll find the film on my website. www.gileskristian.com when the book comes out. FT: Authors are generally a superstitious lot and upon completion of novels follow a certain ritual, what is yours and how has it changed from the original?GK: I like the idea of pouring a stiff brandy and lighting a cigar on the completion of a novel, but it doesn’t really happen like that. At least not for me. Because you ‘finish’ a novel several times. With re-writes, editorial notes, copy-editor’s notes, proof-readers queries, page-proof readings etc. It’s only finished when it’s in the factory being printed. Celebrating before that feels premature. So, sad to say there’s never that big moment. FT: What was your impression of an author’s lifestyle and status and how has that interpretation changed since you've published a number of books?GK: Before I was published I had never met an author and had no pre-conceived ideas about what they are like. Now I’ve met many of this strange spiecies and count a number as good friends. They’re some of the very best people I know and are always interesting to spend time with.FT: What are the best words of wisdom or tip that you'd give to a new or soon to be published author?GK: Get to know other authors. Writing is a strange, intense, lonely business. It’s good to know others who are out there tapping away doing the same thing. They will gladly help and advise you and their experience will arm you.
Release Date: 14/04/11
SYNOPSIS:
We lusted for an even greater prize...the one prize that can never be lost or stolen or burnt. And we would find it in Miklagard...
Raven and the Wolfpack have suffered. Good men have died, treasure has been lost. But to Norsemen such as these there is something more valuable than silver: fame - for fame is the saga-story that a warrior leaves behind when he dies. Now the Fellowship sails in search of Constantinople, which they call Miklagard, for it is there that they hope to find both riches and glory.
It is a voyage that will lead them into unknown and dangerous waters - from the barren, wind-whipped marshes of the Carmargue to the crumbling walls and blood-drenched arenas of a decaying Rome, from brutal hand-to-hand conflict, to vile treachery and betrayal. And as Miklagard echoes to the sound of sword and axe and spear, Raven and his fellow adventurers will pay a high price for the fame they seek...
REVIEW:
I’ve sailed the whale road with Robert Low, I’ve fought in a shielf wall with Tim Severin and with this title I’ve taken the fabled city of Constantinople for the rightful Emperor. Each author brings something to the table that will enthuse as well as entertain the reader and with Giles’ latest the reader will cut a bloody swathe through the pages to hear more of Raven’s tale. Beautifully written the prose are ideal which when backed with a great sense of pace climbing to the peak of the fiercest storm that our crew of Wolves have ever faced as they stand off against the best that the famed city has to offer.
Finally add to this a great conclusion and some long deserved justice that the reader has been crying out for and you know that Giles’ latest title is his best to date. Whilst this will be his latest in his Raven series, at the end Giles has hinted at allowing his crew of marauders the chance to rest up and get their breath back as he’ll take us to the time of musket balls and woods, so whether it’s the American Civil War or their fight for independence we’ll have to wait to find out.
BOOK BLURB:
If you betray a Fellowship, you are a dead man, and Ealdorman Ealdred of Wessex had betrayed us. With revenge on their minds, Raven and the Wolfpack plough the sea road in pursuit of the traitor Ealdred. Having left the Fellowship for dead, the ealdorman has sailed in search of the Frankish Emperor Charlemagne and the promise of riches beyond his imagining. In following Ealdred, Raven and his sword-brothers find themselves in the heart of a Christian empire that would wipe their kind from the face of the earth. And danger waits round every bend of the great river up which they travel - Sigurd will fight for his life while Raven will be betrayed, imprisoned and left to rot...A mysterious young man with no memory and a blood-tainted eye, Raven has found friendship and purpose amongst this fierce brotherhood. He has proven himself in battle and is certain now that Viking blood flows in his veins, but to survive, his cunning must now be as sharp as his blade. This thrilling new chapter in the Raven saga confirms that, in Giles Kristian, action-packed historical fiction has a new master.
REVIEW:
I loved the original tale by Giles so when I heard of this second outing for Sigurd, the Wolfpack and Raven I just had to commandeer a swift trip to the nearest bookshop, pillage my way through the stacks and stop for a flagon of Mead at the tills. That done, it was a swift trip on the Whale road home and with a roaring fire, a huge mug of tea and of course some biscuits to keep my strength up I knew that I had an adventure on my hands.
What Giles brings to the fore is well written and with characters that really do jump off the pages into the readers imagination and whilst his descriptive prose are a tad spartan in style, it only adds to the mystery and wonderment of the journey. A cracking tale of daring as the crew venture in the lands of the Franks to sell a manuscript at the court of Charlemagne which can only be akin to sticking your head in the dragons maw for this band of heathen worshippers.
Definitely a tale to keep the spirits of the reader up and one where you’ll pray for the crews survival as things go not only pear shaped but spectacularly so. Finally add to the mix that Giles’ plays for keeps and you know that you’ve got a tale to please even the most blood thirsty reader. I’ll await the next instalment with bated breath.
