The Start of So Much New!
Well, it's nearing the end of July and I have decided to start blogging a journal - or perhaps in journaling in my blog - either way, it is the journey of an idea. Taking a break from writing today, I updated my website and Hekla Publishing's website, I started a new project for a very exciting three-generation expressions book (more on that in a future blog!), and organized my thoughts for all my future books. I was happy, but a little overwhelmed, to realize I have
fourteen more books started or outlined. This is the start of so much new!
Three days ago, I finished the first draft of
Her Viking Heart, my first novel. Everything I have written up to this point has been children's books, cookbook, and short stories. I wanted to write about a journey of personal discovery but always incorporate some element of Iceland. I used some of my parent's history as inspiration but created a completely different outcome for my characters. It was a really emotional story for me to write because my main character grew so much by learning about herself and having some emotional ups and downs. I tend to be empathetic and to even write about emotion, I needed to go through the process of experiencing them - what it was like for her to feel lonely, angry, or hurt. In the story, she feels abandoned by a new love and experiences heartache, which is something many of us can relate to, and it is never easy. I decided to take a few days off from that story to create some distance before starting the editing process. Look for this being released December 1, 2017
It was my intention to focus my attention on my other big project, a non-fiction work entitled
Vitality of a Viking. I have been really excited about this book as well and I know so many people are going to enjoy it. I hear so often when Mom and I are at events or speaking engagements, people ask her where she gets her energy or how she can do so much. She usually shrugs and says something like, "I'm too busy to be retired" or "there is too much to do". For most people, that is not enough of an answer and they want to know more. I have talked to many people and put a lot of thought into it and have come up with an outline that attempts to provide the answers. The Scandinavian countries, all five, for the last few years have all ranked within the top ten of the happiest countries in the world. I wanted to understand why and what went into that assessment. Did it have anything to do with my own Mother's overall happiness and outlook on life?
I came up with ten specific areas, "ingredients" if you will, that when taken together would substantially impact the happiness of a person in their lifetime. It occurred to me that when I was researching and writing the collection of Icelandic folklore, I was struck by some of the symbolism and life lesson that were reflected. The core outlook on life and attitudes in Scandinavia that are taught to children from a young age through the folklore and fairy tales are vastly different than those in America. I started looking at my notes and the key "ingredients" I had identified for happiness and wondered if they would tie into the folklore. I found that many did. For fun, I added the subtitle "10 Secrets for a Century of Happy Living from a Nonagenarian Who Knows". These ten secrets are my own observations and commentary based on how Mom lives life and incorporating some of the elements of the Scandinavian culture.
To help kick this off, we are lining up speaking Look for this coming out in January 15, 2018
I discovered, however, that my mental exhaustion from the novel was such that I had difficulty focusing on content for
Vitality. So, instead, I put my energy into updating the websites, organizing my projects, and actually outlining everything on my project board. The board, I might add, which is finally on the wall instead of sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Everything is all in place now, so it's time to get some more writing done!
The novel was released and shortly after, I was notified that the folklore collection was honored as a finalist in the International book awards. It is wonderful to see Icelandic stories and heritage being honored in such a way because it raises visibility so that more people will read the folklore and learn about Icelandic heritage. Some stories are similar to other Scandinavian folklore, which makes sense because we all share the same heritage. In the story, Now I Should Laugh, you see a similarity to The Emperor's New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen, who was a Danish writer. Independent thinking and resisting crowd mentality is a common cultural position in Scandinavia. Much of the folklore, not only in this book but in the majority of cultures, exists to teach the young about interacting with other and provides lesson about consequences, alternatives, and morals. One of my favorite examples of this is from Drangey Consecrated, which exemplifies the Icelandic attitude of acceptance and efforts for peaceful coexistence among all creatures.
