Bjorn Leesson
Bjorn was born in the Lowcountry of South Carolina a long, long time ago. He has worked in manufacturing all his working life to feed himself but has nourished his mind with the study of many topics; history of all eras, the paranormal, astronomy, writing of different types, photography, archeology, genealogy, vexillology, some other -ologies, even stock car racing for a couple of years, and on and on. Bjorn finds just about everything fascinating in some way and has been accused of being too easily entertained. A blend of a few of his interests led to the creation of the Thalsparr Universe. The first installment of the series will be “Runes of the Dokkrsdottir,” with a release date to be determined. He currently lives in the Midlands of South Carolina with his wife of 25 years on their hobby farm.
Marina Raydun: You're very upfront about writing being a passion, not a career. Why do you feel it's important to make this fact public?
Bjorn Leesson: Often times, I think writers begin to let the financial aspect of writing subdue or overtake their creative spark. A great story on paper will often be subjected to changes based on the probability of generating profit. It makes me wonder how many "mainstream" stories, either as film or print, would have been so much better if the creator simply went with the story as it developed in their mind without a drive to form it around what they think will sell. Don't get me wrong about this, however - I have every hope and dream that my writing will generate an income to live on, but that isn't my motivation. I just love the series I am writing, and I feel sure that even when the Outside the Thalsparr series ends, I will continue writing other stories.
MR: Your books are set in Scandinavia. What's your background?
BL: The series does indeed begin in Scandinavia, but as the story progresses, it branches out into other places and times as well. As for me, I am your average working class South Carolinian, but I have dozens of interests, many of which culminated into the Outside the Thalsparr series. Genetically, I am mostly Norwegian and British with some other western European thrown in.
MR: I love that the series revolves around a strong female character. What was she inspired by?
BL: Myrgjol was born from several of my fields of study, with the focus on the history of the Norse Era. There was always some folklore evidence that the Norse did indeed have female warriors and that females had much more freedom and opportunities than in other parts of the world at the time. It wasn't until recent years that archaeological evidence was discovered proving "Viking female warriors." I found that fascinating. It always makes me smile when science finally proves something that folklore always suggested to be true. But more so for me, I have always really liked strong female characters in stories. I guess in our minds before maybe this century, the idea of a warrior with phenomenal skill has always been reserved for males, and especially so for "Vikings". Myrgjol smashes all those traditional expectations: she is not your stereotypical "blonde haired blue eyed" Viking, she is exceptional at battle, she proves herself to be a great leader of men and women, and let's face it, she saves the living world in the end.
MR: How many installments do you anticipate in the series?
BL: With certainty, there will be seven. But, I have story outlines for possibly more after that. Time will tell.
MR: Walk us through your writing process: do you outline everything or do you let your characters do the talking?
BL: It is kind of a mix of both for me. In the beginning, I wrote story plans for each book and was able to mostly stick to it through completion. I still do write story outlines now (as I write Book 6), but I find myself letting the characters and the story take over. My adherence to the plan is much looser now, but honestly, the Thalsparr has taken on a life of its own and I am very happy with that.
MR: What are the best and the worst reviews you've ever received?
BL: I haven't had many reviews yet, so I am still waiting for my "best review" (as well as my "worst review"). Of the feedback I have gotten so far, the story is very well received. The readers so far seem to really love the characters, which makes me very happy as I spent the greatest amount of time writing believable, relatable, layered, and uniquely different characters. It validates my work to know that readers recognize the richness and depth of the characters in the Thalsparr Universe.
MR: What genres do you like to read?
BL: As odd as it may sound for a writer aspiring to success in the "Fiction Fantasy" genre himself, I love researching and learning more through nonfiction sources, and that is where most of my own reading time is spent. I do not get a lot of time for pleasure reading and hopefully one day I will be able to do some more of it.
MR: Do you have any favorite authors?
BL: I do love Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit", and Geroge R R Martin's "Game of Thrones", of course. I also enjoy Clive Cussler ("Sahara" specifically) and a few others that are lesser known.
MR: When not writing, what are your preferred pastimes, and how do you think they influence your writing?
BL: The vast majority of my life is my real world job, writing, and hobby farming - at this time. Who knows what I will be doing in five years. Especially in Books 1 and 5, farming is mentioned often, so I would have to believe my own amateur farming played a role in that.
MR: What do you think about when you're alone, driving in your car?
BL: I wouldn't even try to list them here. Hundreds of different topics. I "talk through things" with myself on drives - all manner of things.
To request an interview with Bjorn Leesson, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.