From Asgard, With Love (Plus Cover Art!)

I had one goal for myself in November--because I knew I didn't have 50K in me after the hyperproductivity of the summer, and going into the holidays is always kind of a mess for getting anything done on this end, in addition--I wanted to finish FROM ASGARD, WITH LOVE before the end of the month.

Now, you should know that when I added this project into my calendar for the year, I thought it had maybe 10,000 words left in it. It was supposed to be a novella. A companion to POSTCARDS FROM ASGARD, but not a true sequel. Nothing too heavy or intensive. (And before THAT it was supposed to be a short story--but I digress.) Just an easy thing to finish and release. (lol lol lol!)

When all was said and done and I typed The End this month, this not-so-light, super-intensive, definitely-not-a-novella had cost me an additional 56,000 words. So yeah. As usual, I'm delivering a much longer than anticipated installment in a series that wasn't supposed to be a whole lot of work for me.

(I should really stop pretending I have any idea of what my stories are going to become, length-wise.)

I have been poking at FROM ASGARD, WITH LOVE for going on six years now. Six. Years. This isn't something I'd normally pay that much attention to, but this particular project's beginning sticks in my mind a little bit more, um, hauntingly. You see, just after I'd started writing it, after moving into my grandfather's house, he had a stroke. And after the very intensive months of his recovery from that stroke, he had another. That one, he didn't ever recover from, and a matter of weeks later, he'd passed away.

As you can imagine, and you'll understand more completely why when you read FROM ASGARD, WITH LOVE, I had to put it on hold for a while after that. I'd come back to it every year, write a couple thousand more words before I needed to set it aside again. Sometimes because I was under contract and on deadline for another project, and sometimes because I just couldn't face it or the memories it brought.

But this year? This year, for the first time, I felt like it was time. Like I was ready to face it and finish it and get it out into the world. I needed to write it, and the writing of it had to be completed HERE, in the house where it had all begun.

And Grandpa--this one is for you.

Amazon | Goodreads

FROM ASGARD, WITH LOVE is coming to you in 2019!

This is a companion to POSTCARDS FROM ASGARD, taking place some time after it, and with a peek at Thjalfi and Gwen living their happily ever after, but it's not really a true sequel. Thematically--Well. Let's just say it's not quite so light and fluffy. I hope you'll love it anyway!

If you're subscribed to The Amaliad, you got to see this cover first. You even got to read about how this book made me metaphorically bleed all over the pages! (Yes, this is me suggesting that if you haven't subscribed already, you should do so! again!)

Don't worry, I see you out there, you dedicated Orc Saga readers desperately awaiting news on Orc3. Wondering why/how I could write this without writing that first. There's a real and legitimate reason--but that's a whole other blogpost for another day. Just know I haven't forgotten you and I'm still working on Orc3, too. And in the meantime, grab THE QUEEN AND HER BROOK HORSE. I know not all of you have read it yet :)

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Amazon | Barnes&Noble

Further Reflections on the Hárbarðsljóð

TW: sexual assault/rape

Last night, the Hárbarðsljóð kept me up. I don't think about the poem all that often, other than as a reference to the fact that Thor has a hall for the peasants and thralls who die, as another marker of how he stands for the weak and the forgotten, for the every man rather than the kings and men of power.

But last night, after Dr. Ford's testimony and the Kavanaugh defense, a piece of the poem came vividly into focus--and suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore. It wasn't something I could dismiss or ignore or push aside any longer.

These particular lines:

Harbarth spake:
30. "Eastward I was, | and spake with a certain one,
I played with the linen-white maid, | and met her by stealth;
I gladdened the gold-decked one, | and she granted me joy."
Thor spake:
31. "Full fair was thy woman-finding."
Harbarth spake:
32. "Thy help did I need then, Thor, | to hold the white maid fast."
Thor spake:
33. "Gladly, had I been there, | my help to thee had been given."

These lines sound very much like two men boasting and congratulating one another on their conquests, and not only that--it sounds very much like Thor is talking about gladly helping Odin hold a woman down while he rapes her.

Suddenly, I wasn't sure if I could trust Thor.

Those of you who have been following the blog for forever know that Thor is pretty much my patron god. I'm Heathen and my faith in Thor has gotten me through a LOT over the years. Even before I recognized who he was, he was beside me, lending me strength to face my greatest struggles and my hardest moments. Thor is... one of the two most important things in my life. Half of a binary sun around which my life orbits. Questioning that faith, that trust, is not a small thing for me. Not at all.

I can take you through any number of mental gymnastics, a handful of theories that excuse Thor's general behavior in this poem on the whole--that the poem, a flytting poem, is basically meant to be a hit job on his character, to show him as useless and worthless, to undermine the faith of his followers in a time when Christianity was pushing hard against pagan faith traditions. Or point out the fact that the lore and the myths are not divinely inspired gospel, but written by men, copied and recopied imperfectly much later, and in this particular case, was probably preserved BECAUSE it takes shots at Thor.

I can tell myself, and you, that this does not in any way align with the Thor I have come to know--that it is at complete odds with the god who stands beside me, and I can remind myself that I have always believed that both the gods change with us, AND as we change, our understanding of the gods changes too. This poem might well just be a reflection of the culture of the time and nothing more, an attempt to see mankind in the divine, and as we have grown, we are more able to see PAST our own reflections to the deeper truth of their character and their presence.

But it doesn't take away these verses. Or the others, where Thor shows an overeager interest in Odin/Harbarth's sexual conquests. It doesn't make it hurt less to read these words as they spill from the lips of the god I love.

It doesn't make it any easier to realize that in a thousand years, nothing has changed. Because a thousand years ago, men were still boasting of their conquests, laughing together about the pleasure they took at the expense of some woman along the way.

I don't know what any of this means. How to reconcile it, really or fully, with my experience of Thor and my faith. I expect I'm going to be wrestling with that for some time. But I'm not going to pretend that the suggestion of sexual violence isn't there. Not in the past--not when it is something we are still fighting against so desperately in the present.

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Amazon | Barnes&Noble

Summer Update! And Sales!

As usual, August is happening! Newsletter subscribers already know the deets but just in case you haven't opened up your issue of the Amaliad yet--

You've got about a day left to grab HONOR AMONG ORCS for just 99 cents!

and the rest of the month to get HELEN OF SPARTA for just 1.99!

(Yes! I broke down and made e-reader mock-ups for a few books and a new promo image for Helen! Huzzah!)

While you're in a bronze age place, did I mention I released Ariadne and the Beast? It's a short story set about 30 years or so before HELEN OF SPARTA, and as you might imagine, addresses that pesky Minotaur situation of Theseus's.

It's too short to do a print edition but I finally bit the bullet and made it some cover art and formatted it as cleanly as I could manage for easier reading than just the pdf edition that newsletter subscribers get for free. Even better, it's available in wide release, so--
iBooks, Nook, and Kobo readers: Rejoice!!

But of course you can also grab your copy from Amazon for Kindle, too! Just 1.99 across all platforms.

And now I need to go crawl back into the writing cave and catch myself back up--3.5K so far this month is not going to be getting any jobs done. But after last month's 37K blow-out, I think I deserved the short birthday break!!

If you want more regular updates than the occasional "whoops I haven't blogged in a while have I?" be sure you're subscribed to The Amaliad and you'll get the latest and greatest delivered directly to your inbox.

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Amazon | Barnes&Noble

Imaginary Friends Release Day!

Kindle | Goodreads

HAPPY THOR'S DAY! Celebrate with a fun Thor-ish read from me!

Grab your much-easier-to-read copy of Imaginary Friends for kindle, and enjoy it as a perfect waiting-room-read the next time you're trying not to get coughed on at the doctor's office! Or, you know, wherever!

And don't forget to add it on Goodreads, too!

This month's Newsletter went out today, also, with a sneak peek behind the scenes of Orc 3 (yes! A full scene that I had to cut while drafting! Because sometimes it takes me a few chapters to figure out where I'm supposed to have started!), and a giveaway for an e-edition of Facets of Fate. Which might be another reason to get your subscribe on to The Amaliad, because those Newsletter giveaways have phenomenal odds for the people entering--so few of you do!

Also, while I've got you here, just another reminder that FORGED BY FATE is still FREE pretty much everywhere. So if you haven't dipped your toe in to my Fate of the Gods trilogy, now really is a great time to give it a go. And of course if you're already a fan, I'd super appreciate any honest reviews you want to throw Amazon's way! Particularly for Facets of Fate, Beyond Fate, and Fate Forgotten!

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Scribd | Playster

What else?

Oh, just noodling around with a variety of just-for-fun projects. Like a Paris of Troy epilogue to By Helen's Hand because watching Troy: Fall of a City frustrated me so much--you can find my spoileriffic live-tweeted feelings on that over yonder:

Today I am going to put on my couch-sitting pants and start watching BBC and Netflix's Troy mini series with el husband! LET'S DO THIS THING.

— Amalia Carosella (@AmaliaCarosella) April 8, 2018

But the timing is actually pretty good because this month, HELEN OF SPARTA and BY HELEN'S HAND are both on sale for just $1.99 each (kindle only), so if like me, you found Paris to be suuuuper annoying in TROY: FALL OF A CITY, allow me to humbly suggest that you might find my interpretation a little more to your liking!

Buy Now!

That should catch you all up pretty well--but don't forget to subscribe to The Amaliad to stay even MORE up to date and get peeks at what I'm working on, here and there. Especially your favorite Orc Saga!

And if you've enjoyed THE QUEEN AND HER BROOK HORSE while you wait for Orc3--please do toss it a review, as well! Because ultimately: Reviews=More Sales=I get to keep writing more books for you, and I'm pretty sure that's an end result we all want to support!

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Amazon | Barnes&Noble 

Amazon | Barnes&Noble