Astrid V.J.'s Blog

The Last Vasa series: Insight and Inspiration

In Sweden, up until recently, crime has been the province of crime thrillers, which are the country’s national genre. Yes, there has been a long history of drug crime, but in comparison to other places in the world, it’s always been pretty low key, especially when it comes to the violent crime that goes hand in hand with the drugs.

All of that has changed significantly in the past decade with an immense spike in the past two years. Where before, gun deaths were an absolute rarity, there have been 48 deaths in 2023, result of gun violence. Of those 16 deaths took Place between 7 September and 20 October and it is estimated that the total number of deaths from gun violence will reach 56 total deaths by the end of this year.

2022 saw 62 deaths from gun violence, the highest ever recorded.

This backdrop of the rising crime rates in Sweden, especially the very recent events of gang infighting in the Stockholm region during September and October of 2023, will feature throughout the series. The situation has reached a stage where I am even considering adding a fourth book to include the most recent wave of violence, which will not be included in Milena’s Crown, the third book in the series, which is planned to span up until August of 2023.

Although the Last Vasa series has a strong superhero feel, I will be tapping into the elements of quintessential Swedish crime thrillers. Many Swedes devour this genre of fiction and in staying true to the culture, I would like to echo some of that in my own series.

An aside...

Since I am a life coach, and I work quite a bit with the Law of Attraction, I have had a thought regarding the rising crime rates. LOA puts forward the idea that we receive what we focus our attention on. The logic dictates that when we fixate on anxious thoughts, we will experience more situations to increase our anxiety, while if we place our attention on elevating ourselves to a lighter emotional state, our experiences match that with greater success and more to be happy about. To me, it doesn’t seem a far stretch that the Swedish fixation on what is called Nordic/Scandinavian Noir could have something to do with the increase in violent crime (at an energetic level).

For what it’s worth, I prefer to read happy books with little to no violence. The more uplifting, the better. In my personal life I can see that somewhat reflected in my personal little fairytale, but maybe I am stretching a little far here…

Now, back to more serious considerations. Due to the immense upswing in recent weeks, the Swedish military has been brought in to help the police handle the situation. I am glad to say there’s no sign of martial law being implemented at this stage. Mostly, the military personnel are helping with things outside of investigations, like piloting helicopters and helping with paperwork. It is also good to know the government is trying to deal with this in reasonable ways.

My heart goes out to the affected families, especially the innocent bystanders who’ve been caught in the crossfire. It’s a truly horrifying situation and I hope the current conflict between gang factions will soon resolve itself, for that’s how these things tend to simmer down. Then again, perhaps Milena has the right approach in wanted to completely eradicate crime in the country. We’ll have to see if her pipe dream is possible.

Next time, I’ll be sharing about my insights about Sweden’s first king, a man who started out as a refugee and achieved the ultimate success despite everything being stacked against him.

If you’d like to find out more about the Last Vasa series, including excerpts from the books as they are written, as well as opportunities to join my beta reader and advance reviewer teams, join my author newsletter here.

If you’d like to get updates on when the next post for this blog goes live, you can add yourself here.

Last Vasa Series Character Introduction

First Name: Milena

Last Name: Lundgren

Magical Family: Unknown.

Place of Birth: Göteborg, Sweden

Former residence: Bergsjön district, Göteborg

Current residence: Lorensborg district, Malmö

Height: 158 cm

Age: 16

School: Malmö Latinskola

Religion: half-hearted Catholic

 

Milena is the only child of Amelia Jabłoński and Carl Lundgren. She is sixteen and currently attends high school at the prestigious Latinskola in Malmö, Southern Sweden. Although Milena doesn’t yet know what she’d like to do once she finishes school, she has an interest in criminology and is deeply affected by the crime rate in Sweden. This interest is fuelled by her mother’s fears for Milena’s safety and the state of society. Amelia’s work in Malmö’s general hospital, and especially in the ER, has heightened her focus on crime, which gets back to Milena in their interactions.

When Milena was five, her father passed away and since then it’s just been her and her mother. First, they moved from the outskirts of Göteborg into the suburb, Bergsjön, while Amelia studied medicine at the university. The year Milena started high school, when she was fifteen, a new opportunity presented itself to Amelia and they moved to Malmö.

Milena still has contact with Zehra, her middle school friend from Bergsjön. During her first year at Malmö Latinskola, Milena befriended Elin, a final year student who also lives in Lorensborg. Sometimes Milena meets up with classmates at Kafé Kungsgatan, a café near her school, where she will always get a classic, Swedish kanelbulle, although she always has to make sure there are no nuts included in the topping.

Her trusty bicycle is Milena’s mode of transport. She’s been thinking about getting a job to have some spare cash for her trips to visit Zehra in Göteborg during school holidays.

On an unassuming day in March, Milena came into her powers. You can read all about it in Milena’s Fear, a short story in the upcoming charity collection, Crossfire to benefit Sandy Hook Promise. You can follow the rest of Milena’s story in The Last Vasa series, starting with Milena’s Gift.

For details on the series, early excerpts and opportunities to get advance review copies of the series, join my mailing list here.  

Want to check out my visual inspiration for this series? Take a look at my Pinterest board!

The Last Vasa series: Insight and Inspiration

If the spilling of blood is the trigger for Milena’s powers in my series, then I have to also admit that it mirrors the history of Sweden. For just over 500 years ago, Sweden didn’t exist. Back then, it was an event steeped in blood that triggered Gustav Eriksson to rebel against King Christian II of Denmark who wished to see all of Scandinavia under his thumb and used the Kalmar Union as an excuse for his tyranny. Stockholm’s Bloodbath has gone down in Swedish history in infamy, and it was indeed the event that led to Sweden becoming an independent kingdom. It’s an event important enough that a screen adaptation is currently underway, expected to release in January 2024.

A brief overview of Stockholm’s Bloodbath:

In 1518, King Christian II of Denmark began his conquest to bring all of the Nordic countries under his banner. By 1520, he’d subdued most of what we now call Sweden. There were many aristocratic families that sided with Sten Sture against the Danish push for power, and after Sture’s death, his widow, Kristina Nilsdotter (Gyllenstierna), defended Stockholm for months.

As the winter of 1520 drew near, Christian II of Denmark offered Kristina terms of surrender as well as a wholesale pardon to all those who’d been involved in what he considered a rebellion. Kristina capitulated and opened the gates of the city to the new king.

On November 4th, 1520, Christian II was crowned king of the Kalmar Union and celebrated an immense banquet over the next three days.

On the evening of November 7th, a special invitation was sent to the Swedish aristocrats for private conference at the palace. It seems likely many of them expected it would be a moment for the new king to consolidate his power by offering his former enemies’ positions that would indebt them to him. Instead, as soon as the last man entered the hall, the doors were locked and a group arrest was made. Archbishop Gustav Trolle, who’d been re-instated by King Christian II accused the gathered men and women of heresy.

The next day, November 8th, the archbishop acted as prosecutor, jury, and judge at a trial where all the men were found guilty of heresy and sentenced to death. It just so happens, all these people were the former political enemies of King Christian II to whom he’d promised the pardon. The women became political prisoners of the Danish crown.

At lunchtime on November 8th, the executions started. Bishops and nobles were beheaded first. The beheadings continued throughout 9 November and it’s estimated that up to 100 people were executed. Historical records vary, but the number of deaths is confirmed at over 82. The town square is said to have run with blood, and accounts speak of the heads, which were placed in barrels. On November 10th pyres were lit and all the bodies were burned.

I personally find it interesting that although these events were the catalyst that led Gustav Eriksson to muster a new army and finally rout the Danish forces two years later, the 500th anniversary of Stockholm’s Bloodbath passed without the slightest interest from modern Swedes. The big blockbuster movie is only being made now, three years later, instead of having been ready for that anniversary.

Now it’s time for me to share how these events feature in Milena’s Fear, my short prequel story for the Last Vasa series. Here follows a short excerpt from Milena’s first dreamlike vision where she witnesses these events in her mind as the first spark of her magical powers.

Milena was plunged into a vision—well, it felt more like a memory, but she had no recollection of this place.

She stood on a cobble square—well, the stones were rectangular blocks, but uneven like the cobbles she knew from Lilla Torg in Malmö. Flagstones, her mind offered. The open area was surrounded by tall buildings and she noted that she didn’t recognise any of them. They all looked entirely old-fashioned with crenelations on the gables and moulding above the windows. Beside her stood something that looked like a water well from ancient times and in front of her a church spire rose up behind a tall building with sweeping columns that looked like it was super important. In the background, she made out an old castle with thick walls and defensive structures.

Milena turned in a circle, taking it all in and was unnerved by how quiet it was. There was no one in sight. She stood, alone, in the centre of a square she didn’t recognise. Never before in her life had she visited this place. The knowledge of it sat heavy in her stomach and added another clenched fist to the tension invading her body.

Everything around her was made of stone and Milena took in the flickering of torchlight, which cast strange shadows all around her. In front of the important-looking building there was a raised wooden platform and Milena’s attention was drawn to it when a man with a massive beard stepped up onto it. He was dressed all in black and his clothes seemed strange to her—coarse and bulky.

There was a creepiness to him and, with a shudder, Milena looked around her again, but there was no one else present. She tried to walk away, but whenever she looked behind her, Milena found she hadn’t moved from the spot beside the well.

Was she dreaming?

That didn’t seem quite the right conclusion because at the back of her mind, Milena knew she was at school. She sat on the cold, hard floor of the third-floor bathroom—of all places. But for some reason, she couldn’t shake the vision of the flagstone square or court yard or whatever it was. The man in black stood still, hands clasped behind him, staring away from Milena towards one of the streets that headed to the castle.

Something flickered in the firelight and Milena strained to see what moved beyond the edges of the glow. A knight, dressed in full armour strode into the light, followed by a shuffling procession of people in weird attire from some distant time in the past. There seemed to be close to a hundred of them, herded into the square with their hands bound behind their backs. They bowed their heads as they were led into the square. It was strange to watch the knight move silently, for Milena expected the iron plates to clank together with every movement.

Baptisms in blood are a continuous theme throughout my series, and in our times a veritable bloodbath is underway as we speak. However, that is the topic of my next post. Keep an eye out for it!

If you’d like to find out more about the Last Vasa series, including excerpts from the books as they are written, as well as opportunities to join my beta reader and advance reviewer teams, join my author newsletter here.

If you’d like to get updates on when the next post for this blog goes live, you can add yourself here.

The Last Vasa series: Insight and Inspiration

When we think of vicious school attacks, most of us think of the USA because of the high-profile school shootings that rip the country apart on far too regular occasions. However, other countries, Sweden included, have not been spared.

On the evening of March 21, 2022, Malmö became the scene of the second most brutal school attack to occur in this country, one which led to a precedent being set during the court case. It is the first time such a young criminal has ever been sentenced to life imprisonment in Sweden. Thankfully—if one can state gratefulness in the face of the horrors perpetrated—that boy was unable to get his hands on a firearm. I shudder to think what might have happened if he had.

Nonetheless, armed “only” with a hatchet and a hammer, Fabian Cederholm did enough damage to kill two teachers and destroy a city’s faith in humanity. As a mother of children on the brink of starting school, I was severely shaken, and turning to my writing has helped me come to grips with what happened that day and how it changes my feelings about my children’s safety at school. Writing Milena’s Fear, the short prequel to The Last Vasa series has proven quite cathartic and now serves yet another purpose for good.

Fellow writer, Pam Floyd, who worked on Children of War, the charity anthology I put together in support of Ukrainian children suffering war trauma, is in the process of organizing a charity anthology to benefit Sandy Hook Promise, an organisation focused on supporting the victims of school shootings in the United States. Originally, I had thought of merely mentioning the Malmö school attack in passing in the Last Vasa series, but when I found out about this initiative, I decided it would be even better to embrace the opportunity to engage with what happened and use my writing to truly overcome my own personal fears and to understand what happened at a deeper level.

As it turns out, the facts are more unbelievable than any fiction I could have come up with. Here follows a brief account of the sequence of events surrounding the attack:

On 21 March, 2022, Mikael Nilsson, a renown Swedish lawyer held a presentation about crime and punishment in Sweden at the Latinskola in Malmö. The lecture ended a few minutes before 5pm and police investigation confirms the attacker attended the event.

At 5:12pm emergency services received a phone call informing of a school attack on the third floor of Latinskola where two teachers in their fifties were mortally wounded.

At 5:22pm the police took into custody Fabian Cederholm, the perpetrator who had not only turned himself in, but claimed in the immediate statement taken at the scene of the crime that he’d hoped to be shot during the arrest, to prove Swedish police violence on par with the United States.

Inspector David Malmsten, an African-Swede, was one of the first respondents and participated in the arrest. He was also later interviewed on Swedish television where he commented on the sheer brutality of the attack.

At 8pm all students who had been on the premises during the attack were permitted to return home. Several drama students who’d been preparing the annual spex performance were interviewed on television. One of them reported having been kept in a classroom on the second floor until the building was cleared and statements taken.

Both victims of the attack passed away in hospital.

During the trial, a seventeen-year-old girl stood as witness. She’d been in the bathroom on the third floor and upon hearing screaming, she stepped out to see what was happening. According to her testimony, she returned to the toilets and locked herself in a cubicle together with a friend who didn’t witness anything.

Fabian Cederholm is the first 18-year-old Swedish criminal to be convicted to a life sentence. He earned two life sentences for the brutal murders by hatchet and hammer of his teachers.

If you’d like to find out more about how this incident has found its way into my short story, Milena’s Fear, you can sign up to my newsletter. The November edition will include a snippet of the story and an opportunity to support me either as a beta reader or as an advance reviewer for the anthology. As a newsletter subscriber, you’ll also be the first to know about developments for this series, including when books will be available for pre-order.

If you’re interested in the charity projects I champion, you are welcome to add yourself to this mailing list. I send out information only twice per year regarding upcoming charity projects I’m working on. Subscribers on this list are given the opportunity to sign up to review teams for each anthology and get updates on which projects you can expect to see in upcoming years.

The Last Vasa series: Insight and Inspiration

When I first moved to Sweden, I read several history books to get a grasp of the country and its people. Both my father and husband are fascinated by history and I suppose some of that rubbed off on me. As an anthropologist, I understand that, just as we are each shaped by our experiences, which form the backbone of our personal identities, so too do the experiences over time create the foundation of a culture. Understanding where Sweden came from, how it came to be, and what makes it tick also helped me build an understanding of why things are the way they are now in Sweden.

As time went by, I began to realise that although utterly fascinating, Swedes rarely learn about their own history. A lot of it is deemed irrelevant even. To me, that shows a level of shortsightedness I cannot begin to put into words coherently, and I won’t bore you with any rambling here.

However, there were a few things that were immensely clear to me.

The story of the first king of Sweden was one of a refugee who overcame the adversity life placed in his path and achieved the greatest level of success possible to any person. His actions changed the face of Northern Europe forever, and influenced not only Scandinavia, but also outcomes in places like Poland. In a country so heavily influenced by refugee immigration, this particular fact seems crucially important to me. Gustav Vasa’s experience is the ultimate rags to riches story. Sweden has always had a constitutional monarchy. The first king was voted into power, and the current royal family came to power in the same way, by a vote. It is incredible to me, that a country which has existed for half a millennium could have such solid, democratic roots. It also explains so much about why Swedes are so proud of their democracy. They have a long history of it, after all. When Sweden became Lutheran, heavily influenced by events leading up to the country’s declaration of independence and the crowning of their own king, it meant that this country became deeply involved in the religious politics of Europe, and was a key player in the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. Although many Swedes are non-practising Christians today, it is telling that the country as a whole was still officially Lutheran until 2002 when the separation of church and state took place. You wouldn’t think it when seeing Sweden now, but it’s only been a non-religious state for 20 years. Quite something, and an element I’ve personally always found fascinating—since I happen to be Catholic.

Over the years, I kept toying with the idea of writing an urban fantasy story to highlight what I see going on around me in Sweden, but also to bring to light certain elements of the history that are brushed under the carpet in modern times. The Last Vasa series germinated when I read Herman Lindqvist’s fascinating book De Vilda Vasarna (The Wild Vasas), which follows the exploits of the royal family of Sweden. Several small details, including the fact that Swedish kings ruled Poland in the 16th and 17th centuries were the seed that started this whole story and gave me the idea of having a descendant of the Vasa royal line who is Polish and Catholic. Almost in the same heartbeat, it struck me that the Swedish noble families have the perfect names and crests to represent clans of magical creatures like lion shifters, vampires, magicians, and more.

Additionally, the idea behind the Vasa royal family’s crest, similar to the Roman fasces and the proverb about “sticks in a bundle are unbreakable” added another layer to my ideas on creating an urban fantasy set in Sweden and drawing on the history of this country. So far, the puzzle pieces in my mind have slotted it all together perfectly, down to the fact that a small aristocratic family in Western Sweden, near Gothenburg had a bear on their family crest and made the perfect location for a clan of bear shifters that I just had to have as part of this story. If you’d already like to start reading about this element in my world, you can check out It’s a Bear’s Life: That’s no Picnic, my origin story for one of the side characters included in this series.

I’ve also just finished writing Milena’s Fear, a short prequel to the main series, detailing the day Milena, the FMC of this story, comes into her powers even though she doesn’t know that’s what happened. It is also slotted into a real event that took place in Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city, in March 2022. In my next post, I’ll discuss the significance of this event and how it pushed me to start writing the story that had been a vague idea up until that point.

Further events during 2022 and 2023 have accumulated, adding themselves to my puzzle and over the coming weeks I’ll go into details on how these real events have inspired my writing for this urban fantasy trilogy and which novel, novella, or short story each event is relevant to.

You can also sign up to my author newsletter for access to early content from this series or to my blog mailing list for updates on new posts from me.

Over the past few days, I have been flung into an emotional funk as news of atrocities committed against Israeli civilians makes its way out into the world. Everywhere I look, I see reactions to the situation, and I see people polarizing around the events. At the same time, my heart is filled with sadness as I come across more and more outrage, judgements spoken with righteous vehemence, and witness more and more people voicing hatred towards those who committed these atrocities and anyone who supports them.

I do not deny the atrocities. I do not deny that evil is being committed and how horrifying it is to know there are families out there experiencing this trauma.

However, the more I see people speaking about the situation, the clearer it becomes to me that for some reason people see fit to judge the situation out of context. This has not happened out of the blue. A steady stream of hatred has been built on both sides of this conflict and current events are the heartbreaking, soul-destroying result of everything that has gone before. It is impossible for things to have gone any differently. And that knowledge makes this situation so much, much worse for me.

What do I mean?

There are many angles to examine in this web, from the heart of which have surged the new events of the past week. As inelegant as it is, this is my attempt to make sense of the senseless and find the heart of the matter as I see it.

I think I will begin with the analogy of the beaten dog, for that was the first element to overwhelm my mind when I first heard the news. The best example of what I mean comes from a classic in my favourite genre: Fantasy. I refer to the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. Although the scene from the novel engraved itself on my mind, it was also particularly well done in the A Game of Thrones TV series, and since that is even better known than the book series, I’ll draw on the visual imagery that has made its mark on an entire generation of fantasy TV series fans.

Ramsay Bolton, beaten and defeated, says to his former victim, Sansa Stark, “They’re loyal beasts.”

To which she replies, “They were. But now they’re starving.”

Moments later, the viewer is confronted with a level of on-screen brutality many of us struggle to wipe from our minds after as Ramsay is torn apart by his own dogs.

Kicked, beaten, and left to starve, even the kindest, most loyal dog will turn on anything edible with vicious brutality—even more so if its easy pickings, weak, and undefended.

When I first saw the footage of recent events in Israel, this thought hit me in the gut and piled on the weight of truth. It made everything I saw following that moment more profoundly disheartening and saddening. To say I’ve been depressed about it is probably an understatement, but I’ll admit that there wasn’t even a single moment I was surprised at the level of brutality the victims of this terrorist attack have faced.

Within the first few hours of hearing the news, I came across an outraged post by a friend on social media. Up until that point, my focus had been on the events, not international reaction to the situation, but my friend’s incredulity sent another wave of sadness through me. She expressed shock and outrage about the people “in the US, Canada, and Europe gathering […] to celebrate”.

Again, I was not surprised.

If there’s one cause that’s brought Muslim expats together, disregarding ethnicity, language, and culture, then it is the cause of the Palestinian people. For decades, this cause has been the rallying point for Muslim immigrants. I’ve seen it myself here in Sweden. The only public, group activities to raise awareness for a cause that I’ve seen involving all Muslims have always been marches and other protests about what’s been going on in the Gaza strip and the West Bank. And more often than not, I’ve heard expressions of hatred directed towards Israel at precisely such events that have unified the otherwise fragmented Muslim immigrants and their children who have grown up here.

It saddens me that decades of work “for a cause” could at the same time engender such hatred. Our human penchant for divisions, for creating a distinction between “us” and “them” rears its ugly head at every turn. It makes me despair. I fear we may never see a change, most especially not from these two groups who have been raised on hatred.

Where is “humanism”? you might ask.

Well, the problem with that is the fact humanism has its roots in Christianity and hence doesn’t even feature in the mindsets of followers of Islam and Judaism. For those readers who do not understand this connection, I’ll go into it briefly here.

The Enlightenment in Europe was a direct response to Christian doctrine at the time, but it grew out of the teachings of Jesus Christ, so is completely embedded in Christianity. The idea that all human beings have value, irrespective of their background, came from Christian values. One of the earliest steps towards humanistic thought came from Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, who in the early 16th century argued the case that Native American peoples were human too, and therefore had to be protected by the church in the face of the brutality of the Spanish conquest. De las Casas’ thoughts were soon backed up by the writings of Erasmus of Rotterdam, and together spring-boarded philosophical thinking about humankind, our rights, and what we all have in common.

Although humanist thought broke away from theological thought very quickly, it is nonetheless deeply embedded in Christianity and Christian thinking. And it is for this reason that I don’t see humanism resonating equally well for people raised in other monotheistic faiths. While Jesus advocated turning the other cheek, Jews and Muslims are still raised on the Old Testament concept of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.

Ideas of universal love and equality among all humans falter in the face of the powerful pull of religious doctrine and the ideas that certain beliefs make their followers superior. Humanism crumbles under the polarization of “us” vs “them”, because “we” (whoever the group may be) are better, more just, more entitled to something—and even more so when they see themselves as the chosen people of a God.

We cannot reconcile indoctrinated teachings of hatred with wishes for peace for all based on humanistic thinking.

The type of violence unleashed upon Israeli civilians over the past few days will not be the last of its kind. Decrying those “celebrating” won’t heal any wounds and further polarizes the situation, further demarcating “us” vs “them” in all the groupings involved. It doesn’t help.

I fear, I don’t know what would help.

But of course, coming from a place of love, instead of hate, and talking about what we see, what we’ve experienced, and finding common ground, might be a place to start from. As individuals, I believe we can overcome the walls that politics and religion build around us.

And then, as I was writing this, the retaliation came…

More hatred. More violence. More eyes.

So the cycle continues…

And my heart keeps on bleeding.

But that isn’t all.

There’s also the need to question things. I see another element to the web from where I stand. Because as more information piled on about the atrocities and international reactions, I felt an even worse sinking in my stomach.

Who actually benefits from all this mayhem? Most certainly not the Israelis heading into the storm. Not really the Palestinians who are suffering the brunt of it in retaliation for the deaths caused earlier in the week.

Eye for an eye…

Tooth for a tooth…

Neither side gets anywhere as the dogs tear into each other, teeth foam-flecked with the madness of hatred.

So, who benefits? Who gets to breathe and continue their machinations as international scrutiny turns away from inflation, a second winter of war in Ukraine, or any number of other topics that were in the news just last week?

The only power we individuals have is to choose what we focus on. We can be consumed by helplessness. We can climb onto a high horse and decry atrocities and judge those involved, switching sides as quickly as I’ve seen in the past twenty-four hours.

Or we can look for answers at a deeper level.

There’s also the choice to do something today to make a difference. People are suffering all over the world. What can be done today to alleviate some of that suffering? There is always a choice on how we frame things and where we place our attention.

What are your thoughts on this topic? I am merely a single individual, and although my German-South African heritage provides certain insights, or the fact I live in Sweden which has a large Muslim population, provides me with some understanding, I don’t know it all. But what I’d love to do is connect with others and find out other points of view about this and other situations that affect us as humans.

Thank you for reading! I look forward to seeing your thoughts in the comments.

More than a decade ago, I was listening to one of my favourite songs and one line struck me, sending me the spark of an idea. From that seed and a series of larger-than-life dreams grew The Apprentice Storyteller and the other books in The Wishmaster Series.

Now I'm ready to share this amazing book that's required I grow so much to be able to create it.

What is The Apprentice Storyteller about?

The Apprentice Storyteller is a fictional exploration of what many of us go through when we decide to go after an "impossible" dream after many years struggling in the vice of fear. Itinerant storyteller, Viola Alerion, reaches for her dream, transforming herself from a grumpy, unhappy individual who believes the world is out to get her, to a person who understands that what lies within her is far more powerful than any situation, circumstance or condition she finds herself in. By learning the principles of spiritual transformation and applying them in her life, she is able to tip the scales. This is a novel that guides the reader through transformational principles while illustrating how they work in practice.

Book description:
The Alchemist meets Fantasy with a splash of Space Opera.

Viola Alerion, a renowned storyteller in the Haldrian Empire, wants to be left in peace. For years, she's been hounded by her past, never to find a moment's rest. Then, she meets a boy who wants to become her apprentice. He refuses to take no for an answer and, eventually, Viola relents even though she knows taking him with her could endanger his life.

As their journey progresses, Viola begins to understand she's not the only teacher in the equation. The nameless boy also has something to teach but Viola makes for a reluctant student.

Can she give way to possibility and embrace a future in alignment with what she's always wanted? Can she find the courage to accept the principles that will transform her life? And can she overcome her circumstances and face her past? Or will she keep running with nowhere to hide?

And what of the boy who guards untold secrets and exhibits mysterious powers that defy belief?

Where did the idea for this book come from?

As I mentioned earlier, this story sparked in my mind while I was listening to a song. Wishmaster by Nightwish, to be precise. The final line

The apprentice becoming... Master

Is what triggered the seed for this story and I've honoured this in the titles of the series:

The Apprentice Storyteller

Becoming Spellwright

Master Wordmage

Here is the full song for those of you not familiar with Nightwish and this amazing piece of music!

The Second Piece of the Puzzle:

The idea of writing about an apprentice learning to become a master storyteller was also fuelled by a number of short stories I'd written, that I wanted to bring together into a collection but with a frame narrative, as is used in 1001 Arabian Nights, for example. These stories were based on a series of dreams I'd had. Those dreams stuck with me like they were lived memories and I just knew I had to turn them into stories. They were so vivid!

I tried to write The Apprentice Storyteller several times, but I kept getting stuck. It wasn't so much writer's block as the feeling that something was missing from the frame narrative. I kept going back to it, but that missing piece was a serious issue. I did keep on writing the short stories based on my dreams and that kept the whole project alive for me.

When the final piece came to me, I realised the depth of the shorter stories I was including in the main novel and I realised I couldn't do these dream-stories justice if I kept them as short stories. That is why, I decided to flesh them out and build on the underlying message of each one, giving rise to The Wordmage's Tales series to accompany The Apprentice Storyteller. Many of The Wordmage's Tales are mentioned in The Apprentice Storyteller, and I start each tale from the perspective of the boy and where he is at the moment of telling it. So there is still a direct connection between each of the shorter tales and The Apprentice Storyteller novel.

The first of The Wordmage's Tales is The Companion's Tale and I'm hoping to release it in December, along with The Apprentice Storyteller. Take a look at the cover! It's one of my absolute favourites by my amazing cover designer, Emily's World of Design.

Finding the final piece:

One year and 46 days ago, I had an epiphany. I was sitting in a hotel ballroom in Los Angeles, listening to the amazing Mary Morrissey going over the steps included in her genius life coaching course, the DreamBuilder Programme. That moment was as if time and space converged into a single speck and I was bombarded with information but it aligned itself into a single, smooth and coherent set of thoughts.

What I was missing in The Apprentice Storyteller was Viola Alerion's arc. I'd established that she was on the run from her past, but I wasn't clear on turning that into a part of the story and actually focusing on her development in parallel to the boy's development as a storyteller. That is when the idea was born to let the boy also be a teacher: the teacher of life.

I've incorporated the key principles of transformation and allowed Viola to go through the DreamBuilder process step by step, allowing the reader to experience what the changes look like and how our minds sabotage our attempts to bring about change. This shift in the story also meant I needed to add another book to The Wishmaster Series, one dedicated solely to Viola and what happens to her next. This is why I'm adding Book 1.5:

Finding the Way.

(and yes, this title is also inspired by Nightwish's song!)

At the same time, I realised The Wordmage's Tales were also each linked to one of the principles in the DreamBuilder course and decided to flesh out those details in my shorter stories even more. Hence, The Wordmage's Tales has become a series of novellas, each dedicated to a different principle of transformation and each based on a dream I once had.

Cover reveal:

Well, I think the time has come! I've certainly waited long enough. So, without further ado, I present you with the cover for The Apprentice Storyteller:

If you'd like to join my street team and get a free review copy of this book, then click on the cover image and sign up!

If you'd like to stay updated on this book and know exactly when it releases and when it will be available on discount, then sign up for my newsletter.

Richard's motto isn’t just a nice sentiment for a character who is a prince and later becomes a king in The Siblings' Tale. Reducing others’ suffering is something more of us should probably think about than we usually do. It isn’t for the politicians or the rich to resolve social problems. Suffering doesn’t only appear in the form of poverty. When we start tuning into other people’s suffering and think about what we could do to alleviate it, several things happen. Firstly, we become aware of our own blessings, allowing us to be thankful for what we do have instead of constantly focusing on what we “need”. Secondly, small gestures of kindness spread a ripple effect around us. If you’ve read books like Chicken Soup for the Soul you’ll know what I mean. Happiness engenders happiness. Kindness engenders kindness. Let’s start seeing small, “bite-sized” aspects of suffering in our daily lives that we as private individuals can do something about. Is there a homeless person hanging out on your street? Do you have a spare blanket you don’t really use? Is someone in your office sad about something? Could you take the time over lunch break to reach out to them and listen? What can you do today to alleviate the suffering of someone else? The more kindness we spread, the happier we feel and the more kindness returns to us, making us even happier. Shall we start breaking the vicious, depressive cycle the media and politicians feed on? They want us to believe that the world is filled with sharks and monsters. They want us to be afraid, because our fear gives them power. And untreated suffering leads to the blackness that power feeds on. Let’s take a hypothetical. You may, or may not, know that a man named Adolf Hitler was rejected from art school in his early twenties. That man took that particular rejection to heart and chose to blame a Jewish student who did get a place at the school for “stealing” Adolf’s “rightful” place. When Adolf gave up on his dream and instead turned towards blaming the system and a person from a different ethnic group, hatefulness festered. As time went on, he did not change his mindset and we are all aware of the blackness his personal hell cast on the world. What could have been, had that young man been accepted into that school? Or, what would have been if he’d said, “Okay, I didn’t get into this school this time. What other schools are there? When is the next intake at this school?” What might have happened if someone Adolf knew, instead of commiserating with him about “those evil Jews”, had said, “I believe in you. If you really want to become an artist, it will surely be possible. Let’s see what you can do today to make that dream a reality.” Who knows, by giving a recent divorcee a hug, or encouraging someone to take whatever failure they’ve just faced as feedback, or listening to the pain of someone else so they can work through it, you might just be doing the thing that person needs to overcome their darkness and shift into a new way of thinking that will allow them to achieve things they never realised possible before. In my recently released book, Gisela’s Passion, Hilarion also follows a similar path into darkness. He hardens his heart because of circumstances, turning his back on the world for the wounds his life has inflicted on him. He does not grow from any of it. He nurtures hatred and despair and then turns around and dishes it all out to those around him, with tragic consequences. One of my beta readers for Gisela’s Passion mentioned she was satisfied with the ending Hilarion got dealt in the story because “he had it coming”, but I find that misses the true tragedy of Hilarion’s situation−and there are so many people out there who see the world like he does. If Gisela had been a little more aware, a little wiser, perhaps, if she’d had more experience, she would have been able to see Hilarion’s cry for help and treat him with the true respect and support of a friend. She tries, but she is young and inexperienced and allows his manner to flare her anger, instead of seeing that it's nothing personal, that he’s hurting and just needs someone to truly listen−if he were only to open up and let his hurt flow out. Had Gisela had the courage to sit down and talk to Hilarion, give him her reasons and put her rejection into context, and had Hilarion had the guts to acknowledge his thoughts and talk about what was going on in his mind, things might have turned out differently. Communication is the root of any relationship and most pain and suffering is increased a hundred fold if it is kept shut in. We humans are social creatures and we do our greatest good when we listen to others, find the root of their pain and offer a solution, or the possibility of a solution. We don’t have to rid the world of poverty, starvation and emotional stress and suffering overnight, but each step forward helps. We can take one step today and see where that takes us tomorrow. In The Siblings' Tale, Richard, as king of Vendale, heals many of the wounds his father inflicted on those around him out of blind zeal for something he believed in without looking at moral implications. Richard’s father merely did what he “had” to, no matter the sacrifice, in order to achieve what he deemed “imperative”. Richard, on the other hand, weighs his decisions, contemplating the effects of a decision. Once, he almost fails in this, when he allows anger and incredulity to govern his mind, but Elisabeth rescues him from making a hasty and cruel decision (this is one of my favourite scenes from Becoming, Part 2 of the Siblings’ Tale). Richard does what he can in his position as king to alleviate the suffering of those in his court as well as further afield, by implementing programmes to alleviate poverty and support those struggling to make a living in ways that are constructive to their achieving independence. From all of this, I’d like to challenge you, dear reader, to look around you and see “with eyes unclouded by hate” (to quote a fabulous Myasaki movie). Is there anyone near you silently screaming their agony at an unheeding world, the pain evident through their actions and behaviour? And then ask yourself: What can I do to help this person? Sometimes the smallest gesture of friendship or support can mean the world to a person. Do what you can to reduce the suffering of others, especially during this Christmas season. Make the most of the Christmas spirit to spread happiness through your kindness. Thank you for reading. I would love to know what you think on the subject. This is intended as a discussion starter and an opportunity for many different opinions to circulate. Please comment below and share your thoughts! If you enjoyed this piece and would like to receive an update when I post my next blog, you can sign up for my blog newsletter here.

We tend to take life very seriously, and it makes us terribly severe. In recent years, university campuses have been plagued by intolerance and people have called up twitter storms over some perceived slight or injustice. In part, this fuelled how I developed Edvard’s character in Elisabeth and Edvard - The Siblings’ Tale. Edvard’s motto is: Learn to laugh at life (because it’s funny). Although Edvard doesn’t feature much in Aspiring, Part 1 of the Siblings’ Tale, we do find out that his pranks had a cruel streak and often caused Elisabeth much pain. However, as he grows up, he does develop into a decent person who enjoys a spot of fun. At times, in Becoming, Part 2 of the Siblings’ Tale he teases his sister, but, overall, he is much kinder. From a psychological perspective, we need laughter. It is very important in our lives to maintain our well-being, but often, as adults, we don’t have much of an outlet for amusement. Even movies have been affected by this trend in seriousness. Just look at children’s movies these days. Moana and Frozen don’t have any of the material for laughter that the mice in Cinderella provoke in a three-year-old (I know this from personal experience). Everything has become serious, even childhood. Children can’t run and play as they used to. They don’t have the freedom to have fun the way they did. The recent animated movie, The Little Prince, is testament to this over-burdening of children with seriousness. We expect our primary-school children to get good grades and have a string of extra-curricular activities. They receive hours of homework, preventing them from going out and playing in the fresh air. Televisions and computers only compound this problem. Free play outside, especially for children growing up in cities, is a rare experience and many don’t even see it as a treat anymore. It’s “boring”. Add to that the medicalisation of childhood. The over-diagnosis of the so-called attention-deficit hyperactivity “disorder” is a case in point. We expect children—who are meant to run outside from after breakfast until sundown—to sit still and concentrate for at least six hours a day, almost continuously. Then we’re surprised when they can’t focus and start hopping about. So, to “resolve” the “problem” we adults created by removing free play from the lives of children, we medicate them into a stupor. It feels like we are doing our children a disservice, and if anything, perhaps projecting that they will eventually get their own back when we are old and decrepit, could help us rethink our strategy... but I fear that is unlikely. The disservice we are doing to our children goes even further, because children learn best through play and when they are having fun. This is scientifically confirmed. Neuroscience supports it and it is the reason why the Suzuki method is such a successful educational tool. Our schooling system is actually stopping children from achieving their true potential because it stunts our ability to learn by forcing us to stop playing and learn while unhappy. Children have curious minds that should be stimulated so they will grow to be inquisitive minds that find solutions to complex problems. With Edvard’s character, I would like my readers to embrace the fun that is childhood, and reacquaint themselves with it in adulthood. We need to laugh more and get out and have fun. We need to give children a break—yes, I know, sometimes they can be cruel when they are left to their own devices—but we need to still give them room for creativity within the compass of acceptability in our society. We also need to accept that not everything that is offensive is malicious. Sometimes, a hint of offensiveness is just fun for the sake of being funny—and that’s actually okay. As long as no one is hurt, and I mean physically hurt, by someone else’s fun, then honestly, it is probably going to be okay. I am currently reading an amazing book which is amazingly satirical, and it is refreshing to have an author who dares to take on every possible group and satirise common, stereotypical actions. It reminds me that we are allowed to have fun at our own expense, that we are allowed to see the humour in a situation and that there is no harm done when we are tolerant of difference while still poking fun at it. Edvard is just such a character. He loves to see the funny side of everything, including himself. I know, I for one have always been way too serious, and it is something I would like to work on again, to see the lighter side to life and not always get bogged down in the humourlessness of existence. Funny things happen every day and when we don’t notice them, it is our loss. What do you think about the state of childhood today? Do you have any thoughts on how serious we've become and our intolerance for "a spot of fun"? Please share your insights and contribute to the discussion. I would love to know your thoughts and learn from your experiences. Feel free to comment or send me an email. Thank you for reading. Sign up here so you don’t miss my next blog post and more on the social issues I like to consider and have woven into my writing.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber - a review. I don’t normally post my reviews as blog posts, but this time around I really had to.