Lars Walker

 Interview with Lars Walker

Author of

The Year of the Warrior, King of Rogaland, Wolf Time, and more

Please tell me a little about your current work in progress.

For many years I’ve been working on a series of historical fantasies set in the late Viking Age. [I’ll list the books published to date, because there are multiple publishers, which makes everything confusing for the book buyer: 1-2: The Year of the Warrior (a double volume), 3: West Oversea, 4: Hailstone Mountain, 5: The Elder King, 6: King of Rogaland.] This series is based on a real historical character, Erling Skjalgsson of Sola, who was one of the most powerful chieftains in Norway around the year 1000 AD. Now I’m in the planning stages for Book 7: The Baldur Game, which (at least as I see it now) will bring it all to a climax. Erling, a defender of the old Norse democratic system of governance, will have his final showdown with his mortal enemy, King Olaf Haraldsson. After that, I’ll describe Olaf’s own last, fateful battle. It’ll be epic, if I can get it right. Bigger than anything I’ve written up to now.

 

Where did you get the idea for this book or series?

I’ve wanted to write about a Viking since I was a kid. Always had a vague idea about the hero I wanted to immortalize. As an adult, I found a character in Snorri Sturlusson’s great book Heimskringla, the sagas of the Kings of Norway, who met my requirements pretty closely. That was Erling Skjalgsson of Sola, a Christian and a fierce enemy of the autocratic monarchical ideas coming in from the continent at that time. So in broad outlines I follow the saga story – though there are large undocumented stretches in Erling’s life where I let my imagination fill in the blanks.

 

 Do you write in more than one genre?

No. I’d love to write a mystery, but my brain just doesn’t work that way. What I do, though, is translate Norwegian to English. I translated Viking Legacy, a book of history, by Torgrim Titlestad. I also do TV and film scripts. I worked on “Atlantic Crossing,” a miniseries they ran on PBS Masterpiece last year, and “Narvik,” a movie coming soon on Netflix. This is production script translating, by the way, not subtitles.

 

Tell me about something that you believe makes your writing unique or worthy of attention.

A lifetime of historical research, I guess, and a passion for words. I’m also a Viking reenactor; I think that helps me get into the period. I even reenacted in Norway briefly last summer. I should probably add that I aspire to write a little above the usual standard for Christian literature. My first sales were to a mainstream publisher, and I try to write for a broad audience.

 

Is there anything about your personal history or personality that manifests strongly in your writing?

I’m not sure I’m the best person to judge that. I hope my Christian faith comes through in an honest way. I believe strongly in traditional virtues, and try to showcase those.

 

 What else would be helpful for readers to know about you?

 I can wiggle my ears.

 

Excluding your own work, what underrated author or book would you recommend that more people read? Why?

I guess I’d point people to some older books. If you’re interested in the Viking Age, read Heimskringla – it’s the most readable book of history written in the Middle Ages. You can’t always take it as straight fact, but it’s a tremendous narrative, with a surprisingly modern sensibility. I also recommend some of the older adventure writers. Try John Buchan and H. Rider Haggard. They don’t always fit contemporary mores, but that provides an excellent opportunity to practice real multiculturalism – if the past isn’t a different culture, I don’t know what is.

 

Which of your books do you most highly recommend? Why?

My two first novels seem to draw the highest praise, and they’re a good introduction to my work. The Year of the Warrior begins the Erling series and establishes ongoing themes. Wolf Time is a near-future fantasy, influenced by C. S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength. It kicks off several loosely connected contemporary fantasies, all set in the same small town in Minnesota. I’ve lived long enough to see some of its predictions come true – to my grief.

 

Which break, event, decision, or fortuitous circumstance has helped you or your writing career the most?

Long, long ago, George H. Scithers, editor at the time of Amazing Stories Magazine, along with Darrell Schweitzer, published an article on how to write for fantasy and science fiction magazines in Writer’s Digest. I followed their instructions to the letter and sold them the first story I submitted. In time they became my agents. George is gone now, and I miss him.

 

 

 What question do you wish you would get asked more often?

“Would you consider a six-figure offer to option one of your books for the screen?”

 

Do you have a catch-phrase or quote that you like? What is it? And why do you choose it?

“Oh Lord, grant that I may always be right, for Thou knowest I am hard to turn.” (Old Scottish prayer, supposedly.)

It’s the story of my life. Not recommended

 

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Thanks to Lars for participating.

To celebrate Lars' interview, I'm giving away a book in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series. Click here to enter the giveaway.