June saw us unveiling an impressive number of books to the world, covering just about every genre you could imagine! We were able to speak with Carina Steinbakk, author of "The Flames of Eader", a rich, detailed, and somewhat humorous urban fantasy novel. We talked about her travels, her interest in the fantasy genre, the narrative tone she adopts throughout the book, themes and more!
You can find Carina's book here.
1). You are someone who is very well-travelled indeed, having lived in several countries over the course of your life so far. How have your travels and relocations informed your writing?
CS: I have put a lot of myself in this story, both in inspiring my characters from people I know and have met on those travels, to the languages and cultural inputs. My readers will find that the names of the characters have double meanings, as well as other names in the book as well. A little bit of Scottish, Australian, Norwegian and more.
2). “The Flames of Eader” comes under the “fantasy” category (urban fantasy, to be more specific). Which fantasy books and authors shaped your interest in the genre?
CS: Reading has been my passion from I was 5, and I dove into the world of fantasy head first, led especially by J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan and Kevin Hearne. Harry Potter of course was a and still is a world I am in love with, and the character and world building was so natural. The Percy Jackson books are also some of my favourites, with the Greek and Roman legends built into teenage drama and heroics. Which I also found in the Iron Druid Chronicles, with the added joy of humour and cheeky writing. It made me realise that my way of writing could work and had an audience.
3). One thing we particularly like about the book is the snarky, humorous narrative tone adopted throughout, largely when writing from Grey’s perspective, but it also creeps in when Darby is narrating. Was this narrative tone a conscious choice to characterise Grey, or is this simply the tone you naturally take on when you write? Either way, we love it.
CS: I very much feel like I have imbued Grey with a lot of my personality traits, and as such sarcasm is for me second nature. I would say it is my way of writing, though still try to ensure Grey, Darby and other characters have different nuances. I live vicariously through them.
4). What kind of message would you hope to convey to readers with the subjects and themes that are dealt within in “Flames of Eader”?
CS: Flames of Eader has several tropes happening, with magical creatures, a reluctant hero’s journey, orphan protagonist and a hidden world, though the main message centres around energy, and the power we all have to change whatever we want for the better. In that sense, it is real life magic.
5). If we may ask, what’s next- if anything- for the fantastical world of Eader?
CS: The world of Eader has much more in store, with three more books planned to round out Grey’s story. I am very much looking forward to share the next element of this amazing world.
