Pump Up Chats with Lars Walker

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Lars Walker is a native of Kenyon, Minnesota, where he grew up on a farm. He is a graduate of Augsburg College in Minneapolis. He has worked as a crab meat packer in Alaska, a radio announcer, an administrative assistant, and is now librarian and bookstore manager for the schools of the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations in Plymouth, Minnesota. He is the author of several published fantasy novels, the latest of which is West Oversea, published by Nordskog Publications. His website is www.larswalker.com, and he blogs at www.brandywinebooks.net. When he’s not at work or writing, he can often be found playing Viking with a reenactment group.

Thank you for this interview, Lars. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

When I was a kid I thought I was going to grow up to be an artist. I drew incessantly. But I wasn’t ever really happy with my drawing. In high school I started experimenting with writing stories, and within a couple years I’d stopped drawing completely. Writing scratched my itch better.

The first story I sold was to Amazing Stories Magazine, back in 1984. I actually danced around the room when I got the letter, and I’m no dancer. Surprisingly, selling a novel never gave me quite the same thrill.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

The greatest frustration was that being published didn’t live up to my expectations, most of which were unconscious. Among other things, I’m pretty sure I expected to be taller when I was published.

The greatest satisfaction has been feedback from particular readers who’ve told me my books have affected their lives. That’s always a surprise, but a nice one.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?

I’m single. My support is mostly internet friends and blog readers, who’ve been very kind and encouraging.

Can you tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it?

West Oversea is a historical fantasy, continuing the saga of the hero Erling Skjalgsson, an actual historical figure who lived in Norway around the year 1000. In this adventure he surrenders his property and power in order to avoid doing a shameful deed. He and his family and friends embark on a voyage to trade with Leif Eriksson (a man he probably actually knew) in Greenland, but due to storms and supernatural forces they end up stopping off in Iceland and the new land recently discovered by Leif.

I’ve had an obsession with Vikings since I was a boy, and I’ve wanted to do a Viking epic ever since I discovered Robert E. Howard. Courage, heroism, and faith are subjects I’m interested in exploring.

Can you share an excerpt?

“What’s this Snorri like?” I asked Erling.

Erling pondered. “It’s been years since we were together, and we were both young then. But most men change little however many years they put behind them.”

He thought a moment. “What would you say matters most to Norsemen? What would you say we value in a man?”

“Strength, and skill at arms.”

“That’s true, as far as it goes. But all men are not strong and keen. That does not mean they cannot have wealth and power among us.”

“I thought it did.”

“One other thing we value. That is cunning. If a man can be cunning and get what he wants by trickery, we esteem him, too. Not so much as we esteem a great warrior, but we do esteem him.

“There were two great gods in the old faith. One was Thor, the mighty one.

“But the other was Odin, the trickster. No man loved Odin as some men loved Thor. But all feared Odin more.

“Snorri is a man of Odin, or he was until the true faith came.”

In case you’d care to know what Iceland’s like, it’s a great heap of wrinkled gray rock, with strips of green here and there on the mountain slopes and in the valleys where men can live and pasture their stock. The mountains are almost exactly the shape and color of great dumpings of fine wood ash, and they have thickets of dwarf birch running partway up their sides. Some of them are white with snow at the tops, summer and winter.

Which makes it quite a lot like Norway, only Norway has real forests and its mountains don’t fart.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I generally write in an easy chair in my living room, with my laptop on a lap desk. I’m not recommending this method, it’s just what’s worked out for me.

What is one thing about your book that makes it different from other books on the market?

I don’t think anyone else does what I do, really. There’s one other male author I’m aware of who does Christian historical fantasy sometimes, but I’m funnier and put in more fighting.

Tables are turned…what is one thing you’d like to say to your audience who might buy your book one day?

Does history bore you? Do stories of heroic adventure in ancient times come off clunky and irrelevant to you? This book isn’t like that. This book is fun.

Thank you for this interview, Lars. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

Thank you very much. I appreciate your time and bandwidth.

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

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