Welcome Rachael! Thanks for taking some time to talk about writing. First, a few quick-fire questions: What kind of pet can’t you have that you wish you could? Where is your dream holiday destination? And what is your ‘must-have’ writing beverage? Thank you, Joshua! Of course you have to start with a hard question- I’d have one of every pet if I could, but my husband and the city ordinance say no. But if I could pick anything, I’d love to get a fox. My dream trip would be to Sherwood Forest, no contest. I grew up on Robin Hood stories and have always wanted to see where the legends are set. And writing beverage? I’m going to be super original and say coffee.

"My dream trip would be to Sherwood Forest, no contest.
​I grew up on Robin Hood stories and have always wanted to see where the legends are set."

 "I do many projects alongside my students, so I have constant access to fresh new ideas and perspectives.
​If I do start to feel burned out, I take a break from one outlet to focus on another."
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"The two countries at war in Wordweaver are loosely based on Norway and Ancient Rome,
​so many of the character and place names come from those languages."
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​Your first novel, Wordweaver, follows the story of Ynria, a young woman living in the mountains between warring countries. You’ve described it as “Mulan meets Lord of the Rings”. Is this a story that you’ve been working on for a long time or was it inspired by more recent events?  ​The books have definitely been influenced by recent events, but the idea started back when I was in high school. I’d scribbled a few paragraphs about an unnamed character in a notebook, which my little brother stole and read. He wanted to know what happened to “6”, and didn’t believe me when I said I had no idea what he was talking about. It turns out when I wrote “he” it looked like a “6” to my brother, so I promised I’d write him a story featuring a character named Six.

"It turns out when I wrote “he” it looked like a “6” to my brother,
​so I promised I’d write him a story featuring a character named Six."
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"In Wordweaver’s sequel, several scenes are based on my research of the French and Polish undergrounds
​during German occupation, especially when it comes to the involvement of women in the resistance." 
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Welcome Siobhan! Thanks for taking some time to talk about writing. First, a few quick-fire questions: What is your go-to writing beverage? What is the best thing about living in Scotland? And if you could spend an afternoon with any historical figure who would it be?  ​ Thank you Joshua! When I’m writing I drink copious amounts of tea, I have a cupboard packed with many different varieties, but I’ll be honest and admit that there is something rather lovely about a good whisky!  Scotland is a beautiful country, no matter the weather (and we famously get a fair bit of rain here), but aside from that there is such a rich history that lends itself so well to the imagination.   ​

"I’ll be honest and admit that there is something rather lovely about a good whisky!"
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"Hemingway had a wonderful ability to describe human nature, how complicated we are as beings,
​and how destructive we can be to one another." 
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As both a writer and a podcaster you have a lot going on creatively. How do you manage your writing schedule and keep track of your ideas as you bounce between projects? I try to divide my time as best I can, and not to let my writing and podcast schedule overlap as much as possible.  I have a habit of making notes, my reference materials are covered in post-it’s and there are a multitude of notepads dedicated to every project!  Being a writer and researching for the podcast often helps, if an idea for a show crops up I take a notes and look at where it might work in the podcast schedule.  I also function well with the idea that if my workspace is in order then my mind is too, there may be piles of material but they are ordered piles!

"I remember sitting as a child and looking at the bookcases filled with leather bound books
and the smell that comes with old worn pages..."
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Your first novel, Children of Midgard, is set during the reign of King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark and follows the story of a woman named Liv whose fate it becomes to protect a child who is proclaimed to be the son of Odin. The story itself maintains a gripping balance of both historical and fantasy elements. Did you have any rules or guidelines set as you wrote the novel to determine where the line between history and fantasy would be drawn? I used some historical figures and a timeline to give the reader a reference should they want to learn more about that particular era.  For me it was an exciting time in Viking history, so much was changing; beliefs and religion, political leaders, the discovery and settlement of new lands.  However, the Norse myths, for me, are even more exciting.  I knew I wanted to explore characters who believed in their gods, who were guided by fate and what it meant to live well and face death honourably, who were destined to experience something more than they were prepared for but met with bravery and honesty.  Once I had my character’s personalities, traits and motivations worked out, it became easier to decide how they would react to otherworldly situations and how far I could take the reader on that journey with them.

"From reading the sagas and poems of the Norse I knew women were strong characters,
​they were driven and capable, but I knew I needed to delve a little deeper than that."

"From the sagas we have glimpses of situations young girls and boys found themselves in,
that violence played a part in their lives which is significant given the world in which they lived..."
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As host of the Myth Legend & Lore Podcast you delve into the mythologies of many cultures beyond Northern Europe including those of Japan, China, and Inuit Greenland. What do you hope to achieve in facilitating this conversation across cultures? Discovering new cultures and mythologies has long been a love of mine, thanks to my family I had a great start to this with Norse, Celtic, and Japanese influences.  I quickly started to realise that even though there might be great distances and cultural differences present in various myths and legends, there were also similar ideas, characters and messages.  I began to look at migratory tales, motifs, and the more I gathered I came to realise that this might make for good podcast material.

"I quickly started to realise that even though there might be great distances and cultural differences present in various myths and legends, there were also similar ideas, characters and messages."
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"My goal with the podcast is to share and encourage the tradition of storytelling,
to fire an interest or curiosity in our past and provide glimpses into the world in which our ancestors lived."
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