Q&A with Siobhán Clark

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!"
​

​If I could, I would love to spend an afternoon with Ernest Hemingway.  My uncle introduced me to his work at a young age, Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises was incredible and the first novel he gave me, I’d never read anything quite like it.  Hemingway had a wonderful ability to describe human nature, how complicated we are as beings, and how destructive we can be to one another.  I also fell in love with his descriptions of each new landscape and location.
​

"Hemingway had a wonderful ability to describe human nature, how complicated we are as beings,
​and how destructive we can be to one another." 
​

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!

We have discussed our mutual interest (i.e. obsession) with all things related to vikings on several occasions, but I’d like to know where it all started for you. Were you always drawn to viking history and the Norse myths? Was there a particular author, book, or event that first sparked your interest?  

Growing up I was very lucky to have a wonderful grandfather who shared many authors, books and ideas with me from a young age.  He encouraged me to read as often as possible and to try many different subjects.  He had a love for history and genealogy, Norse myths and sagas were a deep interest he passed on to me, on both sides of my family there are links to the Viking past of Ireland, Scotland and the Scottish islands.  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, my grandfather introduced me to Tolkien and The Hobbit, to the tales of Erik the Red, and the Saga of the Volsungs, for that I’ll always be grateful.

"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..."
​

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.

Children of Midgard, as told through Liv’s eyes, offers a unique female perspective of the Viking Age world which is so often presented through male-dominated narratives. Recent archeological discoveries have also stoked increased interest in women of the Viking Age and continue to broaden our perspective of the diverse roles they played in that society. What sources would you recommend for readers who want to learn more about women in the Viking Age?

​We are currently experiencing a very exciting period regarding the discovery of archaeological evidence, conversation, and theories of women in the Viking age.  With Liv, I wanted her to remain a strong individual while observing the fact that she had to make decisions based on the fact she was a woman caring for a child on her own in the Viking era.  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.  I read the Gragas, which is an amazing document, if a little heavy at times!  I also read a number of books by well known names including Judith Jesch, Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir, Carolyne Larrington, Hilda Ellis Davidson, Jesse Byock, Anders Winroth, Gwen Jones, and possibly a few more!  I have a book addiction!
​

"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."

​In our last conversation you mentioned that you had been digging into the research archives to learn how children were raised in the Viking Age. Have you come across any major differences between how children were raised then and how they are raised today? Would you adopt any Viking approaches to child-rearing over today’s culturally accepted wisdom? 

I don't have children myself, so I certainly would not claim to have experience of, or know, what the best method for bringing one up in this day and age might be.  That being said I have the joy of children and teenagers within our extended family, and what I have noticed is their curiosity, appreciation for honesty, and wonderful imaginations.  I think children are extremely adaptive and in many ways develop strategies and mechanisms to deal with situations that can surprise adults.  In some ways I think that applies to children in the Viking era, their childhoods were not what we would consider very long, particularly easy going, or free from labour.  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, and again the Gragas (medieval Icelandic lawbook) is a marvellous tool giving us an insight into how the law regarded them.

"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..."
​

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."
​

 If I could suggest any materials for readers and listeners to try it would be the works of Joseph Campbell, Hilda Ellis Davidson, and perhaps podcasts that look at philosophy as well as history, myth and legend, it might give them the sense of discovery it gave me.  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.
​

"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."
​

What can you tell us about your next big project and where can we find more information about your writing and your podcast?  

Currently I am editing my next manuscript which is due for release this summer, it's an exciting project that I’ve been developing over the past few years.  The art of storytelling is such an important part of my life, and I wanted to create that intimate feeling of being within a circle by the campfire, the magic of hearing tales that perhaps no-one else had ever heard before, and I think this new book is what I had imagined.  The podcast is going from strength to strength, my listeners are wonderfully supportive, I’ve really enjoyed discussing so many ideas and stories we all have to share.  I’ve been very fortunate to have friends, both new and old, on the show and the community that I’m so very lucky to be a part of is wonderfully talented, encouraging and enthusiastic.  Gosh, so in short, a new book and lots more podcasts!

Siobhan Clark's The Children Of Midgard is available in Waterstones, Barnes & Noble, and on Amazon. 
She also has a limited number of signed copies!

Follow her on Twitter at Siobhán Clark (@siobhancoda) and at  the Myth Legend & Lore Podcast (@LoreMyth)

Find the Myth Legend Lore Podcast on iTunes or Podbean