In this new exclusive interview, OBS review Lee takes some time to chat with author Kelli Wilkins creator of The Viking’s Witch. They talk about the inspiration behind the story, research and magic, actors who she imagines as her characters, upcoming work and much more.
Read our review for The Viking’s Witch here.
Lee: What was your inspiration in writing The Viking’s Witch? Had you always been a fan of that period in history?
K.W: I can’t recall one thing that inspired The Viking’s Witch. Like many of my books, an idea just came to me. One day, the entire opening sequences popped into my head and I knew I had an idea for a new book. At the time, I had the basic plot (Viking warrior falls in love with Celtic witch), but I wasn’t sure about most of the details, like the character names, their backstories, and the subplot. For readers who don’t know, The Viking’s Witch is set in 803 A.D. on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. I like history and I love the U.K., so the plot and setting were a natural fit for me.
Lee: Did you do a great deal of research before writing the novel? Was the magic drawn on anything in particular you had seen or read?
K.W: I had to do research on where to set the story before I started plotting. I knew the book would take place in Scotland, where the Vikings traveled, but I didn’t want it to be a populated location. The isolation of the Orkney Islands adds to the tension in the story. The action is condensed into a few days on a very small island, so there’s really nowhere for the characters to go.
Odaria and Rothgar come from different backgrounds (and technically would have been speaking different languages), so I had to blend their two cultures together in a way that flowed with the book. I researched what life would have been like for each of them and weaved the details into the story. For example, Rothgar’s Norse culture intrigues Odaria and she is curious about their clothes, customs, their food, how they travel, etc.
The “magic” elements were a lot of fun to write! I’ve always been interested in psychic phenomena and other “New Age” subjects, so it was easy for me to incorporate what I know into Odaria’s character. I enjoyed letting readers (and Rothgar) see Odaria’s clairvoyance, telekinesis, and psychometry in action.
Read our review for The Viking’s Witch here.
Lee: What was your inspiration in writing The Viking’s Witch? Had you always been a fan of that period in history?
K.W: I can’t recall one thing that inspired The Viking’s Witch. Like many of my books, an idea just came to me. One day, the entire opening sequences popped into my head and I knew I had an idea for a new book. At the time, I had the basic plot (Viking warrior falls in love with Celtic witch), but I wasn’t sure about most of the details, like the character names, their backstories, and the subplot. For readers who don’t know, The Viking’s Witch is set in 803 A.D. on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. I like history and I love the U.K., so the plot and setting were a natural fit for me.
Lee: Did you do a great deal of research before writing the novel? Was the magic drawn on anything in particular you had seen or read?
K.W: I had to do research on where to set the story before I started plotting. I knew the book would take place in Scotland, where the Vikings traveled, but I didn’t want it to be a populated location. The isolation of the Orkney Islands adds to the tension in the story. The action is condensed into a few days on a very small island, so there’s really nowhere for the characters to go.
Odaria and Rothgar come from different backgrounds (and technically would have been speaking different languages), so I had to blend their two cultures together in a way that flowed with the book. I researched what life would have been like for each of them and weaved the details into the story. For example, Rothgar’s Norse culture intrigues Odaria and she is curious about their clothes, customs, their food, how they travel, etc.
The “magic” elements were a lot of fun to write! I’ve always been interested in psychic phenomena and other “New Age” subjects, so it was easy for me to incorporate what I know into Odaria’s character. I enjoyed letting readers (and Rothgar) see Odaria’s clairvoyance, telekinesis, and psychometry in action.
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