I am on tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club, and today's I have the utmost pleasure in interviewing historical fiction author, Eric Schumacher. But before we get to the interview, let's check out Eric's book!
AD 968. It has been ten summers since the noble sons of the North, Olaf and Torgil, were driven from their homeland by the treachery of the Norse king, Harald Eriksson. Having then escaped the horrors of slavery in Estland, they now fight among the Rus in the company of Olaf’s uncle, Sigurd.
It will be some of the bloodiest years in Rus history. The Grand Prince, Sviatoslav, is hungry for land, riches, and power, but his unending campaigns are leaving the corpses of thousands in their wakes. From the siege of Konugard to the battlefields of ancient Bulgaria, Olaf and Torgil struggle to stay alive in Sigurd’s Swords, the riveting sequel to Forged by Iron.
What inspired you to start writing?
I don’t recall there being a specific catalyst. I’ve loved writing since I was in grade school. I would come home from school and write stories that eventually grew to be pretty elaborate. In my teenage and college years, I moved onto other things, but one day, in grad school, I remembered my love for writing and started to outline a story that would eventually become my first book, God’s Hammer. I’ve never looked back.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Sigurd’s Swords presented a unique challenge in the area of research. We know, for example, that the main characters, Olaf and Torgil, lived in the land of the Rus (present day Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) at this time in their lives, but there is still so much we don’t know about that area at that time. For example, we don’t know specifically what language was spoken or the place names of certain towns. We have only general information on trade and military campaigns; and there is almost no information on Rus fighting tactics. I could go on, but suffice it to say that I had to draw on a number of sources to create a plausible setting for my characters.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Actually, the three central characters in Sigurd’s Swords all hold a special place in my heart, but for different reasons. All have experienced hardships that would break most people, I think, and yet they continue to stand up and wipe themselves off in their own unique ways.
Like Hakon in my first series of books, the narrator Torgil is driven by an internal strength and an unbreakable loyalty that push him forward. That said, he is not without his relatable fears and weaknesses, his idiosyncrasies and faults, all of which (hopeful) make him a more three-dimensional character for readers.
In this tale, Olaf has grown from a distracted boy into an overly confident young prince. His disregard for danger is not only the catalyst for adventures, but has a certain charm to it, even if it irks those around him. He is simply a fun character to bring to life.
Turid is a woman operating in a man’s world and I have much respect for her determination and for her unwillingness to live in the role that society has demanded of her.
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Oh, I am dreadful with remembering actors’ names. I would make a horrible casting director. Here is an attempt:
Marco Ilsø would be a good Olaf.
A young Michiel Huisman could play Torgil.
A young, freckled Emma Stone would be a good Turid.
Peter Franzen would be a great Sigurd.
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
To me, books are about enjoyment. They are about being transported to a distant time and place where I can lose myself. And they are about existing among characters who fascinate me or excite me or compel me to cheer for them. They are much like movies, only in a format that takes longer to unfold. When I read a good story, it lives with me for a while. That is what I wish for my readers: hours of enjoyment and a story that lingers with them after the last page is read.
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Eric Schumacher
Eric Schumacher (1968 - ) is an American historical novelist who currently resides in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife and two children. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended college at the University of San Diego.
At a very early age, Schumacher discovered his love for writing and medieval European history, as well as authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. Those discoveries continue to fuel his imagination and influence the stories he tells. His first novel, God's Hammer, was published in 2005.
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