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Father of Monsters: A Loki Fantasy Novella

Father of Monsters: A Loki Fantasy Novella. Readers are raving about this delightful interpretation of Loki, the Norse trickster.

Author Interview + Book & Author Info + An Icelandic Pony

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Father of Monsters

Father of Monsters“At least for now, I had the satisfaction that only my family could provide, no matter how strange it was.”

There is more to Loki’s story.

In every myth there is a truth, and in every truth, there is an illusion.
What if the myths were wrong and Thor’s hammer wasn’t stolen?
What if we all had the power to shape our destiny?
What if the real story lies untold?
What if conflict is the only thing that can truly shape who we become?

A long time ago in the land of giants, there was an unusual family desperate to remain a secret from the gods of Asgard.
It was all going as planned until the Norse trickster Loki makes a risky deal with a Jotun that sets off a cascade of scandals that only he can fix. Follow Loki in this decadent retelling full of magic, love, myth, humor, and betrayal as he faces the new challenges of fatherhood and is forced to choose between his family or his own selfish pursuits.

To purchase Father of Monsters, click on the following link: Amazon

The Interview with A.B. Frost, Author of Father of Monsters

Tell us about the main character in Father of Monsters. Who is Loki?

When I first saw this question I thought, how much space do I have to answer this because this could take a while.

To best summarize who Loki is, I often refer to a quote by the scholar Gabriele Turville-Petre, who stated, “More ink has been spilled on Loki than other figure in Norse myth.” Which quite simply means no one really knows, but for the sake of time, I will focus on my take of the Norse trickster.

Saying that Loki is complicated is an understatement. Historically, there has been a lot of fascination regarding Loki, who is as a rather controversial figure in Norse myth. Loki has many kennings. Some being god of mischief or silver tongue, while lesser-known ones include lie-smith, flame hair, slanderer of the gods, and god of a thousand masks.

As a blood brother to the wise old god Odin, he lives in Asgard with the gods. He is the son of a goddess named Laufey, and a dangerous giant named Farbauti. He is a companion, friend, and sometimes betrayer of Thor, who is the son of Odin and mighty god of thunder.

Loki is a thief, a master in illusion magic, and shapeshifting. He is wily, cunning, handsome, likable, lustful, and above all, unpredictable, which makes for good fun when writing through his point of view.

To truly explain Loki, we must first understand what a trickster is.

The role of the trickster archetype in the universe is to bring about change, challenge boundaries, and reveal lies. They are neither good nor evil, they just are what needs to be. In the mythos, Loki is often the creator of many problems for the gods as he is the solver of said problems. Historically he is often depicted as rude, cowardly, and sometimes evil figure, who ignites the spark for Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods.

This is all in my opinion, debatable. In my stories, I aim to showcase a different and intimate side of Loki and shed light on his complexity as a character. This story focuses on Loki’s first doings as a father with the ancient and very powerful witch Angrboda, who does not have a good relationship with the gods of Asgard.

I want the reader to connect with Loki so that by the middle of the book, they’re like hey, he is not so bad. And by the end, they are rooting for him to win, perhaps even fascinated by him.

Describe the worlds where this novella takes place:

AB Frost in Iceland

In Norse Cosmology there are nine worlds held together by an immense and sacred tree. My story takes place between two worlds, Asgard which is home of the gods, and the land of the giants known as Jotunheim.

Asgard sits at the highest point of the world tree. It is a beautiful place with lush greenery, mountains, golden fields of barley, and waterfalls. Everything is eternal in Asgard. Amongst all this beauty are the halls of the gods and goddesses which are all glinting with gold and silver. On the most northern point of Asgard is the Systurfjall mountain range and beside that, is Valhalla which is Odin’s Hall. To the south by the sea, is Aegir’s Hall, the giant who lives in Asgard.

There are many rivers in Asgard which branch off and flow to other worlds. It’s a magical place full of endless possibilities and abundance. On the southwest border of Asgard lies the majestic Dragafjall mountain range and just beyond that, the blazing rainbow bridge known as Bifrost, which the gods travel on to the middle worlds.

One of those middle worlds is Jotunheim.

Jotunheim is also very beautiful, but on the contrary, very dangerous. It’s home to the giants, and chaos magic. Its landscape is vast, cold, and frost bitten with huge, snowcapped mountains and unpredictable weather. This is where the giants have their halls. No one journeys to Jotunheim alone, not even the gods.

To enter Jotunheim one must pass over the great sea, which is bordered by black sand beaches, jagged cliffsides, and shining glaciers. Beyond that is the ever-flowing river Iving, which flows from north to south all the way to the forest of Ironwood. This is where Angrboda, the mother of Loki’s children lives. Beyond Ironwood is what is known as Ginnungagap, or the void.

I was so excited when Josh from Mythic Comic and Arts agreed to illustrate a map of the nine realms for this book. Josh’s take on it is truly unique and beautiful. Readers will be able to see where landmarks such as Valhalla and Loki’s Hall are in relation to each other. When I visited Iceland last year, I took mental notes of so many places I traveled to. Like hey, that looks like it could be Asgard, or on the contrary, that looks so cold and desolate, it reminds me much of Jotunheim.

Your work involves the retelling of myths. How do you go about your research?

I am always researching. I truly love Norse mythology, stories of the Norse gods, Viking culture, and everything related. I remember when I took my first course in Viking history, I thought to myself, these guys and gals weren’t just brutal raiders. They were brilliantly innovative and talented. Many were farmers, craftspeople, traders, and highly-skilled seafarers. Not many people know they invented the comb, or how they built their ships from the outside first for speed.

Every Sunday I listen to the Poetic Edda, and I have reread the Prose Edda several times as well as various interpretations on each. I also belong to a journal club where I receive academic articles on said topics and I have read many books on Norse culture, the runes, Norse shamanism, the language of Old Norse, as well as Viking art and traditional Icelandic and Germanic magical practices.

My goal was to include authentic historical references in my works without losing my own creative voice. In Father of Monsters, I made sure to include actual herbal spells and incantations practiced in the past in both Icelandic and Germanic cultures.

When I visited Ireland and Iceland, I made a point to stop in the Viking museums to take it all in. I just recently began delving into the Icelandic Sagas as well and plan on taking some online courses through the University of Iceland. There is just so much to learn, and I still own a stack of books on said topics I haven’t even touched yet!

What do you love about Iceland?

Father of Monsters
Icelandic Pony!

Short answer, everything, besides the wind in the winter!

It’s hard to put into words what I love about Iceland. It’s a feeling I can’t quite describe. I almost want to say its magic. For me, being in Iceland is like entering another realm. There is so much energy there, even from a geological standpoint. Everything is always moving and changing. It’s outer worldly.

Last year I was scheduled to spend just three days in Iceland and move on to Norway and Denmark, but that part of my trip was cancelled. So, instead I rented a camper van and drove around the entire continent of Iceland for eight days. I remember when I picked up the camper van and did my first drive through Reykjanes I said, “Oh yeah, I know this place!” It was just so familiar, like I had been there before. It was very strange.

I will never forget hiking above Skogar and catching the first glimpse of the glacier as the fog lifted, or watching the sun rise over the eastern fjords in the morning or witnessing the eruption of Geldingadalir. It was so beautiful it almost brought me to my knees. I want to cry just writing about it!

On my second trip I became more immersed in the Icelandic culture and the people. I fell in love with their customs, how they revere their land, how kind they are, their adorable sheep and puffins, and who can forget the Icelandic ponies! I am fascinated by their history and the Icelandic sagas. I will never forget what it felt like to visit Erik the Red’s house during my trip there in December and put my hand on its walls. I said to myself, wow, I am touching the home of the one of the most notorious Vikings ever! Or to bath in the geothermal pool which belonged to the infamous Guðrun Osvifursdottir, the only woman to ever take a lead in an Icelandic saga. That was such an incredible experience.

As a tribute to Iceland, I named some landmarks in Father of Monsters after some places there. I love it so much, and I can’t wait to revisit this special country in May.

You also practice Reiki, tell us about that and what it means to you in your life:

Reiki is a very ancient form of energy healing that originated in Japan.

I always did Reiki, but never knew its name or how to explain it until I became formally trained. Essentially it helps rebalance you. As someone who has been a lifelong sufferer of depression, it’s been a life saver. Its taught me the power of my own words, and how to take better control of my thought, mood, and just my life in general. I became formally trained so I can hopefully help others find the same power of healing for themselves.

What are you working on now?

It’s a secret. I don’t want to say too much, but let’s just say Loki has been a busy trickster and there is more mischief on the way!

Final words of wisdom for aspiring writers:

Don’t give up. Just keep going. This is advice that has been given to me time and time again. There will be times you want to quit, times you feel you should, times you believe you suck, and you won’t make it. No matter what, understand those feelings are temporary, normal, and they will pass. Just keep going. Take a break. Write something junky that no one will read. I write erotica when I feel dry. Believe me that gets the creativity going!

Or I dress up in Viking regalia and listen to music while beating my drum which makes some good entertainment for my neighbors!  Whatever works, have fun with it! Just find a way to get through it and believe that it will be worth it.

Surround yourself with positive, supportive people and thank them regularly. Believe me, you can’t do this alone. Even that friend that has no idea what your book is about but cheers you on the whole way, they matter. Thank them regularly. I am so eternally grateful for everyone who has supported my writing. I can’t say that enough.

Don’t worry about what others think. About anything. Live your life, write your works, write your characters, write from your heart. Your audience will find you. Not everyone will like what you write, and that’s okay. I would rather write from my heart and know that, than write to appease someone. Genuine is always better than complacency. Weird is always better than normal, and far more interesting.

Whenever I feel I am worried about what someone thinks, I think to myself, not everyone likes Loki, and he’s still doing his thing without a care in the world.

Fantastic advice! We all need to engage our inner Loki!

A.B. Frost

Father of MonstersA.B. Frost is a New York native and graduate of Fordham University with a B.A. in Fine Arts and Creative Writing.

She is a lover of forests, mountains, traveling, birding, strong coffee, and everything Norse.

Her writing centers around Norse Mythology with a dark fantasy twist. She currently resides in the fickle weather of Northeastern Pennsylvania with a posse of songbirds she enjoys feeding.

To learn more about A.B. Frost, click on her name, photo, and any of the following links: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & GoodReads

Elena Taylor

Elena Taylor is the author of All We Buried, available now in print, e-book, and audio book format at all your favorite bookstores and on-line retailers.

For more information on All We Buriedclick on the link here to visit the home page.

Silver Falchion Award Finalist, Best Investigator 2020

Foreword INDIE Award Finalist, Best Mystery 2020

Elena Hartwell

Author and developmental editor.

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