Showing posts with label Siv Ottem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Siv Ottem. Show all posts

Secrets Of The Ash Tree: Thor Is In The House!

Very cool to be the final stop on Siv's blog tour! And as a special treat, Siv has brought the God of Thunder himself, Thor, over for a little Q & A!  


Secrets of the Ash Tree

By Siv Maria Ottem

In the realm of the gods and fairy tales the mystery of life is an endless path with many secrets to be discovered. Some secrets are like dreams, just waiting in darkness hoping to get into the light.

‘Secrets of the Ash Tree’ is the story about Liv, a young woman who discovers her true nature through the unraveling of hidden secrets. Her adventures begin when she digs up a chest that was buried by her father under the old ash tree in her garden. What she finds inside the chest changes her life forever. Liv discovers one secret after another and is thrown into a world full of dangerous and strange creatures, mighty Norse warriors and perils beyond her belief. What started out as a fairy tale in her father’s journal was to become her legacy, a guide line to survival, and a map to the world she was about to enter. Each day, each mystery, each encounter will ultimately reveal her true destiny and behind the edge of a sword awaits a young god who is willing to share that destiny with her.

Available in Hardcover, softcover, kindle:

Amazon
Amazon kindle 
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads

I rap with Thor... sort of.

E.J: You're charged (Get it? Charged. Because you're the god of lightening and storms? He's frowning at me... never mind...) with protecting mankind. What's the most annoying or reckless thing a human can do to make your job difficult?

Thor: You must have noticed all the storms and extreme weather these past few years. Humans have little regard for mother earth. Pollution and the destruction of the earth’s natural resources will someday destroy this beautiful planet unless something drastic is done. Time is running out.

E.J: That's... cheerful? Let's talk happy! Your wife, the golden-haired goddess Sif, is pretty smoking hot--put the hammer down, that's not where this is going! Sheesh, you're very touchy. Anyway, I was just going to ask how you two met and what date night was like for two almighty beings?

Thor: I have known Sif most of my life but when her first husband, the giant Orvandil was killed in battle my father Odin decided that a union between the two of us would be beneficial for the earth. It was a divine marriage between myself as sky god and Sif as earth goddess. I guess you could say it was decided for me that I should settle down and bed a wife. Don’t get me wrong, I am rather fond of Sif and she is a great wife and mother. This date night you talk about, I have never heard of it. What is this date night?

E.J: Can't be easy following in the shoes of a giant in the romance department, am-I-right? 


*E.J. holds up hand for high five*

*Thor stares at E.J.* 

Right... You cruise around in a chariot pulled by goats I hear. Other than trying to stink your enemies to death, why goats and not some sweet winged horses or something? Is it a weird Norse masculinity statement I'm not getting, or do you just REALLY love goats? 

Hey, I'm not judging, I've got a beagle and once owned some ducks. To each their own!

Thor: The answer to that is simple! These are special goats that can be resurrected. I find that since I am out in the wild where food can be scarce so much of the time, traveling with my meal is convenient. Goat is delicious and I have a rather huge appetite!

E.J: *clears throat and arches eyebrows* 


No, that's not creepy at all... Boxers, briefs, or are you a wool leggings kind of guy? :)

Thor: Boxer’s…Briefs? What are these things, some kind of special armor? As you can see I have come in peace today…Should I have worn armor? Bring me this bearer of my wife’s name, it is she who has written this book Secrets of the Ash Tree, is it not? I pray she has the wits to bring me something for my thirst!


E.J.: Can we have a little man-to-god chat here? Might not kill you to "loosen" up a bit. Just sayin'...

Tell you what, why don't we kick it over to Siv to bring this thing home, shall we?

Siv: What’s the matter with you Wesley? You should know to offer this honored guest some ale and a bite to eat. Lucky for you I come prepared with some nice venison and bread, as well as a keg of ale. It is a pleasure to see you again Thor. Please eat and drink while we talk.

Thor: A lady after my own heart indeed!

*Tears off a chunk of bread and piles on a slab of meat with his greedy hands. Then chases the food down with a huge mug of ale, and gives out a large belch before continuing the process over again.*

E.J.: *Shakes head.* 

Where are my manners? Didn't realize we were running a bed and breakfast for irritable and slovenly gods around here...

Siv: Last year we met and you got into a heated argument with Loki over his portrayal in the moving picture called Thor. There is a new Thor moving picture coming to the big screen soon. Will you have the chance to see this film and what do you think of the man who plays you in these moving pictures?

Thor: *Wipes his mouth with the palm of his hand and grunts.* 

We have a hall of mirrors in Asgard where it is possible to see these moving pictures you speak of. The first movie about me was amusing although they made me out to be just another pretty boy with stupid thoughts of love. I hope this time they show me as a true warrior and make me more dirty. The pretty boy was too clean and not tough enough! They better not make Loki some kind of hero in this next film!

E.J.: Seriously, who hates on Tom Hiddleston

Siv: They based this movie on comic books, which is why the characters do not remain true to the stories told from volumes of Norse mythology. If you could choose to make changes to the characters what kind of changes would you make?

Thor: Well for one thing, I would get my wife back and at home where she belongs… Also, her hair is not black! Her hair was restored again by the dwarves after Loki cut it off. Also, Heimdall is the shining god. He is pale like the moon, not black! Another thing…We do not fly all over the place and we are not from another planet!

Siv: Do you think that I did a fair job of describing you and the other gods in my book Secrets of the Ash Tree?


E.J.: Siv, you sure you really want an honest answer from Mr. I'm-Really-Into-My-Wife's-Hair? *grumbles* 

Thor: *Gives Siv a hearty slap on the back, and lifts his mug of ale.* 


Well done!

E.J.: There you have it! Be sure to check out Secrets of the Ash Tree. I's Thor approved, and he seems like the particular sort, so that's a ringing endorsement in my book!

And be sure to head over to Siv's blog and enter for a chance to win some awesome Norwegian chocolates and other goodies!  

Secret, Secret, I've Got A Secret... & Speculative Fiction Chat

Okay, it's no longer a secret. BUT, you'll totally have to go snooping to get all of the details. :) 

But before that, why not listen to this little number from the Secret Sisters (Hunger Games Soundtrack)



Back to the news! My good bloggy-wrting pals, Michael Di Gesu & Siv Ottem, have been collaborating on Siv's upcoming release, Secrets Of The Ash Tree. (The title alone has me intrigued!) Michael has crafted the cover, Siv the story. 

We'll get a first look at the cover on Monday, and hopefully Siv will share a little about the book as well. So be sure to head over to their blogs then for the full scoop from these talented folks!

ALSO, if you're a fan of speculative fiction (SciFi, horror, fantasy, etc.) you'll definitely want to check out the transcript from our latest #NALitChat. For the uninitated, we chat about New Adult fiction every Thursday night (9 PM Eastern) over on the Twitters  by using the #NALitChat 

We now also do a special audio broadcast along with the usual Twitter chat (we take questions and comments from Twitter and present them to our guest authors to answer on air live... you'll hear me, too :), and last night we had two awesome authors (Kat Vancil & Amanda Havard) on to talk about writing spec fiction, Dr. Who and much more. 

Here's the link to the transcripts (both the Twitter & audio--check them both at the same time for the full experience)

Have a great weekend my friends!

~EJW~