How different was it, writing for a younger market?
I don’t really make those distinctions. My daughter never has, and because she was practically reading over my shoulder as I worked, she was the only person – apart from myself – that I felt I really needed to please. I’m still writing about what interests and preoccupies me – my adult readers will recognize this – and I don’t feel that authors should have to compromise on theme or style just because they’re dealing with a younger audience. As a result, anyone should be able to enjoy this book on whatever level they choose – after all, why should the kids have all the good stories? Did you have to do a lot of research? Well, I did most of my research when I was still at school, although I’ve been reading a great number of books about runes – as well as trying to learn Old Norse (I’ve always wanted to read Volusp in the original). Purists will notice that I have taken some liberties with the original Icelandic texts. This is completely intentional, as are the occasional “anachronisms” i
