Wyrd Gods
by Susana Imaginário
Published: August 22, 2019
Genre: Mythic Dark Fantasy
Pages: 394 (Print Length)
CW: Abuse (emotional), Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Mental Illness, Cannibalism (only mentions of), Genocide (only mentions of), Gore, Violence, Racial bigotry (between fantasy races), Self-harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture
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The God of Time wants to destroy Eternity.
A mysterious immortal seeks vengeance.
And a reclusive deity does what no god should ever do: she answers a prayer.
As punishment, she is stripped of her powers and trapped in a mortal’s body. Now a Wyrd – a fated god – she is haunted by the memories and thoughts of her host and must hide her true identity in order to survive in Niflheim, the rival Norse Underworld.
There she discovers the afterlife is not quite what it used to be. Niflheim’s new ruler threatens the precarious balance of a world overrun with outcast deities and mortals alike.
To save her own sanity and find her way back to the stars, she must help the other Wyrd overcome their grievances to defeat this enemy, but those who would be her allies appear to have motives as hidden as her fragmented consciousness.
And yet it seems the greatest threat to her freedom comes from within, and the prize it seeks is her immortal soul…
Author Interview:
1.What inspired you to write this book? OR Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma, etc?
I found this ancient yew tree in an old graveyard back in the UK. I used to just sit there amongst the faded gravestones, imagining how it all would have looked like when the tree was young. This led to a series of incomplete historical fiction stories based on the idea of time travelling through trees. I liked the concept, but failed to make it work in the ‘real world’. Eventually I abandoned reality altogether and used the plot of another unfinished novel written years before, a sort of Clash of the Titans meets Stargate and set the story in Niflheim because I wanted to bring the Norse gods to the mix as well and so (after many drafts, revisions, edits, tears and curses) Timelessness was born.
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What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?
I learned that less is more when telling a story and that it’s a good idea to leave your ego out of it.
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What surprised you the most in writing it?
When I finished I had enough surplus material for another two books and despite how hard it was to write the first one and the overwhelming amount of disappointment that came after publishing it, I still wanted to keep writing.
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What does the title mean?
Wyrd roughly means fate or personal destiny, and since one of the themes in the series is fate vs the consequences of one’s actions, it seemed appropriate.
Besides, the story, as well as its structure, is a bit weird with a satirical undertone. Definitely not your typical fantasy.
And since the inspiration for Wyrd Gods came from several ancient mythologies and half the characters are gods, I had to mention gods in the title.
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Were any of the characters inspired by real people? If so, do they know?
No. I try really hard to keep reality separated from my work to avoid such comparisons (and complications).
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Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?
Yes. Very much so.
Wyrd Gods focuses on the thin line between selfishness and self preservation and how limited each individual’s perspective is and the consequences of assumptions and miscommunication.
There’s several lessons actually, but you’ll need to read the entire series to learn them.
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What is your favorite part of the book?
I have several.
The horse riding scene because it was one of the first ones I wrote. The bedroom scene in the dark, mostly because it’s the one most people comment on and seems to make them uncomfortable.
And, of course, any scenes with Loki. He’s just so much fun to write.
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Which character was most challenging to create? Why?
Ideth and Chronos. Ideth because she’s an almost complete opposite of me. I always have to think through her actions and motivations very carefully in order to make sense of them. And Chronos because he’s the personification of time. If his actions make sense, I’m probably not doing a very good job.
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What are your immediate future plans?
Publish Nephilim’s Hex (in July, if all goes well). By the time this interview comes out I may have started, or at least announced, a Kickstarter to fund the audiobooks for The Dharkan, Nephilim’s Hex and Anachrony (books 2, 3 and 3.5 in the series) and of course, finish the series. Book 4, Anamnesis is drafted, but still needs a lot of work.
Author Info:
Susana Imaginário is a misfit from Portugal. She moved to England to pursue a career as an aerialist and now runs a Board Gaming retreat in Ireland with her husband and their extremely spoiled dog.
Her hobbies include reading, playing board games, hanging upside down, poking around ancient ruins, talking to trees and being tired.
Her debut novel, Wyrd Gods, combines mythological fantasy with science fiction and psychology in a strange way.
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Looks interesting.
Thanks for the interview. Its always fun to meet the author a little bit.