In the beginning there was confusion.
Welcome to the Kickoff of the Creation Book Tour presented by Storytellers On Tour! It’s always an absolute pleasure to welcome Bjørn Larssen to the blog, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to shout about this new weird and wonderful, satirical series of his, Why Odin Drinks. Ever wonder how the world came to be? Well, Larssen gives us the answers through the eyes of weary god learning how to god. This one seems like a blast, and I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks about it. Stay tuned, it’s going to be a fantastic week ahead!
Bjørn was kind enough to stop by to chat about this story of his, the research he’s done to shape the series, and what lies ahead. So, keep scrolling to learn more about the book and author, and check out the awesome interview!
Also, once you give Creation a read, be sure to pre-order the sequel, Wisdom (https://books2read.com/odin-wisdom).
We’ve enlisted a group of wonderful and talented bloggers and Bookstagrammers to help us feature Creation. This is what we have going on, so make sure to check out each and every one throughout the week for some brilliant content, including reviews and more.
OCTOBER 31ST – THE KICKOFF
Whispers & Wonder (@whispersandwonder)
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NOVEMBER 1ST
Spells & Spaceships
Sadie’s Spotlight (@sadiesspotlight)
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NOVEMBER 2ND
Beneath A Thousand Skies
Phil Parker
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NOVEMBER 3RD
UnchartedLibrary
Varietats (@mpr2000)
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NOVEMBER 4TH
HighhFantasy
dinipandareads
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NOVEMBER 5TH
Westveil Publishing (@thewestveilarchives)
FanFiAddict
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NOVEMBER 6TH – THE ENCORE
Queen’s Book Asylum
For more info, visit the official tour page at Storytellers On Tour.
About the Book
In the beginning there was confusion.
Ever woken up being a God, but not knowing how to God properly? Your brothers keep creating mosquitoes and celery and other, more threatening weapons. What can your ultimate answer be – the one that will make you THE All-Father and them, at best, the All-Those-Uncles-We-All-Have-But-Don’t-Talk-About?
“FML! The answer’s why I drink!” – Odin
Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, and Mrs Brown’s Boys.
Creation by Bjørn Larssen
SERIES: Why Odin Drinks (#1)
PUBLISHED: August 18, 2021
GENRE: Humorous Fantasy, Satirical Norse Mythology
PAGES: 84
CHECK IT OUT ON
GET YOUR COPY
Meet The Author
Bjørn Larssen is a Norse heathen made in Poland, but mostly located in a Dutch suburb, except for his heart which he lost in Iceland. Born in 1977, he self-published his first graphic novel at the age of seven in a limited edition of one, following this achievement several decades later with his first book containing multiple sentences and winning awards he didn’t design himself. His writing is described as ‘dark’ and ‘literary’, but he remains incapable of taking anything seriously for more than 60 seconds.
Bjørn has a degree in mathematics and has worked as a graphic designer, a model, a bartender, and a blacksmith (not all at the same time). His hobbies include sitting by open fires, dressing like an extra from Vikings, installing operating systems, and dreaming about living in a log cabin in the north of Iceland. He owns one (1) husband and is owned by one (1) neighbourhood cat.
WEBSITE: www.bjornlarssen.com
Welcome back to Whispers & Wonder, Bjørn! Since we already have your official bio, can we have the MC(s) from Creation introduce you in one sentence?
“FML! We would all drink if we made it alive to the last page!”
Give us an idea of how Creation came to fruition.
In the Norse origin myth, the worlds are created and populated by Odin and his two brothers: Vili and Vé. The brothers never appear in the myths again. I’ve always wondered – what happened to them? Creation is the answer.
Can you share with us something about Creation that isn’t in the blurb?
“Features the word ‘ass-thetics’”
Was there any specific research you’ve done or inspiration you’ve pulled from for this story of yours? If so, did you learn anything fun or interesting?
I’m using a lot of eighties pop culture references, chiefly British. Creation only has a few, it gets much worse in the next book, Wisdom. During the work on Creation, a beta reader asked me if I’ve seen the Monty Python sketch about a parrot. I hadn’t. But while I was at it, I watched some more Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, Keeping Up Appearances, ‘Allo ‘Allo – all for research purposes.
What made you decide to tackle satirical fantasy?
Everything I write is going to be funny to some degree. Children, my previous book, might be Norse grimdark fantasy, but humour runs throughout anyway. In Creation I just took the dark part out. (This sentence could be misinterpreted.)
I’ve been writing those silly takes on parts of the Norse lore since the pandemic started – a bit of an antidote. On a whim, I decided to finish one. You wake up, you’re Odin, you don’t know how to Odin yet, but you have two competitive brothers trying to out-god you.
Without giving away any juicy details, what can we expect from future installments in the Why Odin Drinks series?
I was holding my weird sense of humour back in Creation, because I was unsure how people would react to that. Now that I know the answer? It’s going to get much, much worse. Or better. The second book, Wisdom, features Sir Daddy Mímir guarding the Well of Wise Dom and a strangely alluring (for some) donkey named Mr Donnie.
If you could go back and change how you approached writing your debut novel, what’s the one thing you’d do differently?
Storytellers took me 26 months of work and eventually came out in March 2019. When I look back… to quote Kylie Minogue, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s not a perfect book. I would like to rewrite it with the knowledge of craft I have today. But I would have never learned all that without Storytellers.
(To learn more about Storytellers, check out my review! Spoiler: I love this book.)
Have you read anything awesome lately?
Yes! Everyone must immediately buy Quenby Olson’s Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide (to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons). I didn’t know I was waiting for this book all my life until I got to read it. Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jane Austen, and Sir Terry Pratchett collaborating on a book about a dragon. I hope it smashes and introduces a trend, because I would love to read more books like this one.
Thank you again for taking the time have a chat, Bjørn. Tell us what lies ahead for you!
Lunch. Then editing Wisdom and preparing it for release. After that… I’ll have to do actual research, because apparently I decided to rewrite the entire Norse mythology and I need to do it in some sort of order. FML! No wonder I drink Earl Grey with lemon!
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Happy Reading!
🖤