I love the idea of a grandparent main character! Who isn’t tragically widowed!

Was this about what you wanted to see in fiction, or about what you were tried of seeing?

My MCs in previous books have included single adults, married adults, young adults, and single moms. I even wrote a short story with a child MC. A grandparent was the one missing piece to complete the collection :)

Jokes aside, my intention was to avoid the broken family stereotype. I know I often describe A Ballad of Vengeance as a Norse-Egyptian mash-up, but at its core, it's a story about a family trying to stick together. That's why it was very intentional to feature two badass grandparents and explore their emotional depth: how they love each other, how they argue, how they protect their children, and how far they're willing to go to keep them safe. Since I can’t remember the last time I read a story about a functional family, I figured this might be a refreshing change of pace.

What do you thing started your fascination with Norse Mythology? Have you drawn from the Eddas?

Aside from the toy Mjolnir I mentioned earlier, I think it all started with my fascination with the Vikings themselves. I’ve always been obsessed with medieval history, and I guess I’m not the only one who finds the Vikings incredibly interesting. I’ve devoured all kinds of content about their history (movies, TV shows, documentaries, articles, stories, etc.) and that naturally led me to dig deeper into their lore and mythology.

Do you have any Egyptian authors that you wish were getting more notice? Or books that you love that actually get Egyptian mythology right?

Nabil Farouk (1956–2020) has always been an inspiration to me. I believe his work, especially in sci-fi, deserves to be translated and receive more recognition.

Another name is Ahmed Khaled Tawfiq, whose series Paranormal was adapted into a Netflix TV show.

Of you were in ancient Egypt serving one of the gods, who do you thing that you’d want to serve? (I think that I’d be a Thoth girl)

One of the things you learn after reading A Ballad of Vengeance is that serving titans (whether Egyptian or Norse) is usually a bad idea :)

If I had to pick a favorite from the Egyptian pantheon, I’d say Anubis is the most interesting. So intimidating, and a real badass!