This is the second part of my interview with Octavia Randolph, author of the hugely popular Circle of Ceridwen saga, a meticulously researched series of 11 books set in 9th century England and scandinavia. Octavia joined me from her home on Gotland, an island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden that played a prominent role in Viking history and in several of her books.

Today we covered the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you’re not fully conscious of it.

- How identifying with your characters is great, until you need to write scenes where they face hardship

- Octavia gives a gosh-darn masterclass on building a community of readers NOT TO BE MISSED

- The testy letter she received from a reader and how she responded

- The critical importance of defining success for yourself, and not by looking at what other people have achieved

- How writing her books has made her a better person

- How she uses runes to stay connected to her characters and consider possibilities in her own life

Visit Octavia at octavia.net, or on the Circle of Ceridwen Saga private Facebook group.

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

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