Ideas Pop Up, and I’ve Been Going With Them – For Good or Bad

A particular favorite group of mythologies to delve into for me encompasses the culturally rich islands of the North Sea, where Celtic lore blends with Scandinavian and legends abound about the mer folk and the selkie.

My guest today has written a dark fantasy tale that pulls you into this mystical, watery environment and weaves it in with the lore of the Vikings and the magical aspects of shapeshifting.

Here is what one reviewer had to say about J. K. Divia’s debut novel, A Sea of Blood and Tears.

“This is what the glory of death looks like.”

Where to begin?!?

This story literally transports you to an entirely other world – one full of magic, possibilities, and lots of jaw dropping moments.

Divia is a fantastic and gritty storyteller with a keen eye for heart wrenching build up. She did an extraordinary job at taking a deep dive into what someone is willing to do for the ones they love – even if it’s at the expense of their own identity.

It’s safe to say I cried and that’s when you know it was done right.

This is a must read for anyone who loves dark fantasy with thematic influence of Norse Mythology and Celtic origins. And I myself am a massive fan of the era!!

C. D. McKenna

I picked this review because it encompasses all of the captivating aspects of this story. Let’s meet the author.

J.k Divia is a Dark Fantasy and Thriller writer from the US. She has spent most of her life traveling. She is a Spoonie and has learned the importance of rest while pursuing her writing dreams. As a child she was often found playing in the woods or reading about world mythology, folklore and ghost stories which have influenced her writing. She has always loved creative writing and once she decided to take it beyond flash fiction writing contests, she found a writing coach and editor to help her achieve her goal of writing a page turning novel. A Sea of Blood and Tears is her debut novel.

Some of her favorite books include Jane Eyre, Little Women, Dracula, The Hobbit, Outlander, Girl on the Train

When not writing, you can find her spending time with her family, chasing after her kids and searching for faeries and dragons in the woods with them. 

I’ve been looking forward so much to diving with you into the world of the selkie and all the themes and elements of your novel. Thank you for joining me, Jaymee!

I imagine this project was as immersive for you as a writer as your story is for your readers. My first question is what was it like finishing your epic novel and getting it out into the world?

JKD. It was really an amazing and emotional adventure. This story actually started as a collection of backstories for what will now be the second book. There was definitely a challenge in figuring out how much to put in and where to stop with this particular story knowing that it was ultimately not the original story I intended to tell. There is also the anxiety part of publishing that I think all authors go through you know. The uncertainty of how your story will be received once it’s out in the world.

I love to learn how indie authors build their team. Do you have an editor or readers who helped you finalize your manuscript? Was self-publishing part of your plan, or the best means to share your story? Have you explored traditional publishing?

JKD. I looked for and found an amazing writing coach who helped me immensely on my author journey. From doing my development edit to helping me with crafting, working with a writing coach was a great experience.  I also had won an indie author giveaway on Instagram and it included a beta read and publishing help, again these were immensely helpful given that I had no experience in trying to publish a book. 

Indie ended up being the best option for me though I did query. I am terrible at querying and didn’t have the patience for it, sending my queries off before the book was even finished. In the end I wanted my story to be my story, for better or worse, and for this story Indie was the best path.

DLL. Awesome! Thanks for sharing, including a key reason to go Indie… Control… over content and time.

I was happy to read at the end of your amazing story that the second novel, Be Careful Where you Wander, is set for mid 2024. Can you give us a glimpse into what we can expect from Naia’s tale?

JKD. Be Careful Where you Wander is actually the main story I had intended to write funny enough. It takes place many years after the events in A Sea of Blood and Tears. It  follows Naia’s journey in deciding her place in the uncertain world we last left her in and the aftermath of being chosen to become a Hamingja. 

Ionna, Bjorn and Einar also return for this story. There is sure to be more blood and tears in this story before we get to the end. 

There is a teaser for book two at the end of A Sea of Blood and Tears and I hope it won’t disappoint!

For our readers who might be unfamiliar with the selkie, can you tell us about the mythology? And what inspired you to bring Vikings into your story? Same question for the shapeshifters.

JKD. I first fell in love with Selkies as a kid watching the movie The Secret of Roan Innish. In celtic mythology,  selkies are seal people. Men and women who live as seals but have the ability to shed their seal skin and turn into humans. If you capture their seal skin, or coat, then they could not return to the sea and were trapped.

It’s funny,  I’m not really sure where the idea came from to add selkies to my story. The story is based on a short story I wrote called Becoming Hamingja, which is a play on the Norse Hamingja (which is luck).  As I began to write the backstories of the key players and catalysts for the events in Be Careful Where You Wander, it all just sort of came together.

Mikladalur, Faroe Islands, Kalsoy – July, 2021: Kópakonann – selkies, mythological beings capable of therianthropy, changing from seal to human form by shedding their skin. Kingdom of denmark. Europe – Photographer Nowaczyk

DLL. As you know, I wrote a short story about a selkie and a lighthouse keeper set in a dystopian world where the fated lovers come up with an extraordinary solution to survival. It’s available in Song of the Siren, an anthology by Dragon Soul Press. I acquired this stunning image from Shutterstock (described above) for inspiration while I was writing it.

You mention in your bio that you love fantasy and mythology. Are there other genres, or sub genres of fantasy you plan to explore?

JKD.  was that kid that would check out all the world mythology and folklore  books available at the library. It was always an interest of mine. 

I also love a good mystery and Thriller. I am actually working on a mystery/thriller called We Need to Talk About Grandma that I hope to release in the next two years. 

DLL. Great title! All sorts of scary things are going through my mind!

Have you traveled to any of the North Sea islands? What is your favorite travel destination?

JKD. I think Ireland, Scotland and Norway have been my favorite places to travel so far. My trip to Norway is what inspired my short story, Becoming Hamingja. I hope to visit the Orkney Islands and Isle of Skye one day, as well as travel back to Norway.

DLL. All places on my bucket list. I was all geared up before Covid to do a craft knitting cruise around all those fabulous locations… Someday…

Who or what was your biggest influence? Do you have a top three list of favorite authors or books you’d like to share?

JKD. I always say that A Sea of Blood and Tears is The Secret of Roan Innish meets Eaters of the Dead. 

Jane Eyre will always be one of my first literary loves, along with The Hobbit.  I also thought the first Outlander book was amazing.

DLL. All fantastic reads. I’m including a link above to Michael Chricton’s amazing Eaters of the Dead. Great shelf comparison for your story!

Where is your favorite place to write? Do you have a daily writing schedule? And do you like to set goals or deadlines?

JKD. As a mom of two young kids, I write where and when I can lol. I know that is an excuse and there are plenty of parents who are able to set a schedule. I’m just not very good with schedules to begin with. 

I try to set deadlines and goals but I’m not great at sticking to them. I actually set a deadline to publish A Sea of Blood and Tears and stuck to it which I think ended up hurting my story in the long run. The great thing about Indie is you can control your timeline and I’m definitely going to use that to my advantage going forward.

DLL. I am taking this to heart, Jaymee. I’ve been pressuring myself to finish my third book in my series, and I know deep in my gut, which I’ve been ignoring, that it will only hurt the story. I want it to be the best wrap up to the series it can be. If it takes another year to achieve that status, I should allow myself that because like you say, having no deadline is a benefit and a luxury for self-published authors. I need to quiet that publisher voice! Thanks!

What are your favorite tips or techniques to stay organized and productive, or to get in the mindset to write?

JKD. I am so unorganized. I write a lot of scenes in notebooks when developing my stories and then try to organize and link together later. The read aloud function in word has probably been my best writing friend. 

DLL. I tell people about read aloud all the time. The new and improved voices are amazing and it’s so helpful for punctuation, word usage, tone, and on and on. Can’t live without it. Google has improved on the computer voice with it’s Audio book program. I’ve been testing running my novels there and hoping to publish Ursus Borealis as an audio book soon!

I’m always inspired when my guests stick with their passion to create despite life’s challenges, including health issues. You mention you’re a Spoonie. Would you like to talk about what that means?

JKD. I first heard of spoon theory from a friend after I had just been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and RA. She also has fibromyalgia and had been diagnosed many years prior to me. She sent me an article that was written by Christine Miserandino using the analogy of having a limited amount of spoons to describe living with a chronic or invisible illness. I highly recommend that everyone read the article if they are or know someone who is dealing with an illness. Being recently diagnosed, it helped me a lot. 

DLL. Thank you for dropping by, Jaymee! This has been an awesome journey into your writer’s life!

You can follow J. K. Divia on Instagram and Goodreads. Feel free to leave any questions or comments!