Marissa Campbell, author of AVELYNN, Talks Legend, Goddesses, and Love

Marissa Campbell sits down with Fresh Fiction Reviewer Samantha Randolph to talk about AVELYNN and more!

Samantha: Welcome, Marissa Campbell! Thank you so much joining us at Fresh Fiction. We are thrilled to host you.

Marissa: Thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here. *Waves enthusiastically to everyone.*

Samantha: If Avelynn could be friends with a historical figure outside of this book's setting, who would you want it to be?

Marissa: Oh, wow, what a great question, and so many options! I think I would have to pick Joan of Arc. Avelynn and Joan are on opposite sides of the faith equation, what with Joan being devoutly Christian and Avelynn being adamantly pagan, but I think their passion, and tenacity and drive to fight for what they believe in would allow them to strike a common bond. They both love their country and home. They both want to correct injustice. They both have to fight against an oppressive patriarchal system— there’s even the mutual specter of witchcraft hanging over them. I think they would have gotten along famously. Imagine the trouble they could have gotten into!

Samantha: What led you to choose a raven for Alrik's ship?

Marissa: In Norse legend, Odin, father of gods and men, had two ravens who sat upon his shoulders. Every day, they would whisper in his ears and regale him with news of the wide world. And whenever Odin traveled to earth, his ravens would accompany him. I liked the idea of Alrik honoring Odin with this symbol, and at the same time perhaps hinting that he might be blessed by the God, or at very least that Odin had his one eye on him. Ravens are also solitary creatures. Unlike crows who travel and chatter in community, ravens are lone wolves, and given Alrik’s precarious position with his brothers, it really fit him.

On the other hand, the raven is one of the familiars for Avelynn’s Goddess, specifically Badb—who is just one aspect of the four-fold Goddess. Badb is all about destruction and death, but she also bestows and grants power, courage, perseverance, and strength. You don’t mess with Badb, but you can call upon her when times are tough, and Avelynn certainly encounters a few of those moments. I also like the idea of a spirit animal, or totem, and the raven is Avelynn’s spirit guide. Given all that symbolism, Alrik had to have a raven on his ship! It’s like they were meant to be together. ;)

Samantha: We see a glimpse of a Saxon wedding ceremony during AVELYNN. Did the Vikings have a similar ceremony?

Marissa: With the Saxon wedding ceremony, there was a blend of some outdated pagan models (that shoe thing was crazy!) and classical Christian doctrine and ritual. Unfortunately, I haven’t come across a written source documenting the actually ceremony for the Vikings, but I have discovered a few things.

Like the Anglo-Saxons, Viking betrothal was a two-step process. The first involved the engagement itself. Here, the suitor or his spokesperson negotiated with the father of the bride-to-be. The prospective couple had to be of equal station and wealth, and the negotiations had to take place in front of witnesses. The suitor offered his bride price, the father offered a dowry. Once the financial details were hashed out, the two men shook hands, sealing the deal.

Women were not involved in the negotiations, and more often than not the girl didn’t even know her suitor. An official date for the wedding ceremony was set and the groom and his party left, often having no further contact with the bride’s family until the waiting period was done, which was most often a year, but could be upwards of several years (weddings were often arranged when the prospective couple were still very young).

What I can tell you about the ceremony was that the wedding itself was all about the party! A grand feast was arranged and lasted several days. Once everyone drank and ate their fill, the event culminated in the big, public production of the groom sliding into the bride’s bed.

She would be left alone, most likely terrified (unless you’re writing romance, then she would be awaiting her groom with a mixture of trepidation and heady anticipation) and the wild revelers would descend upon the room. By law, the groom had to be accompanied by at least six witnesses, and they all had to swear that they saw him climb into bed with his bride. The sagas don’t tell us if the witnesses stuck around, or discretely closed the door behind them.

Samantha: AVELYNN is rich with historical detail, from using hair styles as an indication of marital status to methods of measuring borders. What was your favorite research question you got to explore while writing Avelynn?

Marissa: I loved learning about paganism and magic in Anglo-Saxon England. I’ve always had a fascination with the mystical, and years ago I wrote a fantasy story—think Game of Thrones—with dragons and powerful tribes of people, where the Goddess governed all, and the priestesses were their chosen ones, bestowed with power and prophecy. The story was terrible, lol. I wrote it twenty years ago, and it has remained buried in my closet, but the concept stayed with me. When I started reading about what the Anglo- Saxons believed, who their gods were, and the magic and mysticism that surrounded their everyday lives, I knew those early scenes of the pagan Goddess would serve me well in this story.

I also enjoyed studying the old leech books, marveling at some of the fascinating concoctions the ancient healers would use. Some recipes were downright gross (think animal dung), but for the most part, they were simple remedies, and many utilized common, everyday ingredients known for their healing powers (like garlic or aloe vera). Healers also took advantage of the placebo effect, using chants and blessing, and spells and charms to imbue their potions with efficacy.

I was seriously impressed when in March, scientists discovered that an ancient Anglo- Saxon medical recipe kills the MRSA superbug. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/31/health/anglo-saxon-potion-mrsa/ Pretty cool!

Samantha: Avelynn and Alrik have an incredibly powerful love, one that grows amid war, distance, and harsh odds. They are truly a couple that would go to the ends of the Earth for each other. Who are your top three historical fiction couples?

Marissa: I have a bittersweet love for Romeo and Juliet. That story is heart wrenching. It’s up there for me with the likes of Titanic and The Notebook. Tissues at the ready.

Next would have to be Jamie and Claire from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Really. What a love. And to watch their relationship grow amidst all the hardships they’ve endured over the years was wonderful. They definitely inspired my hero and heroine. I wanted readers to come away with a strong sense of who Avelynn and Alrik were as characters, but also fall in love with them as a couple. Making the decision to be together wasn’t an easy one for Avelynn and Alrik, but they both knew they had found something special, and that it was worth holding onto no matter what the world threw at them.

My final choice would have to be (and I realize this doesn’t fall under the umbrella of historical fiction, but these really are my next favorite fictional couple ;) Danny and Sandy from Grease. I swear, I watched that movie every day when I was twelve. I could recite every word of every character in every scene. I loved Danny and Sandy’s love story, and with Avelynn and Alrik, I wanted just that, a summer love that was (sing it with me) ripped at the seams… but ah/oh those summer nights!

Samantha: Can you give us a hint at what you're working on now?

Marissa: I am currently working on my hundredth draft of AVELYNN 2. It doesn’t have a title yet, but Avelynn and Alrik’s story isn’t over yet. :D

In gratitude, Marissa xo

GIVEAWAY

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About Marissa Campbell

Marissa Campbell is a published freelance author, and co-author of the award-winning, spiritual self-help book Life: Living in Fulfillment Every Day. Look for her debut historical fiction Avelynn coming fall 2015, from St. Martin's Press. Currently, hard at work on the second book in the Avelynn series, she is a proud member of the Historical Novel Society, Romance Writers of America, Writer's Community of Durham Region, and local critique group B7.

When she is not writing, she is busy looking after her wonderful children, spending time with her fantastic husband, hanging out with her awesome friends, teaching yoga, dancing, laughing, and having fun!

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About AVELYNN

This dazzling debut brings the Dark Ages to light and illuminates one Saxon noblewoman's romance with a Viking warrior and her struggle to find her path in a changing and dangerous world 869.

For eighteen years, Avelynn, the beautiful and secretly pagan daughter of the Ealdorman of Somerset, has lived in an environment of love, acceptance, and equality. Somerset has flourished under twenty years of peace. But with whispers of war threatening their security, Avelynn's father makes an uncompromising decision that changes her life forever. Forced into a betrothal with Demas, a man who only covets her wealth and status, Avelynn's perception of independence is shattered. With marriage looming, she turns to her faith, searching for answers in an ancient ritual along the coast, only to find Alrik The Blood-Axe and sixty Viking berserkers have landed.

In a year of uncertainty that sees Avelynn discover hidden powers, stumble into a passionate love affair with Alrik, and lead men into battle, Avelynn must walk a fine line as her deceptions mount and Demas' tactics to possess her become more desperate and increasingly brutal. Avelynn and Alrik are caught in the throes of fate as they struggle to find the way back to themselves and onwards to each other.