I didn’t know how lucky I was when I was given the opportunity to read and review Jill Criswell’s debut novel, Beasts of the Frozen Sun, until now. This was one of the best YA historical fantasy novels I’ve read so far this year and it features a stubborn heroine, a conflicted warrior, and some of the best writing I’ve ever seen. It’s a tale of warring clans and a forbidden love affair that will leave you wanting more and if you haven’t added this to your TBR by now, do it! It’s an amazing book and a great start to a new YA fantasy series!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jill about her debut along with a sneak peek into her writing process and some details about the sequel!
Hi Jill! Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a fantasy nerd turned fantasy author who spends half her time as a wife, mom, and teacher, and the other half in imaginary worlds (usually of my own making).
When did you first know that you wanted to a be writer?
I loved reading and writing stories as a kid. I often made up my own storylines for my favorite books, movies, and TV shows. I didn’t think of myself as a writer, but as a storyteller. I wanted to tell stories, for myself, and I would have kept telling them whether anyone else wanted to read them or not.
Your debut novel, Beasts of the Frozen Sun, is set to release on August 6th! Can you tell us what it’s about?
Beasts of the Frozen Sun is a young adult fantasy inspired by Viking invasions in Ireland. It’s about a girl with the power to read a person’s soul who saves the enemy warrior sent to attack her village, and the forbidden bond between them that sparks a war between gods and men.
What made you want to write historical fiction? And why YA?
The idea for the novel came from an exhibit in the Saga Museum in Iceland, so it made sense to stay true to the spirit of that historical influence. My favorite genre to read is young adult fantasy, and as I was crafting the characters it felt more authentic to tell their stories from a young adult perspective.
There’s quite a few strong and mature scenes in here. Were you worried they might be controversial in a YA novel, especially with it being your debut?
I was a little worried about it, but YA has become a lot more tolerant of mature themes over the past years. I was more concerned about making sure those mature scenes were historically accurate and served a purpose in the story. The world I portray is brutal because it’s based on the brutal reality of Vikings and Celts. There are sexual scenes because young adults—in ancient and modern times—have intimate moments with each other. Pretending otherwise would undermine the story I wanted to tell and doesn’t give young readers enough credit for being mature enough to handle mature themes.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun has a very intricate god system rooted at its core. How did you manage to make sure it made sense?
I keep careful notes on gods’ names, their powers, their connections to one another, whether they’re worshiped by Glasnithians or Isenelders. Sometimes I forgot and had to go back and remind myself of the mythology I created!
What kind of research was involved and how long did it take you?
I did a few days of reading about and taking notes on medieval Celtic and Viking culture, clan systems, pagan mythology—background information for the world I wanted to build. After that, I dove into writing the story, and as questions came up (like what sort of alcohol did Vikings drink, and how did people preserve food in medieval times) I searched the internet until I found the answers I was looking for.
I loved the brief scenes with Quinlan! Are we going to see more of him in the sequel?
Yes! Quinlan has turned out to be a fan favorite, and I’m happy to say he has a bigger role in the second book. He and Lira are going to be working together toward an important goal. That’s all I can say without spoiling anything!
What were the easiest and hardest parts to write?
I love writing the big, dramatic scenes that involve things like romance, battles, or deaths. Those always flow easily, and it’s as fun to write them as it is for others to read them.
The hardest part to write is exposition—scenes where people are traveling from one place to another or sitting around talking about something that’s going to be important later. It takes some effort to give information in a way that seems natural, while also trying to make those scenes interesting and keep the story moving forward.
What can we expect in the sequel? And how many books do you hope will be in the series? Any hints?
The Frozen Sun Saga is a trilogy. The second book picks up about a week after the first book ends. There are a lot more Reyker chapters in the sequel, as Lira’s story goes in one direction and Reyker’s goes in another. And we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Iseneld in book 2 as well. That’s all I’m going to say for now!
What inspires you and your writing?
Lots of things. Books, movies, TV shows—ones I’m a fan of now, and ones I’ve loved for years. Travel is another big inspiration. I never would have written Beasts if I hadn’t traveled to Iceland and fallen in love with it.
Do you have any advice for aspiring novelists?
First, be prepared for failure, but don’t let it stop you. Beasts was one of five books that I wrote as I was trying to start my career as an author. Those other books may collect digital dust on my computer forever, but I learned a lot from writing them, so it wasn’t a waste.
Second, don’t commit to finishing a novel unless you love it. You have to love your characters and your story enough to keep writing, enough to read and revise many times. If you don’t love it, it will be hard to get anyone else to.
Lastly, do you have any book or author recommendations for us?
As for books that helped inspire Beasts and have similar themes or styles, I recommend the following adult series: Sevenwaters and Saga of the Light Isles by Juliet Marillier, Kushiel’s Legacy by Jaqueline Carey, and A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. For young adult series, I recommend The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski, The Traitor’s Trilogy by Erin Beaty, and The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson.
Beasts of the Frozen Sun is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of August 6th 2019.
Author Bio
Jill Criswell is a writer of Young Adult Historical Fantasy. She was born and raised in the swamps of northeastern Florida. She earned degrees in English and Psychology and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. Her greatest passion, besides reading and writing, is traveling the world; she’s visited fifty countries across six continents, falling in love with places like Iceland, Namibia, and Cambodia. She works as a university English teacher and lives in South Carolina, near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with her husband and daughter (who is named after a volcano in Iceland). Beasts of the Frozen Sun is her debut novel. For more information, visit JillCriswell.com. You can also find Jill on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads!
