James Erich - August 12, 2012

[Kaje]

Our Author Spotlight this week is also the author of our August Book of the Month: James Erich


James Erich has had a passion for young adult fiction since he was a teenager himself. In his high school and college years, he was saddened to see how few positive stories with gay protagonists there were, but is delighted to see that changing. James recently joined the ranks of YA novelists, with the publication of his first YA historical/fantasy novel, Seidman. He is openly gay and lives with his husband and their rambunctious black Lab pup, Kumar the Mighty Duck Hunter (who has never actually caught a duck), in the small town of Raymond, NH.

In addition to Seidman , James has a YA fantasy trilogy called "Dreams of Fire and Gods" coming out soon, starting with the first book, Awakening , which should be available this December.

Book info:

Blurb: In Viking Age Iceland, where boys are expected to grow into strong farmers and skilled warriors, there is little place for a sickly twelve-year-old boy like Kol until he catches the eye of a seið-woman—a sorceress—and becomes her apprentice. Kol travels to the sorceress’s home, where her grandson, Thorbrand, takes Kol under his wing. Before long Kol discovers something else about himself that is different—something else that sets him apart as unmanly: Kol has fallen in love with another boy.

But the world is changing in ways that threaten those who practice the ancient arts. As Kol’s new life takes him across the Norse lands, he finds that a new religion is sweeping through them, and King Olaf Tryggvason is hunting down and executing sorcerers. When a decades-old feud forces Thorbrand to choose between Kol and his duty to his kinsman, Kol finds himself cast adrift with only the cryptic messages of an ancient goddess to guide him to his destiny—and possibly to his death.

BUY LINK: Amazon

WEBSITE: http://jameserich.com/

[Kaje]

Kol's innate magical ability attracts the attention of the sorceress, Alfdis, and he is apprenticed to her. This means leaving his home, parents and brother Ottar, and moving in with her chief Harek's household, to become one of the family. The move will mean new places, new people, and a new way of life for Kol...

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Excerpt:

THE journey to Harek’s homestead took several hours, their caravan eventually leaving the dirt road to take an uneven, rocky path through the hills. But Thorbrand’s energy never seemed to flag as he walked beside Kol at the rear of the caravan, telling stories about Harek’s neighbors and thingmenn, interesting places he’d explored, and just about anything else he thought might pique Kol’s interest.

It soon became apparent that Thorbrand, as the only boy on the homestead, was just as excited about Kol coming to stay there as Kol was. Kol basked in the attention, for now, but wondered if his new friend would eventually tire of his company. Ottar had never had much patience for a brother who couldn’t run or wrestle, and Thorbrand was even more rugged and energetic than Ottar was.

The rest of the family accepted Kol’s presence with little comment. Gudrun, Thorbrand’s eldest sister, lived with her husband, Eyjolf, on a homestead in the next valley, so Kol probably wouldn’t see much of them anyway. Bera still lived on Harek’s property with her husband, Halfdan.

Ingunn, on the other hand, was clearly annoyed by Kol’s presence. She was Thorbrand’s favorite, and not at all accustomed to her older brother paying attention to someone else, so she snubbed both of them for the entire journey. Thorbrand merely rolled his eyes at Kol and shook his head, otherwise ignoring her foul mood.
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WHEN at long last the entourage arrived at the Harek homestead, it was well into the lingering twilight. The horses were taken to the stable and tended to, but most of the unpacking was left for the morning.

Halldora scavenged up a quick meal of cold barley porridge and dried stockfish for everybody, since nobody was inclined to wait for anything to be cooked, and they all went to bed.

Harek’s longhouse was enormous, compared to Bjarne’s cramped farmhouse, but there were many more people living there, including a large number of thralls. So Kol once again found himself sharing a bed—this time with Thorbrand. He didn’t mind. The bed was soft and warm, and he quickly drifted off to sleep, listening to the sound of Thorbrand’s soft breathing beside him.

In the morning, he woke to the wonderful smell of cooking beef. Thorbrand was still sound asleep and had curled up against Kol’s back. Kol was loathe to move away from the older boy’s pleasant warmth, so he lay still for a long while, until his full bladder finally forced him to get up. Thorbrand rolled over as Kol slipped out of the sheepskins, but didn’t wake.

Halldora and one of her daughters were tending to breakfast, and after he’d slipped into his trousers, they directed him to the kamarr, the room off the side of the hall that served as a latrine.
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BEFORE breakfast, Thorbrand was roused, and Kol was instructed to follow him around for the day to familiarize himself with the homestead. Alfdis, the boy was told, had taken ill, and he was not to disturb her. She remained in her bed at the far end of the hall, tended to by Halldora.

The early part of the morning was spent unpacking the tents, bedding, and other things brought back from the Althing, accompanied by Thorbrand’s good-natured grumbling. They broke for the morning meal—grouse and eggs and skyr in sufficient quantities for Kol to feel stuffed afterward—then Thorbrand took his friend around on his normal daily chores. These weren’t any different from those chores Kol had had on his own homestead: feeding the animals, hauling water, repairing the thatch on the roofs of the farm buildings, and all of the other tedious work that kept a farm running from day to day.

Around midday, Thorbrand took Kol to a remote area of Harek’s property where there was a hot spring. “Come on,” Thorbrand said, shedding his clothing. “Let’s relax for a while.”

Even though they’d already been naked together in bed, Kol felt much more self-conscious in the bright daylight. His body was pale and scrawny, while Thorbrand, at thirteen, was already muscular and beginning to sport reddish patches of body hair. But Kol didn’t want to appear foolish, so he stripped and joined his friend in the steaming, sulfurous water. To his relief, Thorbrand showed no interest in teasing him.

The older boy sighed as he settled back in the water and let himself sink until his body was completely covered. “Do you sense anything here?”

Kol shook his head. “Like what?”

“This spring belongs to a water spirit.”

The boy gestured to a large, flat boulder not far from the water’s edge and said, “My father makes sacrifices to it on that rock over there.”

Then he added sternly, “Don’t piss in it.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Kol replied indignantly. “I’m not an idiot.”

Land and water spirits were repulsed by human excrement. It was even considered wise to announce it before urinating in the bushes so the spirits could get out of the way.

“Just making sure,” Thorbrand said with a smile. Then he closed his eyes for a time.

Kol followed suit, closing his eyes and allowing the hot water to soothe his body. After a minute, Thorbrand shifted slightly and his leg brushed up against Kol’s. Kol glanced at him for a second, waiting for him to realize they were touching and move away, but Thorbrand seemed content to leave it there.

Kol realized that he was content with it, too, and closed his eyes again.

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