In this interview, Linnea Tanner discusses the inspirations behind Apollo’s Raven, from historical figures such as Boudicca and Mark Antony to enduring questions of fate versus choice. She reflects on crafting a heroine burdened by prophecy, balancing myth with historical realism, and exploring themes of loyalty, betrayal, power, and love across enemy lines as the saga of the Curse of Clansmen and Kings begins.
Mary Anne: Apollo’s Raven blends Celtic myth, Roman politics, and epic romance. What first inspired you to bring these worlds together in a single story?
Linnea: Since childhood, the characters of a female warrior and her lover, a Roman commander, have lived in my head, in part, as a way for me to deal with challenges in my own life. They were characters bigger than life, but I never had a cohesive tale until one of my business trips to London. There, I was inspired by the statue of a warrior queen in a chariot with her two daughters along the Thames River. After I did more research, I learned she was Boudicca—an Iceni warrior queen who united the Britons against the Romans in a 61 AD to expel them. She inspired the creation of the primary protagonist of Catrin, a Celtic warrior princess.
Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) and his tragic downfall with Cleopatra inspired me to create Catrin’s Roman lover, Marcellus. Later, the son of Mark Antony, Iullus Antonius, was forced to commit suicide for his scandalous affair with Augustus Caesar’s only daughter, Julia. Little is known about Iullus’ son, Lucius Antonius, except he was exiled to Gaul as a young man, most likely as a condition to escape his father’s fate. One of the burning questions I had is how would Lucius react if his own son chose the same curse of forbidden love as his ancestors?
Mary Anne: Catrin is both a warrior and a reluctant symbol of prophecy. How did you approach writing a heroine whose destiny threatens to eclipse her personal desires?
Linnea: Catrin learns that she is the raven mention in a curse that foretells she will join her half-brother, Blood Wolf, and a mighty empire (Rome) to overtake and destroy their father, King Amren. The etched curse on a dagger alters by choices Catrin makes. Loyal to her father, she is determined to break the curse but falls in love with Marcellus, a Roman hostage under her charge. She is torn between her duty to her kingdom or her heart for an enemy.
Mary Anne: The curse of Blood Wolf and the Raven drives much of the novel’s tension. What fascinated you about using prophecy and curses as forces that shape political as well as personal conflict?
Linnea: A universal theme that I wanted to explore is how much is determined by fate or choices you make. Catrin can change the fate of Marcellus to die young, but she can’t foresee the political consequences of her decision.
Mary Anne: Forbidden love lies at the heart of the story, particularly between Catrin and Marcellus. What challenges did you face in developing a romance across enemy lines without diminishing either character’s loyalties.
Linnea: Marcellus and Catrin are instructed by their respective fathers to spy on each other, but they struggle to do their duties as their romance develops. There is constant tension as to whether they can trust each other as they follow their hearts. For them, forbidden love blurs the line on what constitutes loyalty vs. betrayal of their people.
Mary Anne: Ancient Druids and their magic play a central role. How did historical research and mythology influence your portrayal of Druidic power and belief?
Linnea: Most of my research about the druids come from the accounts of Julius Caesar and other ancient historians while magical elements are derived from Celtic myths recorded by monks. The druids are considered the intelligentsia who could have more power than kings in making decisions. They officiated at the worship of the gods, oversaw sacrifices, and gave rulings on major decisions. I adopted their religious beliefs that the immortal soul does not perish but passes from one body to another form after death and that the head serves as the dwelling place for the soul.
Mary Anne: King Amren is both ruler and father, torn between authority and family. How did you balance his political ambition with the emotional consequences of his choices?
Linnea: King Amren executed his former queen to maintain his sovereignty. Although he understands this decision and his political ambitions threaten his current family, he nonetheless manipulates Catrin and others to maintain his power.
Mary Anne: The novel is set during a turbulent period when Rome exerts control through hand-picked British kings. What parallels, if any, do you see between this era and later historical struggles over power and identity?
Linnea: Colonial empires such as Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal controlled foreign territories to exploit resources, establish trade routes, and demonstrate their power during the 15th to 20th centuries. Native populations were displaced in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries with the westward movement of settlers to claim their lands.
Russia’s war on Ukraine is a modern-day example of a brutal dictator, Vladimir Putin, trying to conquer another sovereign nation. The kidnapping of Ukrainian children to raise in Russin homes is parallel to Rome’s demand for foreign noble children to be educated in their households. King Amen speaks fluent Latin because he was raised in a Roman household. Also, Amren’s son, Marrock, was educated in the imperial family of Augustus Caesar.
Mary Anne: Catrin must choose between duty to her people and her own heart. Do you see her journey as more about altering fate—or about redefining what fate means?
Linnea: Catin’s journey is about redefining what fate means? She must face several challenges that will forge her into a Celtic warrior queen—her ultimate destiny.
Mary Anne: Myth and history often collide in the novel. How do you decide when to follow historical realism and when to let myth take the lead?
Linnea: Historical ancient Rome and Britain provide the foundation for world-building. Timeline and historical figures need to be consistent with historical accounts. Magical elements must seamlessly weave into the story to reflect Celtic religious beliefs that the soul is immortal and that you can reincarnate into other forms after death. There is a thin veil line between the physical world and the spiritual Otherworld where one speak with their ancestors.
Mary Anne: As the opening book in a series, Apollo’s Raven sets high emotional and political stakes. What did you most want readers to carry forward with them into the rest of the Curse of Clansmen and Kings saga?
Linnea: The stakes become higher for Catrin and Marcellus as they counter the political machinations of their families and homelands to keep them apart. The series will explore universal themes of fate vs. choice, love vs. duty, loyalty vs. betrayal, and political corruption. The series is ultimately about Catrin’s life journey of preparing to become a warrior queen to claim the Cantiaci kingdom as the rightful heir.
Our sincere thanks to Linnea for joining us and sharing the rich historical, mythological, and personal inspirations behind Apollo’s Raven.
✔️ A love story shaped by danger and longing
✔️ Romance that grows in secrecy and sacrifice
✔️ When the heart chooses what the world forbids
Check out the blurb:
A Celtic warrior princess is torn between her
forbidden love for the enemy and duty to her people.AWARD-WINNING APOLLO'S RAVEN sweeps you into an epic Celtic tale of forbidden love, mythological adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. In 24 AD British kings hand-picked by Rome to rule are fighting each other for power. King Amren's former queen, a powerful Druid, has cast a curse that Blood Wolf and the Raven will rise and destroy him. The king's daughter, Catrin, learns to her dismay that she is the Raven and her banished half-brother is Blood Wolf. Trained as a warrior, Catrin must find a way to break the curse, but she is torn between her forbidden love for her father's enemy, Marcellus, and loyalty to her people. She must summon the magic of the Ancient Druids to alter the dark prophecy that threatens the fates of everyone in her kingdom.
Will Catrin overcome and eradicate the ancient curse? Will she be able to embrace her forbidden love for Marcellus? Will she cease the war between Blood Wolf and King Amren and save her kingdom?
Apollo’s Raven is available on Kindle, audiobook, paperback, and hardback. Pick up your copy HERE.
Award-winning author, Linnea Tanner, weaves Celtic tales of love, magical adventure, and political intrigue in Ancient Rome and Britannia. Since childhood, she has passionately read about ancient civilizations and mythology. She is particularly interested in the enigmatic Celts, who were reputed as fierce warriors and mystical Druids.
Linnea has extensively researched ancient and medieval history, mythology, and archaeology and has traveled to sites described within each of her books in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. Books released in her series include Apollo’s Raven (Book 1), Dagger’s Destiny (Book 2), Amulet’s Rapture (Book 3), and Skull’s Vengeance (Book 4). She has also released the historical fiction short story Two Faces of Janus.
A Colorado native, Linnea attended the University of Colorado and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry. She lives in Fort Collins with her husband and has two children and six grandchildren.
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