Author’s Inspiration
A tower as a protagonist?
By Sarah Dahl
This
new Tale of Freya, “Tower”, is the one I spent most time and rewrites on. It
started out as a straightforward erotica piece, then I decided it needs more
grit and adventure … and I got lost, ending up with a half-baked novella. I reworked
it several times, let it rest for long stretches, and eventually knew how to
rewrite it so it would fit in my collection of sensual Tales. I kept the
main characters, a young Viking called Myskia who sets out on a revenge mission
to rescue the women abducted by their arch-enemey, the notoriously brutal
Raven. He has to duel the enemy and then enters a strange building – one he has
never seen before and which houses several surprises for our fearless warrior …
For a
long time I didn’t really know where exactly my story was set and what the
source of my character’s feud was. But with the reworking for the collection Tales
of Freya, “Tower” needed a clearer setting, characters and plot. During all
rewrites, the story always evolved around its unique and unusual setting: a
round tower like those I encountered in Ireland. So the main protagonist is
maybe not our young, passionate Viking, but this imposing stone structure that
challenges Myskia. The history of these kind of round towers in Ireland is
unclear. Their exact age is unknown as is their purpose. They could have been
bell towers, they could have held crops or valuables. Who exactly built them,
when, and why – it’s not proven, and therefore intriguing as a setting. Also,
this unclear history gives me creative writing freedom!
I can
make the building what I want it to be for my story. And in this story, after a
fierce and brutal duel, I wanted Myskia to end up in a very confined space.
Here he should meet his lover again, Adisa, taken from him by the enemy as a
slave. How will this first encounter be, after months of their different
nightmares? I wanted to oppose them like in an intimate chamber play. Give them
time to digest that they are suddenly back together – and that they aren’t the
same people as before. Slavery changed Adisa, in several ways. So Myskia, who
came to snatch her back and run, has to find that all is not that easy. He has
to use all his skills to break down the walls of our tower, and then those that
have grown between him and his beloved woman.
I
started out with these Irish round towers because they fascine me just as much
as they are an exotic pull for Myskia – and a great setting for what evolves
once he gets face to face with Adisa. I made the interior as confined, narrow
and intimidating as I needed it to be. The real towers are too old and
crumbling to tell what would still be authentic, and so I let my imagination
run wild. In this intimate setting and with the traumatic experiences of
especially Adisa, her encounter with Myskia would be explosive. In many ways.
There is sensuality, yes, but only after they go
through a whole array of emotions at their sudden meeting, in a setting they’re
unable to flee from: shock, realisation, denial, rage, and accusations. The
tower witnesses and contains it all, with just the two of them working through
it. But there is also this deep-rooted bond they still share, and if Myskia is
gentle with her, me might just be given enough time to break through their
mental walls and get to what is at the core of their love: trust, connection,
infinite attraction, and the courage to be vulnerable. Naked in minds and
bodies, no matter how battered and bruised our protagonists are after all these
months of separation. This bond our couple share is much stronger than they
thought. They can find back to what they once had – in a different, deeper way
– but first, they have to get out of the tower alive.
Tower – Unchained by Love
(The sixth Tale of Freya)
By Sarah Dahl
From her collection of sensual short stories set in
the Viking Age.
In a world of crackling fires
and rough landscapes, long winters and bloody raids, the immediacy of life and
death ignites undeniable passions. Warriors and monks, healers and housewives
-- all follow the call of their hearts and bodies to indulge in pleasures that
may forever change their lives.
Young Viking Myskia lands on Irish shores to rescue his lover Adisa from
the clutches of his family's enemy Raven. After a fierce duel, Myskia finds
himself in the confined walls of a strange tower, facing Adisa. Their reunion
turns out to be very different than what he imagined. Can the passion they once
shared break down the walls that have grown between them after months of
slavery? Or has she changed in ways he’s unprepared for?
Set
in the Viking era, this is a stand-alone, adult read with a HEA.
Excerpt
Adisa’s fingertips touched Myskia’s
tunic, hesitant. Trembling hands slowly pushed up the blood-soaked fabric. Her
cheeks coloured more with every inch of skin she revealed.
He
whispered, "It's just me, Adisa. You've done this before."
The
shirt slid to the floor. She stood still. Her gaze wandered over the mud,
grease, and blood on his forearms and neck. "I've never seen you like
this. You look," her finger shyly traced his shoulder, "so strong
when you're this dirty." Her laugh sounded incredulous.
He
didn't laugh. "But you were the strong one."
Eyes
closed, she ran a finger down the bulge of his biceps. A slow smile spread on
her face which was now heated from something other than rage.
His
heartbeat sped up. "Don't push it, Adisa …. You wouldn't want them to find us," he looked
straight at her, "making love?"
Her
eyes flew open, and the blush deepened. "You!" She thumped a fist
against his chest. "But yes. When we're home I want you to erase him from
my mind, Myskia. Replace his cruel hands with yours."
"That
should be easy." He slid his finger up her scarred arms and under the
fabric of her sleeves, caressing her tormented skin. Goosebumps erupted under
his touch. It felt amazing. He reached out to caress her cheek. "I'll make
you forget."
Their
lips met, and careful, tender, sparks prickled from his mouth to his neck,
lighting a fire that set his entire skin alight. He saw: The fire in her eyes
had not died. The realisation made his heart jump with joy. Moulding her
against him, he tipped back the hood. His finger traced the line of her neck,
felt soft hair rise at his touch. "We might not get out with our lives."
A
shiver ran through her. "If we don't make it back, if they catch us —"
His hands ran down her arms, grabbed her hands.
"Then we'll at least have celebrated our reunion."
Sarah
Dahl
Sarah Dahl lives on
the edge of the rural German Eifel and writes historical fiction primarily set
in the Viking age. She also works as an editor, translates, and coaches new
writers in German and English. She is interested in everyday life in bygone
centuries and the human stories that may have occurred behind the hard,
historical facts.
Sarah loves to hear
from readers, you can find her: Website and Blog
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It's such a pleasure to be here, thanks a million, Mary Anne! <3
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