Gate of Air
Resa Nelson
(Dragon Gods, #1)
Publication date: June 19th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Frayka must find and convince the dragon gods of the Far East to appease the gods of her Northland heritage. If she fails, her own Northlander gods will destroy all the mortals who once promised to worship them.
The Far East is a mysterious place of legend to Northlanders like Frayka. Only an old map can show her how to get there. Once she arrives, all of Frayka’s sensibilities put her in danger. And every dangerous turn delays her from finding the dragon gods whose help she so desperately needs.
Although Frayka looks like a Far Easterner, she is a powerful Northlander warrior who is quick to voice her thoughts. She is trained to fight and won’t hesitate to do so.
But everything about Frayka puts her in deadly peril in the Far East, where the laws are strict and the punishment cruel.
Especially when the one being punished is a woman.
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Interview
with Resa Nelson
What inspired you to write Gate of Air?
Gate of Air was inspired by my other
fantasy books that take place in the same world. I have a Dragon Cycle of multiple series that
take place in my fantasy version of the medieval Norse/Viking world. My intent is that you can pick up any series
and enjoy it without having to read the other series in the cycle. But you’ll get the richest experience by
starting at the beginning. Book 1 (The
Dragonslayer’s Sword) in Series 1 is currently free on Amazon, Nook, iBook, and
Kobo.
Right now there are three 4-book
series: (1) the Dragonslayer series
(about a female blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers), (2) the
Dragonfly series (about a Northlander woman living in my fantasy version of
Native America), and (3) the Dragon Gods series (about a woman who is part
Northlander and part Far Eastern). Gate
of Air is Book 1 in the Dragon Gods series.
The series also was inspired by a
high school student who contacted me and asked:
Why is it that most fantasy heroines are blond and blue-eyed? It made me want to make my Dragon Cycle more
diverse, so I decided to make the Dragon Gods series about Frayka, a young
woman who considers herself to be a Northlander even though she has inherited
her great-grandmother’s Far Eastern looks.
The Northlander gods are enraged because they feel insulted by the
dragon gods of the Far East. Because of
Frayka’s appearance, the Northlander gods task her with finding those dragon
gods and convincing them to make amends.
Can
you tell us a little bit about the next books in the Dragon Gods series or what
you have planned for the future?
Thanks to a suggestion from one of my fans, I decided to
publish the entire Dragon Gods series at once.
Frayka must find each dragon god of the Far East – the god or goddess of
air, earth, fire, and water – convince that god to help her. She must then figure out how the dragon gods
can make amends. Each dragon god lives
in his or her own realm, which means Frayka must first find the gate to that
realm and pass through it.
But this is really a series about having mixed blood from
two extremely different cultures. As a
Northlander, Frayka takes her freedom for granted. She’s a warrior who is valued by her fellow
Northlanders. But the Far East is a very
different place from the Northlands.
Frayka must learn the Far Eastern language and figure out new ways to
protect herself. She has to wrap her
head around the fact that women are treated in a very different way in the Far
East. She has to adapt in order to
survive. And at the end of the series,
she must decide what each culture means to her and whether or not she wants to
be part of it.
Can
you tell us a little bit about the characters in Gate of Air?
Frayka is the main character. She’s headstrong and outspoken, which creates
problems once she arrives in the Far East.
She also has the gift of portents, and this ability to see the future
gives her the knowledge that if she fails the Northlander gods, they will kill
Frayka and everyone she cares about.
Her sweetheart is Njall, a young man she has known since
childhood. Although Njall teased Frayka
in their younger days, he’s now devoted to her.
He will do anything to help her.
Although Frayka’s family assumes her great-grandmother
died years ago, Frayka discovers she’s still alive and kicking in the Far East. Frayka knows the traditional Northlander ways
of fighting with swords and daggers, but she learns that her great-grandmother
is well versed in the Far Eastern methods and uses a cane for fighting as well
as walking.
In Gate of Air, the villain is an emperor who genuinely
wants to do what’s best for his people.
However, the laws of the Far East are cruel, especially toward women.
You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your
favorite author and why?
I have a lot of favorite authors. Since childhood, I’ve adored the work of Ray
Bradbury because of his breath-taking prose and ideas. My “favorite” author changes often, but right
now I really like mystery author Harlan Coben because his novels twist and
turn, and his characters are lovely.
If you could time-travel would you travel to the future or
the past? Where would you like to go and why would you like to visit this
particular time period?
I need to go to ancient Egypt. There’s so much that we think we know about
it, but I’d like to see what it was really like. I’d like to see how the pyramids were built.
Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat?
Or any pets?
Technically, no, but house finches have been building
nests on my balcony for many years.
Thanks
for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today.
Thanks so much for hosting my tour!
Author Bio:
Resa Nelson is the author of the 4-book Dragonslayer series: The Dragonslayer’s Sword (nominated for the Nebula Award, finalist for the EPPIE Award), The Iron Maiden , The Stone of Darkness , and The Dragon's Egg . Her 4-book Dragonfly series takes place after the Dragonslayer series.
Her standalone novels include the mystery/thrillers All Of Us Were Sophie and Our Lady of the Absolute .
Resa has been selling short stories professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), and she is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years as well as a regular contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
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