*First recorded and premiered on YouTube in March 2024.

In Episode 5 of Valhalla Conversations I'm delighted to talk to one of my latest favourite authors, Kate Heartfield, author of The Valkyrie, an epic retelling of the Volsung Saga/Nibelunglied from the point of view of Brynhild, the fallen Valkyrie and Gudrun, sister to the ill-fated Gunnar. Her exploration of Valkyrie's role, duty, abilities, why Bryn and Odin had a disagreement, and refreshingly modern adaption of the original sources makes this a truly exceptional narrative and one I encourage anyone with an interest in norse mythology or valkyries to read. ‪

Kate Heartfield’s latest novel is The Valkyrie, a retelling of old Norse and Germanic legends. Her 2022 novel The Embroidered Book won Canada’s Aurora award, as did her debut novel, which was republished in a revised edition as The Chatelaine in 2023. She also writes interactive fiction through Choice of Games, and Assassin’s Creed tie-in novels. Her fiction has been shortlisted for the World Fantasy, Nebula, Locus, Aurora, Sunburst and Crawford awards, as well as the Ottawa Book Award, and her journalism for a National Newspaper Award. Kate grew up in Manitoba and now lives in Ottawa.

Website: https://kateheartfield.com/books/

My Book Review on my "Becky the Bookwrym" blog: https://beckybookwyrm.blogspot.com/20 ...

Kate's recommended read "Thunder Road" by Chadwick Ginther: https://chadwickginther.com/bibliogra ...