To Kristin Bjorg Ísfeld for her personal tour of the Viking house ruins at Stöng and the land around Thingvellir in Iceland, and to traveling companions Zeke Healy and Brenden Jones. To my friend Dale Favier, who burst out in Old Norse when he heard about my book, and who graciously provided an excerpt of his poem, Infanta, for use in the farm diary.
To the librarians and reference staff of Multnomah County Library, for helping me with questions like how to cut up a whale, and for use of the cool and quiet Sterling Writers Room. To Tamlin who helped name Slitasongr, and the many other good people of the SCA Barony of Adiantum. To Tami Bridges Hawes, too, and to everyone who tried to teach me naalbinding, bless you. I’m sorry, I never did get it.
To two people I’ve never met, yet who helped me tremendously with my research. William R. Short, author of Icelanders in the Viking Age: The People of the Sagas, is a Viking fighting technique expert and all-around incredible source of knowledge (see hurstwic.org.) Also the online Viking Answer Lady. To my online writers’ groups at Ravelry.com and “WA.” To my friends Minka Wallace and Beate & Ron Weiss-Krull for their friendship through this project.
And to all those who supported my Kickstarter campaign to visit Erik the Red’s House in Iceland. Foremost my PRESENTING SPONSOR and longtime friend Craig Cobalt. To all of you, I enjoyed sending you postcards!
Anne Garrison
Antje Hegemann
Barry Goldstein
Beverly Army Williams
Brett Hendricks
Candace Decker
Christian P.P. Donker & Coert Donker
Christopher Kaiser
Craig Matthews
Dale Favier
Elizabeth Beekley
Erica Pittman
Eric Hobberstad
Funnytool
Glenn Copeland
Harry Steinman
Jeanmarie Higgins
Jeff Sypeck
K. Jespersen
Kellan Elliott-McCrea
Laura Fitzpatrick
Laura Stanfill
Lynette Golden Fitzpatrick
Marcee & Tim Rogers
Marylee Klinkhammer
Michelle Kroll
Michelle Toich Anderson
Minka/The Olivia Darlings
Paul Cortellesi
Rachael Herron
Rich Laux
Rosalind Simpson
Rowan Rose
Sarah Gilbert
Shannon Okey
Shira Lipkin
Stephen Grout
Thor Ernstsson
ABOUT LARISSA BROWN
Larissa Brown is a writer who lives in Portland, Oregon. This is her first novel.
ABOUT COOPERATIVE PRESS
Cooperative Press (formerly anezka media) was founded in 2007 by Shannon Okey, a voracious reader as well as writer and editor, who had been doing freelance acquisitions work, introducing authors with projects she believed in to editors at various publishers.
Although working with traditional publishers can be very rewarding, there are some books that fly under their radar. They’re too avant–garde, or the marketing department doesn’t know how to sell them, or they don’t think they’ll sell 50,000 copies in a year.
5,000 or 50,000. Does the book matter to that 5,000? Then it should be published.
In 2009, Cooperative Press changed its named to reflect the relationships we have developed with authors working on books. We work together to put out the best quality books we can and share in the proceeds accordingly.
Thank you for supporting independent publishers and authors.
WWW.COOPERATIVEPRESS.COM
Table of Contents
BEAUTIFUL WRECK
Beautiful Wreck
COOPERATIVE TRADE
Contents
A Note on Language
“Farm Note”
INTO THE STEAM
BEACHED
SPINNING
FALLS
Walls
AN ACRE
FLOWERS & FLAME
INTENTIONS
ARROWS & SPEARS
SNOW & STARS
NIGHT SKIING
GOD-MAKER
THE WATER’S EDGE
GATHERING
FREEZING
SWIMMER
THIRST
Many Thanks
about larissa brown
aBOUT COOPERATIVE PRESS
Beautiful Wreck Page 50