Tell us a little about your story and the story world you’ve created.

I framed The Legendary Inge around the Old English epic Beowulf. My heroine, Ingrid Norling, accidentally kills a Grendel-type monster, and as a reward, the king adopts her—as his son. So, she’s thrust into this ludicrous scenario where she has to pretend she’s a boy even though basically everyone knows she’s not, and no one will tell her why. Meanwhile, her own family is mired in trouble, and their secrets intersect with the mysteries unfolding at the castle.

The worldbuilding itself is minimalist. Magic exists, but it causes fear and distrust. The country, Elsemark, is in conflict with an unnamed neighbor, and subterfuge simmers within the ruling class.

Who are your main characters? Tell us a little about what makes them tick.

Inge (pronounced “ING-eh” as the Swedes do) is family-oriented, trying to keep order in the aftermath of her parents’ deaths. That’s really her motivation for everything: she wants her brothers and sisters to be safe and her father’s legacy to remain unsullied.

Her counterpart, Leiv Raske, is a warrior. He lives in the shadow of his father’s reputation, and a ruthless mentor has drilled into him the importance of strength on and off the battlefield. He values peace and compassion, but often has to hide that behind an emotionless façade.

Halvard is my mad king. His word is law, even when it’s completely illogical. His daughter, Princess Signe, is probably my favorite. She floats from one chapter to the next as a wide-eyed ingenue, but she’s deeper than she appears. Plus, she has this delightfully petty streak that made her a joy to write.

How do you select the names of your characters?

With The Legendary Inge, I searched online for Scandinavian names to match the story’s Nordic atmosphere. “Inge” was one of only two gender-neutral names that came up, so it had to stick. (The other name was “Kris,” which didn’t suit at all.) I also pulled names from my family tree: Einar and Signe, for example, come from siblings to my great-grandparents.

The given names led to patronymics (Torvaldsdotter, Rikardson, etc.). The non-patronymic surnames came from a Swedish database. Soldier names express either a quality (“Raske” = swift; “Lang” = tall) or a landscape feature (“Bergstrom” = mountain stream, “Norling” = from the north). Sweden also has a set of noblemen’s surnames that I referenced for my nobility.

However, the process is different for every book. In Namesake, the sisters were always Anjeni and Aitana, and I had to create an inventory of names that could match those two. In my Annals of Altair, most characters are named for signers of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution—except Oliver, who’s named for Oliver Cromwell because he’s a killjoy, haha. In Goldmayne, my hero is Duncan because I named his nemesis Dame Groach after the historical Lady Macbeth, and I thought it was funny to pair those two again. (Come to think of it, I code a lot of personal jokes in my names…) My go-to website is Behind the Name, but I use books and other lists as well.

When did you start writing?

In the summer of 1994, when I was 13. I’d toyed with the idea before that but didn’t think I was capable. We went to a family reunion, and a cousin I only saw once or twice a year answered my “How are you?” with “Well, I’m a writer now.” I was awestruck. She was only seven months older than me, but she wanted to write, and she did it without questioning herself. Something clicked there: I wanted to write too, and I could at least try.

It took me years to complete a first draft, but I’m forever grateful to her. I found my creative courage in her willingness to be so bold.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

“You’re in this for the long haul, so stop wasting time.”

What advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?

Keep your eye on the target, the writing itself. It’s easy to get caught up in cloud-castles of “When I’m published” or “When I’m famous” but you can’t move forward on daydreams alone. The most brilliant story idea in the world might as well not exist if you don’t dig into the actual work. So, focus on the writing first, and then write and write and write some more.

Are you on social media and can your readers interact with you?

I’m on Twitter and Instagram @katestradling, and on Facebook @KateStradlingBooks. I’m as much an introvert online as off, but it’s always fun to connect with readers.

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The Legendary Inge Discussion Questions

1. What are Inge’s goals at the start of the novel, compared with her goals at the end? How does her outlook on life differ before and after the events she experiences?
2. Torvald Geirson named his Virtue Swords for qualities he felt that each sword’s recipient could best cultivate. If he had forged a sword for Inge, what virtue do you think it would represent? What about for King Halvard? Princess Signe? Linnea?
3. Do you feel that Raske’s Virtue Sword, Mercy, fits his character? Why or why not? Why should mercy have a place on the battlefield?
4. How are the themes of family and tradition incorporated into the story? Which characters value family the most? Which value it the least?
5. The Legendary Inge drew its inspiration from the Old English epic, Beowulf. What parallels do you see between the stories? What differences?