TO WRITE EACH BOOK IN the Thunder Girls series, we choose one or more Norse myths and then give them an updated middle-grade twist. After deciding on what elements we’ll include from various retellings of the myths, we freely add interesting and funny details in order to create meaningful and entertaining stories we hope you’ll enjoy.
We also write the Goddess Girls middle-grade series, which features Greek mythology. So why write another kind of mythology now too? Good question! Our enthusiasm for Norse mythology strengthened after Suzanne began frequent visits to her daughter and granddaughter, who live in Oslo, Norway. There, representations of the Norse gods and goddesses and their myths are found in many museums. Along the walls in the courtyard of the Oslo City Hall, there are painted wooden friezes (by painter and sculptor Dagfin Werenskiold) that illustrate motifs from various Norse myths. These friezes are the inspiration for the Valhallateria friezes that come alive at the end of meals in Thunder Girls!
We hope our series will motivate you to seek out actual retellings of Norse myths, which will also give you more understanding of and “inside information” about characters, myths, and details we’ve woven into Thunder Girls. Below are some of the sources we consult to create our stories.
For more about the art and friezes at Oslo City Hall, visit theoslobook.no/2016/09/03/oslo-city-hall.
Happy reading!
Joan and Suzanne