Shauna Lawless is an avid reader of Irish mythology and folklore. As an Irish woman, she loves that Irish mythology has inspired so many stories over the years, however, she wanted to explore the history and mythology of Ireland in a more authentic way. She lives in Northern Ireland with her family.

You can find Shauna on her website or on Twitter, and you can purchase her books here: Books – Shauna Lawless is writing

Welcome to the Hive, Shauna! You’re here today to tell us all about your upcoming debut, The Children of Gods and Fighting Men – what can readers expect?

Hi Nils! Thanks for having me on the blog. My novel is a historical fantasy, set in 10th century Ireland. It revolves around a time in Irish history when the Irish kings were at war with the Viking kings of Dublin. The Irish kings were also quite often at war with each other. Alongside the historical characters and stories, I have included characters who are descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann and Fomorians, both tribes of magical people from Irish mythology. 

So, in a nutshell, there is a lot of fighting, scheming, war, magic, and family strife… and also lots of heart.

Well that sounds like the ingredients for a great read to me!

Your cover was revealed yesterday and the design was by the extremely talented Micaela Alcaino. How involved in the process were you? Was there a particular aesthetic you hoped they’d portray?

Do you know, I wasn’t hugely involved, and I quite liked this. I am not artistic at all and would have been very stressed out by having to come up with a cover design on my own. Micaela Alcaino is amazing. Her covers of Ariadne and Empire of the Vampire are spectacular and so I was more than delighted to let her and the marketing team come up with their own concepts. The cover was therefore a complete surprise, and I was just amazed at how beautiful it was. All the little details are wonderful – and I hope the readers will understand the cover symbolism more once they have finished the book.

Cover art by Micaela Alcaino (@micaelaalcaino on Twitter)

Tell us a little something about your writing process – do you have a certain method? Do you find music helps? Give us a glimpse into your world!

I love writing. It’s my favourite thing to do. When I have a story on the go, I sit down and start writing and hours can pass before I know it. I have a vague outline of what happens in the book, but I don’t like to plan too much either.

Music is a must when I am writing my first draft. I find music, usually soundtrack or classical, helps me visualise the scenes. However, when I’m editing, I need silence. The words have their own rhythm and I find it distracting if it’s competing against something else. I also read my final draft out loud. No music then either.

In terms of schedule, time is my enemy. I have another job and three children and so finding time to write can be difficult. However, I feel that thinking about the story is a form of writing. So, when I’m driving to work, or waiting to do the school pick up, I daydream about the plot and characters. This means that when I find time to open my laptop, the words just flow.

Speaking of worlds, The Children of Gods and Fighting Men is described as a blend of Irish mythology and real-life history. Can you tell us which particular aspects of Irish mythology inspired your worldbuilding? 

The Irish mythology story that most inspired my world was The Second Battle of Moytura. This battle comes about because the Fomorians (sometimes described as giants) had enslaved the Irish people. The Tuatha Dé Danann decided to fight with the Irish people to defeat the Fomorians and win back their freedom. The story is epic and full of wonderful characters, but the most interesting thing about it for me was the magic system. The Fomorians are strong and their king has fire-magic, which he uses to kill his enemies. The Tuatha Dé Danann has a variety of magical powers. Some are healers, some are warriors. There are also witches, druids and prophets. I found this battle between the two magical groups to be fascinating.

Knowing very little of Irish mythology, this sounds so good. 

Can you tell us a bit more about the magic? 

Some characters are descended from the Fomorians and have fire-magic. Other characters are descended from the Tuatha Dé Danann and have one of their magical abilities. However, their powers are fading, and their numbers are dwindling, and so they have retreated from the mortals. The two magical tribes are also sworn enemies and so hide away, fearful of discovery by each other. 

Your book features two central female characters, Gormflaith and Fódla. Could you tell us a bit more about them? Do you have a favourite type of character you enjoy writing?

Gormflaith is a former queen of Dublin. She wants her son to be king of Dublin and will do anything to help him. She is ambitious, ruthless, and very clever.

Fódla is a healer of the Tuatha Dé Danann. She loves her family very deeply and is troubled by the wars within Ireland. She desires peace and finds the warmongering mortals difficult to understand. She is very sweet but also very strong in her own way. Her love for her family sustains her and she will endure anything to protect them.

I like my characters to feel ‘real’. That’s really my only requirement. My character can be anything from a queen to a warrior to a fisherman, as long as I feel they are a realistic portrayal of someone living that life. Gormflaith and Fódla are the complete opposite in every way – however, I do enjoy writing both equally.

What (or who) are your most significant fantasy/sci-fi influences? Are there any creators whom you dream of working with someday?

I read The Lord of the Rings when I was about eleven and I was immediately obsessed with it.

I can relate to this!

As the years went by, I read more and more fantasy and historical fiction. I’m drawn to classical and heroic fantasy, but also enjoy fantasy with morally grey characters. Anthony Ryan, Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, G.R.R. Martin, Ken Liu, Christopher Buehlman, Tasha Suri, John Gwynne, Brian Staveley, and Anna Smith Spark are my favourite modern authors. 

And I would love to work with any of them. Maybe one day an opportunity will arise. 

As a debut author how have you found the journey from gaining an agent to now being published by Head of Zeus? And how have you found the editing process? Enjoyable, stressful or satisfying?

I’ve really loved the whole process. As soon as I signed with my agent Ed Wilson (Johnson & Alcock) and Head of Zeus, everything has taken off. Ed and the team at Head of Zeus really know their stuff and I’d be completely lost without them.

In terms of editing, the main change Head of Zeus wanted was for me to add two chapters at the end of the novel, as they thought it ended too abruptly. To that end, I found the editing to be relatively stress free, as I wasn’t asked to change the main story or plot. I was adding, rather than taking away. I’ve just finished the copy edit, so aside from a last proof-read, everything is nearly tied down and I’m so excited now for people to read it.

The world shifts, and you find yourself with an extra day on your hands during which you’re not allowed to write. How do you choose to spend the day?

With my family. Always. 

We would go for walks, play games, read books and chat over a campfire. Nothing fancy required. Just each other. And food. Preferably chocolate.

One of our favourite questions here on the Fantasy Hive: which fantastical creature would you ride into battle and why?

Surely a dragon is the only correct answer to this question!   

Tell us about a book you love. Any hidden gems?

I love so many books. I could talk about books all day. If I thought about novels that might not be so well known as others, I would say The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman and The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark. A historical fiction must-read is Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor.

The Justice of Kings by Richard Swan, which is about to be released in February, is an amazing read. I’m also very excited to read The Martyr by Anthony Ryan.

Can you tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress? Have you any upcoming projects which you can share?

I am currently editing book two of my current series and am hoping to start on book three soon. I have another series plotted out, so once I finish this series, I will make a start on that. 

Are you planning anything fun to celebrate your new release? Do you have any upcoming virtual events our readers may be interested in? 

Nothing is scheduled yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get to do some fun events and launches in September, but that depends on the pandemic and how safe it is to do so.

If ‘in person’ events are not possible, I will certainly try to do a few virtual events/podcasts. 

Finally, what is the one thing you hope readers take away from your writing?

I’m hoping that readers will enjoy the Irish history and mythology. There is a lot of conflict and interesting family dynamics that I hope people will relate to. However, the core theme, about war and how it impacts people, is important and I hope it inspires a conversation or two.

Thank you so much for joining us today!

The Children of Gods and Fighting Men is due for publication in the UK on 1st September 2022

You can pre-order your copy now from:

Waterstones | Amazon.co.uk | Blackwell’s

Amazon.com