Indie Life, Norse Gods & Heroes

Wednesday, October 9, 2013



Today’s the day when Indie Writers get together to ‘...post about Indie Life, find each other, offer support, encouragement, news, hints and anything else that makes life as an indie author a little easier.’
 
On Monday, I shared what I thought were the top 4 lessons learned in self-publishing. I should probably have saved that for today, but you can check that out here. I’ve been thinking about the following quote since I came across it and hope it offers you encouragement if you’re wondering why you’re on this writing journey. 


"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
- Calvin Coolidge


I’ll also add to Mr. Coolidge’s words. I believe that unswerving perseverance is the key to success. If I had given up when I was told that ‘Jamaica is a hard sell’ and when I though nobody would want to read books written from a Jamaican perspective, I wouldn’t have earned three publishing contracts, nor would I have taken the highway to indie publishing. 

Press on, writer friend! Visit the other Indie Lifers here.


Today, Siv Maria Ottem is hosting a blogfest in celebration of the release of her book,

Secrets of the Ash Tree. Siv will be on a blog tour from October 7-14. Check out her blog to see where the tour will lead her. Bloggers will be discussing their favourite Norse gods. See the list of participants here.

Freya or Freyja is among the most popular Norse gods. Originally worshipped as the god of fertility, Frey(j)a is also recognized as the goddess of love and beauty. Among other things, Freya is affiliated with war, wealth and death. In battle, Freya is rewarded with the souls of dead warriors. She also has the reputation of being a priestess who taught magic arts to other gods. It is said that she possesses a dress made of feathers which allows her to travel between worlds.

Being a die-hard fan of romance, I came across the goddess Freya ages ago. When I was looking for a publisher for one of my romance novels, I came across Freya’s Bower. My book didn’t exactly fit the erotica/romance books on that website and so I was published through their sister site. My link with my publisher often carries a reminder of Freya. I’m grateful to her for inspiring love stories. 

  
And if you haven’t yet signed up for the Who’s Your Hero? Blogfest, visit the Linky List here. It’s on October 22-24 and all you need to do is write a maximum of 300 words about someone who has inspired you. I’ll be drawing a $10 Amazon Gift Card for participants in the hop. 

Thanks for stopping in. How has indie life been treating you? Who's your favourite Norse God? Joining us for the Who's Your Hero Blogfest? Have a great day!

38 comments:

  1. Freya is going to be very popular today!

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  2. Freya deserves some extra recognition today. She is also my favorite and she is a major character in my book! Thanks for participating today! I have to get some time to check out that new Indie sight :)

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    1. That's pretty cool, Siv. Didn't realize that Freya is in your book.
      Do check out the indie life site.

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  3. Excellent choice on a strong woman J.L.
    -Maurice Mitchell
    The Geek Twins

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  4. I'm definitely a fan of Freya. She was an awesome goddess and one of my favorites. Happy Norse God blogging!

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  5. Maurice & S.L. Thanks for coming by. Freya's a rocking goddess.

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  6. I love your Coolidge quote, Joy. It is so true. Congrats to Siv on the release of her book :) Press On!

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  7. I suppose one could also say that successful mediocrity has been the result of persistence. There are many forgotten souls who were big in their times and have since been forgotten because they didn't actually do much of value.

    But sorry that has nothing to do with Siv's accomplishment, but it was just something that came to my mind as I read Coolidge's quote.

    Wishing you great success, Siv. Don't know that I could name a Norse god. Was Thor one?

    Lee
    Wrote By Rote

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  8. Not quitting. As simple and hard as that!

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  9. Calvin is so right, talent doesn't beat pressing on when the going gets rough. I love mythology.

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  10. Thor is definitely one, Arlee. I guess as you said there are many who've made contributions that have been forgotten.

    Good attitude, Robin. :)

    Thanks, Sandra.

    Sheena, there are times when I've felt like giving up, but I stuck with writing for the love of it. The personal satisfaction is its own reward.

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  11. Freya's been getting a lot of love today! Great choice.

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  12. Freyja is totally a renaissance (wo)man! She does so many things. I love that she's both a goddess of the slain and a goddess of love, too. Of course there's also that story of how she may or may not have started the war between the Aesir and the Vanir, too, but I think no one can really agree if that was her or not.

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    1. Amalia, you know a whole lot more about Freya than I do. Hadn't thought about her influence on death and love all at the same time.

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  13. Good Luck to Siv! Happy Birthday, too! Nice to have a book's coming out party on your birthday.
    An interesting blogfest. Enjoyed your post.

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  14. This post and the previous one about the four lessons you've learned are golden. I agree about persistence and perseverance. I was told Texas without cowboys was a hard sell, too.

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    1. Hmm...I see we all have our challenges. Good thing we've found a way around them. :)

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  15. I'll be hopping with Siv next week! Her blogfest is too much fun. :)

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  16. Ha ha my name's up on your "You might like" section.
    I love that quote. It really does make the difference. You get nowhere by giving up!

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    1. How cool is that? It's said we never know what we could have achieved if we decide to give up.

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  17. Hurray for Siv! Freyja and Odin are my two favorites. And that's excellent self-publishing advice. Sometimes I forget it's a marathon and get frustrated.

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    1. Christine, I often have to remind myself that overnight success stories have a lot of history behind them.

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  18. As always, a great Indie Life post (especially combined with Monday's). Have a great month, J.L.!

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  19. Awesome quote Joy, so glad you perservered.

    Freya is inspiration to mothers everywhere; and I'm sure she is the mother of the Banshee's as the Vikings traveled through what is now Europe.

    .......dhole

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  20. "unswerving perseverance" I like that!
    Congratulations Siv!!

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  21. Freya is popular today. You always give great advice, Joy!!

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  22. Congratulations, Siv!

    I hadn't heard of Freya, so it's good to learn about such a powerful goddess.

    Thanks, JL.

    xoRobyn

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  23. Many thanks for coming by to share your thoughts and comments. Hugs.

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  24. Won that quote is such a wakeup call. and thank you for introducing the Norse gods post. I love mythology and Viking legend and myth is one of my favourites.

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