I am thrilled to have interviewed author Marie Sinadjan, who shared with us details of her writing life, her book ‘Nameless Queen‘, which was released on 30th November 2023, and answered a few fun questions. This post contains affiliate links.

Marie Sinadjan is a Filipino speculative fiction author based in the UK. She is the co-author of The Prophecies of Ragnarok series, and her short stories have appeared in various literary journals and anthologies. She mostly writes mythology and folklore retellings blended with fantasy, sci-fi, or horror.

Nameless Queen is a prequel novella and the last instalment of The Prophecies of Ragnarok series (at least for now), so its origin story goes back to the first novel of the main trilogy, Hotel Fen. When Meri Benson and I decided to write a novel together, we brainstormed on a theme and plot based on what we had in common: Norse mythology. Locking that in, we just had to do a Ragnarok retelling, and the rest of the story sprung from there.

(Our collaboration story is here, for those who are curious of how that worked out!)

I’m that person who likes pretty notebooks but absolutely hates writing on them, so, no, I don’t have anything written down on paper. All my notes are in my laptop or my phone or hidden somewhere on the Internet. I’m also our duo’s lore keeper, so I have all the files and notes and whatnot. I knew that this book was going to have to fill in some of the blanks in the main trilogy, and I’ve noted key points as we drafted those novels, so it was a matter of threading those ideas together and arranging them chronologically and thematically. (I wrote the first of the novellas, Midnight Son, in four parts, which I had been intent on keeping.)

I chose it during the planning phase, which was while I was co-writing the final book of the main trilogy, Mist Gallows. The concept of names (and names having power) is central to Hel’s backstory, so I had to allude to that.

Nameless Queen is a Norse myth retelling, so the names already exist for most of the key players. I did a fun thing with the minor characters, however — I named them after my readers and supporters! And they really appreciated the gesture that I’ve decided to do that for all my books moving forward.

I’ve been exposed to Norse mythology since my teens, reading both fiction and nonfiction. Meri and I agreed that our approach to the series would be to fully take advantage of creative license, so “the myths aren’t what really happened” and we had to come up with new interpretations. I really enjoyed the challenge that presented, especially since I had to take into consideration related media (that I also love) such as the videogame Valkyrie Profile, Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase series, the Thor films in the MCU, and novels like Kim Wilkins’ Giants of the Frost and Thilde Kold Holdt’s The Hanged God trilogy.

As this is a prequel novella and the sixth book in a series, it just naturally followed the modern fantasy genre of its predecessors. What I did not expect was for the book to feel… well, cozy. Not until the beta feedback and early reviews started coming in!

Hel existed as a character long before the first book of the entire series was published in August 2021. Her story formed alongside the main trilogy, and as we were finalizing the plot for the final book, Meri and I realized that she was significant enough to the overarching plot to warrant a solo feature — even if only a novella.

Nameless Queen took me a little over a week to draft, but it was only about 12K words anyway. I took another week to make what I call first pass edits, which I did while the first draft was out for beta reader feedback (and the turnaround time was fast because it’s so short). Then I sent it off to my editor and, while waiting, I worked on the formatting and completing the front and back matter (which included a glossary). So about three weeks in all, and I uploaded the ebook manuscript and final cover just in time for the pre-order deadline. (My brother Michael does all the covers for my books, and he’s very fast, so I had no issues in that area.)

The paperback took about two weeks more because of the formatting and time taken up by the printing and checking of proof copies.

Cozy Norse retelling!

Marketing. It’s my writer kryptonite. I’ve never been great at “tooting my own horn” and I had to learn to get over that discomfort, as I didn’t have a publisher or a marketing team to do the selling for me. I also had to learn about the different platforms and how to leverage them, and it took a while — and a lot of trial and error — before I found my footing and figured out what works for me.

Nameless Queen is a quick, easy read if you want to try Norse mythology or the fantasy genre but with a more modern vibe. It’s a prequel novella to a series, but it can also stand alone. Don’t take it from me, though! Here are some reviews from Goodreads:

“A heartwarming and cozy reinterpretation over the Norse myth of Hel, queen of the underworld. Marie manages to write a story that is really different from your usual Norse myth, creating a less dark variant of those, while sending a different image of Loki’s daughter, and how she really becomes a leader of those in the Helheim, those souls deemed unworthy for the Valhalla.” – Jamedi

“Nameless Queen may be a short story but it packs a real emotional punch. I really loved this story and it made me want to read more of the series it is based on, the characters were so real, even though the story was short I still felt like I got a good understanding of their personalities and motivations and I found myself really caring about what would happen to them.” – Annette Jordan

“Nameless Queen is a must-read for anyone fascinated by Hel and the realm of Niflheim. I love how mythology is modernised in this novella, and how Hel’s lore is explained. Everything the author has done in this story just works fluidly. There are so many great little details about Ragnarok sewn throughout.” – H Noss

I have a lop-eared bunny plushie named Clarit. She’s quite shabby now since I’ve had her since I was about 8 or 9 years old, but she’s very dear to me that I just had to bring her when I relocated to the UK from the Philippines. (She may or may not also appear as a character in one of my future novels, lalala.)

I need music to write, and for anything longer than a short story, I make playlists. The songs are usually a mix of cinematic instrumentals, soundtracks, classical, showtunes, pop-rock, or symphonic metal. (For books in The Prophecies of Ragnarok series, there’s an obligatory song in every playlist by KEiiNO, Norway’s representative to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2019.)

My Spotify playlist for Nameless Queen is here.

I also typically write out of order. I have a vague general outline but I might start anywhere from the middle to the end. I don’t know how I make it work, but I do!

I usually write on the couch with a laptop tray while covered in a blanket. It’s cold most of the year in England so I need to keep myself warm.

I want to be the spirit of Niflheim (“the voice in the wind”), and she sings! Hel understands her just fine, but everyone else hears something like the siren’s call in the Frozen 2 and the song Into the Unknown.

Oh, he might have a story or two to share about Hel!

Owls are not really mentioned in Norse mythology, but I have read some articles online linking Hel with owls, as owls are able to see in the dark, therefore “granting them insight into the hidden mysteries of the afterlife.” (I almost used that since that’s a take I’ve never really seen in other media, but Meri and I were able to come up with something really cool for Hel’s hound Garmr, so we stuck with that.)

A big thank you to Marie Sinadjan for sharing her writing life with us and for a wonderful interview.