Can you tell me about your book, Ivory Bones, from your point of view?
Ivory Bones: The Lewis Chessmen Murders is the second in a historical mystery series that features Brynja Pálsdóttir, an Icelandic forensic geneticist. A four-hundred-year-old diary along with skeletal remains are unearthed at a building site. Brynja is shocked to learn the diary was written by a captive of the Barbary pirate raid on Iceland in 1627. Using genetic technology, she traces the skeletal remains to a descendent of the diarist, Anna Björnsdóttir, whose family owned the medieval Lewis Chessmen. In reading the diary, Brynja follows the tragic life of Anna, who is swept across the seas to meet a slave’s fate in North Africa. Brynja soon realizes the diary contains clues to whereabouts of the missing Lewis Chessmen. But the stakes intensify when an elusive assassin is determined to acquire the chess pieces—each worth millions in the art market. Brynja races against time to unravel the enigma before she herself becomes a pawn in the deadly game.
Ivory Bones explores themes of resilience, survival against all odds, and self-determination. In comparing her own life to Anna’s story as a captive and slave, Brynja comes to realize that her self-imposed constraints have kept her captive as well. Ivory Bones not only reveals secrets long buried in the past, but the deeper mystery that lies in each and every one of us.
What was the most challenging part of writing Ivory Bones?
The most challenging part of writing Ivory Bones was making sure the historical aspects were absolutely accurate, in particular, the horror of the Barbary pirate raids on Iceland. These raids took place in the early 1600s when pirates from North Africa descended upon villages in the North Atlantic Sea, taking them as slaves back to North Africa. Interestingly, most of these pirates were originally from northern Europe (Dutch, German) who had been privateers working for their governments until they were captured, converted, and became pirates themselves.
As Barbary pirate raids on Iceland is a little-known piece of history, I did a deep dive into the details, reading many books on the topic, and consulting with two renowned experts in the field, Adam Nichols and Karl Smari Hreinsson. In addition, I visited the sites in Iceland where the raids took place and toured a museum exhibit devoted to the topic. I felt it was important to honor the memory of the victims sold into slavery even though I found it heartbreaking to learn of their horrific experiences. Every Icelander holds the memory of these devastating pirate raids in their collective conscience.
What makes Iceland the ultimate setting for a Nordic mystery like Ivory Bones?
The remote, isolated farmsteads and eerie landscapes of Iceland cry out for a murder mystery. Two-thirds of the Icelandic population live in Reykjavik, the capital. That leaves just 140,000 people spread through the entire rest of the country. My first novel, Double Blind, involved a young boy who vanished from a carnival. Iceland has a long history of trying to make sense of people that have disappeared. Although most Icelanders no longer believe in the Huldafolk (Hidden People), in the past, when a child disappeared or a young unmarried woman became pregnant or a house was broken into, it was often the hidden folk that were responsible. Perhaps that was a convenient explanation or a way to understand the unknowable.
In Ivory Bones, I based the story on a real event that occurred in Iceland, the 1627 Barbary pirate raid that forced four hundred villagers into slavery. The contrast between the captive villagers’ rural lives in Iceland and the brutality of their experience in Algiers allowed me to explore the immense resilience and strength of Icelanders to survive against all odds.
Tell us more about your passion for Nordic culture and how it inspired you in writing your book.
As an author writing about a different country from my own, I felt it was extremely important to understand Icelandic culture. I’ve been to Iceland many times and am enamored by the great spirit of Icelanders. They are a creative, hard-working, and resilient people. A central theme of my books is that of perseverance, of never giving up. Imagine sailing over a thousand miles in wooden boats across the open seas from Norway to Iceland in the 10th century and learning to survive surviving in an inhospitable landscape. I figured if they could do that, I could certainly take on a new challenge and write novels.
Icelanders also love to have a good time. I have incorporated much of their culture and history in my books, everything from eating fermented shark to listing people by first name in the telephone book to the dating app informing users how closely related they are so that you don’t stumble home from the bar with your second or third cousin (most of its 370,000 people are descended from the same Viking settlers).
Give us a few behind-the-scenes details on how you researched the Lewis Chessmen and wove Iceland’s history into Ivory Bones’ plot.
The Lewis Chessmen are twelfth century chess pieces intricately carved from walrus ivory, originating either in Norway or Iceland. I read Nancy Marie Brown’s book Ivory Vikings, the Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them and was convinced they were carved by Margret the Adroit, the wife of a priest at Skálholt Cathedral in Iceland. I visited the cathedral and learned a twelfth century ivory bishop’s staff had been carved there as well I then toured the National Museum in Iceland to see the bishop’s staff as well as traveled to London to see firsthand the Lewis Chessmen in the British Museum.
As I knew of the Barbary pirate raid on Iceland in the 1600s, I then wove the fact that several of the Lewis Chessmen are lost to history into the story. I had a captive of the raid whose family owned the Lewis Chessmen hide several of the pieces and write about clues to their location in her diary. As the pieces are extremely valuable, there are competing individual trying to find the missing chess pieces, one of whom is an assassin, willing to kill to get their hands on them.
Tell me how you incorporate real science into your fiction and how it helps readers connect with both the story and the scientific process.
I was a genetic researcher at the University of California for twenty-five years before becoming an author. When deciding to change course and write novels, I wanted to include some light genetics into the mystery. Scientists are problem solvers. And so are writers (especially mystery writers). But there’s always this tug-of-war between the right and left brain, between the freedom of creativity and the precision of an analytic approach. So sometimes they battle it out.
I was initially intrigued by a company in Iceland that has collected DNA from the majority of its citizens. They use this DNA database to isolate genes that contribute to common diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer. I went to Reykjavik to tour the company and the country. I immediately felt connected to the eerily beautiful landscapes, the creative and kind people, and the sometimes-quirky culture. I also understand just how much fate plays a role in our lives. That doesn’t sound very scientific but having gotten to know many people affected by genetic disease, I know the impact a simple glitch in DNA can have on one’s life. I also felt well-equipped to write a mystery involving a forensic geneticist since I understand the science. One of the things I tried to do with this book is make genetics and science exciting and accessible as part of the mystery.
What would be your message to writers and dreamers to draw from their life experiences and embrace the journey of creativity.
First, I would say to write what interests you, whether that entails an aspect of your own life experience, or something you are curious and want to learn more about. That way, your enthusiasm will come across in whatever story you choose to tell. Second, it is never too late to embark on your creative journey. I can speak from experience, having turned from scientist to an author of historical fiction. I was a research geneticist for twenty-five years before being diagnosed with ovarian cancer a few years ago. I took a step back and decided to reinvent myself. I’ve always been a passionate reader and writer. I love historical fiction and international thrillers. Perhaps what I love most about them is that I learn something new in a fun, engaging way. And third, just dive in. Don’t feel overwhelmed or intimated. If telling your story is important to you and it takes years, even decades, to reach your goal, then every bit of time and effort you put into it will pay off. At the very least, you will know you put your all into it.
What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers after finishing Ivory Bones?
I hope the life experiences of both Anna and Brynja will help inspire the reader to face their own challenges. Both Anna, having been taken from her homeland in Iceland and sold into slavery, and Brynja, who faces her own demons, grow to realize they have control over how they react to their life experiences. There may be forces affecting them that they have no control over, but it is their response to those forces that matter. Live the life you have and try to make the most of it.
What would you say is the most interesting quirk of your book?
I tangled with the knowledge that I am a descendent of the mastermind behind pirate raid on Iceland in 1627. Jan Janszoon was a Dutch privateer before becoming a pirate and taking slaves from the North Atlantic back to Algeria and Morocco. At first, I was horrified to learn of this connection, as we are usually proud of our ancestors. But then, after taking a deep breath (or two), I came to terms with the fact that I can’t be responsible for the actions of a man living four hundred years ago. I can only be responsible for my own actions.
Do you have a sequel planned for your book? If not, are you working on any other projects?
I am writing a sequel, the third in a trilogy series. The next book will be titled
Silent Thaw: The Greenland Bog Murders and, as you can guess, is set in Greenland. Many of the same characters will appear in the race is on to solve the murders of the local indigenous Inuit. Here is a short synopsis:
“As the ice cap melts in southern Greenland, indigenous Inuit leaders mysteriously disappear, their bodies unearthed in nearby bogs. When a vast trove of rare earth elements are discovered beneath the site of an Viking settlement, a geopolitical storm erupts: Denmark claims the territory as their own, China controls mining rights in the region, the US battles for ownership of Greenland, Iceland insists a parchment map drawn by Leif Eriksson provides UNESCO protection, and the Inuit refuse to relinquish their historical right to autonomous control of the region.” Forensic genetics is once again used to solve the murders and the reader will be immersed in the life and culture of Greenland, from past to present.
Discover more about Sara Winokur on her website, or grab your copy of Ivory Bones here.
