Two brothers lived next door to each other for decades and never spoke a word. When Norwegian artist Lars Elling was a boy, they were his grandfather and great-uncle, and he never learned why. Years later, that silence became his debut novel.

This week on Rock, Paper, Swords!, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill talk to Lars about The Princes of Paupers Pond, a literary story of childhood adventure in the Norwegian forests, the bond between brothers, and the long shadow of decisions made before the First World War.

In this episode:

• The real “War of the Apples”, and how a feud over fallen fruit became a novel
• How a painter shut out by the pandemic started writing, 9am to 1pm, seven days a week
• Why Lars’s prose is so visual, and how painting shapes his storytelling
• Writing Norway from a wine farm in South Africa
• The sequel, Filip of Starholm, which sends a young artist to Sarajevo in 1991
• What gets lost, and what gets invented, when you turn family history into fiction

Before the interview, Matthew and Justin catch up on first drafts, proof edits, agents and rejections, Professor Tom Licence’s book on Harold II, and Matthew’s Roman novel Guardian of Rome: Incendium.

Perfect for fans of historical fiction, literary fiction, Nordic and Scandinavian stories, and anyone fascinated by the creative process.

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Keywords: Lars Elling, The Princes of Paupers Pond, Norwegian novel, Nordic fiction, Scandinavian literature, historical fiction podcast, author interview, artist turned novelist, family secrets, pre-war Norway, writing podcast, Matthew Harffy, Justin Hill

Justin's just had his proofs back — and Matthew's grilling him about it. This week, Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill go deep on the editing process: the difference between developmental notes, line edits, copy edits and proofs, when to push back on an editor and when to just let it go, and the single most painful piece of editorial feedback Matthew's ever received (it nearly took out a main character in A Time for Swords). Plus: Justin's novel is out on submission and they talk candidly about the agonising wait, the myth of the big-money auction, and whether either of them would go back and re-edit an old book. And in the news: the Stamford Bridge 1066 Viking anthology is out now, and the A Century of Swords Kickstarter is still live.

🔗 Patreon: patreon.com/RockPaperSwordsPodcast📧 rockpaperswordspodcast@gmail.com

Matthew Harffy and Justin Hill are joined by Professor Ryan Lavelle (University of Winchester, historical advisor on The Last Kingdom and Assassin's Creed Valhalla) and wargames designer James Morris to talk Winchester Shieldwall — their Viking Age wargaming forum bringing together historians, writers and wargamers. They dig into the Battle of Maldon, the myths around the Viking shieldwall, and the battles they'd love to refight one day, from Clontarf to the siege of London.

Plus news on Matthew's new book deal, Stamford Bridge 1066: A Viking Anthology, and the A Century of Swords Kickstarter.

Winchester Shieldwall is on Saturday 21st November at the University of Winchester — tickets: https://store.winchester.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences/school-of-humanities/winchester-shieldwall-a-wargaming-forum-on-viking-age-warfare

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