Hello, everyone! It's the fifth day of the Frosted Roses blog tour, which means we're almost to the end. Only two books left — but we've saved one of the best for almost-last, I have to say. Secrets of the Mountain is the latest from Wyn Estelle Owens, and I love it so storming much. Today, I'll be interviewing one of the lead characters, Ásbjǫrn, but first, of course, we need some context . . .

About . . .

Secrets of the Mountain

If there’s one thing Svanhilda has always known, it’s the importance of family. When her little sister Rósfrída was born, Svanhilda promised her mother that she and her sister would stick together. But as the years passed, tragedy after tragedy befell her family, ripping it apart piece by piece, until only Svanhilda remains at home with her ailing mother. And Rósfrída? She has stayed with Svanhilda, as they promised long ago—every time Svanhilda looks at her reflection, she sees her little sister instead, trapped in a prison of mirrors and treasure. Their only hope is that either their seafaring Father or Rósfrída’s strange bear friend might find a way to free her.

Tryggvi lost his mother and father a long, long time ago—so long ago that he barely remembers them. When a boy prince named Asbjǫrn finds him wandering in the woods, he takes Tryggvi home and calls him brother, and his parents welcome Tryggvi as their son. Some years later, Asbjǫrn leaves to study for a year… but he never returns, and is thought dead and gone.
But Tryggvi is convinced his brother still lives--and not without evidence. So, now that he is finally old enough, Tryggvi sets out to find Asbjǫrn, armed with his cat and an amber pendant which enables him to see the truth of things. And he will find out the truth and bring his big brother home. After all, he promised his baby sister he would, and that’s not a promise he’s willing to break.

On the mountain there is a cave, and in the cave there is a mirror, and in that mirror live two friends: a girl and a bear, trapped in secrets, imprisoned by treasures of great worth. But help is coming, and the secret deeds done in darkness will be revealed, and the prisoners will be set free.

Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

Wyn Estelle Owens

Wyn Estelle Owens is the penname of a young woman who’s still figuring out what this whole ‘adult’ thing is all about. She lives in a big, old house in Maryland by a Hundred Acre Wood (dubbed Neldoreth) with her parents, three occasionally obnoxious brothers, her dog Jackie, and her personal plot bunny, Joker.

She is fond of reading, writing, drawing, speaking in dead or imaginary languages, playing videogames, quoting classic or obscure literature, being randomly dramatic, and generally making things out of yarn. Her dream is to write stories that inspire people to chase after the wonderful world of storytelling.

Her favorite all-time authors are Anne Elisabeth Stengl, Christa Kinde, and above all, J.R.R. Tolkien, who first inspired her to pursuing novel writing when she read the Hobbit at the age of seven.

Find her online at: Goodreads || Facebook || Amazon

The Frosted Roses

The Frosted Roses are six retellings of the Snow White and Rose Red fairytale, each one fantastical and magical. You don't want to miss any of them! You can learn more about the books and find the full tour schedule on the tour page.

The Frosted Roses are the result of the 2020 Arista Challenge. The Arista Challenge is hosted by Kendra E. Ardnek; it invites fairy tale authors to come together in community as they work on unique retellings of a selected fairy tale.

Interview With Asbjorn

Welcome to the blog, Ásbjǫrn! As usual, to start out, please tell us a little about yourself: who you are, what you do, anything you think we should know.

Hail and well met! I am Ásbjǫrn Ólafsson of the Bjǫrnings, and my father is the king of the Folkbiǫrn. My mother is the Queen, Ljúfvina, and I have two siblings, my brother Tryggvi and a little sister, Dagný. I’ve been away from home for a long time, however, so I just met her for the first time recently.

Aw, it's always hard being away from family. And I've heard that family is very important to you, especially your younger brother, Tryggvi. Can you tell us about him and your relationship with him?

I found Tryggvi in the woods when we were both small. He’d been wandering in the forest for days, eating nuts and berries and roots and such. He had no family, so I took him home and gave him mine instead. I didn’t have any other siblings, so we grew to be very close. As far as my family and I (and our people, for that matter) are concerned, he was born as one of the Bjǫrnings and a Bjǫrning he shall always be.

That's a wonderful perspective to have. What about those outside your family, those you've met since, ah, leaving home? What do you think of them? Anyone you're especially close to?

Well, almost all of my time away was spent on one mountain, which meant I didn’t get to meet very many people. Those I did meet are all amazing in their own ways, however! Little Rósfrída, for instance—though she’s not so little, now—but she stayed brave in a very difficult situation. And Flosi the Bard, who’s traveled a great many places and always has new stories to tell. And Svanhillda… she’s stood as a pillar of strength and kindness, doing her best to be there for each members of her family during a trying time. I find that admirable. I find everything about her admirable, to tell the truth. She was a great friend to me during my time away from home, and I cherish her company greatly.

Those all sound like marvelous people! Now, I'm sure that in a world as magical and marvelous as your own, there are many stories of great heroes and strange adventures. Are there any such legends that you especially enjoy?

My favorite legends? Well, growing up, Tryggvi and I always loved to hear stories about the great princes and kings of the Bjǫrnings; the tale of Prince Býulfr especially!

Recently, however, I made friends with Flosi—an elvish bard who’s traveled far, and he’s told me a great many stories I’d never heard before. Some of my favorites are the legends of the exploits of Flosi’s masters—Funi Austvindr and Refskegg. They’ve gotten tangled up in a great many tales, and all of them are enthralling.

Hmmmm. Those do sound like fascinating characters. I'd love to be able to read some of those tales they've been tangled up in; I'm sure they're as marvelous as your own. Moving on, if you could travel anywhere in the wide world with guaranteed safe return, where would you go?

Hmm… I’d think the first place I’d like to go would be the land across the Sea where the Four Winds dwell. The Austvindr, the East Wind himself lives there, after all, and I hope someday to meet him, and thank him for indirectly providing my brother Tryggvi with his precious heirloom.

Beyond that… I’m not sure. The world is wide, after all, and a part of me wants to explore it all. But the greater part is much happier to be at home, surrounded by my family.

Tryggvi, however—he’s always been a wild one, and I think Flosi’s tales have opened his ears to the wind’s call. But who knows?

The world is indeed wide, but I think you've picked a good place to want to visit. I think that would be an interesting trip myself — though I hardly blame you for wanting to stay home, after all you've been through! What's one thing from your recent adventures that you hope you never forget?

As cliché as it sounds, the friendships I made along the way. My stay away from home wasn’t in what I would consider the most pleasant circumstances, but the kindness of Kiúli and his wife, and of their daughters, made my burden much easier to bear. And, towards the end of my time on that mountain, I met Flosi, who has since become a good friend; I’ve found that even if he rarely stays in one place for very long, he is always there when you need him.

But I think the moment from my adventure that I shall cherish the most, is that moment when I saw Tryggvi again. It was amazing and painful and wonderful, and I never want to forget that as long as I live.

I can imagine. Thank you for your time, Ásbjǫrn, and for answering my questions!

~~~~~

What do you think of Ásbjǫrn? Would you, like him, prefer to be at home with loved ones, or would you rather explore like Tryggvi? Please tell me in the comments! And don't forget to check out the rest of the tour stops and enter the giveaway!
Thanks for reading!