Steal the Morrow Release: Interview with Olifur

Hello everyone! I recognize that this isn't the usual day for posts here, but this is a bit of a special occasion. Specifically, it's a release celebration for Steal the Morrow, Jenelle Leanne Schmidt's fantasy retelling of Oliver Twist set in the world of the Turrim Archive! Technically, this book came out last Friday, but I had an awards ceremony to host that day on Light and Shadows, and that plus grad school took up too much brainspace for me to post here, so . . . we're celebrating today instead! I received an ARC of this book, and I really loved it — it's a wonderful story of a boy determined to do the right thing in a world that is often callous and cruel. But I'm not actually here to review the book. Instead, I have an interview with one of the characters, Olifur — and if you hop over to Light and Shadows, you'll find another interview with Jenelle herself.

About Steal the Morrow

 

The city may be dangerous, but it holds his only hope…

Abandoned on a remote highway after bandits murder his parents, young Olifur finds safety with Fritjof. The gruff woodsman teaches him and other orphans to live off the land. When Fritjof falls ill, Olifur will risk everything to save his mentor—even travel to far-off Melar seeking a doctor.

However, the city of Melar is more perilous than Olifur imagined, and doctors aren't cheap. His quest leads him first to a hazardous job working on the elevated trains high above the city. But the dangers in the clouds are nothing compared to those on the ground. Olifur soon finds himself ensnared in a web of professional thieves, and he must think fast if he is to survive the day and bring the much-needed aid to Fritjof before it is too late.

Schmidt reweaves Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" into an exciting tale of integrity and perseverance in this gaslamp-fantasy adventure.

Buy the book || Add on Goodreads || Discover the other Classics Retold

Interview with Olifur

Hello, Olifur! Welcome to the blog! To start out, please tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, your role in the story, anything that you feel is important for us to know so we can understand what makes you, you.

Well, my name is Olifur. I guess I’m the main character? I’m about 10 years old now, but three years ago my parents were murdered by highway bandits when we were on our way to Melar hoping to find a doctor who could help my mother. My father tried to stop them from taking our cart and leythan (a kind of large lizard that we use as mounts and beasts of burden here), and they killed him and my mother and then just left me behind to get eaten by wild animals.

Thankfully, Fritjof found me instead. He took me in and taught me all sorts of useful skills for surviving in the wilderness. What plants are good to eat, how to make and shoot my own bow, how to hunt, how to start a fire and cook over it, things like that. He’s rescued loads of other orphans as well, and we all stay with him in his glen… it’s kind of a school, I guess. We just don’t learn the usual things.

Sounds like you've already had a pretty exciting life, even though you're still young. Who would you say has had the biggest influence (good or bad) on your life thus far? What was the most important thing you learned from them?

I would say that the biggest influence for bad were the men who murdered my parents. They taught me that the world has a lot of cruelty and selfishness in it.

But for good, the person who has influenced my life the most is Fritjof. He doesn’t say much, but he gave me life when the whole world seemed bent on only offering death. He taught me kindness and the importance of integrity. He’s also taught me how to be self-sufficient and how to stand on my own.

Fritjof sounds like an wise and good man. Moving on, as I understand, you’ve lived both in the middle of mostly-nowhere and in the big city. Which do you prefer and why?

I definitely prefer living in the forest. Both places have their own dangers, but the dangers in the city are harder to see coming. In the forest, you always know where you stand. In the city, it always felt like the ground could be pulled out from under me at any moment. It’s harder to know who to trust in the city, since it seems to toss people against each other. In the wilderness, people have to work together to survive against the beasts and the weather.

That's a very good perspective. What’s one thing you think most people don’t know or understand about you?

I’m not as brave as everyone thinks I am. And sometimes I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, even though it often looks like I have all the answers.

Ah, well. You'll be feeling that last one for the rest of your life, trust me! Let's end on a fun question: if you had an afternoon to spend doing whatever you wanted with whomever you wanted to do it with, what would you do, and with whom would you do it?

I’d spend it going on a hunting trip with Fritjof.

That sounds like a very pleasant afternoon. On behalf of myself and my readers, thanks for answering my questions!

I hope you all enjoyed that interview! So, who's ready to meet Olifur? Again, Steal the Morrow is available in ebook and paperback form from various retailers — and if you order a copy before October 29, you can get a character art bookmark and bookplate from the author! Click here for more info on that. Having read the book already, I can definitely recommend it!
Thanks for reading!