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Audio snippet coming soon
NORDIC NOIR PRESS
Vanguard literature from Scandinavia
NORDIC NOIR PRESS
The Nordic Noir Press is an independent literary press founded in Norway, January 2023, by Canadian/Norwegian Brynjulf Haugan and US/Norwegian Brian M. Talgo, committed to advancing authors living in Scandinavia, writing in English. There are currently very few alternatives for writers living abroad wishing to have their work published in English, while the prospect of gaining access to publishers in the English-speaking literary world has become increasingly difficult.
BOOKS
The Salt of Ancient Tears, our first publication, and The Way of the Raven, are now available as both an eBook and as a Print on demand. They are also both available locally in select bookstores throughout Norway:
- Ark
- Norli
- Akademika
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The Salt of Ancient Tears has previously been published in Norwegian (Tårer fra en tapt tid – 2017) and Czech (Sůl pradávných slz – 2020). Our publication marks the first time that it will be published in English, the original language.
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Please note that Nordic Noir Press is currently closed to unsolicited manuscripts.
In Julia, a successful lawyer, and Magnus, a talented artist, we meet two troubled souls living in present-day Oslo, haunted by dark thoughts and feelings they cannot understand—echoes of unresolved traumatic events from what seem to be former lives.
Julia takes on a risky high society lawsuit involving a powerful hotel magnate, while Magnus receives a commission to paint his portrait to commemorate the opening of his new flagship hotel. Julia and Magnus repeatedly cross each other's paths, and despite their different lifestyles, an awkward and seemingly uncomfortable relationship unfolds.
Chance encounters with an ancient Norse symbol, the Jörmungandr, lead them to Leonard, an alternative doctor with a fascination for Norse history. Using an esoteric method to evoke buried memories, Leonard helps them confront a distant and brutal past, convinced this is the key to catharsis and closure in the present.
The Salt of Ancient Tears is a sweeping, high-concept time-slip story that seamlessly blends elements of Nordic noir, suspense, and romance, weaving together modern times with the enigmatic fate of Eystribygð, the last Viking settlement in Greenland.
Rooted in historical fact, the storyline delves into perhaps Medieval Europe's greatest mystery—the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the entire Norse Greenland population in the early 15th century. As a captivating subplot, the authors present a thought-provoking yet plausible theory explaining the tragic fate of this long-lost Viking settlement.
Kindle: $4.99 on Amazon
Print: $16.99 on Amazon
THE SALT OF ANCIENT TEARS
THE WAY OF THE RAVEN
Following its predecessor, The Salt of Ancient Tears, The Way of the Raven continues in the same high-concept vein of romantic adventure and suspense. In this second volume, focus shifts from the present to the past as the story explores the fascinating possibilities involving the coming together of two entirely different cultures; Late Medieval Norse encountering Eastern Canadian Native America. As with The Salt of Ancient Tears, past and present are intricately woven together in a tapestry of seemingly unrelated events, which slowly merge together like a time-traveling detective mystery.​
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15th century pre-Columbian Newfoundland: Continuing the saga of Greenland’s lost Norse colony, a small group of survivors escape Greenland's tragic fate, only to have their ship blown off course and wrecked upon the shores of an unknown western land. Rescued by the Beothuk, a local Native American tribe, the two groups befriend one another and become close allies. Although the Norsemen thrive in the place they call Vínland, one young Greenlander longs to return to Greenland to uncover the fate of his people. When Norse ships are reportedly spotted in the south, he finally sees his chance. Together with two friends, he embarks on a fateful journey to find out if the reports are true, the consequences of which will alter the lives of everyone involved.
Oslo, present-day: Leonard Koll, the enigmatic physician who guided Julia and Magnus out of their troubled lives utilizing the Wind in the Blood, suspects that he also has a place in their Norse Greenland narrative. Prompted by Julia and Magnus’ experiences, Leonard soon finds himself caught between two worlds himself: the distant world of pre-Colombian Canada, and a painfull unresolved relationship in the present. Seeking help in understanding his disquieting dreams and visions, When Leonard visits his former Wind in the Blood mentor in Canada, everything finally begins to come together…
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Kindle: $4.99 on Amazon
Print: $16.99 on Amazon
THE AUTHORS
Brynjulf Haugan and Brian M. Talgo, aka The Lost Viking Writers, have known each other since 1995. They previously played in a band together, Dim Vision, and share a common 'Americanness', Brynjulf being from Canada, Brian from the US.
The pairing of the writers began one New Year’s Eve, when the Talgo's were invited to celebrate with the Haugan's. As the story goes, arriving at the Haugan's, Brian had barely taken off his jacket when Brynjulf hastily pulled him into a walk-in closet, saying, “I need to talk to you.” This was cryptically concerning to Brian, leading him to fear the worst; sickness, death, or something equally dreadful. Although it turned out to be something far less dramatic, the onset of Brynjulf’s 'talk' left Brian wondering how he was going to gently let his friend down concerning his newest wild scheme. That scheme being his great plot for a novel and their partnership in the writing of it. While Brynjulf began to pitch his idea, Brian was thinking to himself, why is it that everybody is convinced they have a great idea for a book?
However, as it turned out, Brynjulf did have a great idea. As he dove deeper into his nascent plot, Brian found himself being drawn into the lost world of Norse Greenland, with a modern shaman-like doctor dealing in regression therapy, driving a powerful and moving story of love, loss, and redemption. At the end of Brynjulf’s telling, Brian was left stunned. "I'm in", he finally said. At that moment, they both knew that they had to bring this fantastic story to life. The first result of their collaboration is The Salt of Ancient Tears, but more is now on the way...
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