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Just a couple, of married writers

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History & Culture

Réttir: an Ancient Icelandic Tradition

October 15, 2018January 22, 2019 Shirah OlafssonHistory & Culture, Iceland

Greetings, internet humans! It is great to be back. We have been a bit out of service these last few weeks because of sickness and transitioning our toddler to her own room (no easy feat, lemme tell ya!) We have […]

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How We Harnessed the Magic of the Norse

August 5, 2018August 20, 2018 Matthias OlafssonHistory & Culture, Iceland, Writing

Disclaimer I must warn you that I have no idea what I’m talking about. 🤪 This post is just to share the process Shy and I went through to define the magic of our fantasy world. If you are writing […]

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How the Early Vikings Voyaged Scandinavia (with an excerpt from Chapter One!)

August 2, 2018August 20, 2018 Shirah OlafssonHistory & Culture, Iceland, Writing

  A gush of salty ocean rushed over the keel of the knarr and an immediate shiver tore me from a dreamless sleep. A small part of me grew concerned for my wet clothes, but as I became aware of […]

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5+ Sources that Inspired the Ragnarök Saga

August 1, 2018August 20, 2018 Shirah OlafssonHistory & Culture, Iceland, Matti & Shirah, Writing

I would like to begin our very first blog post by thanking computer scientists Larry Page and Sergey Brin for their beautiful brain child, the Google Search Engine. *Cue angelic choir. Thanks to the internet, it has become so much easier to more […]

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Drafting

Draft 1
27% Complete
24,343 of 90,000 words

Currently Seeking Representation

Dawn of Endings
100% Complete
126,607 of 126,607 words
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About Us

Heil og sæl! We are Matti & Shy and we’re currently seeking representation for our manuscript DAWN OF ENDINGS, a fantasy story inspired by Iceland and the Old Norse Myths surrounding Ragnarök.

This website serves as an outlet to gratify our need for expressing ourselves, while we take on the wonderful journey of publishing The Ragnarök Saga.

Here we share our successes, blunders, experiences and a little bit about ourselves. And when we’re feeling particularly cheeky, we’ll share teaser excerpts from our books.

Us on Instagram

awriterlypair

Matti & Shy Ólafsson | Writers
In another, more indulgent life, I'd own a boat. 😌
The Fagradalsfjall eruptions site is ~3 miles from The Fagradalsfjall eruptions site is ~3 miles from my house. Another mountain blocks our view, but every night as the sun goes down, I like to peak out my window to watch the red glow in the sky.
Love this use of negative space Love this use of negative space
Another rainy day in the 101 Another rainy day in the 101
Instagram post 17881632158199473 Instagram post 17881632158199473
Iceland's brand is #Lego Iceland's brand is #Lego
This is Ronja. She only pays attention to me when This is Ronja. She only pays attention to me when I sit down to write. So I guess you could say we're writing partners.
This isn't an #AprilFools joke. Iceland really is This isn't an #AprilFools joke. Iceland really is this gorgeous.
"I stare at the void between my eyes and the wall, "I stare at the void between my eyes and the wall, my lungs rising and falling only because they know nothing else. Then, the blackness fills my eyes and I slip once more into a sleep untainted by time. I drift past the pain of before and the anger of now and the fear of tomorrow, where the blackness is waiting."

 #FromTheWIP #AmWriting
You may have heard that Iceland is green and Green You may have heard that Iceland is green and Greenland is ice. This is because in Iceland— whether there's snow, wind, or rain— it is always a perfect day for ice cream.
The best way to capture the northern lights is to The best way to capture the northern lights is to increase the ISO on your camera. This increases your camera's sensitivity to light. 

As we move forward during these dark and challenging times, perhaps we can look for more opportunities to increase our minds' sensitivity to the light. Look for the good in the world around you, BE the good, and find the beauty in the light.
Update: Iceland is still endlessly dark, cold, wet Update: Iceland is still endlessly dark, cold, wet, and windy. 🙃 

Hope your holidays were great!
Old phone booth repurposed as a little library in Old phone booth repurposed as a little library in Reykjavík, Iceland
It is both serene and exhilarating. When the mono It is both serene and exhilarating.  When the monotony of life grows static, it is the magic whispers of these wise trees that reawaken me.
These fall colors are already beginning to fade aw These fall colors are already beginning to fade away as the north winds bring in the months of frozen darkness.
The Winds By Shirah Ólafsson The winds never sto The Winds
By Shirah Ólafsson

The winds never stop here. They blow and they blow until the walls shudder. I pull my knees to my chest as some of the air leaks through the cracks worn by time. Sometimes that wind is nothing but a breeze like beguiling silk.  On those days I can actually get up and hum a tune as I go about my house, the low vibration calming my nerves and drowning out the sound. 

Other days I manage to tend to some of the cracks. The winds blow harder, only to taunt me; to remind me it's there and will never leave. So I hum. Hum louder as I fortify my protective barriers. 

Then there are the times when the tempests rage and all I can do is stare at my hands. I have the strength to fix the cracks, but not the materials. It knows my weaknesses; sometimes detecting them faster than I can. I mustn't rest. I must never stop rectifying the ever crumbling façade. So the walls shudder. Shudder like chaotic drum beats against the violent gusts, and I shrink against the pummeling, praying this won't be the day it sweeps me away.
I heard that Iceland was created by Instagram. It I heard that Iceland was created by Instagram. It was made completely from scratch to combat the ongoing crisis that all beauty on Earth had already been photographed. The more you know 😉
Berry season also means pie season 👌 Berry season also means pie season 👌
All my writing energy is going towards drafting th All my writing energy is going towards drafting this new #WIP so here's a cute elf to do all my talking today.
The night of my birth was one of promised miracles The night of my birth was one of promised miracles that led to a lifetime of curses.
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 #wip #writingcommunity #amwritingfantasy #forest #mist #fog
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🎄 Shy & Matti Ólafsson 🎄
AWriterlyPair🎄 Shy & Matti Ólafsson 🎄@AWriterlyPair·
21 May

I'm going to assume that writing is so hard right now because of my no-good, dirty, rotten, pig-stealing great-great grandfather.

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AWriterlyPair🎄 Shy & Matti Ólafsson 🎄@AWriterlyPair·
20 May

We tried reading a rather new and popular Norse-inspired fantasy and just. . . Wow. This is why cultural appropriation is discouraged. 😬

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AWriterlyPair🎄 Shy & Matti Ólafsson 🎄@AWriterlyPair·
19 May

Have you ever heard of a cat who avoids their pregnant owner?

Someone told me my affectionate 😼 doesn't want to be around me anymore because she can sense my negative feelings about being pregnant.

The negative feelings? Severe nausea& anxiety over an unplanned pregnancy. 🥲

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AWriterlyPair🎄 Shy & Matti Ólafsson 🎄@AWriterlyPair·
19 May

10 years ago I had my last first kiss. You know how in old romance movies they talked about kisses that feel like hundreds of fireworks going off? Those are real.

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AWriterlyPair🎄 Shy & Matti Ólafsson 🎄@AWriterlyPair·
18 May

A million times this. I can't afford to buy books willy nilly, and most of them have to be imported into the country so returning isn't exactly a simple process.

Sara Seitz 🧨@penpostwriter

@onthebooksel Honestly I think the way we market books is outdated. You can find more info on a pair of pants before you buy them. A short synopsis? That’s all!? How about a list of themes. A bio on each character. I want an IBU-style rating that tells you how dark the book gets!

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