To my dear readers,
First of all, thank you—truly. You are the ones who breathe life into these stories and the people who inhabit them. Every page you turn, every adventure you follow, every tear you shed, every laugh that escapes you, every shout of excitement—that is what keeps me writing.
What I set out to do was tell an original story, one filled with adventure, shifting emotions, and layered characters. Something I would enjoy writing just as much as I would enjoy reading. The idea of reincarnation struck me out of nowhere one day, and I found myself wondering: why not build a more complex reincarnation system than the ones we usually see? One with benefits, limits, and real drawbacks. That question became the seed of a story whose very premise rests on reincarnation.
As for the characters, I’ve always been drawn to stories set in Nordic environments—especially those tied to their gods. At the same time, I’ve never cared much for omnipotent beings or characters overflowing with superpowers. I prefer people of flesh and blood, flawed, stubborn, human, with perhaps one or two standout talents. That’s why I chose Nordic warriors as my protagonists—fighters shaped by a religion that values struggle and perseverance, but without glorifying pillage or murder. The name Apple eaters came from a mix of inspirations: the Norse goddess of youth, Idunn, and the simple fact that the name itself felt strange enough to spark curiosity.
Research turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the process. I’ve always loved diving into concepts far removed from my own knowledge, so digging through history to find the eras that best fit my tastes—and the needs of the story—felt natural. I chose these settings for several reasons. They were times of war, ideal for placing my characters on the battlefield. Some of them also appealed to me because I’ve always loved seeing them used as narrative backdrops in other works of fiction—Japan and London, in particular. I chose New Granada partly out of a desire to explore the history of the country where I grew up, and partly to shine a light on parts of the Americas beyond the usual focus on the United States.
Along the way, I discovered plenty of things I didn’t know—or had misunderstood. For instance, the idea that Vikings were essentially the pirates of the Nordic world, and that not every inhabitant of those regions should be labeled as such. Or the sheer variety of weapons different cultures developed, both for offense and defense, which allowed me to expand my characters’ arsenals as the eras progressed. I researched carefully to avoid anachronisms and to justify the Apple eaters’ involvement in the wars they fought. History forgets countless people and events over time—losing track of six or seven more hardly seems unlikely.
My greatest challenge was building the characters themselves and making their dialogue feel true to who they are. I didn’t want any two of them to feel the same. To that end, I created detailed backstories and traits—many of which never appear explicitly on the page, but can be sensed through how they act and speak. I leaned heavily on what I learned studying psychology at university to shape their personalities, giving them defining traits tied to those inner structures—Karl’s attention deficit, for instance, or Arvid’s post-traumatic stress.
There were scenes I had an absolute blast writing. Two favorites stand out. One is the moment when Karl and Lucille fight and notice the glow in each other’s eyes—I remember not sleeping at all the night I wrote that scene, and fixing a mountain of spelling and grammar mistakes afterward. The other is when both groups reach the second round of questions and Hjørdis very unsubtly interrogates Colette about her… attributes. I have a soft spot for moments where tough, stoic characters get shaken like that.
The Hextrigas weren’t part of the plan at first. Initially, I imagined nothing more than a group of Nordic warriors reincarnating across different eras, eventually facing a fantasy-movie-style villain in the twenty-first century. Then I started wondering what it would be like to write a group made up entirely of women—how they would relate to one another, how reincarnation would affect them, how they would clash and bond. From there, it felt natural to introduce them not as allies, but as rivals who slowly come to realize they can trust the protagonists.
Lucille was the most difficult of all. She had to be the cornerstone holding the others together, while also serving as Karl’s counterpoint: serious, methodical, an apathetic intellectual who despises combat yet is forced to fight for the sake of her group. Even so, I believe bringing them into the story was the right choice—it felt like creating the Apple eaters all over again, but starting from the end and working backward.
One aspect that may invite criticism is that I researched group dynamics by reading other stories across different media and by talking to friends and people on online forums. I asked specifically about all-women groups and the individual challenges they might face in certain situations—topics I don’t experience firsthand. I can imagine certain things, but as a man, there are limits to that perspective. I hope their interactions and personalities resonated with you.
I’ve been writing since I was fifteen, and looking back, my work has changed a great deal. My characters used to exist purely to serve the plot—tools that moved wherever the story required. Now, I try to create them as people, almost like actors inhabiting a script that’s constantly evolving. More than once, I stopped to ask myself: What would this character do here? What would they say? Why? instead of forcing them to act the way I wanted.
I’d love to know what you think about the plot and the reincarnation system itself. What would you like to see next? What questions do you have about how it works? Your thoughts could help shape where the story goes from here—and maybe help me smooth out corners I didn’t even realize were rough.
There are still many adventures, battles, arguments, and inappropriate comments from Hjørdis waiting ahead. I hope you enjoy the second book and continue reading this story that has only just begun. And don’t worry—not all friction between the groups will be negative… if you know what I mean.
My sincerest thanks,
Leónidas Lewin.
