Fiction and fact come together in the novels of Jason Born.
He made up his hero Halldorr, and then placed him in the very real 10th century world
of the Vikings where he rubs elbows with historical figures such as Erik the Red
and Leif Eriksson.
And as their companion, Halldorr is a first-hand witness to history, including the
Norsemen’s early travels to Vinland, and their settlements there – the first by
Europeans in what would become America – and the rise of Christianity in Nordic
lands.
Born, though, hopes to cut away the musty atmosphere of history, by telling a rousing
tale of revenge and battles in trilogy that begins with "The
Norseman," and continues in "Paths of the Norseman.".
The 39-year-old is an avocational writer. His day job is as a financial advisor at
Munn Wealth Management in Maumee. That’s what the north central Ohio native has
his degree in – a bachelor’s from Ashland University and a master’s in finance
and accounting from Case Western Reserve.
That job does give him the opportunity to write about "the nerdy stuff I do to
get paid," he said.
But a creative writer lurked within revealed in a few short stories and "awful
poems for my own consumption."
The spark for launching into his fictional journey came from his favorite writer
novelist Bernard Cornwell. Born discovered that the famous historical novelist
didn’t start publishing until he was in his 30s.
Since Born, a resident of McClure, had been on a jag reading history and historical
fiction, the genre seemed a natural.
Looking back on time, he said: "We are the same people with the same frailties,
making the same mistakes. And we refuse to learn from them."
He began keeping a journal of literary ideas.
One day he jotted down the line: "Fate doesn’t always allow for eloquence."
That idea, and the voice speaking it, launched the series, and serves in altered form
as the first line of the Prologue of the first novel "The Norseman."
It is the voice of Halldorr, brought into the sphere of Erik the Red, and with him
exiled from Iceland, to the rocky wasteland of Greenland.
"That’s the story I felt was most compelling," Born said.
Born drew the background for his tale from reference books, and trips to the
internet. The web was valuable . I can log into some Norwegian site that tells
me how a place I’d never be able to visit looks."
This research though valuable is not what makes the novel. Again, drawing on the
lessons of Cornwell, Born knew the novel had to be carried along by a strong
narrative.
Sometimes, he admits, to being surprised by the turns the story takes because
"characters do things I don’t expect. It’s a lot of fun because I get to go
along."
Born is in the process of finishing the third volume of the trilogy which he hopes
will be available for Christmas.
He’s having it published through CreateSpace, which allows for both downloads and
on-demand printing of books. Most of his sales, he said, have been electronic
versions, but he has sold some paperbacks.
Those are available at Grounds for Thought, 174 S. Main St., Bowling Gre
