Inner Space Aliens follows a tetrachromatic fifteen-year-old who decodes a message in the auroras about a hidden shapeshifting army beneath Iceland that is set to destroy the Earth, leaving him to lead an alliance to stop them. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My mom, Ieda, loved Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth and visited the cave in Iceland that sparked his inspiration for that story. She loved the character of the Icelandic guide and wanted to write a story of what became of him. The teenagers in the trilogy began their adventure when the retired guide, their grandfather, went missing, and they went to the cave to search for him. Their portal adventure took them to another planet, where they met the old Norse gods. Ieda blended Norse mythology with the science fiction adventure, pulling in all the elements she loved. As for my contribution, I am obsessed with the northern lights and loved the opportunity to incorporate them into the story as a language.

What drew you to Icelandic folklore and the Huldufólk in particular?

My mom was Icelandic, and her heritage traces back to the settlement days there in 879. All of my early writing was inspired by Icelandic folklore, and even now, every book has a bit of Icelandic culture in it. The mythology around the Huldufólk has always been one of my favorites.

The idea of inheriting power, resentment, and responsibility runs throughout the book. Why were these important themes for you to explore?

Since my mother wrote the original manuscript and I came to it later, providing editing and rewrites, I can’t say for certain why these themes were important to her. I think inheriting power, and both the resentment and responsibility that come with it, are experiences many people can identify with on some level. Whether that power is an athletic skill or mathematical prowess, there is often pressure to pursue the gift. I think perhaps she was drawn to exploring the ways those forces shape our lives, especially as teenagers. I felt those themes added real depth to the story, and I’m glad I could help bring her vision to readers.

The ending suggests the conflict isn’t over. What can readers expect in the future?

The next book continues the adventure of the teenage trio, and is set entirely in Iceland and features the Huldufólkprominently. There’s a new threat, and a new portal, with lots of exciting action. The final installment highlights Kalli as the hero, forced to step up when he discovers a shocking secret about his past. Again working with his friends, Erik and Finna, the three rescue Earth from certain destruction.

A note from the author:

Hey there, friends! I wanted to share a little behind-the-scenes story about how this series came to be. Back in 2016, my amazing mom, Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman, published The Silver Arrow. She always dreamed it would be the start of an adventure series, and she even started writing Book 2, Inner Space Aliens, right after the first one came out. Mom had big plans: Erik would be the hero in the second book, and Kalli would step into the spotlight for the third, War of the Griddons. She was so excited, she even had all three covers designed in 2018! By 2019, Mom finished the first draft of Book 2 and had a summary ready for Book 3. We spent hours chatting about the story; what was awesome, what needed tweaking, and ideas for cool new twists. Sadly, she passed away in October 2019 before she could finish the series, and she left me all her stories-in-progress. It took me a long time to be able to read her words again, and even longer to start working on her edits. In our stories, Finna’s weapon is the Silver Arrow, and Erik’s is his javelin. But I wanted Erik to have a special ability—something that would match Finna’s mind-connection with Orealis. That’s how Erik’s unique gift of tetrachromacy and the secret aurora language came to life! Mom and I had talked about it, but she never got to finish that part, so I took it from our notes and made it real. I also added a few things that help connect this book to the final one, War of the Griddons. For that last story, all I had was Mom’s summary and our talks, so I had to write it from scratch. I hope I’ve honored her vision and brought her stories to life in a way she would love. I can’t wait for you to join me and Mom in these next two adventures!

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