Christoffer Petersen

Authentic Arctic Thrillers

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Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival 2021

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I’ve waited a little while to share this, but am really excited to be in fantastic company at the Bloody Scotland International Crime Festival 2021!

Yep, it’s silly dance time (no video)!

Do check out the programme on the Bloody Scotland website to see just how many incredible authors are attending – live and online (like me).

Seeing as you asked… 😉 I’m scheduled to be on the A-Z of Crime panel (online only) on Sunday 19 September, 1PM-5PM BST.

Okay… got to get back to work now.

…more dancing… still no video!

 

Walking Home from School (Polar Poetry)

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Walking Home from School

© Christoffer Petersen, 2021

Legs weary, I strode up the hill, in wind,
Beyond the railing, rocks rolled to the fjord,
Splashing whipped seas, to disturb the whale hoard.

I took the road, to skirt the icy track,
But slipped all the same with sand-riddled feet,
Scrabbling for grip, I heard the ocean beast.

And then, on reaching the steps to my door,
With numb fingers pressed to cold blistered cheeks,
Sparked by husky howls, I saw distant peaks.

Home again, struck by moon-beamed ice splinters,
I squinted into the dark, hailing friends,
Asking, d’you hear it? Hear those Arctic gems?

Arkteryx – a FREE LitRPG story

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And there I was, ported into my favourite video game…

Actually, that’s not so very far from the truth. Unfortunately, the pandemic created a weird pseudo reality for me (and the whole world), as I was forced to wear a mask when venturing outside the house. I have no problem wearing a mask for health reasons. But between you and me, it was also fun – at least in the beginning – as I saw similarities between the real world and my favourite waste of time: a video game called The Division, set in the midst of a pandemic.

I can’t say I was living the dream, but the two worlds did collide, and even more so when the shops refused to take cash. Dollar bills were used to spread the “virus” in the video game.

Okay, still with me? I’ll get to the point …

Even before I played The Division, I was fascinated by it, and even wrote fanfiction set in the video game world as light relief when writing The Ice Star for my final dissertation for my Masters. Yes, I wrote as a distraction from writing. If that isn’t a little strange, well … it is strange.

LitRPG short for Literary Role Playing Game is also a little strange.

It’s a genre combining computer RPGs with science fiction and fantasy novels. Yes, I took that straight from Wikipedia. I’ve read a little in this genre, and think it is fun and refreshing. I’ve even contemplated writing some. But those pesky algorithms ensured I didn’t dare write LitRPG under the name Christoffer Petersen. However, no one knows who Bran Nicholls is, and so, if you think this sounds like a terribly bad idea, and you’re still curious, then you might want to grab a free LitRPG story written by me, as Bran Nicholls, from BookFunnel.

I’ve created a page for the short story on this site too, just for fun.

We’ve stopped wearing masks in Denmark, but we haven’t put the spares too far away. While I sincerely hope we figure this pandemic out, I know there are plenty more fictional ones to be explored, and, sadly, many more to be expected in the real world too.

Top book tip: Spillover by David Quammen. In my opinion, it is the book about how we ended up here. Fascinating reading, if you can stomach it.

SOS: Stories on Saturdays

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I’m trying something new… again. SOS: Stories on Saturdays. Free stories featuring favourite characters, published on this website. I’m still working on the idea, but on one or more Saturdays each month I will post a story, linking to it via a blog post. Here’s a link to the SOS page (scheduled for Saturday*) with a sneak preview of the cover for the first short story: Plain Clothes Problems. The SOS page is nested under FREE. The stories may be bundled and published at a later date.

*The page with the story is scheduled for publishing at midnight on Saturday July 24, 2021.

Free Constable Maratse short story

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I’ve challenged myself to write a short story every week in 2021. It’s going well so far, i.e. I have yet to miss a week. If you’re curious, then feel free to grab a copy of A Bright Pink Hat featuring Constable David Maratse.

It’s a gentle character piece, in which we follow Maratse on a tiny adventure at the end of a long day. Here’s the blurb:

At the end of a long day… there’s trouble in Greenland!

Constable David Maratse is ready to slump on the sofa with a book at the end of a long shift. But when a sledge dog puppy carrying a bright pink hat crosses his path, Maratse is compelled to investigate.

A Bright Pink Hat is a short and gentle character piece for new readers and existing fans of Greenland’s most popular fictive Police Constable.

Don’t buy this anywhere! Grab your free copy via this link. It is available in Kindle, ePub and PDF formats, and you can add it on Goodreads here.