Christoffer Petersen

Authentic Arctic Thrillers

Christoffer Petersen blog

This is what a break up looks like!

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Not that kind of break up. 😉 This is May 18th, 2008. Yes, I fudged the blog date a little. But on this day you can clearly see the state of the ice in Uummannaq harbour. The fishing boats are beginning to float, and many of them have already been out to fish. However, the hunters haven’t quite given up on the ice yet, although there’s not many places they can go.

This is the final stages of the ice season, before the fjord is free again. It’s a bittersweet period as everyone is longing for the summer, but not quite ready to let go of winter. Temperatures are in double digits, usually plus 10 degrees Celsius, but you can still get caught out on a foggy or windy day.

The ice is also dirty now, and it feels like it’s time for something new. And as the ice fades and disappears, the second season of the year begins.

Chris

On Denmark’s west coast!

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Fudging the dates again. This is from May 15th, 2015, when Jane and I explored a different stretch of beach than we usually did on the west coast of Denmark.

While I miss the rugged and raw nature of Greenland, Denmark has plenty to offer when it comes to beaches, and these beaches are definitely rugged and raw when compared to the tourist beaches in Spain and France.

There’s a good mix of woods and beach in this spot. This “spot” …  See what I’m doing? Not quite ready to give up the location! 😉

Why all the secrecy? Because, if you aim a little south of the popular beaches, you can have the place to yourself!

Chris

Research! Part 1

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On this day in 2018, I arranged a visit to the Ringkøbing Museum on Denmark’s west coast to see the Mylius Erichsen exhibition. Actually, what I got was a behind the scenes look at lots of items from the Danmark Expedition to Greenland back in 1906-1908. Spoiler alert: this was the expedition when Mylius Erichsen was eaten by a polar bear! We think he was eaten by a bear. But he was never found again.

I was mostly interested in Erichsen’s first Greenland expedition, the Danish Literary Expedition (1902-04) as I wanted to write about Erichsen’s poetry and his accounts  and tales from the west of Jutland. Of course, just getting my fingers on – no gloves required – items that were over 100 years old and had been on the expeditions in Greenland was quite magical.

In the search for things to blog about, I will revisit my visit and experiences and thoughts about Erichsen in later posts. This is, as usual just a teaser with a few photos.

I will, however, just add that I was given permission to use photos from the expedition on the cover of the novella I wrote about Erichsen in Greenland. Which leads me nicely into a shameless plug for The Fjord of Evil Winds.

More about Erichsen later.

Chris

Strong women!

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Just the other night, I watched Aliens for the umpteenth time.  I was 13 when it came out in 1986. My mum saw it in the cinema, and decided that I should be allowed to see when it came out on video. Yep, that would be VHS! We had to wait at least 6 months for it to come out for rental after it had been in the cinema. And then, of course, it was about getting it from the local video rental shop, and renting or borrowing a VHS player as we didn’t have one.

I was, as many young teens are, quite impressionable, and I went all in with Aliens! Even to the point of recording the audio on cassette to listen to it at night. Audiobooks weren’t really a thing back then, but imagine my dedication while picturing the image of me holding a microphone (no stand available) next to the television speaker for the 2 hours and 17 minutes runtime. I had to pause to switch the cassette of course. Then I would listen to the poor person’s version of an audiobook at night with my… wait for it… prized Sony walkman.

Why am I taking this particular trip down memory lane? Well, it occurred to me that my main characters are predominantly tough, independent women. I could name Fenna, Petra, Havoc and others. I should also name my mum, as she was the toughest person I knew (single parent fighting to get by in a typically male-dominated world). I could also name Sigourney Weaver as Ripley was about as tough as they get. So, if you ever wonder why I write about female action heroes… this is the answer! 🙂

I watched Aliens a couple of nights ago. It might be 37 years old, but as action movies go, it hasn’t really aged. Either that, or I’m completely biased. But when I compare it to all the Marvel movies, and even James Cameron’s Avatar 2, Aliens has heart, story, drama, and some amazing visuals.

Damn, it still looks good, with lots of fabulous theatrical line-ups. While Ripley was my hero, Hicks came in a very close second.

And then, of course, some 30(ish) years later, I’m writing (just not selling very many) sci-fi stories, and playing around with 3D art (you didn’t see that plug coming, did you?) and thus making my own homage to Aliens.

I love the franchise, including the newer movies, but Aliens has a special place in my heart, and, apparently, in shaping my career as a writer. Now, if I could only find that walkman and those tapes!

Chris

50 days to Christmas!

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What? I know, crazy, eh? And almost true. But what it actually means, is that from July 1, I will be releasing a chapter a day of a so-called “Christmas in July” advent calendar. It will be the same format as my other advent calendars with a new chapter for each day in the Christmas season. Except, it’s obviously not Christmas (phew… sighs all round!) and there are 31 days in this summer calendar, compared to the usual 24 days of the Scandinavian Christmas calendars.

What brought on this madness?

Madness, I think. 🙂

Actually, I just want to have some fun. But this time the fun will be on Patreon.

I’ve been slowly uploading a lot of content to my Patreon site, and I want to up the ante, and hopefully make it more interesting for readers to join in. So, A Dog called Blitzen is going to be exclusive to patrons. It’s possible to sign up, and then stop your subscription before it renews the following month, dipping in and out as you much as you like. While subscribed, patrons will be able to read all the previously uploaded content, including lots of short stories that have yet to be published elsewhere.

However, there are different tiers, so the lowest tier (Behind the Scenes) will not unlock A Dog called Blitzen. The highest tier (Behind the Scenes PLUS) unlocks everything. But if you just want a fun Christmas in July, with a new chapter delivered to your email inbox each day, then the tier called Seasonal is for you. It’s about the price of an eBook.

Why, you may ask, do I feel the need to put some of my stories behind a paywall?

The answer is it’s getting tougher and tougher to compete with other indie authors, independent publishers, and traditional publishers chucking money at Amazon adverts, for example. My books sell predominantly on Amazon, but if you search for my author name, the first several hits are other authors bidding for clicks on my name. They pay per click (regardless of sale).

Am I whining? Sure. 🙂 Of course I am. But do I have the money to throw at advertising? Nope. Not a bean. Inflation saw to that. 😉

So, I’m in the process of carving out a little space on the Internet where readers get to read exclusive content a year before anyone else. That’s the plan, and I’m committing to it with lots of fun projects including A Dog called Blitzen.

So, who is Blitzen?

Basically, she is a Greenland narcotics dog who goes missing during a drug bust in the beginning of July. The missing part is the important bit as Constable Petra ‘Piitalaat’ Jensen is going to do her best to find Blitzen. Of course, she will need help, and who better to help her than Constable David Maratse? I mean, he has a way with dogs, doesn’t he?

The tone of the book will be cosy(ish), with a little edginess in between, but nothing too gruesome. There will be action, and the events in each chapter will occur on that day. Just like a Christmas calendar, the closer we get to the end of July, the higher the stakes for bringing Blitzen home.

I can’t say anymore as that would be a spoiler. But if you fancy joining in, then please check out my Patreon site.

Just to be clear, the first chapter of A Dog called Blitzen is scheduled for July 1, 2023.

More on Blitzen later.

Chris