
Meet Alfreða Jonsdottir
Alfreða Jonsdottir began writing books because she wanted her granddaughters to know about the fantastic and inspiring women in the Icelandic Sagas. What started as short stories for her family soon expanded into full novels, giving ambitious and intelligent characters such as Aud the Deep-Minded, Irish Princess Melkorka, and most recently, Gudrun Osvifsdottir the spotlight they deserve. Alfreða’s descriptions of 10th-century Iceland transport her readers to the harsh days of Icelandic settlement, where kinship, loyalty, and ambition were the essential ingredients to survive.
Born and raised in a farming community near Lake Manitoba in Canada, both Alfreða’s maternal and paternal grandparents and great grandparents were immigrants from Iceland. They left Iceland during a time of mass emigration due to years of harsh weather, poor socio-economic conditions, rampant illness, and the eruption of the Askja volcano in 1875. This group of Icelanders was known as the Western Icelanders (Vestur Íslendingar). While they may not have arrived in Canada with much, they did bring their books, including the Icelandic Sagas.
Alfreða gained a love of reading Icelandic literature from her family. Her favourite saga is the Laxdæla Saga, whose female characters serve as the inspiration for her three novels. When she is not busy researching the characters for her books or writing her WIP (work-in-progress), she loves to quilt, kick back with a good book, or dabble in painting and sketching.
While Alfreða may not have set out with the dream to become a writer, she has proven her talent as a novelist three times over now and is inspiring other writers in the Icelandic community and beyond to pursue their writing passions. Alfreða is also a founding member of the Icelandic Roots Writer’s Group. She graduated from SAIT (South Alberta Institute of Technology) in Library and Information Management. Alfreða currently lives in Alberta, Canada, with her husband.
Contact
Want to get in touch with Alfreða? Use the Contact Page by clicking here.