The First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid on her writing habits, her creative life and why the Iceland Writers’ Retreat is a perfect place for writers.

We also discuss her fiction and nonfiction, navigating self-doubt, being tenacious with time and how she balances her responsibilities as a writer with her role in public service.

*

ABOUT ELIZA REID

Eliza Reid is a journalist, editor, and cofounder of the annual Iceland Writers Retreat. Eliza grew up in the countryside near Ottawa, Canada, and moved to Iceland in 2003, five years after winning a student raffle for a date with the man who became her husband, Gudni Jóhannesson. When he took office as president of Iceland on August 1, 2016, Eliza became the country’s First Lady. In that capacity, she has been active in promoting gender equality, entrepreneurship and innovation, tourism and sustainability, and the country’s writers and rich literary heritage. Being the spouse of the head of state is an immense privilege, full of surreal and wonderful experiences. Eliza has been candid about the role, which is an unofficial position with no job description, penning a lauded op-ed in the New York Times and delivering a TEDx Talk on the topic. Her first book, Secrets of the Sprakkar, was an instant bestseller in Iceland and Canada, a New York Times Book Review Editors' Pick, and was recommended by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Margaret Atwood and many others.

*

RESOURCES & LINKS

📄 Interview Transcript (unedited)
Iceland Writers Retreat
Secrets of the Sprakkar
LWS Members Discount Code for 10% off the Iceland Writers Retreat
Icelandic Saga Database
Eliza’s 2019 opinion piece in the New York Times, I’m a First Lady, and It’s An Incredibly Weird Job
Eliza on Instagram
Eliza’s forthcoming novel, Death of a Diplomat

*

Join our 24-hour Writing Sprint!

Between April 12-13, we’re hosting our epic, annual, online, FREE 🌏 24-hour Writing Sprint! Join us for 1,2 or 24 hours of writing, bring a friend or two, and make serious progress on a creative project.

For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.

For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com.

*

FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON

Twitter: twitter.com/WritersSalon

Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon

Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon

If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

#121: Kate Mosse — From Aspiring Writer to Literary Game-Changer, Launching The Women's Prize For Fiction, Writing Historical Fiction, Finding Success After Rejection

#120: Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky — Wellness For Writers, How to Matter, Writing Non-Fiction, Building Communities, Why You Should Stay Away From Narcissists

#119: Penny Wincer — Home Design For Writers, How To Transform Any Space Into A Space to Write, Writing Non-Fiction Proposals, Balancing Creativity with Life’s Demands

#118: Sam Copeland — How to Catch The Eye Of A Literary Agent, Compelling Pitch Letters & Writing Funny Children’s Fiction

#117: Kate Young — Writing Cookbooks, Viral Blogs, Plotting Romcoms and Writing Sex Scenes

#116: ​Pádraig Ó Tuama — Using poetry to notice the world, Knowing when a poem is done, How to strengthen your poetry writing

#115: Rachel Blackmore & Literary Agent Juliet Pickering — Getting Published, Historical Fiction, Making Your Pitch Stand Out & Inside a Literary Agent’s World

#114: David Whyte - Reads poems: A Seeming Stillness, A Song for the Salmon and Start Close In. Plus Writing Rituals, Fallow Periods and Frontiers

#113: Lyn Slater — How to Reinvent Yourself At All Ages, Becoming An Accidental Icon, The Reality of Going Viral, Blogging for Pleasure, Writing Memoir & Moving Beyond Fame

#112: Olivia Petter — The Power of Vulnerability, Finding Your Niche in Journalism, Viral Posts, Writing about Love, Relationships & Culture

#111: Charlie Hoehn — Launching Bestselling Nonfiction; Why Play is Key For Happiness & Marketing For Writers

#110: Beth Morrey — Writing Funny, Upmarket Fiction

#109: Nora Neus — Turn Your Ideas Into Newsworthy Stories, Pitching Articles, Books and Graphic Novels

#108: Oisín McKenna — Literary Novels, Breaking Into Spoken Word, Writing In Fragments, Trusting Your Impulses

#107: Niamh Mulvey — Writing Literary Fiction, Short Stories & Navigating The Publishing Industry, Creating Memorable Characters

#106: David Heinemeier Hansson — Turning Blogs into Bestselling Books, Writing Non-Fiction, Books as Products, Selling 1 million copies, Rethinking Work, Finding Meaning In Business & Writing

#105: Krystal Sutherland — Secrets To Writing a Page-Turner, Writing Young Adult Fantasy & Thrillers, How to Motivate Yourself, Amazon Studios

#104: Rupal Patel — Lessons from the CIA, Building A Creative Practice, Prioritising Time & Writing Non-Fiction

#103: Pádraig Ó Tuama — Reading, Analysing & Writing Poetry; Making A Living as a Poet

#102: Michael Jamin — Writing for TV, Personal Essays, Self-Publishing & Building a Platform

#101: Eliza Reid — Writing Fiction & Nonfiction as Iceland's First Lady

#100: Clara Vulliamy — Crafting Picture Books and Older Children's Stories, Dealing with Rejection, Finding Your Voice

#99: Kim Krizan — Writing 'Before Sunrise' series, Crafting Memorable Characters For Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy & Other Screenwriting Tips

#98: Chip Conley — Why Life Gets Better With Age, Creativity in Midlife, Role of Newsletters and Blogs, Creating Ideal Conditions for Writing

#97: Leo Vardiashvili — Disciplined Writing, From Aspiring to Debut Author, Plotting Literary Fiction, Maintaining Pace, Organising the Query Process

#96: Lucinda Halpern — How to Get Signed With a Literary Agent, Unlock Your Book’s Big Idea, Query Letter Essentials, Unconventional Ways to Engage With Beta-Readers

#095: Hester Musson — Writing Gothic Historical Thrillers, Querying Agents, Moving Past Rejection, Creating Tense Dialogue

#094: Farrah Storr — Lessons from a former Editor-In-Chief at ELLE & Cosmopolitan on Writing Engaging Articles, Substack, and Leaning into Discomfort

#93: Jami Attenberg — Writing 1000 Words A Day, Learning How to Write Again, Finding Creative Inspiration, Committing to Creativity Daily

#92: Alex Bescoby - Documentary Storytelling, Brand Partnerships, Funding for Filmmaking, Editing for TV and Pulling Together The Right Team

#091: Suzie Sheehy — Writing Popular Science, Making Complex Subjects Accessible, Narrative Nonfiction, The Reality Of Getting Published, Twelve Experiments That Changed Our World

#090: David Arnold — Writing Love Stories, Building Strong Characters, Mastering Young Adult Novels, From Musician to Writer

#089: Emma Gannon — The Success Myth, Substack, Self-Publishing, Productivity Dysmorphia, The Arrival Fallacy, Being A Happy Creative

#088: Seth Godin — The Practice of Making & Shipping Work That Matters, Marketing, Creative Courage, The Resistance, Finding Purpose, Building Community

#087: Victoria Hislop — Writing Bestselling Historical Fiction, Researching History, Character Development, Evoking Sense of Place, Planning A Novel

#086: Gwyn Bennett — Navigating & Succeeding in Self-Publishing, Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing, Writing Sales Copy, Amazon Categories, Building an Audience, Handling Rights, Hiring Help

#085: Maggie Smith — Crafting Viral Poems, Writing Memoir, Becoming a Better Poet, Narrative Device, Substack, Commercial vs Creative Work

#084: Jean Kwok — Writing Family Drama & Constructing Thrillers, Successful Daily Writing Routines, Handling Failure & Pressure, How to Stay Focused On Your Craft

#083: Peter Komolafe — Rewriting Your Relationship with Money & Visualising Success, Writing Non-Fiction, Building A Brand

#081: Publisher Natalie Doherty — The Magic of Writing for Children, Market Trends, Behind the Scenes of Publishing, Children’s Book Categories, Social Media

#081: Ellie Middleton — Writing While Neurodivergent & Building An Audience, Writing Nonfiction, Content Creation & Going Viral

#080: Benjamin Hutchinson — Writing & Reading as Tools for a Meaningful Life, Writing Big Idea Nonfiction, Learning from Literary Greats

#079: Herminia Ibarra — Navigating Career Transitions & Owning the Writing Identity. Also, Writing Big-Idea NonFiction, Being a Confident Writer, Learning Goals Vs Performance Goals

#078: Chris Guillebeau — Embracing Experimentation in Money-Making and Creativity, Plus Writing Non-Fiction and Tools for Creators

#077: Guinevere Turner — Writing 'Go Fish', 'American Psycho', Crafting Memoir & Excavating Memories of Growing Up in a Cult

#076: Harriet Johnson — Writing Non-Fiction, Storytelling Like a Barrister & Writing to Inspire Change

#075: Natasha Lance Rogoff — Bringing Sesame Street to Russia & Writing Memoir, Behind the Scenes Of A Global Television Series, Art in Times of War

#074: Joy Sullivan — Growing a Community Around Your Poetry & Writing, Dealing With Creative Blocks, Avoiding Cliches, Tips for Reading & Writing Poetry

#073: Nicola May — Self-Publishing Bestselling Rom-Coms, Using Price To Drive Sales, Writing From The Heart, Marketing Tips and The Importance of Persistence

#072: Cyndie Spiegel — Writing NonFiction, Microjoys, Finding Joy in Difficult Times & Navigating Transitions

#116: Pádraig Ó Tuama — Using poetry to notice the world, Knowing when a poem is done, How to strengthen your poetry writing