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With 'Vikings,' I had the task of making these people interesting and, to a point, sympathetic.

I got interested in the Vikings, and then you realize that there isn't much to be read about them because they did not write their history. It was written by hostile witnesses, by Christian monks and so on. From what I could see and understand, I was really excited about it. I loved their culture and loved their gods.

I made my kids into Viking fans, so they will carry their misery with them, too. A little disappointment in life goes a long way.

I love that Viking era, but also they're a fatalistic people and that dictated their fearlessness in battle and approach to life.

The Vikings themselves are fascinating creatures. They're human beings, of course, but their ethos are so different from ours. The fact that they live as warriors - their willingness to die for the sake of what they believe in - is quite shocking to us, and it's fascinating to see.

I think Vikings have always been popular, haven't they? I remember being a kid and being in second grade reading a book about this Viking warrior.

I think, above all, the characters in my novels feel universal to the readers.

I think you have to love the characters that you write. I don't know how you could possibly write a TV show where you didn't love the characters.

I never really like the characters I play. I only come to love them afterwards.

I suppose it's possible that a writer would have feeling for his characters, but I can't see how, because writing is such a meticulous, intricate, technical business. I wish I could say that I love my characters and that frequently they take over the book and run away with the plot and so on. But they don't exist.