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Ask Michelle Anything

Sage writes…

Hi my name is Jocelyn, your books are the best I have read in my life. I am 12 and sending this from my aunt’s phone. I wanted to tell you how amazing your series “the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness” my question is how did you pick the names of Renn and Torak because everytime I read their names I thought how they weren’t ordinary and wanted to know how you picked them? Renn is my favorite character. Thank you.

Michelle Replies…

Dear Jocelyn, I’m delighted that you’ve been enjoying the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness so much!  The short answer is that I made up the names Torak and Renn. I had to, because we don’t know any Stone Age names.  But in doing so, I borrowed sounds from various old languages, such as Old Norse (what the Vikings spoke) – and after that it was a question of trial and error, until I had something that felt absolutely right for the character.  As it happened, much later, after I was well into writing the books, I learnt that both names mean something in other languages: Renn means “reindeer” in French, and Torak means “perfect” in Greenlandic; I was told this by an Inuit girl in Greenland.  But that’s just chance, and the important thing is that the names fit the characters.  Finally, and in case you didn’t know, I should tell that I’ve also written three more Wolf Brother books, after the six of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.  I hope you enjoy them too! May the guardian run with you.  Best wishes, Michelle


Upcoming Live Events With Michelle

Incredible… Inspiring… In Person!

Only 49 days to grab your ticket!

Wimbledon Book Festival

October 17, 2025
Festival patron and Sunday Times bestselling author Michelle Paver will talk about her latest supernatural fiction in this live recording with Always Take Notes, a podcast for and about writers and writing.

Michelle will discuss her incredible career, from finding inspiration for Wolf Brother on Wimbledon Common to her latest novel Rainforest, which weaves Mayan culture with themes of obsession, gender and rebirth.

Only 52 days to grab your ticket!

The Witching Hour with Bridget Collins, Michelle Paver and Laura Shepherd-Robinson – Waterstones Canterbury

October 20, 2025

Join Bridget Collins, Michelle Paver and Laura Sheperd-Robinson as they discuss their stories in a brand new collection of ghostly tales called The Witching Hour.

In this dazzling collection of original haunted tales, thirteen bestselling and much-loved authors bring the old superstition of the witching hour to new and vivid life.
Transporting you from the smog of London to the freezing mists of Svalbard, from an Irish town riddled with rumour to a sinister English boarding school, these thirteen stories will serve as your spine tingling companion to the long hours of winter.
So curl up, light a candle, and wait for the clock to strike . . .
Only 57 days to grab your ticket!

Yeovil Literary Festival

October 25, 2025

An experience like no other. From a writer like no other...

Successfully published as an adult author, the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (“Wolf Brother”) were her first books for younger readers, followed by her brilliant 5-part series set in the bronze age, Gods and Warriors. On the adult side, her first ghost story, Dark Matter, was a UK bestseller and won massive praise from reviewers and readers alike, as did her second ghost story, Thin Air.

Oxford Literary Festival 2026

March 29, 2026

The Oxford Literary Festival takes place in venues across central Oxford, such as Blackwell's bookshop, the Bodleian Library, the Sheldonian Theatre, the Weston Library, and Oxford colleges such as Christ Church and Worcester College. The festival includes international authors, journalists, intellectuals, historians, and poets.