M A R T E N S   I N T E R N A T I O N A L   P R O D U C T I O N S   P R E S E N T S 

PROJECT WITCHCRAFT

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WITCH FOR! 

H A V E   Y O U   E V E R   W O N D E R E D   ... 

How would it
feel to be an
evil witch,
who wants to
do good? 

What must it
be like to love
somebody who
had to kill to
stay alive? 

Why would you
care about the
world if the
entire world
hated you?

IF EVIL IS YOUR ONLY HOPE, HOW CAN YOU BE GOOD? 

M A E   –   D E A T H ' S   Y O U N G E S T   D A U G H T E R

Mae is a dark witch, cursed to kill, and she hates it. Once, she was an ordinary young woman living a sheltered life until the duke's men killed her family, and the curse took her. 

In a land where witchcraft has been outlawed since the Viking invasion, Mae pursued her vendetta from hidden depths of shadows driven by her burning desire for justice.

When an ambush fails and the duke escapes, Mae meets Jarne, a teenage boy with a vision for a better world. Struggling to retain her humanity amidst the darkness of her powers, Mae tries to use her cursed magic for good. But evil begets evil.

Mae’s yearning for a purpose in life is severely tested in a world stacked against her. Every failure brings her closer to becoming the terror she had set out to destroy. If Mae can’t break the curse, the curse will break her.

WATCH A TWO MINUTE “MOVIE TRAILER” FOR MY BOOK

READ THE FIRST CHAPTER HERE.    SIGN UP FOR BETA-READING THE ENTIRE STORY HERE.

T H E   I S L A N D   N A T I O N   O F   H E I L L A Ð U R 

THE LOVE CHILD OF ICELAND AND SCOTLAND 

M E E T   T H E   C H A R A C T E R S 

MAE

“It is not our fault," Mae shook her head in frustration. "We are not the evil ones; Duke Finsgúr is. Well, he is the eviler." She took a deep breath. "We are not doing this for our own amusement! We are doing evil; it must also do good.” 

JARNE

“I need money. My mother is sick, and nobody will help. My brothers are dead, and my father left. The neighbors close their doors when they see me.
I needed to do something; she has only me. I am the man in the house.”

SIGRI

 “All the time, you keep preaching about good and evil. All the time, you have us starving ourselves until we find a ‘deserving’ victim. Every time we follow you, you put us in danger for your stupid plans and personal vendettas."

RENYA

“Think of me as your favorite cousin – your older, wiser, and much more beautiful favorite cousin. But if you hope for anything else, you’d better snap out of it, or it won’t end well – for you.” She blew him a kiss and pranced out of the room.

A B O U T   M E 

Axel Martens - Aspiring Author 

        Growing up as the fourth of five siblings, I enjoyed the privilege of my older brothers and sister telling me stories. They took their annoying little brother along on make-believe adventures with pirates and cannibals. And when our parents went out, they let me stay up to watch fantastic and scary movies way beyond my age. In turn, I could do the same for my little sister, solidifying my life-long love of stories and the imagined worlds that lurk behind gnarled trees, hide under the bed, or have been imprisoned in grandma’s attic. 

        In some sense, I never had to grow up. I only needed to substitute my siblings’ bedtime stories with audiobooks. I am still drawn into the rich and vivid magical lands my favorite authors conjure, joining them on fantastic journeys while I commute into New York City or empty the dishwasher. This clash of the worlds sometimes creates weird connections. For example, Aunt Petunia’s revelation about the wizard prison Azkaban will forever be associated in my mind with a tiny Chinese takeout restaurant in a Berlin shopping mall.

        About twenty years ago, I moved with my wife and my newborn son to the USA. We settled in the NYC suburbs, and I do have a day job as a software engineer, first at IBM and the last ten years at Google. Beginning of 2023, while spending a week skiing in France, I had a weird dream about an evil witch who wanted to be good. The very next morning, I started writing. This was my first-ever attempt to write something longer than a Christmas card. Eight months later, I finished the third draft of my book. In 100,000 words spread over 300 pages and divided into 26 chapters, I have transformed my dream into a story about good and evil, love and struggle, conflict and sacrifice, Vikings and witches – but most of all, about people with their hopes and dreams.

        I don’t know yet where the journey will lead from here on. There are still many i’s to dot and t’s to cross before the draft magically evolves into a fully grown book. Still, I invite you to become part of this journey. The first chapter has been published as a short story here. Additionally, you can contact me if you want to be informed about the progress or if you like to beta-read the entire draft. 

But be careful what you witch for!
Axel Martens, May 2023 

M Y   I N S P I R A T I O N S 

To my heroes of fantasy, who took me on eagle's wings into magical lands so vivid and rich, that I often preferred them to the disheartening reality of our daily existence. You have shown me that courage and compassion are universal values and that striving to be Good requires character regardless of magical powers.               

Thank you, J.K. Rowling and Brandon Sanderson.

To the incredible narrators of my most beloved audiobooks, who have brought to life heroes and villains, elves, dwarfs, men, and dragons, and who have made them more real and relatable than many other individuals I only know from Zoom calls. You are, without any doubt, the most welcomed voices in my head. 

Thank you, Michael Kramer, Kate Reading, and Tim G. Reynolds.

To my favorite artists of wordplay who made me laugh and made me cry, who made me root for a crippled torturer, fear for an immoral assassin, and curse the naivete of a peerless swordsman. Your dry humor made your stories a delight until you stabbed me in the heart with dark twists and oh-so-believable tragedy.         

Thank you, Joe Abercrombie and Michael J. Sullivan.

To my family, who had to listen to my favorite stories on long car journeys, watched with me the extended versions of all my favorite movies over and over again, and heard me agonizing about the fate of imaginary characters. In doing so, you have allowed me to never grow up.                                             

Thank you, Heike and Lennart.