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interview with norah case
- Grace Johnson
- Oct 15
- 5 min read
Our next author on the blog is the talented Norah Case! Author of "A Sea of Stories," Norah has brought her own fantasy flair to the anthology, and she's in the process of bringing more stories to life. Learn all about it in our interview!
Thanks so much for joining me for this interview, Norah! Before we dive in, could you introduce yourself?
Thanks for having me for an interview, Grace! It’s an honor. I’m Norah (with an H at the end, and yes, I’ve been called Noah many times in my life, haha!). I mainly write science fantasy with themes that I hope encourage readers to seek out the King. I’m a senior at Colorado Christian University Online, where I’m studying creative writing! I also work as the director of my local public library, where I love connecting patrons to good books.
Your story in Of Storm & Sea, “A Sea of Stories,” is so inspiring, action-packed, and unique! How did you come up with this story?
“A Sea of Stories” was one of those stories that the Lord just blessed me with one day. I had actually learned about the Of Storm & Sea Anthology first, and knew that I wanted to write something for it. However, the story I originally tried to draft just wasn’t coming together. I was about to give up, but then the idea of a pirate finding a baby in a treasure chest hit me out of nowhere. I outlined the entire story in about half an hour, and spent the next few days drafting it. After that, my dear friend Anna (who’s also in this anthology!) beta read it for me and agreed that it was one of the best things I’d written at the time. Even though I’ve written a lot more since (and probably grown as a writer, haha), I’m still so happy with it because I can still feel that thrill of inspiration that spurred me to write it.
What do the themes in “A Sea of Stories” mean to you?
The themes of identity and storytelling keep cropping up again and again in my work; I fear I’m starting to sound like a broken record! Nevertheless, they’re dear to my heart because I need to remind myself quite often that my story is in my Maker’s hands, not my own.
“A Sea of Stories” isn’t your only published work. Your debut novel, Weave the Worlds, is to be released next spring. Would you share more about your novel and its storyworld?
Of course! Weave the Worlds is set in the same universe and world as “A Sea of Stories”, but several hundred years into the future. It’s a science fantasy story, meaning that you’ll find starships and galactic travel alongside magic and ancient worlds.
It follows the story of Princess Harper Evensong, the heir to Arkron’s throne. Harper can reshape reality through stories (read: bring stories to life!), but she must keep this ability a secret lest it draw hostile attention to her homeworld. When she fails, and Arkron faces invasion because of her actions, Harper will have to reckon with who she wants to be and who the Creator has made her to be.
Weave the Worlds is a multiple POV story, so readers will also get to meet Prince Pickett, Harper’s brother; Fayen Longracer, a stubborn knight; and Evaly Longracer, Fayen’s sister, who’s a Hybri shape-shifter like Cassia!
What do you do when you aren’t writing? How do your other hobbies and interests fuel your creativity?
As I mentioned earlier, I study creative writing at CCU and work as the director of my local library! So when I’m not writing, I’m usually doing homework…or working at the library, haha. It’s a very busy season of my life! When I can squeeze in some fun in between those, I love listening to music and watching Star Wars. Star Wars was one of my biggest inspirations when I started writing, and I love returning to the familiar characters. Music helps me envision a lot of my scenes—I have a soundtrack for nearly every story I’ve ever written. I also enjoy playing Minecraft when I’m feeling very creatively empty; a new survival world is the perfect canvas to start imagining new stories.
How did you become a writer? What inspires you to continue pursuing writing?
For Christmas one year, a good friend of mine wrote a story about our friend group and had a copy bound for each of us! That was the push I needed to start taking the stories I’d had in my head for years and put them onto paper. After that, I kept at it because I loved creating new worlds and characters.
Before we go, do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
My advice for aspiring authors is to make writing a habit. You don’t have to do it daily, but do it regularly. By being disciplined, you’ll have more to show for your work in a shorter time, and you’ll ensure that you’re growing as a writer!
Where can readers connect with you and learn more about you?
My online platform is focused on Instagram! You can find me there @storyweavers_jargon. I also have a monthly newsletter on Substack: https://norahcase.substack.com/
about the story
Pirate captain Cassia Lockheart rescues a baby and raises him as her own, hoping to put her old life behind her. But when the stories she tells her surrogate son threaten to become her reality again, Cassia finds herself trapped between who she was and who she is. As the sea beckons to her once again, the choice of listening to the story she tells about herself, or the story the Creator wants to tell about her, becomes the hinge upon which their world rests.
about the author
Norah Case has been a student of storytelling since her early teens. Her goal is to write stories that encourage readers to remember who they are: Sons and daughters of the King. She is the author of Weave the Worlds, a YA science fantasy novel coming in 2026, and her short stories have appeared in several anthologies. When she’s not writing, Norah can be found reading, watching Star Wars, playing Minecraft, and sampling chai lattes. She lives in a river valley in central Iowa with her family and a posse of cats. You can find her on Instagram at @storyweavers_jargon.
about the anthology
Of Storm & Sea is a nautical adventure anthology that captures the romance and wonder of the ocean, with stories and poems that range from contemporary tales of ghost ships and first love, to mythology-inspired quests, to mer-queens and ex-pirates, to finding faith and footing on the rough sea. There's something so stirring and romantic about the sea, something that beckons us come and see what adventure finds us—and this collection accurately captures that idea and the emotions the ocean evokes in us. Even if you're not a pirate captain or mystery-solver or mermaid or runaway or adventurer, there's something to each of these stories you can relate to or resonate with. Just like the sea speaks to us, these stories speak to our soul's longing for escape, for redemption, for love, for a new beginning.
Featuring work from Michaela Bush, Anna Huet, Molly McTernan, Jessica B. Brown, Norah Case, Rose Everille, M.C. Kennedy, Bree Pembrook, Jennifer G. Satnic, Emma Thrasher, Linyang Zhang, Grace King-Matchett, and Lilly Tanis.
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