Tell us a little about yourself and your background?
I’m born in Sweden, but years of my childhood were spent both in Portugal and in Greece, which sparked my interest in history and mythology. During my time in Sweden I studied at Stockholm University where I took an MA in Scientific Archaeology. I also managed to get myself a diploma in Creative Writing. As an adult I moved to Canada with my husband and have spent the past ten years here. We have two children and four cats that brighten our lives.
Which writers inspire you?
Anyone who has the ability to awaken feelings and images in my heart and mind. Especially Emily Brontë is a favourite. The tone in her writing is haunting and dreamy and talks to me. Another author that inspires me is H.P Lovecraft – after all, the world that he created is the world I base my Field Researchers series on. Amongst the fantasy authors there are especially four that I go back to time after time. These are Katherine Kerr, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Inger Edelfeldt, and Maria Gripe. All of them have the ability to write gritty, realistic fantasy with dreamlike touches, which I feel is what drags me into their stories. The classic writers, especially Hesiod, are close to my heart as well.
Have you written any other novels in collaboration with other writers?
No, I haven’t. To be able to do that you probably need to let go of your control, and to compromise, and that is something I can’t say that I’m willing to do at this point. I’m too much of a control freak and compromising is such a great deal of life anyway that I somewhere want to be free from that.
When did you decide to become a writer?
I don’t know if ‘decide’ is the right word. Writing has always been a huge part of me and I’ve always wanted to be able to touch people with words, to create emotions and make them feel with the characters.
Do you write full-time or part-time?
I write full-time, mainly during the nights, when everything is quiet around me. The time when I get most of my writing done is between 9pm to 4am. Then I also try to get some writing in when the children are at school and day-home.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
The outline part has never worked for me. I have always felt trapped by it, smothered almost. Mostly my characters do what they please anyway, and they tend to take the story in their own hands and lead it to places I hadn’t originally planned. Usually there is a plot idea that awakens in my mind that won’t leave me alone until I’ve started to write, and then it’s as big an adventure for me as for my characters and my readers to explore how to get there.
Do you have a strategy for finding reviewers?
Not really. This is relatively new to me, so the only place I have been finding reviewers is at Goodreads.
What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
I love both. The good reviews are very pleasing of course and make me happy. The bad reviews can teach me things and make me see my work from a different angle.
How can readers discover more about you and you work?
The easiest ways are to go to my webpage: hellhagproductions.com, or find me at Goodreads: https://goo.gl/ce9Iok, or join my Facebook group: https://goo.gl/REnrnJ.
Any Comments for the Blog readers?
I love all my readers and followers and would be happy to get in contact with them, and I always answer questions. In fact, questions make me extremely happy, so don’t be shy; go on and ask me.
Any feedback for me or the blog?
Thank you very much for this opportunity. It’s much appreciated, and it’s also a three-way-communication between the blogger, the readers and the authors that well performed create bridges between us. That is something that is really important.
Enter the Giveaway of
In the Hands of the Unknown
it will be 5 winners
of an ecopy
she is new to me
It is so cool you can do interviews!