Blog
Review: Red Sister and The Girl and the Stars
I don't often fall headlessly in love. But with these books by Mark Lawrence, I did. Red Sister is the first book in the trilogy called Book of the Ancestor. Mark Lawrence has previously written two fantasy trilogies in a different world -- one brutal grimdark and one...
Increasing the number of women in my writing
Earlier this year I made a decision. I am going to dramatically increase the number of women in my stories. At least in my shorter works. Do I have a lack of women in my writing? I wouldn't say so. Previously, I've made an effort to write stories of equal...
A short story a week
A couple of weeks ago, I finished the first draft of my first book. It's taken me three years but I haven't always been very productive. And I've had other projects in between, taking up a month or two at a time. What have I learnt? First and foremost that inspiration...
Sexual violence. And a book I don’t like.
A couple of years or so ago I read a book that made me both uncomfortable and angry. I read it because so many people loved the book, the series, the author. One of the reasons I haven't yet completely let go of my anger is that people online still pour out their...
Review: Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares
Even though this isn't technically a blog, I have now decided to occasionally write and post book reviews here. As it happens, I'm going to start not with one, but two books in a duology I absolutely love: Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares, by Laini Taylor....
On GRRM, Rothfuss, and forcing creativity
A recurring phenomenon in fantasy-related spaces on the internet these days is a collective whine over two famous authors: George R.R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss. If you are at all familiar with fantasy, you have probably heard of their work. George R.R. Martin,...
Elitist Asshattery
Sometimes, I just can’t keep my mouth shut. Or my hands off the keyboard. Elitist Asshattery* is one of the things that do that to me. So, you ask, what is Elitist Asshattery? Well. You can find Elitist Asshats in most writers’ groups. They pretend to be normal people...
Going ‘political’
So it turns out I've found a soapbox. Some things are just too stupid not to address. *clears throat* It's interesting, really, what counts as political these days. Apparently, writing books* and making films about any other kind of human being than just one...
Nordic folklore
As you might know, if you have read my introduction, I am a Swedish writer. I also have family in neighbouring Norway, and have grown up with the lore of both countries. For most people writing fantasy, fantastical creatures are part of the genre. We have orcs and...
