I’m so excited for the July 18th release of A Norn in Bloom, the English-language edition of my 2021 Swedish novel, Sommaren på Nornö.
The book was originally written in English and skillfully translated into Swedish by the talented Hanna Svensson. However, my dream has always been to publish the novel in my native language. Furthermore, many English-speaking readers have been asking for access to this story, so I’m thrilled it has finally come to fruition.
But what did it take for me to get here? Like much of my writing journey, this process was filled with challenges.
I was so happy and grateful for the response Sommaren på Nornö received from Swedish readers. If you got the book and what I was trying to convey, you really got it--as my daughter loves to say :). I queried a handful of literary agents in the United States but received no offers of representation. However, one agent suggested I switch from third-person to first-person POV. Initially, I tried this as an experiment but discovered I preferred how Linn and Zoë’s voices and emotions leaped off the page, establishing a deeper level of intimacy and relatability. Although this agent passed on the book, she gave me helpful feedback!
Rather than continue the time-consuming task of querying more agents, I decided to focus my energy on writing the sequel to Sommaren på Nornö, which took about a year of intense work. I submitted the manuscript to the same publisher in late 2022 but have no news regarding a publication date. Without concrete plans, I felt like I was in author limbo; the waiting game made me insecure, second-guessing myself, my abilities, and my career. This cloud of self-doubt negatively impacted my mindset and I felt anxious internally and blocked creatively.
Luckily, one author who I admire and follow on Instagram, Camille Pagán, is also a master certified coach whose mission is to help aspiring and established authors reach their goals. I needed to reset my frame of mind, so I signed up for Camille’s 10-week session. Aside from plenty of insightful advice and actionable tips, I came in contact with a wonderful community of writers when I desperately needed a safe space to confide my concerns.
Camille made me realize that one of my happiest experiences was when I self-published Lagging Indicators. I enjoyed being in control of my destiny and working collaboratively with an indie book advisor. Wanting to recapture the joy I had once felt in writing, creating, and publishing, I invested in editorial and self-publishing expertise to achieve the best English-language version of A Norn in Bloom I could. This decision has rekindled my passion for the writing life and reaffirmed my faith in the complicated profession I’ve chosen. As I've stated in the past, writing can get very lonely and we writers are at the mercy of gatekeepers, critics, etc. Reclaiming my agency has given me clarity about the type of career I would like to have--motivating me to become a bolder, braver writer.
Many thanks to everyone who has gotten me to this point. I hope you will enjoy A Norn in Bloom. Available in print and e-book from July 18th!
All photos by Stefan Anderson